WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Deborah Sue Kline is remembered as being a “wonderful soul” who had the potential for a great life ahead of her. At the age of 18, she had a job in the kitchen at the Waynesboro hospital, where she worked with her grandmother. Then on July 22, 1976, Kline disappeared.
Disappearance and a countywide search
After finishing her shift at the hospital, Kline was last seen walking to her car by co-workers who had said she waved and smiled at them. That would be the last time anyone would see her alive. When her family realized she had not made it home, they called police and a massive search began.
Law enforcement from all over Franklin County and local community volunteers began to search for Kline and her missing car. The story of the missing teenager became nationwide news as the family held out hope that she would return safely. It would be six long months for her family and friends before the truth behind her disappearance would come to light.
A gruesome discovery
In January 1977, Kline’s frozen and decomposed body was found hidden under a discarded plastic swimming pool on a mountain dump site 35 miles away in Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania. An autopsy of her body confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted; her abductors had slit her throat.
Justice served for Debbie Kline
After the discovery of Kline’s body, investigators were able to piece together what had happened to her on that fateful summer day in July. The investigation would lead to the arrest of the two men who abducted her, Richard Lee Dodson and Ronald Henninger. The pair apparently ran her car off the road, then forced her into their own vehicle before driving to the dump area, where she was sexually assaulted and murdered.
Dodson, who had been arrested for another attempted rape, confessed to the killing of Debbie Sue Kline and implicated his friend, Henninger. Henninger died in in 2012 prison, where he was serving a life sentence, while Dodson remained incarcerated for life.
The book and the psychic
The news of Debbie’s disappearance would bring in more news when a clairvoyant named Dorothy Allison came from New Jersey to help with the case. Some accounts say that she used her abilities to help find the clues that led to the discovery of the body, although this has been heavily debated over the years. Allison, who died in 1999, reportedly said the body would be found at a dump in a town with double letters.
Her involvement did lead to a book being written about the crime called “Missing Person” written by Robert V. Cox and Kenneth L. Peiffer Jr., which was published in 1979.
Remembering Debbie Sue Kline
Despite the national coverage and controversial involvement of a psychic, the community of Waynesboro only remembers the loss of one of their own. The tragedy of Debbie Sue Kline’s murder still lingers in the memories of those that knew her. A Facebook post marking the 50th anniversary of the tragedy has garnered 92 remarks so far.
Former Waynesboro resident, Vicki Morrow Funk, who sat next to Debbie in English class had this to say about her, “She was without a doubt one of the sweetest people I have ever known.”
When asked about whether she still thinks of Kline, Funk replied, “I think of her often and always wondered what could have been.”
Her body has rested for 50 years at Green Hill Cemetery, but her spirit obviously lives on in the lives of those she touched.
