Debra A. Cressotti: Missing from Blandford, MA Since April 30, 1985 - Unsolved Case

Missing Person: Debra A. Cressotti

Aliases: I found that she might have been called Debra B. Cressotti in addition to Debra A. Cressotti. Also, I saw Debra A. Balcom-Cressotti, with the B. presumably standing for Balcom and perhaps that being her maiden name or a name from a previous marriage.

Furthermore, when it came to searching in newspaper databases, I found that I had to use "Deborah" to get some hits.

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Missing from Blandford, Massachusetts.

Last contact: April 30th, 1985 (Tuesday)

Last location: Blandford, Massachusetts

Age when Debra A. Cressotti disappeared: 29

DOB: July 13th, 1955

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 65

Weight in pounds (lbs): 135

• Debra A. Cressotti/s BMI was 22.46. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hair color: Brown, sometimes worn in ponytail, also sometimes dyed blonde

Eye color: Blue

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar on right knee, prior pelvic fracture (this latter injury would likely show in skeletal remains, if found)

Link to Government Source: MP11224 (right-click to open)

Husband or long-time boyfriend: Benjamin J. Cressotti - 

• "I haven't heard from her. She just up and left."
• He also claimed that she had another boyfriend.

Debra and Benjamin were plaintiffs in a legal matter a couple of years before Debra disappeared. The snippet of that runs along the side, taken from the November 29th, 1983 edition of The Republican. 

In some newspaper articles I read, Debra is referred to as Benjamin's wife, but the spelling is "Deborah." In one article, she was described as Benjamin's long-term girlfriend. According to a January 27th, 1995 article Debra took Cressotti's name but they were never legally married. Reportedly, they also had a son together (Nicholas).

Vehicle: Charley Project describes the vehicle that was found at the airport as a "Brown 1975 Chevrolet 210 crew cab pickup truck with the Massachusetts license plate number AE33553 (accounted for)." The picture below is a likeness as opposed to the actual vehicle.

Not the actual vehicle. Generated based on the description.

Websleuths discussion page: Debra A. Cressotti (right-click to open)

A second picture of Debra Cressotti is listed below.

I found lots of classified advertisements that implied or suggested that she was a missing person. However, I only found one newspaper article that explicitly referenced her disappearance. It's below and it came from The Republican on January 27th, 1995.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: March 8th-15th, 2025

Has Debra A. Cressotti been found?

Debra Cressotti vanished from Blandford, MA, on April 30th, 1985. The circumstances around her disappearance are hard to find online, even when behind paywalls. At least, the circumstances immediately surrounding her disappearance were hard to find. Looking at the broader context, this was someone who had some dangerous associations, in my opinion.

But on the day of her disappearance, her brown 1975 Chevrolet pickup truck was found at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. This was about 30 to 35 miles away from her home. There was no evidence (e.g., flight records) to show she boarded a plane.

I think most of the speculation on this missing person has to do with the location of her vehicle. Did she voluntarily disappear and that's why her vehicle was found at the airport? Or did someone disappear her against her will and then plant her vehicle at the airport so that we'd all think she left on her own account? I hope to reposition the speculation to focus on the strange circumstances involving people in her life both before and after her disappearance date.

In researching this case, I found that it was complicated by fire/arson, legal proceedings, insurance, and the clandestine.

Legal Notice in December 1988 First Available Document Suggesting She's Missing

A legal notice published in the Springfield Republican on December 16th, 1988, confirms that Debra A. Cressotti, missing since April 30th, 1985, from Blandford, Massachusetts, was considered an "absentee" by that date. Her whereabouts were unknown during a probate court proceeding that Benjamin J. Cressotti initiated. However, a 1995 article stated that she had been missing for ten years, which grounds her 1985 disappearance in documentation that is available online.

The 1988 legal matter pertained to a fire insurance claim for a property in Blandford destroyed on February 10th, 1988. The notice, addressing Debra directly to appear in court by January 1989, highlights that over three years after her disappearance, no definitive proof of her fate existed. This supported theories of either voluntary departure or foul play. 

