The lost boys of Fairfax

Fairfax, Ohio is a small village in Hamilton County, Ohio, east of Cincinnati. It is not known for having a high crime rate or for having any infamous criminals. In 1964, Fairfax had become the setting for a four-year-old child's murder and the disappearance of two young schoolboys.

Four-year-old Debbie Dappen was playing outside in August 1964. Unfortunately, she did not return home. Over 500 locals searched for the missing child. Community members prayed for her safe return. Unfortunately, their prayers went unanswered.

Two days later, Debbie's body was found underneath the porch of a 13-year-old teenager named George Rickey. According to law enforcement, Rickey attempted to sexually assault the child. When she began to scream, he killed her and then hid her body.

Fairfax residents would not have long to recover from this crime. The small village would soon be thrust into the national spotlight two months later.

Johnny Hundley and Jimmy McQueary were best friends and inseparable. The two nine-year-old boys spent much time together. Both were third graders at Fairfax School. The two of them also lived close to each other. On October 14, 1964, the boys got into trouble for playing around a neighborhood sewer system under construction. Playing in this area would have been dangerous and unsafe for children.

Jimmy's father became angry when his son came home covered in mud. He was instructed to come straight home after school the next day. Jimmy returned home on October 15, but then he left with his friend Johnny.

The boys had gone to the Frisch’s Mainliner restaurant to settle a bill. A week earlier, they ordered food and did not pay for it. Jimmy's parents gave him money to pay the bill. The boys were last seen on October 15, 1964.

Bonnie Hundley-Zornes, Johnny's oldest sister, has described the last time she saw him. She was 20 and had helped take care of her little brother. Upon returning home from school around 3:30 p.m., he walked to a local store to cash in some pop bottles. She watched him leave for the store. She had cooked dinner and expected him home by 6:00 p.m.

She became concerned when he didn't arrive home for dinner. According to her, Johnny never missed dinner. He was punctual and always came home on time.

Bonnie called her mother and told her Johnny hadn't returned home yet. She called the police when she returned home from work. The police began a journey that would take them to Kentucky, Massachusetts, California, and New Hampshire.

After three years, law enforcement thought they had finally solved the case. Gary Lee McKee, a 17-year-old Marine, confessed to a San Diego minister that he killed the boys. McKee said he would show law enforcement where the boys were buried. McKee later admitted that the story was all a fabrication.

Prior to joining the Marines, he had grown up in Fairfax. He confessed to killing the boys because he was worried about being shipped off to Vietnam. In his mind, if he made up such an outlandish story, he would be kicked out of the Marines. The Marines discharged him, so he got his wish.

It has been nearly 60 years since the boys vanished. There have been many theories, but none have ever been proven. It has been suggested that the boys were abducted and murdered. It is also possible that the boys returned to the sewer line site, fell into a hole and then died while playing there. A thorough search of the site failed to turn up any signs of the boys.

The investigators from the case are all deceased. If the boys are alive, they would both be nearly 70-years-old. Despite the likelihood that they are still alive, there has never been any proof they have passed away. Fairfax residents endured a terrible year in 1964. A child was murdered, and then Johnny Hundley and Jimmy McQueary vanished. It is still an open case. If you have any tips, please contact the Fairfax police at 513-271-7250.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Catchmykiller. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer, where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.