Podcast Summary: Dark Downeast – The Murder of Debra Stone (Rhode Island)
Host: Kylie Low
Date: February 12, 2026
Podcast: Dark Downeast (Audiochuck)
Episode Length: ~41 minutes
Episode Overview
In this haunting, deeply-researched episode, journalist and host Kylie Low examines the decades-long mystery surrounding the 1984 murder of Debra Stone in Rhode Island. The episode explores the original investigation, interviews with those closest to Debra, and persuasive witness accounts that went unacted upon for years. Ultimately, the story reveals how justice for Debra was delayed not due to a lack of leads or evidence, but because of institutional failures, misdirected skepticism, and perhaps even prejudice against victims considered "at risk." The case is later officially solved, but not in time to see anyone held accountable in court.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Discovery of Debra Stone’s Body
[00:05–04:00]
- Labor Day weekend, September 2, 1984: A group of teens find a sleeping bag in the Narrow River, RI.
- Inside: The nearly-nude body of a young woman, wrapped with rope and weighted down by a cinder block.
- Identification and autopsy revealed:
- Strangulation was cause of death (fractured hyoid bone, hemorrhaging).
- Tattoo of a cannabis leaf helped identify her as 24-year-old Debra Stone.
- No drugs found in her system; moderate decomposition clues to time in water (24–72 hours).
Notable Quote:
“The evidence had already been there. What the case needed was the will to look again and confront the truth that should have been acted on long ago.”
— Kylie Low [00:49]
2. Unraveling Debra’s Last Days and the Initial Investigation
[04:00–14:00]
- Debra’s life painted as complicated: working nights at Roosters nightclub, substance use, and tumultuous relationships.
- Police trace her last known movements:
- On Aug 29, 1984, she says she’s going to “get high” at a man’s house in Johnston, RI.
- Cab records confirm she was dropped off at Simmons Village apartments; the alias "Bobby Myers" is linked to Robert Jeremiah—a man with mob ties and a criminal record.
- Robert claims he left her near home; however, witness testimony starts to cast doubt on his story.
Memorable Details:
- Debra’s ex-boyfriend and housemate are investigated and cleared as suspects.
- The “nightclub” Roosters is depicted as a chaotic and sometimes dangerous environment, emblematic of Debra's complex social sphere.
3. The Informant and Breakthrough Witness Statements
[13:57–25:00]
- A friend, "Gordon," suggests Debra was at Robert Jeremiah’s apartment the morning after she purportedly left.
- “Isaac,” another associate, is eventually persuaded to talk. He shares details implicating both himself and Robert:
- Isaac saw Debra at the apartment late on Aug 29 and the next morning, where she was “motionless.”
- He and Robert disposed of Debra’s body, believing she had overdosed (per Robert).
- Isaac recalls sourcing gloves and clothesline, using a cinder block, and recounts minute details matching the scene.
- Isaac’s account is repeated in later interviews and supported by physical details and third-party corroborations, including Robert’s mother cleaning the car’s trunk.
- Polygraph failure by Isaac (on whether he witnessed Debra die) stalls the case.
Notable Quote:
“As they prepared to dispose of her body...he had gone back to his own apartment and asked his girlfriend to call the police, hoping to stop what was about to happen. He left believing she was making the call, while also taking clothesline with him that would later be used to bind the sleeping bag to the cinderblock.”
— Kylie Low [19:59]
Chilling Allegation:
“Robert told her that Debra had been ‘stealing my dope.’ …She tried to brush it off, saying, ‘you gotta do what you gotta do.’ Robert replied, ‘well, I had to.’”
— From Isaac’s girlfriend's statement [23:50]
4. Investigation Falters and the Shadow of Serial Crime
[25:00–27:30]
- With insufficient forensic evidence and a failed polygraph, the case stalls.
- Community rumor: Several strangulation murders in the Providence area (Kathy Luongo, Roseanne Robinson, Diane Drake) fuel speculation about a possible serial killer.
- No firm connections are established, but the persistent theory reflects a climate of unease and mistrust.
