Debra Tuggle

Serial Killer

Debra Sue Tuggle: The Little Rock Child Murders

Overview

Debra Sue Tuggle was an Arkansas woman accused of causing the deaths of several young children between 1974 and 1982. Her suspected victims included three of her sons, another infant son whose death remained under investigation, and the two-year-old daughter of her boyfriend. Because the children had different surnames and their deaths occurred in different jurisdictions, authorities initially failed to recognize the disturbing pattern surrounding Tuggle. Most of the deaths were originally attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia, or other natural causes. Years passed before investigators connected the cases and reconsidered whether the children had actually been suffocated. Tuggle was arrested in March 1984 and charged with four murders, but she was ultimately convicted in only one case: the death of two-year-old Tomekia Shenee Paxton.

Early Deaths in Tuggle's Family

Tuggle's first known children were William Earl Henry and Thomas Lee Bates. Both boys died in Little Rock during 1974. William was 21 months old, while Thomas was only two months old. Contemporary reports differ regarding the order in which the boys died, and complete publicly accessible records do not provide reliable exact death dates for either child. William's death was initially attributed to pneumonia. Thomas was reportedly classified as a victim of sudden infant death syndrome. Neither death was treated as a homicide at the time, and no immediate criminal investigation connected the two cases. In 1976, another of Tuggle's sons, nine-month-old Ronald Earl Johnson, stopped breathing and died in Little Rock. His death was also attributed to sudden infant death syndrome. Authorities later alleged that Ronald, like Thomas and William, had been deliberately suffocated. However, the passage of time and the absence of preserved physical evidence created serious obstacles when prosecutors attempted to bring the older cases to court. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Thomas Bates Age: (2), Date of Death: 1974

Suspected Victims:

Terranz Andrew Tuggle Age: (2months), Date of Death: 1979

Rock A Bye Babies-Debra Tuggle by The Coroner's Report