Carlisle Street Archives - NEPA True Crime

GoFundMe created for Debra Jane Fox funeral costs

Danielle Fox, daughter of Debra Jane Fox, has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses for her mother.

Debra Jane Fox, 69, was the former homeowner of 142 Carlisle Street in Wilkes-Barre, where Michigan woman Nicole Cuevas, 38, was held against her will, tortured daily for three weeks, brutally murdered, and buried in the basement. Officials say there is no evidence Fox was involved in the crimes against Cuevas.

Mrs. Fox, a widow and mother of two daughters, was reportedly last seen by her daughter Melissa Fox in November 2023. Unfortunately, Debra Fox was found deceased on March 26, 2024, at the bottom of a wooded embankment behind the Host Inn All Suites hotel in Wilkes-Barre.

As of now, Debra Fox’s death has not been ruled a homicide, and no charges have been filed in relation to her case. No cause of death has been publicly released yet, either.

In an interview with reporter Andy Mehalshik about the Debra Fox case, District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said, “It is not yet being called a homicide. Her body was in such a state of decomposition we are still investigating the cause and manner of death. Obviously, it’s very suspicious to us and we believe it’s linked to Carlisle Street home after we found Nicole Cuevas’s body buried in the basement.”

Unofficial sources say that after Debra Fox’s husband, Daniel Fox, 66, died in late 2021, Debra started taking in lodgers to help with expenses. (If that’s true, it seems they weren’t much help since she lost her home, which was in her family since 1948, due to unpaid property taxes in Sept. 2023.)

One of those lodgers, Jason Paul Race, a homicide suspect in the Nicole Cuevas case, was Fox’s nephew, according to a 2010 obituary for Fox’s brother. In a recent WVIA news report, Melissa Fox said that Jason Race was a cousin through adoption.

Debra Fox obtained a protection-from-abuse order against her nephew Jason Race in August 2023, four months after the murder of Cuevas. Per the Citizens Voice, Fox alleged Race had threatened to kill her, shot her with a BB gun, held a knife to her throat, and more.

Fox wrote on her application for protection, “I was elderly abused, starved, hit with his fist, kicked, raped, got shot with BB guns — hit with the BB gun. Threatened for (my) life.” She also alleged she was locked in her room.

While Debra Fox was still missing, her daughter Danielle Fox described her mother to WNEP news, “She had a big heart. She’ll take anybody in. She’d rather see people safe than being homeless and all that.”

I hope we get some answers about what happened to Debra Fox soon.

View the GoFundMe for Debra Fox here.

Sources:
• New Details in Carlisle Street ‘House of Horrors’ Investigation, Pahomepage.com (April 12, 2024)
• [PAYWALL] Murder Suspect Was Target of PFA by Second Dead Woman, The Citizens Voice (April 10, 2024)
• “Luke Thomas Race, Jr.” obituary, The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, (July 31, 2010), page T32, col 1, 2, viewed on newspapers.com
• Family, friends hold vigil for Wilkes-Barre torture house victim, WVIA.org (April 20, 2024)
• Human remains found at former home of missing woman, WNEP.com (March 13, 2024)

Photo of murder suspect Desiree Linnette with now-deceased woman Debra Fox, posted 6 months after Nicole Cuevas homicide

Debra Fox and Desiree Linnette, posted on October 28, 2023 — Former 142 Carlisle St homeowner Debra Fox, whose suspicious death is still under investigation, pictured next to murder suspect Desiree Linnette. Photo posted to FB in Oct. 2023

This photo shows Debra Jane Fox, 69, who went missing and was later found deceased behind a Wilkes-Barre hotel. She is seated next to murder suspect Desiree Linnette, 43.

This image was posted to Facebook on October 28, 2023. According to Fox’s daughters, Debra Fox left the Carlisle Street home in the summer of 2023. She was staying at a local hotel, possibly with the group of people she had previously lived with at Carlisle Street, including Linnette.