- Robert Jeremiah dies in 1995, taking any further direct testimony with him.
5. Modern Reopening and Forensic Review
[27:30–36:00]
- Detective James Wass reopens Debra Stone’s file in 2018 after finding it during an evidence room audit.
- Retesting of preserved items (glove, rope, sleeping bag, fingernail clippings, carpet) yields minimal or unusable DNA, likely due to water exposure and age.
- 2023: The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit reviews everything; realizes the case had enough for probable cause as far back as 1991.
- Ultimately, a forensic review corroborates that the symptoms described (choking, gagging) matched manual strangulation, not overdose.
Notable Quote:
“Choking or gagging can be a response to both an overdose and a fractured hyoid bone...But a broken hyoid bone can only be attributable to the application of significant force... which conclusively indicates strangulation and more specifically suggests manual strangulation.”
— Dr. Alexander Shirkoff, Medical Examiner, as read by Kylie Low [33:40]
6. Case Resolution and Lingering Injustice
[36:00–41:00]
- The Cold Case Unit closes the investigation in 2025: Concludes Robert Jeremiah killed Debra Stone by manual strangulation.
- Isaac’s narrative is deemed credible—he never wavered, even as details could have incriminated him.
- Isaac cannot be prosecuted for helping dispose of the body due to the expired statute of limitations.
Key Findings for Case Closure:
- Medical evidence unambiguously supports homicide by asphyxia, likely manual strangulation.
- Informant (Isaac)’s detailed, consistent account matches the crime scene and is corroborated by physical evidence and other witnesses.
- Robert’s self-incriminating remarks and circumstantial confirmations.
Enduring Questions:
- Was Debra’s life (drug use, associations) a factor in law enforcement de-prioritizing her murder?
- Did Robert’s connections to organized crime shield him from scrutiny?
- Why did police not act when probable cause existed by 1991?
Powerful Reflection:
“What lingers most heavily in Debra’s case is not just the brutality of her murder, but the knowledge that it did not have to remain a mystery for decades… Her case may finally be labeled solved, but the questions it leaves behind refuse to stay buried.”
— Kylie Low [40:20]
Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)
- “The evidence had already been there. What the case needed was the will to look again and confront the truth that should have been acted on long ago.” — Kylie Low [00:49]
- “You gotta do what you gotta do.” Robert replied, “well, I had to.” — From Isaac’s girlfriend’s recollection [23:50]
- “Choking or gagging can be a response to both an overdose and a fractured hyoid bone...a broken hyoid bone can only be attributable to the application of significant force…manual strangulation." — Dr. Alexander Shirkoff (via Kylie Low) [33:40]
- “After contacting all available members of law enforcement involved in this investigation, the RIAGCCU cannot satisfactorily explain why Jeremiah was not charged with Debra’s murder by the end of 1991.” — Case report, read by Kylie Low [39:00]
- “Her case may finally be labeled solved, but the questions it leaves behind refuse to stay buried.” — Kylie Low [40:20]
Segment Timestamps
- [00:05]–[04:00] – Discovery and Crime Scene
- [04:01]–[14:00] – Debra’s Background, Early Investigation, Establishing Timelines
- [13:57]–[25:00] – Key Witness Testimonies, the Informant’s Story
- [25:01]–[27:30] – Case Stalls, Hints of Serial Patterns
- [27:31]–[36:00] – Case Reopened, New Forensic Review, Modern Analysis
- [36:00]–[41:00] – Cold Case Conclusion, Reflections on Justice
Tone & Style
Kylie Low maintains an empathetic, careful approach throughout, centering Debra as a lived person, not just a case file. The tone is serious, compassionate, and critical of systemic failings, always honoring the victim and resisting tabloid sensationalism.
Final Thoughts
The episode is a deeply moving testament to the importance of revisiting cold cases—not just with the tools of modern science, but with the humility to consider that lost voices, discounted testimonies, and old evidence may already hold the truth. It’s a powerful reminder that justice delayed is justice denied, and a call for more ethical, heart-centered true crime storytelling.