THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 4, 1996 TAG: 9601040313
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN AND STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
A Virginia Beach woman missing since Saturday spoke with police Wednesday night, ``in person, face-to-face,'' and assured them she is fine and had chosen to leave her husband.
Stephanie Denney, 28, ``was contacted this evening and located by Virginia Beach police investigators,'' said Lou Thurston, a police spokesman. ``She is alive and well.''
Denney, who was aware of news media coverage of her disappearance, called police Wednesday night to tell them she was fine, Thurston said. She agreed to a meeting with a detective.
``She was, in fact, physically OK,'' Thurston said. ``She had not been abducted. She is `missing' because she wants to be missing, and that is about all there is to that story.''
Denney's husband, Robert W. Denney, 31, told police he last saw his wife at their home in the 1600 block of Darrow St. about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, when she left to go to a tanning salon and a subsequent business meeting. She didn't show up at either.
Robert Denney, who said Monday that he feared his wife was dead, mounted a high-profile campaign seeking information about wife's whereabouts and fate. He was unavailable for comment Wednesday night, however, after police said they had spoken with his wife.
``He's just really, really glad that she's alive,'' said R.M. Armbruster, a private investigator Denney had hired. ``Everybody is happy to hear that she is alive and well.''
She said Denney was emotionally and physically drained.
Stephanie Denney was offering no details about why she left her husband, however, and told police she doesn't want to be contacted by anyone.
Thurston added: ``This case is now considered a closed case.''
Earlier in the day, police had confirmed that Stephanie Denney was alive after finding the van she had been driving and identifying her as the person photographed Tuesday afternoon making a transaction at an automated teller machine in Suffolk.
She is seen in the bank security camera photo reaching from what appears to be the front seat of a vehicle. Police traced the photo after discovering ATM receipts inthe front seat of her van.
The photo was taken at the Bank of Hampton Roads in the 100 block of Market St. at 2:15 p.m. Robert Denney identified the woman as his wife but his fears were not eased.
In addition to the police investigation, Denney said he had been posting fliers with his wife's description. He said he also consulted a Virginia Beach psychic, who said his wife was abducted by a man.
He quoted the psychic as saying: `` `She's close, she is alive, but she's running out of time.' ''
Denney said he and his wife's brother, Claude D. Cole Jr., stopped at the Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth where Denney's cabin cruiser is docked. That is when they discovered the missing van nearby in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Portside. Police were notified just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Investigators found business papers, Stephanie Denney's driver's license, her check register, credit cards, ATM card, a Farm Fresh Gold Card and ATM recepits in the vehicle.
This was not the first time Robert Denney reported his wife missing, police said.
Denney had suggested that his wife's latest disappearance might be related to his business, which he described as ``a referral service for go-go dancers.'' Police described it as a ``large-scale professional escort service.''
Denney said his business serves more than 200 cities across the nation. Its headquarters is in the 5200 block of Challedon Drive in Virginia Beach.
Court records in Richmond show that Stephanie Denney received a six-month suspended sentence for prostitution in November 1992.
Police also said Robert Denney was arrested Dec. 20 and charged with ``use of profane, threatening or indecent language over public airwaves'' for allegedly making a threatening phone call to a Virginia Beach woman who had worked for him. A court date is scheduled for Feb. 20. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Stephanie Denney, 28, ``is `missing' because she wants to be
missing, and that is about all there is to that story,'' Beach
police said.
Photos
JOHN C. BELL
Police inspect the van of Stephanie Denney in the parking lot of the
Holiday Inn Portside Wednesday. Investigators found business papers,
Denney's driver's license, her check register, credit cards, ATM
card, a Farm Fresh Gold Card and ATM recepits in the van.
Stephanie Denney, left, was photographed Tuesday afternoon making a
transaction at an automated teller machine in Suffolk. Above is her
husband, Robert Denney.
KEYWORDS: MISSING PERSONS by CNB