VA VA - Allyson Dalton, 2 months, Strasburg, 27 July 1998 *mother murdered, stabbed to death*

[los2188]

By Joe Beck

Fifteen years after her 20-year-old daughter was stabbed to death and her 10-week-old granddaughter disappeared, the long, frustrating wait for answers to the crime continues for Angela Stover.

Stover received the grim news of Sylena Jo Dalton's death from a sister who lived across the street and was the first family member to see the victim's body in the apartment at 175 S. Charles St. in Strasburg.

All had seemed fine hours earlier when Stover left the infant Allyson and Dalton at the apartment where all three lived. Stover remembers being called away from work hours later and listening in horror as her sister described what had happened.

"My sister told me that Sylena was stabbed to death, and they can't find Allyson," Stover said in an interview Friday. "Needless to say, I just fell to the floor and started crying for my mother."

Allyson Dalton has not been found. Stover said police searched the Shenandoah River and some Dumpsters without success. Angela Stover and her mother, Bonnita Smith, say they know who killed Sylena Dalton and took Allyson. They blame the Virginia State Police for failing to make an arrest in the case.

Stover said she was last in contact with the state police about three months ago and came away discouraged. She said the conversation followed a pattern that has become all too familiar to her over the years.

"We're angry and upset," Stover said. "We don't feel they're working on the case. They don't contact me. I contact them."

Sylena Dalton's killer remains at large and the fate of infant Allyson Dalton is unknown.

 

[December]

I specifically looked for the state... Virginia.

What a very sad case.

Could it be the little girl's father? Maybe she is still alive?

 

[December]

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2013/07/mothers-death-vanished-child-shrouded-in-15-year-mystery.php

more details

 

[December]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/dalton_allyson.html

allyson's page... it says 'non-family abduction'

 

[los2188]

I specifically looked for the state... Virginia.

What a very sad case.

Could it be the little girl's father? Maybe she is still alive?

I hope she's still alive and well taken care of at the very least. I know that the deceased mother's mother believes that the boyfriend was the killer. How anyone would harm this little baby girl is something that even in this day and age, I can't wrap my head around it...

 

[los2188]

I'm actually disappointed in the lack of talk and articles on this case. You've got an unsolved murder and kidnapping kind of all rolled in to one. It makes me very sad to see this.

"Allyson's father, Daniel E. Pompell, told police he went to the apartment on the morning of the murder, knocked on the door, received no answer and left the area," the release states. "State Police as a matter of policy will not name suspects, however, Mr. Pompell has not been exonerated."

In 2001 Sylena’s mother filed a wrongful death suit against her daughter’s former boyfriend, Daniel Pompell, seeking $1.5 million in damages. She claims that Pompell killed Sylena and kidnapped Allyson. It is unknown if she was successful in the suit. Sylena had named Pompell as the child’s father and was seeking child support at the time of her murder.

Police say there is no evidence that points to Pompell and they say he has been cooperative threw out the investigation.

The murder weapon has never been located and baby Allyson, who would be 13 this year, remains missing.

 

[TedMac]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/m...aken-in-shenandoah-valley-town/article/170375

Mother killed, daughter taken in Shenandoah Valley town

By SCOTT MCCABE • 1/29/12 12:00 AM
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Police say whoever killed Sylena Jo Dalton also kidnapped her baby.
The 20-year-old mother was stabbed to death on July 27, in 1998, at her Strasburg, Va., apartment. Her 2-month-old girl, Allyson Kathleen Dalton, hasn't been seen since.

Investigators have created a computer-imaged composite image of what Allyson would look like today as a pre-teen. She would have brown hair and blue eyes.

The mother and daughter were last seen alive by a family member about 7:45 a.m. that morning. Dalton was likely killed between 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Dalton was found on her couch at about 2 p.m. by a co-worker. She had been stabbed to death. The baby was nowhere to be found, and several baby bottles were missing.

According to an Associated Press report at the time, police searched the Warrenton home of Daniel E. Pompell, then 29, but found no sign of the baby, according to court records. He was listed as the baby's "probable father" on paperwork filed with the state Division of Child Support Enforcement, according to a warrant filed in Fauquier County.

The search warrant claims that Pompell was at Dalton's apartment "at the approximate time of her death" and "angry about the possibility of additional financial obligations on him if paternity of the child was proven," according to the search warrant.

Pompell cooperated with the investigation and was never charged.

Allyson is still missing and her mother's slaying has not been solved.

Anyone with information can call the Virginia State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigations at 800-572-2260, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678.

