SC SC - Dail Dinwiddie, 23, Columbia, 24 Sep 1992

[superkathync]

It always makes me so sad that Dail's case never got the attention that it deserved. I don't even think that there's been a true crime podcast covering it (I could be wrong let me know). Praying that her family gets answers!

We are actually covering her story on our podcast. Episode should be out June 6th.
asouthernsleuthpodcast.com

 

[dotr]

We are actually covering her story on our podcast. Episode should be out June 6th.
asouthernsleuthpodcast.com

Awesome!

 

[dotr]

Bumping with this handy 2018 compilation of missing people.
Five years of Dateline’s Missing in America: 109 still missing
DAIL DINWIDDIE

Dail Dinwiddie
Dail Dinwiddie was 23 years old when she went missing on September 24, 1992. She had just completed an art history degree at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia and had returned to her native Columbia, South Carolina to enroll at the University of South Carolina for graduate school. The night Dail went missing, she had attended a U2 concert with some friends at Williams-Brice stadium. After the concert, the friends went to a local bar called Jungle Jim’s, now renamed The Horseshoe. Dail somehow got separated from the group and was never seen again, despite many extensive searches. Her case is the oldest on the Columbia Police Department’s books. If you have any information about what may have happened to Dail, please contact the Columbia Police Department at (803) 315-3750.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Six years of Dateline's Missing in America: 134 still missing

 

[SqrQn29]

I am very interested in this case. I only lived in Columbia for a short time; October 2017-June 2019. My coworker told me about the case and immediately thought it was someone she knew. People don’t just vanish in thin air. I was surprised at how little I heard about it and how little I could find. I have continued to follow this case and I am glad I came across this thread.

For the person who commented back in 2014 who seems to know who did it, why was she targeted? Why would a narc officer be after her?

I read in one of these messages or through another web page that there was a construction site close to Jungle Jim’s at the time. Did anyone check there?

I became increasingly curious after watching the Oxygen segment on the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Has anyone else seen it?

Anyway, I know people haven’t commented in awhile but I would love to hear people’s thoughts!

 

[SqrQn29]

http://www.theitem.com/opinion/what...cle_82b1c986-c1b0-5ef2-89c2-79c68ad4b307.html

came across this article today & decided to check WS for a thread on dail. ive lived in columbia, sc all my life & remember seeing all the posters (i even think there were bumper stickers) of her all over the place. cant believe shes never been found. anyway, i just got done reading thru all 8 pages of this thread. the comments someone copy/pasted from 'Donnieatlex' are quite eerie. makes me think theres some truth in what hes saying & this is all some sort of cover up. i cant understand how people just go missing....for this long....without a trace. it never really crossed my mind that the police/LE may be covering all this up & know exactly what happened. i guess thats logical....im sure crooked cops exist more then we know. nonetheless, this is a sad case & hopefully something will be uncovered sooner rather then later.

does anyone know why she would be targeted from a narcs officer?!

 

[SqrQn29]

I did report info to CPD.Their response was I do not believe this person could have done this. He told my family at a gathering that he knew where she was buried and that no one would ever find her because the city was getting ready to pour concrete over her. He was in a prominent position in CPDand had political connections. I can only think that they are afraid. This conversation took place in 1992 at Christmas. I as also assaulted, stalked and harassed by him six months later. By the way, they did interview him and he admitted to saying this. I begged to at least to check out the location of her body and give him a polygraph.

Did you check out the location?

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping

 

[StarryStarryNight]

does anyone know why she would be targeted from a narcs officer?!

Don’t know if this is exactly what you are referring to but the rumor I always heard concerning Dali’s disappearance was that she was taken and killed by an informant for the narcotics division of local LE. This informant was so valuable in LE’s opinion that they decided to hide the fact that he was the killer to preserve his informant status. There were various versions of this story. That’s the only mention I know of narcotics.

