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

[StarryStarryNight]

Has Richard Evonitz ever been looked at?

This was in an article written by Cliff LeBlanc in The State newspaper shortly after Evonitz killed himself:

“The sheriffLott) also said he knows of no evidence that would tie Evonitz
to the well-publicized disappearances of Columbia's Dail Dinwiddie in
1992 or Paula Merchant of Forest Acres in 1999.”

So I think he was definitely looked at.

 

[Melt71]

9 sets of unidentified remains have been ruled out as being Dail.

 

[Melt71]

DBM wrong post!

 

[StarryStarryNight]

Renaldo Rivera lived in the Columbia area at the time DD disappeared. He later was convicted of killing four women near Augusta beginning in 1999. He admitted to those four but denied he had anything to do with the DD case. I’m sure there must be nothing to tie Rivera to DD or the police would have been all over it. But I do still wonder. Even Ted Bundy had some murders he refused to talk about or admit to even though LE knew he did them. Maybe Dail Dinwiddie is Rivera’s “no-tell”. I just wonder about it.
Also, I spent time during the pandemic researching a serial killer named Larry DeWiit Hall for DD. He liked to snatch victims into his van. He liked to travel around to Civil War reenactments. I specifically checked on reenactments at the time of DD’s disappearance, and if any were close by. The closest was outside of Atlanta. GA reported at least two women disappeared at that time near Atlanta. Did Larry drive over to Columbia, maybe for the U2 concert? I don’t know.
Bottom line, at least in my opinion, is that it was more than likely an opportunity abduction that went sideways. That said, there were a lot of lesser known serial killers around back then and even now probably.
We really know so little.

 

[Melt71]

It's quite a gap between 1992 and 1999, do you know his whereabouts in that time @StarryStarryNight

 

[Oakie]

I lived and worked (outdoors, mostly in rural areas) in SC for 11 years, and was in the state when Dail disappeared. SC is full of wet areas covered with extremely thick, virtually impenetrable vegetation. I've been in 1000+ spots where a body could have been taken only 10 or 15 feet off the road, and remain hidden forever. Things decay rapidly in the heat and humidity of the deep South, and the waterways have gators, snapping turtles, and other things that would happily dine on human flesh. It doesn't surprise me that DD hasn't been found.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

It's quite a gap between 1992 and 1999, do you know his whereabouts in that time @StarryStarryNight

I checked to make sure. He was in the Navy.
Murderpedia has a good bit of information about him.

Reinaldo Rivera | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Murderpedia, the free online encyclopedic dictionary of murderers. The largest database about serial killers, mass murderers and spree killers around the world

murderpedia.org

“ From December 1986 to March 1991, Rivera worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. Then he attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, earning a degree in office administration. While in Columbia, he married Tammy Lisa Bonnette on Valentine's Day 1993, and has two children ages 5 and 7. He remained in the Navy, moving to Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, before being discharged in September 1995. He left Texas and settled in Aiken County, South Carolina, in January 1998 where he was hired -- ironically -- as a tire inspector at a Bridgestone/Firestone plan.”

 

[phcrider]

I checked to make sure. He was in the Navy.
Murderpedia has a good bit of information about him.

Reinaldo Rivera | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Murderpedia, the free online encyclopedic dictionary of murderers. The largest database about serial killers, mass murderers and spree killers around the world

murderpedia.org

“ From December 1986 to March 1991, Rivera worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. Then he attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, earning a degree in office administration. While in Columbia, he married Tammy Lisa Bonnette on Valentine's Day 1993, and has two children ages 5 and 7. He remained in the Navy, moving to Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, before being discharged in September 1995. He left Texas and settled in Aiken County, South Carolina, in January 1998 where he was hired -- ironically -- as a tire inspector at a Bridgestone/Firestone plan.”

 

[phcrider]

So good chance Rivera was in Columbia in 1992 or at least the night she disappeared. I just don’t know why he wouldn’t admit to her when he admitted to the other crimes.
I’m thinking of writing to him. I honestly thought he had already been put to death by now, but he hasn’t.
Has he been liked for any other crimes other than Dinwiddie and Paula Merchant?

 

[SqrQn29]

Has Richard Evonitz ever been looked at?

I haven’t heard of Evonitz so I will have to research him. I wish, if he was looked at extensively, LE would say why he was ruled out. Did he have an alibi that checked out? What was his usual MO?