If that date stamp reflects the actual day the photo was taken, we are looking at the face of a woman, Linnette, who already viciously tortured and participated in the murder of a woman who was supposed to be her friend and possible love interest, Nicole Cuevas, 38. That is the face of a woman with a body in the basement.

Linnette was also involved in the false imprisonment and assault on Anthony Cook, age 38, just three months before this.

So far, there is no evidence that Debra Fox participated in the torture or murder of Cuevas. Fox’s PFA against her nephew Jason Race alleged that Fox was kept locked in her room.

The exact date of Debra Fox’s disappearance isn’t clear. In a recent press conference, the Luzerne County D.A. said Fox disappeared in January. In an interview with Fox’s daughters in March 2024, they said they last saw her in November 2023 at a hotel.

“I haven’t seen her since November,” Melissa Fox told WNEP. “I left the hotel, and she was there, and after that, nothing.”

Here is the WNEP news interview with the Fox sisters from March 13, 2024:

Murder suspect Faith Beamer in ironic Street Talk column

Faith Beamer, aka Fay Beamer, age 38, is one of five suspects arrested for the torture and murder of Nicole Cuevas in Wilkes-Barre.

What she is accused of is very graphic and disturbing.

The Citizens voice reports that “Beamer dug her fingers into Cuevas-Ingram’s eyes, causing severe damage and blindness. Beamer also stabbed and slashed at Cuevas-Ingram’s back, using fishing line to stitch up one of the wounds, police said.”

Back in April 2017, Faith Beamer was asked by the Citizens Voice Street Talk column, “Do you believe in the death penalty?”

Here is what she said.

Faith Beamer, murder suspect, said she believes we need the death penalty. — Faith Beamer said she believes in the death penalty. From “Street Talk,” (April 23, 2017) Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Pennsylvania technically is a death penalty state, but no one’s been executed since 1999. The last execution was Gary Heidnik, a Philadelphia serial killer who abducted, tortured, and raped six women, killing two, in a dungeon he built in his basement.

There is currently a moratorium on executions in PA and a push to abolish the death penalty in the state.

Extra: More Beamer from news archives

28/22 News has been digging through its archives. They found this footage of Faith Beamer from June 2016. She is at the soup kitchen and appears to be crying for her murdered friend Kurt Swan. I don’t see any tears, though.

Sources:

“Street Talk,” The Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Sunday, April 23, 2017, digital archives

[Paywall] “Court records detail history of horrors at murder house,” The Citizens Voice, April 11, 2024

“Five things to know about the death penalty in Pa.” The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Feb 24, 2023

“Wilkes-Barre homicide investigation suspect previously interviewed” Pahomepage.com, April 10, 2024

Murder suspect Jason Race for years knew man he and Linnette held captive and physically assaulted

Mugshot of Jason Race, one of the murder suspects in the Nicole Cuevas homicide.

Back in 2012, Jason Paul Race, one of five people arrested for the horrific torture and murder of Michigan woman Nicole Cuevas at 142 Carlisle Street in Wilkes-Barre, was involved in a sketchy car accident in Plymouth Township.

One of the people in the car with him was Anthony Cook, the man who escaped from the Carlisle Street house of horrors in July 2023 — three months after the murder of Nicole Cuevas.

It’s shocking how quickly this house of people took a vicious turn against another human being. One of them they knew for many years. The other was a newcomer.

The 2012 car accident on Mizdail Road occurred when a Pontiac Aztek with Race, Cook, and a young woman in it was hit by a pickup truck that lost control making a left turn. Both vehicles stopped, but the driver of the pickup took off “when he was confronted by 31-year old Jason Rece [sic].”

The article says the young woman was driving the car, but Race admitted in a later Facebook post that he was actually the person behind the wheel.

From May 27, 2012, Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Penna.

Jason Race posted this on one of his Facebook accounts in November 2012:

“This is to all the people who think u know me why cant u just let the past die to clear things up yes i was the one driving when the azteck got smashed but i was only driving cause she asked me 2 drive.”