 

[SqrQn29]

Don’t know if this is exactly what you are referring to but the rumor I always heard concerning Dali’s disappearance was that she was taken and killed by an informant for the narcotics division of local LE. This informant was so valuable in LE’s opinion that they decided to hide the fact that he was the killer to preserve his informant status. There were various versions of this story. That’s the only mention I know of narcotics.

Ah, thank you for clarifying! There was mention of someone being a high ranking official and that it included several branches so I was confused on whether the person who killed her was high ranking now or just the person who the informant worked for.

I wonder why she was targeted by this informant? She had only been back in Columbia like 7 months according to a podcast I listened to.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

Ah, thank you for clarifying! There was mention of someone being a high ranking official and that it included several branches so I was confused on whether the person who killed her was high ranking now or just the person who the informant worked for.

I wonder why she was targeted by this informant? She had only been back in Columbia like 7 months according to a podcast I listened to.

As I said there were lots of versions of this story. Some involved higher-ups, some not. Some involved Columbia PD, sometimes Richland Sheriff’s Dept, sometimes SLED, sometimes combinations of departments.
I have never heard any story that ever hinted that Dail was “targeted” by anyone. Only that she was kidnapped by someone looking for a victim. As these rumors suggest, some think that person might have been an informant of some type.
Personally, I never bought into the informant theory. After all these years I think less of it. Somebody would have talked by now, openly, to the media or something. This was not a case that people were just going to forget about.

 

[SqrQn29]

As I said there were lots of versions of this story. Some involved higher-ups, some not. Some involved Columbia PD, sometimes Richland Sheriff’s Dept, sometimes SLED, sometimes combinations of departments.
I have never heard any story that ever hinted that Dail was “targeted” by anyone. Only that she was kidnapped by someone looking for a victim. As these rumors suggest, some think that person might have been an informant of some type.
Personally, I never bought into the informant theory. After all these years I think less of it. Somebody would have talked by now, openly, to the media or something. This was not a case that people were just going to forget about.

Gotcha. I just think it was someone she knew. I think if it was random, someone would have talked by now or overheard something. I didn’t live in Columbia very long and the only time I went to Five Points was to get my hair cut at the salon down there. My friend lived closer to Five Points and frequented the area, but we were both surprised at how little we heard about it. If we asked people about the case, especially after Samantha’s murder last year, no one seemed to really want to talk about it. It just struck us as odd combined with the lack of information you can find.

However, I have seen several different theories. I’m not sure I buy the serial killer Rivera theory since he confessed to several others but who knows maybe it was him.

I’ve also heard a theory that she was picked up and sold into sex trafficking. She would be near impossible to find at that point so maybe that was it since almost 30 years later nothing has been found.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
If it has not already been done, this case needs geographic and offender profiling, imo.
Vanished in Five Points: Samantha Josephson's death rekindles pain for Dail Dinwiddie's mom
April 1, 2019

''For Jean Dinwiddie, the Five Points entertainment district notorious for revelry and mischief for a generation of University of South Carolina students is synonymous with heartache.

For a quarter-century now, her daughter, Dail Dinwiddie, has served as the preeminent symbol in the Midlands and perhaps South Carolina for how a young woman can simply vanish in the night.

Now, the death of another USC student — 21-year-old senior Samantha Josephson, a New Jersey native who over the weekend disappeared from Five Points and was found killed — brings back the cruel marriage of a parent's grief suspended with desperate hope.''

''The night was memorable for anyone attending USC at the time. In the hours before on September 23, the band U2 was performing on their "Zootopia" tour, an event ingrained even for those who didn't make it into Williams-Brice Stadium for the show.

For so long, those in search of USC grad student have hoped the significance of that night could jog someone's memory.

Similarly, Josephson was last seen outside a Five Points bar, a little later, just after 2 a.m.

Unlike Dinwiddie, however, there is evidence that Josephson got into a car — a black Chevy Impala that authorities said they linked to a suspect from Clarendon County who on Saturday was arrested in the case, 24-year-old Nathaniel Rowland.