 

[TripleAaA]

This is my first post here on WS but I actually stumbled upon this site looking at Long Island missing cases. The comments on the bottom are what grabbed my attention so I Googled Sylena and saw there was a topic on WS. I wonder if anything came of this? Here is a link with the comments: https://letsfindthem.wordpress.com/...ing-of-her-2-month-old-infant-still-unsolved/

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.whsv.com/content/news/Pr...rg-murder-kidnapping-cold-case-381665981.html

Christopher Borba, a private investigator in Roanoke, has taken on the case, hoping to get new leads and closure for the family.

"We recently developed (and) found out that there was a person that lived underneath the apartment when it happened," Bolba said. (They) heard a noise, whatever it was it was loud enough (that) it caught their attention and the guy looked outside (and) saw a white male placing a baby in the passenger seat of a truck."

That witness is now dead...

State Police as a matter of policy will not name suspects; however, Mr. Pompell has not been exonerated.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Plea for leads in 18-year-old Virginia cold case

http://wric.com/2016/07/27/plea-for-leads-in-18-year-old-virginia-cold-case/

A Shenandoah County murder case that has gone cold turns 18-years-old today, and a private investigator who took on the case is making a plea to witnesses to come forward.

Borba’s investigation has taken him throughout Virginia, and he encourages witnesses to come forward.

“After this many years, it would be good to give the family closure,” Borba explains.

 

[perfectingpink]

Justice for Sylena and Allyson Dalton

https://www.facebook.com/SylenaAllysonDalton/?fref=ts

 

[JaelynKL]

VIRGINIA STATE POLICE SEEKING HELP IN 19-YEAR DISAPPEARANCE OF STRASBURG INFANT & RELATED HOMICIDE
STRASBURG, Va. – The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office is seeking the public’s help with a homicide and abduction that occurred at a Strasburg residence July 27, 1998.
The 2-month-old child, Allyson Dalton, was last seen at approximately 7:45 a.m. on July 27, 1998, at her mother's second-floor apartment in the 100 block of Charles Street in Strasburg. She was with her mother, Sylena Jo Dalton, at the time.
Later that same day, at 2:25 p.m., one of the mother’s coworkers found 20-year-old Sylena stabbed to death on a couch inside the residence. Allyson was missing and so were several of her baby bottles. Investigators believe Sylena was killed between 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., that morning of July 27, 1998. Neighbors told police that no screams were heard nor was there any disturbance made that morning at the apartment. No murder weapon was found at the scene.
“Since the beginning of this case 19 years ago, it has been a challenging one because of the complexities of it involving both a homicide and an infant disappearing without a trace,” said Capt. Gary Wilson, Commander of the VSP BCI Culpeper Field Office. “We do believe little Allyson was abducted by whoever murdered her mother. We are hopeful that someone will feel safe enough to come forward now, after all these years, and help bring a murderer and kidnapper to justice. Sylena and Allyson’s family deserves the truth and closure they’ve been so desperately seeking for the past 19 years.”
At the time of her disappearance, Allyson, was 8 pounds and 1 foot 8 inches long. A white female, she had brown hair and blue eyes. Allyson’s biological father was not living with her and her mother at the time of the murder/abduction. He has cooperated with investigators over the years.
Anyone with information about Sylena Jo Dalton’s murder, Allyson’s disappearance, and/or recognizes the age-progression photo of what Allyson might look like now as a 19-year-old is encouraged to call the State Police toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or dialing #77 on a cell phone or by email at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaStatePolice/posts/10155894122980101

MSM

The Virginia State Police today released an age progression rendering of what a 1998 Strasburg kidnapping victim might look like now as a 19-year-old woman.

http://www.fauquier.com/news/police...cle_3ace8426-7228-11e7-a826-13333e51d880.html

 

[JaelynKL]

https://www.facebook.com/SylenaAllysonDalton/photos/rpp.895180310570458/1101930186562135



https://www.facebook.com/JFCWOV/pho....1073741829.1594862397423664/1734055923504310

 

[JerseyGirl]

another article: http://wset.com/news/local/state-police-looking-for-infant-who-went-missing-19-years-ago

 

[TedMac]

Search continues for missing child 19 years after mom found murdered

STRASBURG, Va. - Investigators with the Virginia State Police are hoping to solve a mystery that has haunted the family and friends of a young mother killed in her home nearly 20 years ago.

This summer, new age progression photos were released of Allyson Dalton. Police believe she was taken from her mother's home just after Sylena Jo Dalton was stabbed to death on July 27, 1998.

