A mother charged with abducting her daughter in 1983 built a quiet life in The Villages, married to a man who became a revered figure in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
New details continue to come to light about 66-year-old Debra Newton who was arrested Nov. 24 at her home in the Village of Piedmont. Newton was the “non-custodial parent” of 3-year-old Michelle Newton when she and the little girl disappeared in 1983. Michelle Newton was missing for decades and did not know her true identity. Debra Newton’s arrest triggered a series of events which led her daughter to the discovery of her birth parents. It all played out this past week in a Kentucky courtroom.
Lt. Ben Adams of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received an anonymous tip that led to Newton’s arrest at her home in the Village of Piedmont, which is located in the Marion County section of The Villages. Adams said the sheriff’s office had been investigating the mysterious case for weeks prior to Newton’s arrest. At some point DNA was used to confirm her previous identity, which had been shed decades earlier.
“They lost her years and years ago,” said Adams, who serves as the MCSO district commander at the substation at Mulberry Grove Plaza. “We wanted to make sure she didn’t run again.”
Debra Newton took on a new identity
At some point, Debra Newton took on a new identity and became Sharon Nealy.
At the time of her arrest, she identified her spouse as Reggie Nealy and provided law enforcement with his cell phone number. She listed him as her “next of kin.”
Reggie and Sharon Nealy purchased their home in The Villages in 2013.
While Sharon Nealy kept a low profile, her husband threw himself into the activities of The Phillip C. Delong Detachment #1267 of the Marine Corps League. Reggie Nealy, who enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school in 1966, served two years as the commandant for The Villages’ detachment, In 2021, he received the prestigious Chapel of Four Chaplains Award. He took part in numerous charitable endeavors, including raising money for student scholarships and collecting Toys for Tots.
The late John Prince, in a 2018 profile for Villages-News.com, delved into Reggie Nealy’s career in law enforcement. He became a police officer in Pennsylvania and wound up teaching in the Criminal Justice Department of West Chester College near Philadelphia.
Sharon Nealy contacted Villages-News.com in previous years to submit a holiday photo of the couple’s dog, Keira. Somewhat ironically, she used the email address, [email protected], knowing that she was a wanted woman.
Villages-News.com contacted Reggie Nealy on Friday and asked him if Sharon Nealy is indeed Debra Newton.
“Our attorney has advised us to not speak to anybody about that,” he said.