Josephson's body was found in a remote, wooded area that authorities said Rowland was uniquely familiar with, and her blood was found in his black Impala, investigators said.

In the case of Dinwiddie, the only information is that she was last seen leaving Jungle Jim's bar in a hurry.''

''The Five Points district is blocks down the hill from where the Dinwiddies called home in the Forest Hills neighborhood, a community straddling the line between the affluence of Forest Acres and the poverty of places like the former Gonzales Gardens project.''

 

[SqrQn29]

rbbm.
If it has not already been done, this case needs geographic and offender profiling, imo.
Vanished in Five Points: Samantha Josephson's death rekindles pain for Dail Dinwiddie's mom
April 1, 2019

''For Jean Dinwiddie, the Five Points entertainment district notorious for revelry and mischief for a generation of University of South Carolina students is synonymous with heartache.

For a quarter-century now, her daughter, Dail Dinwiddie, has served as the preeminent symbol in the Midlands and perhaps South Carolina for how a young woman can simply vanish in the night.

Now, the death of another USC student — 21-year-old senior Samantha Josephson, a New Jersey native who over the weekend disappeared from Five Points and was found killed — brings back the cruel marriage of a parent's grief suspended with desperate hope.''

''The night was memorable for anyone attending USC at the time. In the hours before on September 23, the band U2 was performing on their "Zootopia" tour, an event ingrained even for those who didn't make it into Williams-Brice Stadium for the show.

For so long, those in search of USC grad student have hoped the significance of that night could jog someone's memory.

Similarly, Josephson was last seen outside a Five Points bar, a little later, just after 2 a.m.

Unlike Dinwiddie, however, there is evidence that Josephson got into a car — a black Chevy Impala that authorities said they linked to a suspect from Clarendon County who on Saturday was arrested in the case, 24-year-old Nathaniel Rowland.

Josephson's body was found in a remote, wooded area that authorities said Rowland was uniquely familiar with, and her blood was found in his black Impala, investigators said.

In the case of Dinwiddie, the only information is that she was last seen leaving Jungle Jim's bar in a hurry.''

''The Five Points district is blocks down the hill from where the Dinwiddies called home in the Forest Hills neighborhood, a community straddling the line between the affluence of Forest Acres and the poverty of places like the former Gonzales Gardens project.''

It needs an outside source to come in and take a look. Talk to anyone and everyone who was there that is still alive today. The fact that you have dig deeply to find any information is insane! If the bouncer was cleared so quick, why is it so hard to find information on his last conversation with her?

He said she didn’t seem drunk (I believe I read in another message on here) so if she wasn’t super drunk, why did a cautious woman leave her purse in the bar?

Again, if the two men seen with her that night were cleared so quickly, why is there hardly any information on that? On the investigation at all?

How many people did they really investigate?

I have seen several places that it is connected to the murder of the lady in 1999...but where are the connections if any?

Sorry, there is just so much that doesn’t add up here! I do agree with you on the profiling though!

 

[StarryStarryNight]

It needs an outside source to come in and take a look. Talk to anyone and everyone who was there that is still alive today. The fact that you have dig deeply to find any information is insane! If the bouncer was cleared so quick, why is it so hard to find information on his last conversation with her?

He said she didn’t seem drunk (I believe I read in another message on here) so if she wasn’t super drunk, why did a cautious woman leave her purse in the bar?

Again, if the two men seen with her that night were cleared so quickly, why is there hardly any information on that? On the investigation at all?

How many people did they really investigate?

I have seen several places that it is connected to the murder of the lady in 1999...but where are the connections if any?

Sorry, there is just so much that doesn’t add up here! I do agree with you on the profiling though!

I agree with you on all of that. There is a lot of talk but very little detail about anything in this case. It’s not just a bunch holes where information is missing either, but, as you pointed out, tell us exactly what the bouncer said; give us details from interviews with her friends who were with her that night or people who saw her.
As far as “the lady in 1999”, I think you must talking about Paula Merchant. Her disappearance and DD’s only real similarities seem to be they were young, and both were getting ready to start grad school, and they are both still missing.

