Vehicles still use the lot in Old Mechanicsville for a park-n-ride location, but 20 years ago, the bodies of two Richmond residents were found there.

Mystery still surrounds the deaths of Deborah S. Ferguson and James “Jim” Richard Sherrin, both 21, and law enforcement officers remain tight-lipped about some of the particulars, including how they were killed. As for how they died, the only statement released from the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office was “The manner of death is a homicide.”

“We don’t think they were killed there, said Capt. Michael J. Trice. “We think they were left there.”

Investigator Shawn Dover, a 19-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was assigned the case in May.

“Despite a considerable amount of media attention and countless hours by investigators, this case remains unsolved,” Col. David R. Hines, sheriff, said. “However, we are committed to reviewing all the case information, interviewing witnesses, re-evaluating the forensic evidence with today’s standards, and do everything we can to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”

“Unsolved is not acceptable,” the sheriff added.

Deborah’s and James’ bodies were found in a wooded area around 7 a.m. on June 5, 1990, by “a gentleman waiting on a ride”, Dover said. They had last been seen the evening of May 18 by his roommates at his residence on South Vine Street.

“She showed up there and they talked for about an hour, an hour and a half on the front porch,” Dover said. “He went inside and picked something up – presumably his keys, a pack of cigarettes.” As he left, James told his roommates he would see them in about an hour.

“Whatever they talked about on the porch – nobody was there to witness it — but they had a task to do,” Trice said. “And we’re not really sure what that task was, but they went out to do this task and we believe their attackers were known to them.”

“Whatever situation they got themselves into attributed to their deaths,” the captain said.

The June 20, 1990, edition of The Richmond News Leader reported that Deborah “had been holding thousands of dollars for a drug dealer,” attributing the information to police sources and acquaintances.

Sources also told the News Leader that “the drug dealer, Mark Miller, has acknowledged to police that Miss Ferguson was keeping money for him early this year.”

Miller told police “a few thousand dollars was not returned, but friends of Miss Ferguson have said the amount was greater.”

The News Leader also reported that some of Deborah’s friends said she told them all the money had been stolen from her apartment.

On June 21, the News Leader reported that Deborah “had been holding at least $60,000 for a drug dealer.”

The newspaper also said “she made large bank deposits and ran up her American Express bill.”

Deborah and James were identified through dental records, the article reported. James’ driver’s license was found with his body, but no identification was found with Deborah.

At the time, Lt. Howard L. Wray Jr. of the Sheriff’s Office said reports of drug deals had been made in the area where the bodies were found. He also said “there is no concrete evidence to link the slayings to drugs.”

The victims “and their circle of friends,” according to the News Leader, were said to frequently use marijuana and cocaine.

Deborah’s Ford Escort was located on Edgewood Avenue in Richmond on May 27. There were no signs of foul play or anything suspicious. Her keys were not with the vehicle, which, the News Leader reported, was not locked. James’ blue Jeep, which police and friends told the News Leader did not run, “remained parked in front of the house.”

James Ferguson came to Richmond from Fairfax County, where his daughter was raised, to file a missing person’s report. He went to her apartment, located her address book, and started calling friends.

In taking a new look at the cold case, Trice said, “We believe somebody knew both Sherrin and Ferguson and their killer(s), and that’s why we believe the public can provide more information on this case.”

“We don’t believe it involved a stranger. We don’t believe it was a random crime. We believe they were targeted by somebody they knew and killed and dumped in Hanover County,” he said.

He also said the case “has a lot of the same type of circumstances we have in other unsolved murders, where somebody goes missing in one jurisdiction and there is a period of time between when they were reported missing, the family gets involved, and they get identified in another jurisdiction. This case involved multiple agencies assembling a body of work.”

“And while we do have leads, while we have assembled a lot of information, unfortunately, this case has gone unsolved for 20 years,” Trice said.

When asked “Why them?,” Trice said, “Well, it’s part of the investigation. Motive is one of those things we’re looking over again.” Their associates and interests also are being investigated again.

Trice said the Sheriff’s Office hopes to receive information from those involved at that time in order “to bridge the investigative gap to where we are now,” with a goal of prosecuting the case.

Deborah and James had a history: They had dated. Her appearance at his home took place after their break-up.

Dover said the couple’s contact had been “very sporadic from the time they broke up until this date in May.” Deborah had just returned from a week’s vacation and her roommates were, the investigator added, “unfamiliar with what she was doing or where she was going.”

According to the News Leader reports, Deborah “and a male friend, who also was an acquaintance of Miller, made a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ trip to Florida.”

Over the course of the investigation, “probably 100 people were interviewed,” Dover said. “I personally believe that this is a solvable case, just based on what I’ve discovered so far.”

An art major and dean’s list student at Virginia Commonwealth University, the 5-foot-5 red-haired Deborah was a rising senior. She was preparing for an opening at the Pope Gallery.

She lived in the Chesterfield Apartments at 900 W. Franklin St. and was a part-time employee of The Tobacco Company in downtown Richmond.

A native of Midwest City, Okla., James – standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 240 pounds — had been a standout football player and also had All-State honors in basketball. He was a part-time student at VCU and had sporadic jobs.

The News Leader said James came to Virginia when his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley P. Coats, moved to western Henrico from Houston.

“Since January,” the newspaper reported, “he had worked a variety of construction and other odd jobs and frequently had been low on money. Friends said he also owed small amounts of money – usually $15 or $20 – to many people.”

As he continues with the investigation, Dover said he welcomes input “from those who were around at the time this occurred.” He can be contacted at 365-6281. Information also can be provided through Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

For more information on cold cases being investigated by the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.hanoversheriff.com.

File photo/Hanover County Sheriff’s Office
The bodies were found in a wooded area at the park and ride site.