Allyson would be 19 years old. She was only 10-months-old when she disappeared from her mother's apartment on S. Charles Street in Strasburg, Virginia, according to WDCW. This is the second time investigators have released a photo of what she may look like, the first being when she was 13 years old.

“Since the beginning of this case 19 years ago, it has been a challenging one because of the complexities of it involving both a homicide and an infant disappearing without a trace,” said Capt. Gary Wilson, Commander of the VSP BCI Culpeper Field Office. “We do believe little Allyson was abducted by whoever murdered her mother. We are hopeful that someone will feel safe enough to come forward now, after all these years, and help bring a murderer and kidnapper to justice.”

Jenifer Parker was a close friend of Sylena's who only got to hold Allyson once. She believes the time has long passed for answers into her friend's murder.

"Sylena deserves it," Parker said. "Sylena deserves to rest in peace. Her family deserves for someone to be caught so they can have peace of mind and finally know what happened."

Parker believes investigators should start over and talk to everyone who was around Sylena in the days before she was killed. Sylena was found stabbed to death on the couch of her apartment. Investigators discovered baby bottles missing and never found Allyson.

Virginia State Police special agents working the case don't classify the investigation as a cold case. The photos released continue to generate leads but nothing that has led to an arrest.

Parker also continues to search. She said, every few days, she's checking websites with details about the case hoping someone will leave a message that could become a clue into Sylena's death and Allyson's disappearance.

"I fully believe Allyson and my daughter would be the best of friends," Parker said.

Allyson was born with brown hair and blue eyes. According to Virginia State Police, Allyson’s biological father was not living with her and her mother at the time of the murder-abduction. He has cooperated with investigators over the years.

"I'll always tell the people who call, they may say 'I know this may be nothing and I'm sorry to bother you' and my response is always 'You're not bothering me; you're actually helping us and the family because you care enough to call,'" said Special Agent Richard Hankins.

Anyone with information about Sylena’s murder, Allyson’s disappearance and/or recognizes the age progression photo of what Allyson might look like now as a 19-year-old is encouraged to call the State Police toll-free at 1-888-300-0156, dial #77 on a cellphone or email at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Allyson Kathleen Dalton – The Charley Project

 

[California Sunset]

By Joe Beck

Fifteen years after her 20-year-old daughter was stabbed to death and her 10-week-old granddaughter disappeared, the long, frustrating wait for answers to the crime continues for Angela Stover.

Stover received the grim news of Sylena Jo Dalton's death from a sister who lived across the street and was the first family member to see the victim's body in the apartment at 175 S. Charles St. in Strasburg.

All had seemed fine hours earlier when Stover left the infant Allyson and Dalton at the apartment where all three lived. Stover remembers being called away from work hours later and listening in horror as her sister described what had happened.

"My sister told me that Sylena was stabbed to death, and they can't find Allyson," Stover said in an interview Friday. "Needless to say, I just fell to the floor and started crying for my mother."

Allyson Dalton has not been found. Stover said police searched the Shenandoah River and some Dumpsters without success. Angela Stover and her mother, Bonnita Smith, say they know who killed Sylena Dalton and took Allyson. They blame the Virginia State Police for failing to make an arrest in the case.

Stover said she was last in contact with the state police about three months ago and came away discouraged. She said the conversation followed a pattern that has become all too familiar to her over the years.

"We're angry and upset," Stover said. "We don't feel they're working on the case. They don't contact me. I contact them."

Sylena Dalton's killer remains at large and the fate of infant Allyson Dalton is unknown.

This case seems like more could/should have been done. Is it too late to try to get anywhere with it now?
I ran across this somewhere, had never heard of it before, to my surprise, and logged on here hoping something about it was here. If so many people believe the baby's father did this, where is he? I didn't find anything besides his name when I was researching this. I am no where near done with searching. Where is Allyson?

 

[SCaJ]

This case seems like more could/should have been done. Is it too late to try to get anywhere with it now?
I ran across this somewhere, had never heard of it before, to my surprise, and logged on here hoping something about it was here. If so many people believe the baby's father did this, where is he? I didn't find anything besides his name when I was researching this. I am no where near done with searching. Where is Allyson?

When I first heard about this case I went looking for old newspaper articles and there was barely anything back then. I found one very tiny article in the Staunton News Leader Aug 25, 1998 that just said police had reached an impasse in finding Allyson and the killer of Selena. I searched for days looking for any articles mentioning the murder of a mom or kidnapping of a baby on and around the date that it happened and found nothing. Not one single mention in any of the local papers except that one little blurb that was 3-4 sentences long. I was absolutely shocked there was so little in the newspaper back then. Police might have gotten more leads had something been posted for the locals to see and know about this.

