Jeepers Creepers: The True Story

On Easter Sunday 1990, Ray and Marie Thorton were driving along S. Snow Prairie Road, 12 miles outside of Coldwater, Michigan, when Ray suddenly noticed a dark-colored van in their rear-view mirror. The van whipped around them, driving on the wrong side of the road, before speeding off. The couple, who often played a game where they turned the license plate into a word, noticed that the license plate began with “GZ.”

“Geez, he must be in a hurry,” said Marie. Pun intended! As they continued down the desolate road, Marie spotted a man carrying what looked to be a blood stained white sheet behind the building. As they continued past the building, she saw the same van parked between the building and an old tank. Moments later, the van sped up behind them, riding their bumper for nearly two miles before Ray nervously pulled off.

Believing that the driver was acting suspicious, the couple turned around in an attempt to get the rest of the license plate. As they drove past the van, they noticed the driver knelt down near the rear bumper changing the license plate. They also noticed that the passenger door, which was open, was covered with blood. They returned to the schoolhouse to confirm their suspicions and found the sheet partially stuffed into a small animal hole.

Investigators soon learned that the tire tracks matched a vehicle belonging to 46-year-old Dennis DePue and the blood on the sheet was confirmed to belong to his ex-wife 48-year-old Marilynn DePue.

In April 1989, after nearly 18 years of marriage, Marilynn filed for divorce, claiming that Dennis was controlling and was trying to ruin her life. In December, Marilynn was given custody of their three children, Jennifer, Scott, and Julie. However, Dennis was granted bi-weekly visitation.

On April 15, 1990, Dennis arrived at the Coldwater residence for a scheduled visitation, however, their children refused to go. When Marilynn attempted to talk to Dennis, he grew angry and began to yell. He proceeded to grab Marilynn and push her down the stairs. He descended the staircase and continued to beat on her as their children pleaded with him to stop.

Jennifer, their oldest, ran next door to a neighbor’s house to call the police. Meanwhile, Dennis carried Marilynn up the stairs and told his children he was taking her to the hospital. However, they never arrived.

The following day, highway workers discovered her body near a deserted road in Bethel Township. She had been shot in the back of the head. Days later, Dennis sent several bizarre letters to friends and family. In one letter, he attempted to justify his actions. “Marilyn had many, many opportunities to treat me fairly during this divorce, and she chose to bring it out, trick me, lie to me, and when you lose your wife, children, and home, there’s not much left. I was too old to start over.”

On March 20, 1991, a Texas woman “Mary” arrived home. She noticed that her boyfriend’s van was in the driveway. As she went inside, her boyfriend Hank Queen told her that he needed to drive to his mother’s house because she was very ill. He asked her to pack him some food for the road as he packed his bag. Hand loaded his green 1984 Chevrolet van and said his goodbyes. This was the last time Mary saw her boyfriend.

The following morning, Louisiana officials notified Mississippi authorities that they were in pursuit of a van with stolen Texas tags.

“We set up a roadblock with police and deputies at the end of the Interstate 20 bridge over the Mississippi River…I told them not to shoot him but to shoot out the tires on his van,” said Sheriff Paul Barrett. At that time, Barrett’s office was ifnormed by the FBI that the owner of the vehicle was wanted for murder.

According to Barrett, “he drove right through the roadblock but officers managed to shoot out a tire…We then shot out another tire and he kept going.”

“He rammed one police car with his van and then rammed one of my deputies’ cars…At that point he fired two shots through the windshield at Deputy Sheriff Bubba Comans and then fired one or more shots out of the van’s side window at police officer Mark Morgan. By that time I was within a quarter of a mile of the van, and after hearing that he was shooting at us, I told them to take him out,” said Barrett.

When the shooting stopped, an officer approached the vehicle and opened the driver’s side door to find Dennis slumped over behind the wheel “with a .357 in his left hand and his thumb on the trigger.” Police also found $16,000 in his pocket.

While it has never been confirmed, it is often speculated that this case, which was broadcasted on "Unsolved Mysteries" was the inspiration behind the film Jeepers Creepers.