 

[SqrQn29]

Renaldo Rivera lived in the Columbia area at the time DD disappeared. He later was convicted of killing four women near Augusta beginning in 1999. He admitted to those four but denied he had anything to do with the DD case. I’m sure there must be nothing to tie Rivera to DD or the police would have been all over it. But I do still wonder. Even Ted Bundy had some murders he refused to talk about or admit to even though LE knew he did them. Maybe Dail Dinwiddie is Rivera’s “no-tell”. I just wonder about it.
Also, I spent time during the pandemic researching a serial killer named Larry DeWiit Hall for DD. He liked to snatch victims into his van. He liked to travel around to Civil War reenactments. I specifically checked on reenactments at the time of DD’s disappearance, and if any were close by. The closest was outside of Atlanta. GA reported at least two women disappeared at that time near Atlanta. Did Larry drive over to Columbia, maybe for the U2 concert? I don’t know.
Bottom line, at least in my opinion, is that it was more than likely an opportunity abduction that went sideways. That said, there were a lot of lesser known serial killers around back then and even now probably.
We really know so little.

Did you see Blackbird? I started looking into Hall after watching that. Most of his victims were younger however he did have some college women as victims so she would fit the age range. However, I don’t recall him driving that far for his usual victims; although I think they said there are more victims of his that he didn’t admit to so who really knows.

 

[SqrQn29]

I checked to make sure. He was in the Navy.
Murderpedia has a good bit of information about him.

Reinaldo Rivera | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Murderpedia, the free online encyclopedic dictionary of murderers. The largest database about serial killers, mass murderers and spree killers around the world

murderpedia.org

“ From December 1986 to March 1991, Rivera worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. Then he attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, earning a degree in office administration. While in Columbia, he married Tammy Lisa Bonnette on Valentine's Day 1993, and has two children ages 5 and 7. He remained in the Navy, moving to Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, before being discharged in September 1995. He left Texas and settled in Aiken County, South Carolina, in January 1998 where he was hired -- ironically -- as a tire inspector at a Bridgestone/Firestone plan.”

Wow so he was definitely in the area during the time both women disappeared. I wonder what brought him to South Carolina. Was he sophisticated enough to grab DD on a busy night? Or maybe he stalked her that night for awhile and picked her up while she was on one of the less busy roads?

Did they interview his wife? Did they interview his former coworkers around the time of the disappearance? Is there any connection between him and DD or Paula Merchant?

Paula Merchant’s car was found on fire, correct? Did she have car problems shortly before that and maybe went to his work place?

Any similarities between those two women and the women Rivera admitted to? I’ll have to do some digging.

 

[phcrider]

Wow so he was definitely in the area during the time both women disappeared. I wonder what brought him to South Carolina. Was he sophisticated enough to grab DD on a busy night? Or maybe he stalked her that night for awhile and picked her up while she was on one of the less busy roads?

Did they interview his wife? Did they interview his former coworkers around the time of the disappearance? Is there any connection between him and DD or Paula Merchant?

Paula Merchant’s car was found on fire, correct? Did she have car problems shortly before that and maybe went to his work place?

Any similarities between those two women and the women Rivera admitted to? I’ll have to do some digging.

Rivera’s wife reported to LE he looked like the sketch for the Augusta murders. She lives not far from me from what I can tell.

 

[phcrider]

The FBI says that most serial killers start murdering around ages 27 to 28. The 1999 murders that occurred in Augusta and Aiken occurred when Rivera was 36. If he had begun in 1992, which was when Dinwiddie was taken, he would’ve been 29 years old. He admitted to officials that he had raped women at every port that he was in and these occurred before 1999. We know he was attending USC in Columbia in 1992. There’s a good chance he went to the U2 concert. I believe there are more murders that he did not get charged with and now he’s claiming that he lied and didn’t commit two of the ones that he admitted to and is in prison for. His appeals were up last year, so I don’t know when he will be scheduled to die. I looked at the photos of the four victims from the Augusta and Aiken area, three were 17 years old. One was 21 years old. All four were white, petite and of course, female, just like Dail.

 

[bearfossils]

Why do you feel it’s not a serial killer?

It seems statistically unlikely to me. The serial killer normally mentioned in conjunction with her case had modius operanti that held for the majority of his victims: Rivera attempted to lure young blonde women into his car by claiming he was opening a modeling agency and/or asking them about their sex lives. If we believe that there is a possibility, however slim, that he came into contact with Dail that night, then we also have to believe she would act against her own known behavior and accepted a ride with a complete stranger in the middle of the night based on the notion that she’d be photographed, or, even less likely, crude questions about her sexuality in an attempt to hire on to a nonexistent escort service. Is it possible he could still be responsible? Sure, but unless there is strong evidence to imply he was in that area at that time of night, I don’t see the point in that kind of speculation. The idea that a yet unknown serial killer was responsible seems even less likely. Unless there is significant evidence to suggest a serial offender was involved, I don’t think it should be the focus, as far as possible offenders go.