Not Much News Covering Her Disappearance

Usually, when people are missing, there is a news source to consult at about the time of the disappearance. In Cressotti's case, researchers looking for early journalism have to rely on what is implied in classified-advertisement legal notices. That made this case a little bit different to research, however, there are other cases like that.

In the past, I've taken that to mean that no family members were actively pushing for a resolution. I've also thought it has meant police indifference to a disappearance.

1984 Blandford Arson Fire: A Clue in Debra Cressotti’s Disappearance?

The events leading up to Debra's disappearance are what I decided to focus on in this case. A fire, which ended up leading to an arson conviction, was the major event in the year before her disappearance.

Not the actual stallions but indicative of what Appaloosa stallions, mentioned below, looked like.

In April 1984, a fire erupted at a barn on George Millard Road in Blandford, Massachusetts. This fire killed two Appaloosa stallions valued at $10,000 each and caused $180,000 in damage to the property. 

The stallions belonged to Benjamin J. Cressotti, often described as either Debra's husband or long-time boyfriend.  According to the journalism at about that time, he leased space at the barn.

This fire would be designated as arson, according to journalism from April 1985, and that has major implications, in my opinion, for the kind of environment that Debra was in during the time frame leading up to her April 1985 disappearance.

It was hard to find details regarding what happened in her life between April 1984 and April 1985. However, after she disappeared, her husband's nephew, named James Cressotti, ended up convicted of starting the fire by his own admission. He would end up testifying against Benjamin Cressotti but this latter person received an innocent verdict.

At one point, he seemed to be missing himself. Journalism stated that he was thought to be out of the country prior to his trial. The entire timeline of what I could find with Benjamin J. Cressotti and Debra is tabled below.

Debra's Timeline as Tied to Her Disappearance and Benjamin J. Cressotti

Timeline of Events Related to Debra A. Cressotti’s Disappearance

Date	Event
October 13th, 1935	Benjamin J. Cressotti is born in Westfield, Massachusetts (per Find a Grave Memorial ID: 192265445).
July 13th, 1955	Debra A. Cressotti is born (per NamUs MP11224).
1977	Debra marries an unnamed individual (per Websleuths discussions).
1980	Debra divorces her first husband (per Websleuths discussions).
1982	Debra is mentioned in a news article for breeding Shar-Pei dogs (per Websleuths reference).
November 29th, 1983	The Republican publishes a legal notice listing Benjamin and Debra Cressotti as plaintiffs in a legal matter (per earlier discussion).
December 16th, 1983	The Republican publishes two legal notices involving Benjamin and Debra Cressotti. They have a complaint against Katherine Morrell Williams (The Republican, December 16th, 1983).
April 13th, 1984	A fire at a barn on George Millard Road, Blandford, kills two Appaloosa stallions valued at $10,000 each (triple the value to get to 2025 numbers). These horses were owned by Benjamin J. Cressotti. (The Berkshire Eagle, April 14th, 1984). This business would later be reported as owned by Debra and Benjamin, but it didn't seem clear by all sources that that was the case. I believe Katherine Morrell Williams owned the barn.
April 22nd, 1984	The Morning Union reports: the April 13th, 1984, barn fire was ruled “definitely arson” by Fire Chief Thomas Ackley (The Morning Union, April 22nd, 1984).
April 30th, 1985	A year and a week later, we get to the missing person's official missing date. Debra A. Cressotti disappears from Blandford, Massachusetts, at age 29 (per NamUs MP11224). Her brown 1975 Chevrolet 210 pickup truck (license plate AE33553) is found the same day at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, with no evidence she boarded a plane.
February 10th, 1988	A suspicious fire at the Maple Lane house in Blandford, co-owned by Debra and Benjamin, causes $80,000 in damage; the Cressotti family (obviously without Debra) was vacationing (The Republican, March 1st, 1988). The house burns to the ground but no charges are filed against anyone.
December 16th, 1988	The Republican publishes a legal notice confirming Debra A. Cressotti as an absentee, addressing a fire insurance claim for the February 10th, 1988, Maple Lane fire, valued at $132,500 with $17,400 in personal estate (The Republican, December 16th, 1988).
November 16th, 1989	The Republican reports two men—a Blandford man and his nephew from Westfield—are charged with arson and conspiracy for the 1984 barn fire (The Republican, November 16th, 1989).
December 7th, 1989	The Republican reports a warrant issued for Benjamin J. Cressotti for the 1984 barn fire, charging him with arson and conspiracy to defraud an insurer (The Republican, December 7th, 1989).
June 12th, 1990	The Republican reports that James Cressotti pleads guilty to arson and conspiracy for the 1984 fire. It is stated that Benjamin was thought to have left the country. (The Republican, June 12th, 1990).
Post-June 1990 (Likely Late 1990)	The Republican reports Benjamin J. Cressotti surrenders to court, pleading not guilty to arson and conspiracy charges for the 1984 fire (The Republican).
Late 1990/Early 1991	The Republican reports Benjamin J. Cressotti, 54, is found not guilty of conspiracy in the 1984 barn fire, his second acquittal after an earlier not guilty verdict on arson charges; James Cressotti, 33, testified against him (The Republican, date unspecified).
December 30th, 1994	Valle’s Steak House at 77 West St., Springfield, co-owned by Benjamin J. Cressotti, is firebombed (The Republican, January 27th, 1995).
January 27th, 1995	The Republican reports an investigation into the firebombed Valle’s Steak House, noting Benjamin’s co-ownership (The Republican, January 27th, 1995).
February 25th, 1995	The Republican reports that state and federal investigators recently reopened Debra’s 1985 disappearance case; Debra is described as Benjamin’s longtime girlfriend and mother of his son (The Republican, February 25th, 1995).
May 27th, 2004	The Republican publishes a legal notice for a tax foreclosure on the Maple Lane property, listing Debra and Benjamin as absentees, with a response deadline of July 5th, 2004 (The Republican, May 27th, 2004).
August 14th, 2018	Benjamin J. Cressotti dies at 82 in Southwick, Massachusetts, survived by children (including Keith Cressotti), former spouse Janice Cressotti, and others, with no mention of Debra (Find a Grave Memorial ID: 192265445).
March 15th, 2025	Current date, with Debra’s case still unresolved per NamUs (MP11224).