Update: Montour County Coroner ruled Amy Gregory’s death not suspicious

According to a Montour County coroner’s report, the cause of death of Amy Gregory, once next-door neighbor to 142 Carlisle Street, was determined to be drowning. The manner of death was not listed as suspicious. No details were provided in the report as to what evidence was used to determine the manner of death.

The report was signed on Feb. 11, 2023, the same date Gregory’s remains were found. Whether this tragic death merits further investigation in light of the recent murders at and connected to 142 Carlisle Street is ultimately up to Wilkes-Barre police.

My heartfelt condolences to the family of Amy Gregory.

Source for this update: Montour County, Pennsylvania, Coroner’s Report for Amy Gregory, signed Feb 11, 2023 by Scott E. Lynn II, Deputy Coroner; on file at the Montour County Prothonotary Office, Danville, Pennsylvania.

Just last year, another Carlisle Street row house resident disappeared, was found dead under mysterious circumstances

Carlisle Street human remains identified, 5 arrested, Debra Fox confirmed dead

At a press conference at Wilkes-Barre police HQ on April 9, District Attorney Sam Sangueldolce announced that the remains found buried in the basement at 142 Carlisle Street have been identified as Nicole Cuevas-Ingram, a 38-year-old woman from Saginaw, Michigan.

She came to Pennsylvania in March 2023 with a friend who later became her murderer. Cuevas was staying at the Carisle Street residence with that friend, Desiree Linnette, age 43, and several others.

D.A. Sam Sanguedolce said he believes Cuevas was in NEPA “really just as a visit.” The Times Leader noted it was for a possible romantic relationship.

Photo of Nicole Cuevas from her Facebook page — Nicole Cuevas-Ingram

The living situation turned sour, and Cuevas was unable to obtain money to return to Michigan. Linnette accused the victim of molesting a child, which seems to be a pattern with her. It is also horrifically ironic given that another suspect in this real-life horror story is a registered sexually violent predator and pedophile.

Somehow, Cuevas ended up handcuffed to a post in the basement, where she was held and beaten for several weeks, per the D.A. Updates indicate she was allowed to go into the kitchen periodically and was given bread and water.

She was beaten severely over the course of weeks. The description of what she endured is horrific:

Nearly all of her ribs were broken.

Her nasal cavity was destroyed.

An ankle was broken.

Her head was shaved.

She was also cut all over her body, with many cuts on her back.

Her hyoid bone in her neck was broken, indicating strangulation.

Her eyes were gouged with fingers.

A tooth was knocked out.

She was kicked and stomped.

The Times Leader reports Cuevas died when one of the murderers stomped on her head. The cause of death is given as asphyxiation.

Following her death, which occurred in April 2023, she was wrapped in a tarp that was tied with electrical cords and rope and buried in the dirt-floor basement.

Shortly after arriving in Wilkes-Barre in March 2023, Cuevas reached out to her family in Michigan for money to buy a bus ticket home.

This was her last public Facebook post:

This was the last public update on Nicole Cuevas-Ingram’s Facebook page

5 people in custody

Five people have been arrested for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault, and abuse of a corpse. Those five individuals are:

• Jason Paul Race, 43 (appears to be the nephew of Debra Fox)
• Faith L. Hoover Beamer, 39 (girlfriend of Race)
• Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43 (brought Cuevas to Wilkes-Barre)
• Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24 (daughter of Linnette)
• William Benjamin Wolfe, 54

The D.A. said they expect at least one more arrest related to this case.

Debra Fox confirmed deceased

Debra Fox. Authorities confirmed it was her body found behind the Host Inn.

D.A. Sanguedolce also announced that the body found behind the Host Inn hotel was missing woman Debra Fox, who was the longtime homeowner of 142 Carlisle St. He said the investigation into her death is believed to be related to the murder at 142 Carlisle Street, but more investigation is needed.