 

[SqrQn29]

I agree with you on all of that. There is a lot of talk but very little detail about anything in this case. It’s not just a bunch holes where information is missing either, but, as you pointed out, tell us exactly what the bouncer said; give us details from interviews with her friends who were with her that night or people who saw her.
As far as “the lady in 1999”, I think you must talking about Paula Merchant. Her disappearance and DD’s only real similarities seem to be they were young, and both were getting ready to start grad school, and they are both still missing.

Ah yes. My friend, who also lived in SC for a brief time, heard of her story. It sounded like she may have been involved with drugs which again, makes me think whoever knows information about this informant theory is probably correct. It makes more sense with her. The reason I think the two cases might be connected is because someone posted a response from a blog that stated there were more cases and something about “if information about Dail’s case got out others would.” Can you think of any other missing college aged women that this could relate to? I read all 15 pages of this thread in one night before I made an account so I can’t remember exactly who said what where haha so forgive me on that.

I watch oxygen series on documentaries and in one case the founder of SearchMeFoundation heard of someone’s case and ended up finding the body. I really wish someone in her family would at least reach out to him. I always see the friends support on these shows which is why the silence of this case really bothers me. A lot of people from South Carolina either still live there or at least have family there which you would think would make it easier.

 

[bestill]

Bumping for Dale, soon to be the 28th anniversary of her missing. I remember it so well, I didn't live in Columbia at that time, but remember seeing the missing posters that were all over the SC. Wishing those that know what happened would come forward with answers.

 

[dotr]

Dail Boxley Dinwiddie – The Charley Project
''Last updated March 25, 2020; picture added.''

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Dinwiddie, circa 1992; Age-progression to an unknown age; Reinaldo "Ray" Rivera, circa 2000

• ''Missing Since 09/24/1992
• Missing From Columbia, South Carolina
• • 23 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'0, 96 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A long-sleeved olive green pullover shirt, a bright blue nylon L.L. Bean jacket tied around her waist, faded blue jeans and either brown boots or new white Nike sneakers with a blue stripe''
  Caucasian female. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Dinwiddie has pierced ears, dimples in her face and blonde highlights in her hair. One finger on each of her hands is deformed; it is slightly curved.''
• 
  
• "Investigators are probing the possibility that Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera was involved in Dinwiddie's disappearance. Rivera admitted to murdering four Georgia women, but is a suspect in many more deaths. He was charged in one killing in 2000; his victim in that case was a police officer.
  
  A photo of Rivera is posted with this case summary. A native of Puerto Rico, He was a resident of Columbia and a student at the University Of South Carolina in 1992. The university is located near the Five Points area where Dinwiddie was last seen. Investigators are also investigating as to whether he was involved in the 1999 South Carolina disappearance of Paula Merchant.
  
  Rivera, a Navy pilot with an exemplary military record, was convicted of the police officer's murder in 2004 and sentenced to death, plus seven life terms for related crimes. Authorities are uncertain if Rivera is connected to either Dinwiddie or Merchant's cases and no charges have been filed against him in connection with their cases. Interviews with him on the subject have not been fruitful.''
  

 

[SqrQn29]

Bumping for Dale, soon to be the 28th anniversary of her missing. I remember it so well, I didn't live in Columbia at that time, but remember seeing the missing posters that were all over the SC. Wishing those that know what happened would come forward with answers.

I wish this case would be solved! I only lived in South Carolina for a short time a few years ago but this case bothers me! People do not vanish in thin air! Someone knows something!!

 

[StarryStarryNight]

WIStv in Columbia is reporting today(Sept 23, 2020) that Richland County Sheriff’s Dept says they are “currently working a new tip in the case”.
“ “Let’s just say there is a very active investigation going on,” explained Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott”

The short article is on WIStv website and I would post it if I could figure out how to do it! Sorry!

I’m hoping something will come of this but trying not to get my hopes up.