DEANIE PETERS, More than four decades after 14-year-old Deanie Peters vanished from a West Michigan middle school, the unanswered mystery continues to impact the lives of those connected to her disappearance, including family members, close friends, and individuals who saw or spoke with her on the night she went missing.
Family friends
Deanie often spent holidays and weekends with the Herbert family, who were close friends of the Peters family.
“She was like the daughter I never had,” Ariadyne Herbert said. Herbert was at the school the night Deanie disappeared and remembers seeing her walk out of the gym.
The two families shared many memories together.
“Every weekend we did something together — cross country skiing or dinner or movies or played cards. We were two families that were very close,” Herbert said.
Deanie played games in the Herbert family’s living room and shared meals at their dining table, leaving lasting impressions.
“Deanie was such a character. She really was. She was sweet,” Herbert said.
Those who knew Deanie also remember her distinctive appearance and personality.
“She was very, very attractive,” Herbert said. “A lot of girls were jealous of her. A lot of guys just adored her.”
Few people were closer to Deanie than Kathy Weeks Kingma.
“She was my best friend,” Kingma said.
Kingma recalls vivid memories of their friendship.
“She had the most contagious laugh. We had the greatest memories listening to Meatloaf,” Kingma said. “We became friends. There wasn’t a condition. There was no condition.”
Kingma’s last memory of Deanie was a phone conversation, when Deanie said she had to go to her younger brother’s wrestling practice.
“My memory is the last time I talked to my friend on a phone who said, ‘I’ll call you,’” Kingma said.
Unanswered questions
That evening, when Deanie did not return after going to the restroom, concern quickly grew.
“My husband and I are standing there, waiting, waiting, waiting,” Herbert recalled. “Mary doesn’t come back for quite a while. She comes back and says she’s not there, and I’ve looked everywhere.”
After searching the building and checking with friends, panic set in.
“I went looking around the school,” Mary Peters said. “I was panicking.”
Deputies arrived at the middle school around 6:45 p.m., nearly two hours after Deanie likely walked out of the gym. The investigation into her disappearance began that night and has continued for decades.
“It’s affected a lot of people because of how mysterious it’s been, and there have been no answers to what happened with her after she walked out of that school,” Detective Paul VanRhee said.
Herbert acknowledged the enduring grief, especially for Deanie’s mother.
“It hasn’t been easy for me, either, but nothing like what it’s been for Mary,” Herbert said.
Mary Peters said the loss has meant missing every milestone.
“I’ve missed her life,” she said. “I’ve missed everything there is to celebrate — graduations, proms, dances, first car, driver’s license, wedding shopping with her, doing girl things. We’ve missed it all.”
Forever 14
Although life has moved forward for family and friends, part of their hearts remain in 1981.
Kingma honored her friend’s memory when naming her own daughter.
“My daughter was named through Deanie and my grandma,” Kingma said. “That was me taking a part of her with me.”
Even those who knew Deanie briefly continue to feel the impact.
“It’s still something that you don’t forget,” Robert Alexander said. “In her little mark that she made on my life, casually, I can only imagine what it’s still doing to those who had deep, meaningful friendships with her.”
Community member Sue Duyser said the case has stayed with her for decades.
“It’s just sad, horrifying,” Duyser said. “I’ve got grandkids that have gone through that age. I can’t even imagine being her family or her mother.”
A hope for answers
Despite the passage of time, those connected to Deanie’s case still believe answers are possible.
“1,000,000% or I wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Alexander said when asked if he believes the case can be solved.
Detective VanRhee said sharing memories may help uncover new information.
“Somebody knows something, and wouldn’t it just be the right thing to do?” Duyser said.
“I hope that with these puzzle pieces, someone steps up to the plate,” Kingma said. “Enough’s enough. Forty-five years. How much longer do you want?”
Mary Peters continues to hold onto hope.
“There might be one piece missing,” she said. “And that’s the answer.”
Submit a tip
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office continues to actively seek information related to the disappearance of Deanie Peters. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact detectives using the following methods:
-
Phone: (616) 632-6125
-
Silent Observer: (616) 774-2345
-
Online tip forms are also available through the Kent County Sheriff’s Office