When asked by a reporter if any evidence pointed to Debra Fox being involved in the torture of Nicole Cuevas, the D.A. replied with a firm no. However, the investigation is ongoing.

4/10/2024: The Times Leader currently has the most detailed reporting on this horrific crime: https://www.timesleader.com/news/1651111/da-victim-was-tortured-in-basement-of-wilkes-barre-residence

Did you know Carlisle Street was built on an old Native American burial ground? Seriously.

I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, and researching local history and genealogy is a hobby of mine. I learned from old newspaper articles that this section of Wilkes-Barre that includes 142 Carlisle Street was built on an old Native American burial ground. Seriously.

In the 1800s, it was the site of the E.W. Sturdevant Estate, also known as the Firwood Estate, until it was sold to developers in 1894. The Firwood Land Company began to develop the land and divide it into plots circa 1895.

As they were digging to build roads and later foundations, they unearthed several Native American burial sites, per newspaper reports of that time. See here and here. Some reports describe a vast burial ground stretching to the banks of the Susquehanna River, but I haven’t found any documentation to confirm it was that extensive.

Given this history, there’s a small chance the bones found in the basement on Carlisle Street, which was built on the former Sturdevant Estate, might be from an old burial ground. I write “small” chance because you’d think any burial sites would have been unearthed back when the foundation was dug.

But as the meme goes, the entire United States was built on an old Indian burial ground.

1904 Sanborn Map showing the E.W. Sturdevant Estate/Carlisle Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Remains in woods behind TGI Fridays/hotels confirmed connected to Carlisle Street investigation

A body was found behind the Host Inn in Wilkes-Barre, PA. *Photo credit: NEPATrueCrime.com*

After a day of much speculation on social media, the coroner, police chief, and DA have confirmed that the body found in the wooded area behind TGI Fridays/the Host Inn is connected to the 142 Carlisle Street investigation. That’s the house where a body was found buried in the basement. It’s also the former home of missing woman Debra Jane Fox.

Investigators are still working to obtain a positive investigation of both sets of remains, “each of which was found to have some degree of decomposition,” says the press release.

No further information is being released at this time due to the sensitive nature of the investigation.

Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact the Wilkes-Barre City Detective Division c/o Lt. Matthew Stash 570-208-0911 or Detective James Conmy 570-208-6775.

Links

Body found behind TGI Fridays/hotels in Wilkes-Barre

Remains found in Carlisle Street basement; Former homeowner missing

28 Mar 2024: Wilkes-Barre City Police Department Press Release

28 Mar 2024: DA: Body found near Cross Valley Expressway connected to Carlisle St. death investigation

28 Mar. 2024: Officials: Body found Tuesday related to Carlisle Street investigation

Just last year, another Carlisle Street row house resident disappeared, was found dead under mysterious circumstances

UPDATE Apr. 11, 2024: According to a Montour County coroner’s report, the cause of death of Amy Gregory, once next-door neighbor to 142 Carlisle Street, was determined to be drowning. The manner of death was not listed as suspicious. No details were provided in the report as to what evidence was used to determine the manner of death.

My heartfelt condolences to the family of Amy Gregory.

Amy Gregory, 38, one-time next-door neighbor of missing Wilkes-Barre woman Debra Jane Fox, vanished in December 2022 and was found dead near or in a river in Feb 2023.

Although the cases might be completely unconnected, the coincidence is significant enough to mention here.

Gregory had lived at 140 Carlisle St, part of the same row of houses and immediately next door to 142 Carlisle St, where human remains were discovered buried in the basement on Feb. 27, 2024. News reports from the time of her disappearance describe Gregory as living in nearby Kingston, PA, but 140 Carlisle appears to have been her family home.

Screenshot from PeopleFinders.com, showing Amy Gregory’s association with the 140 Carlisle Street address.

Amy Gregory was last seen at about 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2022, leaving home on foot to see her children’s father [he has not been named publicly]. Her family reported her missing the following day, Dec. 22. She was six months pregnant.

