Further Details on the 1990 “Jeepers Creepers” Crime in Coldwater

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

A return to the “Jeepers Creepers” schoolhouse near Coldwater, Michigan made me curious for more information. I found a few extra interesting bits of info that weren't discussed in previous articles - but first, a quick recap:

It’s a true Michigan crime tale that eerily mirrors the 2001 horror film “Jeepers Creepers.” In the film, a brother and sister are driving through the countryside and see a bulky dark human shape throw (what looks like) a body wrapped in a red-stained sheet down a pipe and deep into the ground.

In real life, the incident that took place near Coldwater occurred in 1990 when Coldwater high school counselor Marilynn DePue disappeared on Easter. Her husband Dennis did away with her, wrapped her in a sheet, threw the body into the van, and dumped it behind an abandoned church. He then drove south to the schoolhouse to dispose of the bloody sheet. A brother & sister were out driving past the schoolhouse and they happened to see Dennis unloading the blood-soaked sheet from the van. The abandoned church has been demolished but the schoolhouse lives on. Countless curiosity seekers have visited the school, re-hashing the tale of the DePues.

But is there more to this?
Oh, you bet there is.
What happened earlier that day to cause such a horrific crime?

To begin with, Dennis and Marilynn DePue were divorced – spousal abuse being a major factor, as Marilynn had confided to friends what a bully Dennis was. As mentioned, it was Easter Day and Dennis went over to Marilynn’s house to see their three kids for the holiday. The three children definitely did not want to go anywhere with their father that day, as they came to the conclusion that something was terribly wrong. An argument started between father and children and soon mom got in on the action, which made Dennis even angrier…not a good thing.

Dennis pushed Marilynn down the stairs with the kids witnessing the incident. One of the daughters ran to a neighbor’s house to get help but by the time she returned, Dennis claimed he was taking Marilynn to the hospital. Not true…they never made it there. That was the last time the kids saw their mother alive.

After committing his crime and realizing he was seen disposing of the body, Dennis then fled and went into hiding. The case appeared on the March 20, 1991 episode of “Unsolved Mysteries”, and Dennis himself happened to be watching that episode. He was now living in Dallas under the alias ‘Hank Queen’…but that didn’t help.

In one of Dennis' many letters while in hiding, he attempted to explain his actions. According to truecrimedition.com, Dennis wrote: “Marilynn had many, many opportunities to treat me fairly during this divorce, and she chose to string 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.”

But wait – there’s more…..

On the night of the TV episode, Dennis zipped over to his new girlfriend’s house. Lucky for him she wasn’t home watching TV. She arrived shortly afterward and to make sure she didn’t turn on the TV set, he made up a story about his mother being sick. He said he needed to drive back home and asked his new lady to make him some sandwiches for the road, all as a ruse to keep her busy and away from the TV set. After he left, she never saw him again.

It was one of her friends who called authorities and told them she knew where Dennis DePue was. Dennis was spotted driving in Louisiana by state troopers and a high-speed chase took place. After crossing the border into Mississippi, they shot out Dennis’ tires, forcing him to pull over. He began shooting at the police and then turned the gun on himself.

Dennis was buried at Eagle Cemetery in Lagrange County, Indiana.
Marilynn’s final resting place is in Oakland County, Michigan.