The Murder of Debbie Gama: Justice and Absolution in Erie

The murder that still haunts a Pennsylvania city

On the morning of August 8, 1975, sixteen-year-old Debbie Gama disappeared after leaving her home in Erie, only to be found dead days later in a creek nearly thirty miles from her home. What followed was an investigation that lacked suspects or even evidence pointing to a viable suspect. That is, until a private investigator named Dan Barber uncovered evidence leading directly to her killer: her English teacher, Raymond Payne. After Payne's arrest, Debbie's mother, Betty Ferguson, embarked on her own quest for justice, which unexpectedly led her on an incredible journey of forgiveness.

Utilizing newspaper articles, court documents and investigative files never before revealed, Justin Dombrowski presents a gripping narrative of one investigator's pursuit of justice and a mother's search for the truth.

A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Justin Dombrowski has appeared on various true crime podcasts throughout America and specializes in research related to historical true crime. An alumnus of Mercyhurst University, he can usually be found sifting through a historical archive somewhere in the world, in search of his next historical adventure. This is his fifth book with The History Press.