Tragically, her remains were discovered on Feb. 11, 2023, by individuals walking near the Susquehanna River in Montour County. The discovery was made near Sharp Ridge and Susquehanna roads in Mayberry Township, about 50 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre. An unofficial source states her body was found floating in the river.

Amy Gregory was found in the area near Sharp Ridge and Susquehanna roads in Mayberry Township

The local fire department assisted at the scene to recover the body from the difficult terrain, per a news report. State police from Stonington, Milton, Montoursville, and Wilkes-Barre City Police also assisted.

The last update I can find about this case is from Feb 21, 2023, when Montour County Coroner Scott Lynn told Eyewitness News that the cause and manner of Gregory’s death are pending further investigation and testing results.

This is such a terrible case. Not only did she disappear just a few days before Christmas, but she was six months pregnant. She was also the mother of two children.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Andres at 570-208-4128 or the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS.

This is a screenshot from a GoFundMe for funeral costs, with a comment from Danielle Fox, daughter of missing woman Debra Fox, that says “A good neighbor and friend will be missed.”

Links

21 Feb 2023: Cause of death for Luzerne County woman remains pending

12 Feb 2023: Body of missing Wilkes-Barre woman found in Montour County

Remains found in Carlisle Street basement; Former homeowner missing

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Update March 28, 2024: Officials announced the body found in the woods behind TGI Fridays/hotels is linked to the 142 Carlisle St. death investigation, at the former home of missing Wilkes-Barre woman Debra Fox.

Human remains were recovered from the basement of a vacant house on Carlisle Street on February 27, 2024. The house is one of a row of six. At first, law enforcement didn’t confirm if the remains were human or animal.

Now, the remains have been confirmed human but not yet identified, according to a joint news release from the coroner, police chief, and D.A. Hopefully DNA can identify those remains ASAP. There is no shortage of missing persons cases in NEPA.

The house at 142 Carlisle was sold at a tax “upset sale” in September 2023. The deed for the home was recorded January 26,2024. The remains seemed to have been discovered when the new owner, who appears to be an out-of-town investment buyer, was clearing things out of the house, like old mattresses.

The home belonged to a single family for several decades, going back to the late 1940s. Before these recent sales in 2023 and 2024, Debra “Debbie” Jane (Race) Fox and her husband Daniel owned the home. Debra’s parents, Luke and Elsie Race, owned the home before that.

According to her two daughters, Debra, who is 69 year old, moved out of the Carlisle St. house during the summer of 2023 and had been living in a nearby hotel. The two women say they haven’t seen or heard from their mother since early February 2024.

The Times Leader recently reported that Debra Jane Fox had an active protection-from-abuse order against Jason Paul Race, 43, who also resided at 142 Carlisle. (He is likely a relative of Debra’s since her maiden name is Race.) She petitioned for the PFA on August 14, 2023, claiming horrific elder abuse, “…she was starved, assaulted, shot with pellet guns, pistol whipped, denied personal hygiene products, forced to use illicit drugs and had money stolen from her.”

Jason Paul Race was also in trouble with the law on July 27, 2023 for obstruction. The charges were dismissed, but they mention that a man claims he was held in the basement of 142 Carlisle St. against his will. It says he was held there because he was accused of sexually assaulting a child. The TL report doesn’t state who made the accusations or who held him in the basement.

[redacted Apr 4. 2024]

Information needed

Investigators are trying to locate Debra Jane Fox as well as anyone who has lived in the house at 142 Carlisle Street during the past 12 to 24 months. Based on what a neighbor told reporters, it seems like a lot of people were coming and going from the house in recent years.

If you have any information relating to this case, contact The Wilkes-Barre Detective Division c/o Lt Mathew Stash at 570-208-0911 or Detective James Conmy at 570-208-6775.

Also, you can submit an anonymous tip through PA Crime Stoppers, and if your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a $5,000 reward.