I tried to find more but the recent articles were about all that was out there other than this blog which I haven't had time to validate anything it says. It mentions a civil suit against the Pompell. You may want to do some digging there.

Daniel Pompell – Missing & Unidentified People

 

[California Sunset]

When I first heard about this case I went looking for old newspaper articles and there was barely anything back then. I found one very tiny article in the Staunton News Leader Aug 25, 1998 that just said police had reached an impasse in finding Allyson and the killer of Selena. I searched for days looking for any articles mentioning the murder of a mom or kidnapping of a baby on and around the date that it happened and found nothing. Not one single mention in any of the local papers except that one little blurb that was 3-4 sentences long. I was absolutely shocked there was so little in the newspaper back then. Police might have gotten more leads had something been posted for the locals to see and know about this.

I tried to find more but the recent articles were about all that was out there other than this blog which I haven't had time to validate anything it says. It mentions a civil suit against the Pompell. You may want to do some digging there.

Daniel Pompell – Missing & Unidentified People

I had trouble finding information, but you have to spell Selena's name correctly, it's Sylena. Spell check usually corrects it to Selena, and then you can't find any information on the Dalton case. I just put Allyson Dalton in and that's how I found some additional information and then did the search with Sylena.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind, and I haven't checked on it yet myself for this case, but if you go to www.missingkids.com, enter the relevant data, and you might end up with the baby's info or age progression. When I did searches for Allyson, I didn't find much, but somewhere there was a hint of who they believed killed Sylena.

Where is Baby Allyson Dalton? Mom murdered, baby abducted: cold case

The Forgotten Cases

Sylena and Allyson Dalton — Basement Fort Productions

I showed my daughter something twenty years ago. I don't know what search criteria I put into the form at the time, but we got about 23 results, I think. All were babies under a certain age, after the criteria was applied, all were either reported missing from the scene of a homicide (usually the mother) or else the mother and child were both missing, but all the babies under the certain age disappeared under 'suspicious circumstances'. All of the babies were still missing at that time. I don't know if Christopher Abeyta's name was on the list or not, but I don't think it was. All the babies were missing and circumstances unknown, none were deceased.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a wealth of information.

 

[SCaJ]

I had trouble finding information, but you have to spell Selena's name correctly, it's Sylena. Spell check usually corrects it to Selena, and then you can't find any information on the Dalton case. I just put Allyson Dalton in and that's how I found some additional information and then did the search with Sylena.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind, and I haven't checked on it yet myself for this case, but if you go to www.missingkids.com, enter the relevant data, and you might end up with the baby's info or age progression. When I did searches for Allyson, I didn't find much, but somewhere there was a hint of who they believed killed Sylena.

Where is Baby Allyson Dalton? Mom murdered, baby abducted: cold case

The Forgotten Cases

Sylena and Allyson Dalton — Basement Fort Productions

I showed my daughter something twenty years ago. I don't know what search criteria I put into the form at the time, but we got about 23 results, I think. All were babies under a certain age, after the criteria was applied, all were either reported missing from the scene of a homicide (usually the mother) or else the mother and child were both missing, but all the babies under the certain age disappeared under 'suspicious circumstances'. All of the babies were still missing at that time. I don't know if Christopher Abeyta's name was on the list or not, but I don't think it was. All the babies were missing and circumstances unknown, none were deceased.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a wealth of information.

Sorry, I did spell her name wrong in my post. I know about the articles in more recent times but there was barely anything at the time the event occurred except for that one blurb in the newspaper. That is what I found shocking. The newer stuff tells a lot but I can't help but think if there had been more in the newspapers back in 1998 it could have been helpful to us now. I know some of the other cases I've looked into the newspaper articles from the time had a lot of things that were left out of more recent articles. Sometimes you can glean little bits from various newspapers and it was just disappointing this case had so little in the newspapers. When I searched the newspapers though I didn't just look by name because I thought (hoped) perhaps they had just mentioned the case without naming names because it involved a minor so I also looked for reported homicides and kidnappings for that same week and the week after where there was no name and found nothing. I also looked for anything her family may have posted looking for information as well and found nothing.

I never got around to looking through old TV news archives but there could be something there locally. I live close to the area so someday when I have free time during daylight hours I may try to drive the hour away and really look into this more. IMO the baby's father had more to do with this then he's telling but, I can't back that up with anything more than suspicion right now.