Case Details
- Photo URLs:
-
- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 06/03/2001
- Missing From:
- Missing From Dearborn Heights, Michigan
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 09/20/1978 (46)
- Age:
- Age 22 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 5’4, 103 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray shirt, reddish-colored boxer shorts and house slippers.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Derewitz’s ears and navel are pierced.
- Details of Disappearance:
- In May 2001, Amy Derewitz broke up with her fiancé, David Kniga, and moved out of their home. On June 3rd, she went back to his house to collect her mail. Kniga’s new girlfriend was there, and a fight broke out. The girlfriend said Kniga and Derewitz went into the basement. When Kniga came back upstairs, he sent the girlfriend away. She reported seeing Derewitz severely injured and gasping for air on the basement floor. The girlfriend didn’t call for help. Derewitz was never seen again.
Four days later, Derewitz’s car was found abandoned near her mother’s house. Her purse and ID were missing. Kniga’s new girlfriend cooperated with police and passed a lie detector test. Kniga refused a lie detector test and hired a lawyer. He claimed Derewitz and his girlfriend were at his house on June 3rd but at different times.
Two years later, in June 2003, Kniga was charged with second-degree murder. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 5-15 years in prison and was released in 2017. He confessed to putting Derewitz’s body in a dumpster, but it was never found.
Derewitz’s family said she was reliable and wouldn’t have disappeared without telling anyone. There’s been no activity on her accounts since her disappearance. She had a job and was a college student. Police suspect foul play.
- Agency:
- Dearborn Heights Police Department
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 06/03/2001