South Wilkes-Barre Archives

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

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.

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.

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.