Found
1961 was the year a freighter boat sailed through the Bahamas. Sounds normal, until the crew stumbles upon a most peculiar and bone chilling discovery. Adrift at sea, on a small cork float, is a young, scared, and seemingly dead girl. Which begs the question, how did this little girl get there?
Found
Back-Story
Terry Jo’s dad was 41 year old Dr. Arthur Duperrault, an eye doctor from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He and his wife, Jean, spent years saving up money so that they could take the ultimate family trip, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Bahamas. Terry’s older brother, Brian (14), and her younger sister, Renee (7), were all aboard the Bluebelle, a ship the family charted. What started off as a once in a lifetime trip quickly turned into tragedy.
BackStory
Jet Off
Bluebelle was a 60-foot ketch, otherwise known as a sailing craft with two masts. Decorated World War II and Korean War pilot Julian Harvey, aged 44, was the ship’s captain. His sixth wife, Mary Dene, aged 34, whom he had married in July, joined him on the trip.
Jet Off
Where To?
On November 8, 1961, the Duperrault family along with Captain Harvey and his wife, left the harbor. Little did anyone know that just four days later, the most heinous crime would take place.
Where To?
Let’s Explore
While the Duperrault family spent four days snorkeling and just simply enjoying life near the island of Great Abaco. What they didn’t, what they couldn’t know, was that Captain Harvey had other plans in mind.
Let’s Explore
That Night
November 12, 1961 was night the family left Great Abaco and set sail to continue on their journey. Terry Jo was quite tired and returned to her cabin early on in the evening so she could rest. Later that night, Terry Jo suddenly woke when she heard her brother’s cries. In the pit of her stomach, she knew something was wrong.
That Night
I Recall…
Today Terry Jo goes by the name Tere Duperrault Fassbender, and she was interviewed by Fox News some 50 years after the horribly tragic event took place. During the interview Terry said, “I was awakened by my brother screaming ‘Help, daddy, help.’ It was the type of scream that you know that something horrible is happened.”
I Recall
O Captain
Captain Harvey made the decision to murder his wife Mary Dene on that night, November 12th. Years later, many believe Harvey planned to murder his wife so that he could collect a $20,000 “double indemnity insurance policy”. However Dr. Duperrault saw or heard something, and Captain Harvey had to kill him and his family as a result.
O Captain
A Terrible History
As more and more people dived into Captain Harvey’s history, it was found that he lead a rather shady past. With five ex wives, one of them had died in a fatal car accident, while Captain Harvey escaped from the car without so much as a scratch. Moreover, Captain Harvey had won two rather large insurance claims when both his yacht and powerboat sank.
A Terrible History
Help!
The circumstances as to what Captain Harvey did remain unclear, all that is certain is that he murdered, Dr. Duperrault, Jean Duperrault, Brian Duperrault, Renee Duperrault, and his wife Mary Dene.
Help!
Terrifying Scene
In a recent interview, Terry Jo tells of the scene that lay ahead of her when she came up to the deck. How she found her mother and brother dead and lying in a pool of blood. Understandably, she ran to the captain to ask what happened but he offered no help.
Terrifying Scene
Helpless
Captain Harvey only shoved Terry back down below deck. As Terry became more frightened and helpless, the cabin began to fill with water. And she knew she needed to get out.
Helpless
Abort
The captain opened the ship’s sea valves so that he could sink the ship and destroy any incriminating evidence of his evil crime. Luckily Terry Jo was able to make it to the deck and untie a cork float.
Abort
Bravery
It was the captain who gave Terry the cork float that was attached to his dinghy, but when she untied it, he dove overboard. As a result, he left her behind on the sinking ship.
Bravery
Witness
There is a lot of speculation that because Terry Jo was the only witness to Captain Harvey’s crimes, he attempted to murder her as well. Many believe he wanted to live so he could be punished for his crimes. While others believe he had intended to kill her but escaped on a dinghy instead. In an interview with Matt Lauer, Terry said, “I think he probably thought I would go down with the ship.”
Witness
SOS
Terry’s fate seemed bleak, she was alone at sea, wearing only a light blouse and rosy pants. For an 11 year old girl, her world seemed doomed.
SOS
Adift
Once Terry Jo recalls a plane which flew overhead and she thought she would finally be rescued. However, sadly the pilot did not see her.
Adrift
Hallucination
For four days, Terry drifted at sea with no food or water. The elements began to take effect and Terry started to hallucinate. At one point, she even thought she saw an island in the distance.
Hallucination
Captain Theo
In the Northwest Providence Channel, Terry had been at sea for four while days when the Greek freighter Captain Theo found Terry. Just by chance, they happened to find Terry and immediately brought her onboard.
Captain Theo
Recovery
However Terry was running a temperature of an alarming 105 degrees and had severe sunburns over her entire body from the harsh sun rays. A crewman took a picture of her and it quickly appeared on almost every single front page worldwide, filled with stories of the “sea waif”.
Recovery
The Hunt
Three days before Terry Jo had been located, Captain Harvey was spotted by the coastguard. He was seen floating on the dinghy with Renee’s lifeless body. He told the United States Coast Guard that a massive gust of wind brought down the Bluebelle’s masts, which hold the ship’s hull, and thus ruptured the gas tank and started a fire. Furthermore, he claimed that he found Renee floating in the water and attempted to revive her, but it was too late.
The Hunt
Story Takes A Turn
With Terry’s tragic story making headlines, it wasn’t long until Harvey heard how she survived. At that moment, he left the hospital and checked into a motel under an assumed name. It was there that Captain Harvey committed suicide with a razor blade.
Story Takes A Turn
Her Story
No one should ever have to endure what Terry Jo did, especially at such a young age. Therefore it’s understandable that it took her a few days after she was rescued to open up to the police. However, no one anticipated such a horrible and devastating story.
Her Story
In Remembrance
Tragically, the rest of the bodies of the Duperrault family were never found. At Fort Howard Memorial Park in Wisconsin, there is a plaque dedicated to their memory, which says: “In memory of the Arthur W. Duperrault Family; Lost off the Bahama Isles Nov. 12, 1961. Found in the hearts of their loved ones, dwelling forever with him who is eternal life. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
In Remembrance
Life Moves On
After Terry left the hospital, she returned to Green Bay, Wisconsin where she moved in with her aunt and three cousins. As such Terry Jo continued to live her life but for 20 years, she didn’t speak about that horrific night back in November 1961.
Life Moves On
20 Years On
When Terry did finally open up to those closest to her, some 20 years later, it was still a raw wound she bore. Later Terry even consulted psychiatric care and has started to slowly, finally recover.
20 Years On
Speak Now
Together with a co-author, Terry Jo penned a book about that horrible night. Entitled, Orphaned on the Ocean, Terry exposes what happened and how she’s come to terms with the events. The book was published in 2010, half a century after the horrific night happened.
Speak Now
Support
In an interview with 48 Hours, she spoke about the support she’s been receiving since she opened up about her story. “We had a book signing last month and some of my teachers from 49 years ago showed up just to see that I was alright after all of these years. They said they were sorry for not being able to talk to me and help. In those years they were told to pretend like it never happened. I learned to live with staying quiet.”
Support
Alone
Flooded with tons of media attention yet again, Terry said, “I was never frightened. I was an outdoors child, and I loved the water. I had a strong faith. I believed in God and I prayed for him to help me, and I just went with the flow.”
Alone
Closure
There is no doubt that Terry Jo’s story is insanely tragic but she believes that she survived for a reason. Now that her book has been published, with her story out there for everyone to read, she feels more closure than before. She also hopes that she story, of her survival, will inspire others in need.
Closure