Theories on What Happened to Debra A. Cressottti

When I was finished with this case, I felt that she had been murdered. But there's simply nothing to tilt things heavily one way or another. There's no body, obvious motive, or witness statements that I could find. I felt like I was left with a gut instinct instead of something that clearly shifted my opinion.

I guess if I was to clarify, it has to do with my belief that the vehicle at the airport was a plant. If she was disappearing voluntarily, then I don't think she leaves behind that bread-crumb trail intentionally. Furthermore, the "vehicle at the airport" trick has been done to confuse investigators time and time again.

But could she have run off? I would say, "yes." 

It loomed large that the arson in April 1984 was the last thing that I could find that pertained to her life before she disappeared. This was a major event, the fire at the barn, because it put significant legal forces in motion that would have involved her to some extent. Furthermore, these legal matters were not hidden matters: they made the local news. Her dirty laundry was being aired in the public square.

I also felt that she could leave her situation in Blandford voluntarily, especially since she never legally married Benjamin J. Cressotti. She could walk away without needing a divorce.

On that matter, I did think that she was the type of person that might have aliases and I don't mean nicknames or maiden names. She could have hopped a flight and not left a paper trail, I think.

Her motive for doing that? It could just have been the increasing pressure of the mounting legal situation involving her boyfriend. She did have a son in the picture, but women have left children behind before.

One thing that I felt weakened the murder hypothesis is that I could not find any kind of effort to have Debra declared dead in absentia. I felt like that would have been pursued if someone knew she was dead. There is often a legal benefit to having someone declared legally dead.

At the end of researching this case, I could see that there were some clandestine activities in her circles leading up to her disappearance. But whether she left these voluntarily and simply took the name of a new boyfriend or was disappeared is not clear. I would think any amateurs that know how to research name changes would be able to offer something on this case.

Lastly, I do not think that she committed suicide near the time of her disappearance. If she did, then I don't see how the vehicle got to the airport. Moreover, if she committed suicide then there would be no need for someone to plant the vehicle there.