TULSA, Ok — June 6th is not a normal day for the Dean family.
It’s a constant reminder of the breath that was taken from their daughter, Dena 27 years ago.
Diana Dean remembers it like it was yesterday.
“A co-worker and a friend of hers didn’t go in so she worked late. We went to the races and when we got home she wasn’t home. I immediately tried to page her and she never returned my calls,” said Dean.
Around midnight, Dean said she received a phone call that her car was at the Town West Shopping Center, but that her daughter Dena was nowhere to be found.
Fast forward to June 12th, and Dena’s body is found near a pond just two miles from the shopping center where she disappeared.
Although it’s not clear how she died, deputies discovered trauma on her face.
“She was hit on the right side of face hard enough that it broke this bone in two and broke the mandible over here. Actually, the cause of death is not even listed on her death certificate. It’s cause of death undetermined, manner, homicide, “said Dean.
Diana said she believes she knows who took her daughter’s life.
At this time, investigators say they have only circumstantial evidence and not enough physical evidence to make any arrests.
Diana said she has a lot of hope in the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force.
“They work this case on a daily basis. I know they are trying to get some stuff in for some new DNA testing they’ve got available now. Funding is their big issue, but they’re trying to get it there,” she said.
One way people can help with cases like Dena’s and others is to donate to the task force for DNA testing, which can often cost thousands of dollars.
2 News spoke with an investigator on this case, who said they are currently reviewing the evidence and working to determine the best place to have items tested.
As the sun sets on another year without answers, Diana hopes and prays that Dena’s case will see a break very soon.
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