A criminal complaint against 50-year-old Jose Ferreira says he told authorities he pushed Carrie Ann Jopek during a party in 1982.
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On October. 11, Ferreira called Milwaukee television station WISN, an ABC affiliate, and said he was responsible for Jopek’s death, the station reported after it notified authorities.
Mr Gegg has not elaborated no the nature of those details, but said the station called police because of “several red flags”. His arrest has brought closure to Jopek’s mother, who long blamed herself for her daughter’s death.
Police initially suspected that Ferreira might have murdered Jopek-WISN reports that a neighbor actually saw him standing over her open grave soon after he killed her-but he claimed to be ignorant of the murder throughout the investigation, and he kept quiet about it for the next 33 years. He shoved her after she had changed her mind about going to the basement, where he thought they were going to “make out”.
The girl disappeared after being suspended for roaming the halls at school.
Tousignant has said that when she went looking for her daughter, she went to the home.
Tousignant said she had the option of picking her daughter up from the school’s office, but she chose not to since they lived only a block away.
It was then that Ferreira buried her body under the porch of the home where the party took place, where it was eventually discovered during repairs. An account so detailed, in fact, that station workers immediately notified the police.
He appeared in court Saturday, Milwaukee police spokesman Tim Gauerke confirmed via email.
“She was a strong-willed child”.
She broke her neck, and Ferreira reportedly said that he had sex with her after thinking she was unconscious and then buried her when he realized she was dead. Tousignant told news reporters that she believes he confessed because her daughter was “haunting” him.
“She spent two of her birthdays underneath that porch”, Ms Tousignant said.
“I miss her”, she added, “so much”.
He has been charged with second-degree murder and faces 20 years in prison.
She said that she was amazed that someone has been charged in the case. “She would’ve snuck over there anyway”.
While welcome, the sudden break in the 33-year-old mystery is also raising a few questions about the Milwaukee Police Department, which failed to crack the cold case until Ferreira’s fortunate media confession. It’s a decision she has come to live with.
“He told investigators Dempsey’s death had been bothering him”, the Journal Sentinel reported.
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“Now he’s gonna pay for what he did to her”, her mother said.