Time and the progression of science have shown us that crimes like this are frequently committed by local, opportunistic offenders, and that the notion that someone can’t kill once without killing again is patently untrue. I think whoever targeted Dail did so because they saw a vulnerable female and was able to convince her or force her into his vehicle; whether it was someone she knew, however casually, or a complete stranger, is yet to be seen.

 

[bearfossils]

I’d also add that Rivera specifically asked for the death penalty, even if it was only to boost the notion that he was legally insane. If so, why deny Dail’s murder? He admitted to many of his other crimes, including leading law enforcement to the bodies of victims who hadn’t been found. I acknowledge that Dail does fit the general description of his victims, but so does a significant portion of the female population. I don’t believe there is enough evidence to support the idea that he is responsible. I also believe at least someone within law enforcement would have hit upon her as a victim and pursued in a manner which would have either kept her as a possible victim of his, or essentially ruled her out. It doesn’t sound like there are enough facts to believe Rivera is more likely as a POI instead of an unknown local offender.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I’d also add that Rivera specifically asked for the death penalty, even if it was only to boost the notion that he was legally insane. If so, why deny Dail’s murder? He admitted to many of his other crimes, including leading law enforcement to the bodies of victims who hadn’t been found. I acknowledge that Dail does fit the general description of his victims, but so does a significant portion of the female population. I don’t believe there is enough evidence to support the idea that he is responsible. I also believe at least someone within law enforcement would have hit upon her as a victim and pursued in a manner which would have either kept her as a possible victim of his, or essentially ruled her out. It doesn’t sound like there are enough facts to believe Rivera is more likely as a POI instead of an unknown local offender.

Rivera is the easy answer. Unfortunately there are no easy answers with this case.
I feel certain LE looked hard into the possibility that Rivera was responsible for DD’s disappearance. I think, like you stated, that Rivera’s MO with other victims is a huge roadblock to his involvement here. If LE had ANY inkling that he was involved, I’m sure they would have run with it.
I wish LE would release DD’s case file. Maybe somebody would pick up on something.

 

[PinkCar124]

First-time poster here! I'm a native South Carolinian, and this case has never left my mind. Not too long ago, I searched for info about Dail on Reddit and came across a very recent, and very curious post from someone naming a suspect. I'm unsure if I can link it here or even mention the name, but he's a convicted murderer already serving a life sentence (not Renaldo Rivera). If you search Dail's name on Reddit, you'll see the thread from 3 months ago. I forwarded the post along to the Richland County Sheriff's Office and received an email back from Sheriff Lott confirming receipt of my tip. Likely a theory they've heard before and investigated, but I'd never heard that name mentioned, so worth a shot!

 

[SqrQn29]

First-time poster here! I'm a native South Carolinian, and this case has never left my mind. Not too long ago, I searched for info about Dail on Reddit and came across a very recent, and very curious post from someone naming a suspect. I'm unsure if I can link it here or even mention the name, but he's a convicted murderer already serving a life sentence (not Renaldo Rivera). If you search Dail's name on Reddit, you'll see the thread from 3 months ago. I forwarded the post along to the Richland County Sheriff's Office and received an email back from Sheriff Lott confirming receipt of my tip. Likely a theory they've heard before and investigated, but I'd never heard that name mentioned, so worth a shot!

Yeah, I read that comment as well. It was a very detailed post and I hadn’t heard any of the names before in connection with her disappearance. It would be nice to know if LE has heard theory before. I’ve really got to hope that if that person truly believed what they were told, they would have gone to LE 18 years ago to give her family closure.

 

[SqrQn29]

It seems statistically unlikely to me. The serial killer normally mentioned in conjunction with her case had modius operanti that held for the majority of his victims: Rivera attempted to lure young blonde women into his car by claiming he was opening a modeling agency and/or asking them about their sex lives. If we believe that there is a possibility, however slim, that he came into contact with Dail that night, then we also have to believe she would act against her own known behavior and accepted a ride with a complete stranger in the middle of the night based on the notion that she’d be photographed, or, even less likely, crude questions about her sexuality in an attempt to hire on to a nonexistent escort service. Is it possible he could still be responsible? Sure, but unless there is strong evidence to imply he was in that area at that time of night, I don’t see the point in that kind of speculation. The idea that a yet unknown serial killer was responsible seems even less likely. Unless there is significant evidence to suggest a serial offender was involved, I don’t think it should be the focus, as far as possible offenders go.

Time and the progression of science have shown us that crimes like this are frequently committed by local, opportunistic offenders, and that the notion that someone can’t kill once without killing again is patently untrue. I think whoever targeted Dail did so because they saw a vulnerable female and was able to convince her or force her into his vehicle; whether it was someone she knew, however casually, or a complete stranger, is yet to be seen.

Oh wow interesting information on Rivera. Do we know if he stalk his victims for awhile or chose them at random?