Las Desaparecidas

Still Missing: Debbie Lansdell

I have written about Debbie’s case before but since it is the anniversary of her disappearance, I wanted to make another post for her. Since the original post, I have received a file of police reports regarding her case but have not yet been able to lay out all the information.

Three years before Tara Calico’s disappearance, Debbie Lansdell disappeared from Belen, New Mexico.

Courtesy of the Charlie Project

Debbie grew up in rural New Mexico. Her family lived in Peralta, which is north of Belen but south of Albuquerque, a small farming community. She had survived spleen cancer as a teenager and this lead to her career as a nurse. Debbie graduated from Albuquerque’s TVI in August of 1975 with a practical nursing diploma. Debbie was a nurse working at Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque.

In 1985, Debbie was freshly divorced and starting anew. She got a small apartment in Belen on Star Route 7 (now Jarales Road), and started a job at Lovelace Urgent Care in Albuquerque, on Isleta Boulevard. She bought a used rust-colored 1978 Porsche 924, and she even had a new boyfriend, who also lived in Belen. She was enjoying her newfound freedom. Her family described her as a bubbly individual who was serious about her career, and while she was fun, she was not flighty.

In the early morning hours of September 21st, 1985, around 2 am, Debbie dropped off her boyfriend Steve at his home on West Chavez Avenue in Belen. She and Steve had had disagreements as to whether their relationship was exclusive, and Debbie had decided to amicably move out. The pair had taken most of Debbie’s things to her new apartment that day. Debbie and Steve agreed to move more of her things into her new apartment the following day. She was spending her first night in her new apartment.

On Sunday, Steve contacted Debbie’s father, Bill, to let him know that Debbie had never arrived to pick up more of her things. The next day, Monday, September 23rd, Bill and Debbie’s mother, Shirley, reported Debbie missing.

When Valencia County Sheriffs went to Debbie’s new apartment, they found that the doorknob was broken. It was dented on the outside. Debbie’s car, the Porsche she had recently purchased, was missing, along with her purse. A box of kitchen utensils was open, but had not been fully unpacked.

Courtesy of the Charlie Project

This concludes part 1. When I’m able, I will write more about Debbie and her disappearance.

If you have any information, please contact the Valencia County Sheriff’s Department at (505) 866-2400

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