Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 02/05/1981

Missing Since:

Missing Since 02/05/1981

Missing From:

Missing From Grand Rapids, Michigan

Classification:

Classification Non-Family Abduction

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 09/24/1966 (58)

Age:

Age 14 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’2 – 5’3, 110 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown ski jacket, a pink sweater, 27- to 32-inch Levi’s blue jeans, white bikini panties, a size 34C Bali bra, a cream-colored scarf with the word “ski” written on it in dark brown letters, and white knee socks.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Dean’s nickname is Deanie. She smokes cigarettes, her ears are pierced and she has a birthmark on her lower back. Some agencies give her last name as “Pyle Peters.”

Details of Disappearance:

On February 5, 1981, 13-year-old Dean disappeared from Forest Hills Central Middle School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was at her brother’s wrestling practice and went to the restroom, but never returned. She left her belongings – wallet, purse, etc. – at home.

Police investigated several leads:

* **The School Custodian:** Arthur Diaz was initially a suspect but was cleared.
* **A Fight at School:** Two days before, Dean fought with other girls over a boy, and they threatened her.
* **Bruce Bunch:** A teenager who knew one of the girls involved in the fight, Bunch claimed he accidentally hit Dean with his car, killing her, after trying to scare her. He told this story to multiple people but was never charged before his death in 2008. Police now believe he was responsible.
* **James Frisbie:** In 2021, Frisbie was charged with perjury for lying to police about the case and interfering with witnesses.

Despite these leads, Dean’s case remains unsolved. Police believe there are still people with information who haven’t come forward. Dean was a good student with no history of running away and had aspirations of becoming a model. She was declared legally dead in 1991.

Agency:

Kent County Sheriff’s Office 616-336-3113

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