Where is Carrie Culberson

On Wednesday, August 28, 1996, Carrie Culberson went out with some friends to a volley ball game in her home town of Blanchester, Ohio. Friends would drop her off at around 11:30 p.m. at her house, and shortly thereafter, Carrie vanished without a trace.

The following morning around 6:30 a.m., her mother Debbie Culberson would awake to find Carrie’s bed had not been slept in, and her 1989 red Honda CRX was not parked out in front of their residence. Immediately, Carrie’s mother knew something was wrong.

In the days leading up to Carrie’s disappearance, friends and family of Carrie Culberson witnessed erratic behavior from Carrie’s on and off again boyfriend, Vincent Doan. Carrie and Vincent had what many would call a volatile relationship in the time they dated.

Vincent Doan had taken Carrie down a deserted road approximately three days before she disappeared and held her gunpoint for four to five hours. He told Carrie that she thought he was a joke and he would kill her whole family if she tried to leave him.

Carrie had a pending assault charge against Vincent Doan from an attack she suffered in July of 1996 (one month prior to her disappearance). Carrie was hit in the back of the head by a space heater thrown by Vincent Doan in a fit of rage. The injury would cause Carrie to need seven (7) staples to close the cut on the back of her head. Carrie was trying to break off all ties with Doan, when something went awry.

In the days after her disappearance, a massive search would be launched. A cadaver trained dog would zero in on a fishing pond on Vincent Doan’s dad’s property. The dog indicated that there were human remains in the pond. The police chief, Richard Payton called off the search that evening and left the area unguarded overnight. The next morning when the pond was drained, there was a set of foot prints coming in and out of the pond. There was also mud all over the tall grass. It was clear that “something” had been removed from the pond that night it was left unguarded.

Vincent Doan would later be charged with kidnapping and murder, although the body of Carrie Culberson was still missing. A jury would find him guilty and sentence him to life without parole. More charges would follow for others in their role of covering up the disappearance and murder of Carrie. Doan’s half brother, Tracey Baker was found guilty of evidence tampering. The charges alleged that Baker had assisted Vincent Doan in disposal of Carrie’s body and her car. Doan’s father, Lawrence Baker was charged, but acquitted due to lack of evidence. Richard Payton, the Blanchester Chief of Police was charged with hampering the investigation and warning the family of Doan that police were going to be searching the area. He pled no contest and was fired from his job.
With those responsible for Carrie’s murder in prison, there was one thing missing, Carrie. The Culberson family sued the Village of Blanchester in February 2001 for their mishandling of Carrie’s case. The suit claimed that due to mishandling of Carrie’s case, it caused her family to lose her retrievable remains the night the pond was unguarded. The jury awarded the Culbersons 3.5 million dollars in damages and now requires all police officers to be trained to handle domestic violence issues.

In April of 2004, shortly before Carrie’s permanent memorial was to be unveiled in Blanchester, an anonymous tip was called into police that she was buried underneath a pole barn on the property of an acquaintance of Vincent Doan. For two weeks an excavation was underway. The search ended without Carrie, but it yielded her shirt and a sock, buried at 15 feet beneath the barn. This makes the disappearance of Carrie even more baffling.

Since Carrie’s disappearance, her mother has become a large advocate for domestic violence victims. She gives speeches at schools, jails, and wherever she can. She still would like to find Carrie’s remains so that she can give her a proper burial. She is often heard saying that “everything is in God’s timing and when he is ready to reveal her whereabouts he will”. Carrie is still missing, and many have hopes that someday those responsible for her disappearance and death will lead us to her. This will never be over until Carrie is found.


For more info on the disappearance of Carrie, please visit
www.FindCarrieCulberson.Com