CANADA Canada- Diane Dobson, 36, mother of 3, beaten to death poss. w. steel pipe, body found in a ditch, Windsor, Ont., 14 Feb; '95, *New initiative, DNA*

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Trevor Wilhelm Mar 26, 2025 rbbm.

'Horrific murder' — Windsor police offer $20K reward in Dobson cold case

Diane Dobson, 36, a mother of three, vanished on Valentine’s Day 1995.

windsorstar.com

''Windsor police have announced a $20,000 reward in the hunt for a barbaric killer who escaped justice for 30 years after beating a woman to death and dumping her body in a secluded ditch.''

''Diane Dobson, 36, a mother of three, vanished on Valentine’s Day 1995. Her battered body was found the following day.''

''Investigators had previously told the Star that Dobson died from a ferocious attack that included multiple blows to the face, possibly from a steel pipe.''

''Windsor police also said in February that their major crimes unit would resubmit evidence to Ontario’s Centre of Forensic Sciences in the hope that newer DNA technology could help zero-in on potential suspects.''

Windsor Police Service major crimes Staff Sgt. Ted Novak speaks during a press conference on Feb. 14, 2025, regarding the 30th anniversary of the unsolved murder of Diane Dobson. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

 

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2020 Trevor Wilhelm

Cold case continues to baffle Windsor police 25 years after woman's brutal slaying

Diane Dobson, a mother of three, disappeared on Valentine’s Day 1995. Her badly beaten body was found the next day in Windsor's west end.

windsorstar.com

“She was probably just sitting there minding her own business,” Windsor police Det. Brian Menard said in 2000. “She didn’t have a chance. I think what bothers me the most about this case is the degree of violence. It was sickening.”

The third of 10 children, she was born on the Saugeen First Nations reserve near the Bruce Peninsula. Dobson was adopted by a wealthy Toronto family, but ran away from home when she was 13.

It was a tough life. She drove a cab in Windsor for 15 years. Drug and alcohol addiction dogged her. Police said she led a “vulnerable lifestyle.”

But Dobson was trying to make a better life. A few years before she died, she reconnected with a long-lost sister living in Toronto. She also became more interested in her First Nations heritage and was taking courses at St. Clair College.

''The dead woman was wearing jeans and a black waist-length coat. The jacket was open, exposing a pink bra. The woman wasn’t wearing a shirt, or shoes.''