FAYETTE COUNTY, Indiana — A Fayette County mother and father are hoping a fresh set of eyes will finally help them find out what happened to their daughter after nearly 40 years.
"It gives us hope," said Judy Pflum, whose daughter, Denise, disappeared in 1986.
The Pflums are hopeful after the announcement by Indiana State Police this month that a newly created task force will examine some of the state's oldest cold cases involving missing persons.
"With state police now forming this task force, we have more hope because they have more resources. They have more manpower," Judy said. "They have more experience."
The pictures of Denise may be faded from time, but Judy and David Pflum's memory of their daughter is as bright as ever.
"We lost three babies before she was born, and so she was our miracle," Judy said. "And as she grew older, she became quite an athlete."
Denise was a star on the track and one of the smartest students in school.
"She was sixth in her class academically out of 400 kids," Judy said.
Her future was bright, but it was a future she would never live to see. And for her parents, every day since has been a nightmare.
"Our nightmare does not end. It is there every day," David said. "Just in a brief conversation with my sister yesterday, she said she did not know how Judy and I wake up every day. And I told her, I said, 'Sometimes, we wish we didn't.'"
Their nightmare began on a Saturday in March 1986 along a country road near Connersville. Denise had forgotten her purse at a party the night before and left home to retrieve it.
Her car was eventually found several miles away, but there was no trace of Denise.
The Pflums drove 13News deep down that grassy lane to show just how far off the beaten path her car was found. They believe whoever did something to their daughter hid it there.
In the three decades that have followed, they've worked with local law enforcement to find Denise's remains, even hiring their own help to track down leads.
"Private investigators, psychics," David said.
They have searched more than 15 different locations over the years.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but we can't even find the haystack," David said.
In 2020, local law enforcement officials announced a major break in the case with the arrest of Denise's ex-boyfriend. Sean McClung was arrested on separate charges unrelated to her disappearance, but allegedly confessed to detectives — possibly, they said, because he was terminally ill.
"They offered him immunity if he would tell them where her remains were located," Judy said.
But McClung died in a hospital days later and, according to his lawyer, recanted the confession.
"And so whatever secret he may have had, he took to his grave," David said.
Both David and Judy say they believe there are still people in the area who know what happened to their daughter. That's why they're hopeful state police will be able to help them find answers.
"We've had difficulty with continuity from 38 years ago to today," David said. "A lot of the pieces of information were not adequately archived. And there are years where missing links and compiling information simply did not take place … and when cases get cold, like this one, it is extremely hard to know where to pick up those reins and run with them."
The Pflums, now in their 80s, are also relying on continued support from the community and an online Facebook page, "Justice for Denise Pflum," that now has 30,000 followers from all over the world.
"And as long as we have loved Denise, we just can't, ever give up," David said. "Can't give up."
If you have a long-term missing person in your family, you are urged to call the dedicated ISP hotline at 833-466-2653. You can also email information or tips to ispcoldcase@isp.in.gov.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The date of Plum's disappearance has been updated.