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  1. #1. How Did Dennis DePue Unsolved Mysteries?
  2. #2. What Caused Dennis DePue's Demise?

Dennis Depue Unsolved Mysteries: Comprehensive Information

Searching for information about Dennis Depue Unsolved Mysteries? Here we go! Life at the DePue home on Easter Sunday, 1990, would never be the same. After an argument with her husband, Dennis, Marilynn DePue disappeared. Authorities tracked down her corpse after nearly a year, but it took a little longer for them to track down her perpetrator.

Dennis's criminal past and life on the run from the law are explored in "Sins Of The Father: Bloody Cargo," a special on Investigation Discovery. That being said, we've got you covered if you're curious.

#1. How Did Dennis DePue Unsolved Mysteries?


Dennis Depue Unsolved Mysteries Source: Getty Images

Born in January of 1941, Marilynn Lee McClenahen was a native of Detroit, Michigan. The couple had been married for almost 17 years at the time of the occurrence. There were three children in the family: two daughters and a son. Marilynn was a high school counselor in Coldwater, Michigan, and she was widely admired by her colleagues and the students she served.

The couple had been married for ten years, but by April 1989, the 49-year-old woman had filed for divorce from Dennis. His visit to see the kids in Coldwater was on April 15, 1990. The kids didn't want to leave with Dennis, and an argument ensued, with Marilynn ending up at the bottom of the basement stairs after being pushed there.

After not hearing from Dennis, who had promised to take her to the hospital, one of the children eventually contacted the authorities. On April 16, 1990, someone discovered Marilynn's body in the middle of a Michigan road, stopping the hunt. The school guidance counselor was shot in the back of the head and killed instantly.

Who Killed Dennis DePue Unsolved Mysteries?


Dennis Depue

The relationship between Dennis and Marilynn deteriorated over time because Dennis was overbearing and unreasonable. Their personalities clashed, and he wasn't a fan of Marilynn's public involvement. Dennis pulled her down the stairs, dragged her into the van, and threw her in the passenger seat. When one of the kids reported this to the authorities, an officer checked with a nearby hospital but found no record of Marilynn's arrival.

Ray and Marie Thornton were driving through rural Michigan on April 15, 1990, when they saw a van rushing past them. Later, they spotted the same vehicle and the same man discarding the white cloth with blood on it. A few times, the van followed them, and then the pair watched the driver switch out the plates. Red stains could be seen on the passenger-side door, as depicted on the show; the couple, fearing blood, returned to the spot where they had previously seen him throw away a rag, believing it to be evidence of his guilt.

 


Unsolved Mysteries

The episode's premise was that Ray and Marie tracked down the white sheet. It looked bloody and contained what appeared to be bits of tissue and bone. They sought out a phone quickly to make a 911 call. Dennis managed to evade capture until April 16, when his body was discovered. The subsequent search for Dennis was exhaustive. To get away from the cops, he had a rifle and cash he had withdrawn from his account.

The school where Marilynn worked got a letter from Dennis about two weeks after the murder. He wrote a letter to the principal, blaming the school community for his divorce and her passing. According to the show, Dennis's trail of similar letters posted from numerous places indicated that he was hiding out. Dennis moved to Dallas, Texas, under an assumed name and a new girlfriend about nine months after the incident.

Unsolved Mysteries devoted an episode to Marilynn's case in March 1991. Upon witnessing this, Dennis once again took to the shadows. An ill mother was why he had to depart so quickly, and he informed his girlfriend on the television. Later, she learned about it from a friend who had also seen the "Unsolved Mysteries" program. The girlfriend had written down the license plate number and afterward called the police.

#2. What Caused Dennis DePue's Demise?


Dennis Depue Unsolved Mysteries

The authorities started looking for Dennis after they learned he had fled. A police officer began tailing him on the way to Louisiana, but he eventually made it there. When police realized Dennis's car had been linked to a murder investigation, they gave chase. As he passed a few checkpoints, the cops began shooting at his back tires to slow him down.

In response to Dennis's gunfire, the police opened fire on him. However, numerous goods were in the van's cargo area, so the gunfire missed him entirely. After some time, an officer located Dennis slumped over the wheel. He had been shot in the head. The event ended in Mississippi on March 21, 1991. The detectives determined it a suicide; the 47-year-old shot himself with a .357-caliber handgun, with the bullet entering the mouth and exiting through the back of his head. Dennis was never brought to justice before he passed away.
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