Previous Carlisle Street house owner had PFA against murder suspect

Apr. 10—WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce on Tuesday released little information about the death investigation of Debra Jane Fox, whose body was found in a wooded area along the North Cross Valley Expressway on March 26.

Fox, 69, was the previous owner of the Carlisle Street, Wilkes-Barre, residence where the body of Nicole Cuevas, 38, was discovered buried in the dirt basement on Feb. 27.

Sanguedolce confirmed the death investigation of Fox is related to the homicide investigation of Cuevas but went no further during the news conference when he announced Jason Race, 43, Faith Beamer, 39, William Benjamin Wolfe, 54, Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43, and Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24, were charged with killing Cuevas.

As previously reported by The Times Leader, Fox was granted a three-year protection-from abuse order against Race by Luzerne County judge Tarah C. Toohil in August 2023.

In her PFA petition, Fox claimed elderly abuse noting she was starved, assaulted, shot with pellet guns, pistol whipped, denied personal hygiene products, forced to use illicit drugs and had money stolen from her.

Fox owned the Carlisle Street residence until the property was sold at a Luzerne County upset sale in September 2023.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Sanguedolce refused to say what led investigators to the wooded area where the body of Fox was found.

In criminal complaints charging Race, Beamer, Wolfe, Linnette and Doyle with killing Cuevas, several of them have spoken to investigators, outlining their alleged criminal acts, including illicit drug use inside he Carlisle Street house.

A cause and manner of death for Fox has not been released by the county coroner's office.