Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Hiding Beneath the Surface: The Putnam County School Girls’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ delves deep into the mysterious disappearance of a 12-year-old girl named Josette Wright from her home in New York in 1994. The entire community was left shell-shocked when her remains were recovered in a nearby wooded area, after which the missing persons case turned into a homicide investigation. The detectives were led to two suspects, who were tried and convicted only to be found not guilty decades later.
Josette Wright’s Remains Were Found More Than a Year After Her Disappearance
On May 31, 1982, Susan and Gary Wright welcomed Josette Leilani Wright into the world as their little bundle of joy. Josette was raised in a seemingly loving and supportive household alongside her two sisters, Chloe and Shelley, in Carmel, New York. She attended George Fischer Middle School, where she was popular among her peers for her bubbly, compassionate personality. By the time she was in the seventh grade, Josette already had a boyfriend named Billy Wooster. Known for her artistic creativity and athleticism, she aspired to become a teacher when she grew up.
Unfortunately, the 12-year-old girl’s dreams and aspirations were shattered when fate intervened and cut her life short. On the fateful night of October 3, 1994, Josette Wright disappeared from her Carmel home. The following day, her mother reported her missing, and the police launched an extensive search for the young girl. In the months that followed, every tip and clue led the police to dead ends until a local deer hunter came across human remains in the wooded area of Putnam County, New York, near Fields Lane, on November 22, 1995. Through dental X-rays, the authorities identified that the remains belonged to the missing 12-year-old girl. The police also noticed that Josette’s arms and legs were bound by a rope. Thus, a homicide investigation was immediately launched to get to the bottom of the case.
Witness Statements Led to a Conviction in Josette Wright’s Case
While the authorities investigated Josette Wright’s homicide, three teenagers — Anthony DiPippo, Andrew Krivak, and Dominic Neglia — were taken into custody for possession of drugs about three days after her remains were discovered. During Dominic’s interview, he suggested that Anthony and Andrew were involved in Josette’s killing. Since his statements were not enough to charge the other two teenagers, he reportedly worked with the police to get a confession out of Anthony. Dominic told the detectives that Anthony claimed to be with Andrew, Adam Wilson, William MacGregor, and his then-girlfriend Denise Rose, at the time of Josette’s murder.
Although Adam incriminated Anthony and Andrew, William claimed that he had passed out after getting intoxicated and didn’t remember much of the night. As for Denise, she gave two differing accounts of the fateful night. Initially, she admitted to being with Anthony, Andrew, and William on October 3, 1994, but claimed that she had not witnessed the crime. Later, she contradicted her story and confessed to seeing Anthony and Andrew raping and killing Josette, claiming that Anthony had threatened to harm her if she mentioned the crime. As per investigative reports, the group of teenage friends was allegedly accompanied by Josette in a brown van, sharing malt liquor and marijuana.
It is alleged that they were playing spin the bottle when Josette refused one of the accused’s sexual advances, after Anthony and Andrew raped her in the van on Fields Corner Road. The two teens allegedly suffocated her to death before disposing of her remains in the nearby wooded area. In light of all the witness statements against them, Anthony and Andrew were taken into custody on July 1, 1996, and charged with the murder and rape of Josette Wright. In 1997, both were tried separately, resulting in their conviction for second-degree murder and sentences of 25 years to life in prison.
The Two Individuals Were Ultimately Released After an Acquittal
Years after Anthony DiPippo and Andrew Krivak’s conviction, Dominic and Adam recanted their respective statements. Following multiple appeals and retrials, Anthony and Andrew were acquitted of the homicide, after serving more than two decades behind bars, in 2016 and 2023, respectively. Around the time of their acquittal, an incarcerated man named Howard Gombert emerged as a new person of interest in Josette Wright’s homicide case. He had been behind bars for an unrelated child sex conviction and was a suspect in the 1995 disappearance and homicide of another teenager, Robin Murphy. Despite the acquittal, many people, including Josette’s family, continued to believe that the original two suspects were responsible for the murder.
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