Diane Genice Dye - Missing 33 Years

Diane Genice Dye Photo Credit: Charley Project.org

 The Disappearance of Diane Dye

 IT WAS the afternoon of July 30, 1979 when thirteen year old Diane Genice Dye left her parent's home in San Jose, California. At the time, it was believed she had left of her own accord, as she was distressed about her parent's marital problems. She had also mentioned her plan to run away prior before she left and go to the mountains, but her intention was only to stay away for a few days. Her friend tried to talk her out of it, and was convinced she had changed her mind. It was unknown that July 30, 1979 would be the last day her loved ones would see her. 

Diane's birthday is November 20, 1965. She was 13 years-old when she disappearance, and was 5'2" and 110 pounds (at the time). She has brown hair and hazel eyes. She has her ears pierced, and a two-inch scar on her chin. She has a Greenstick fracture on her left forearm. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt and light blue corduroy pants.

There is the possibility that Diane may have been in danger. Prior to her disappearance, a 17 year-old drifter named Doug was in the area. He is remembered to have offered marijuana to Diane, her brother and his friend at a party. Diane had taken an interest in him, and he had an interest in her although they never ended up dating. Diane's brother remembered he had a tattoo on his arm that said "Satan's DAY". After her brother learned about the criminal activity he was involved in, Diane was forbidden to see him. Besides drugs, the residence where he and many other people were staying was raided by the DEA. At the time, he was living in Morgan Hill, California. 

Princess Doe, unidentified homicide victim, thought to be Diane Dye.

Sightings of Diane

There has been multiple reported sightings of Diane over the many years she has been missing. According to blogsite Whereabouts Still Unknown, shortly after Diane vanished, she was seen with a girl with blond hair who looked to be her age within their neighborhood on Felder Drive. The girl has not been able to be identified. Later, in 1979, police gathered information that Diane was sighted at a Jack in the Box in the area as well.
In December 1981, two and a half years after she vanished, one of Diane's male classmates reportedly made contact with her. It was at a shopping mall Serramonte Mall in Daly City, which was 50 miles north of her home town San Jose. Diane mentioned to him she did not want to go home, and she did not want her whereabouts known either. Shortly after this sighting, an individual reported they spent time with her in Weimar, California. Years later, Diane was identified by multiple people as being a hotel worker in Atlantic City, Georgia. She has not been seen or heard from since, and is still missing to this day. 

The Princess Doe Theory

Diane was originally thought to be a run away, and her case was not handled seriously for years. Unfortunately, this was a mistake  as she left at a very young age into a very scary world. Diane's disappearance gained national exposure with the discovery of a murdered girl who would only be known as Princess Doe. Princess Doe was a 14-18 year-old homicide victim found in the area of a cemetery in Blairstown, New Jersey. She died from blunt force trauma to her head. For awhile, many believed Diane Dye and Princess Die were one and the same. Years later, they were ruled out through dental records as not being a match due to inconsistencies. Diane's family also did not believe that their daughter was Princess Doe.
 Despite experts making the rule out in 1986, many still believed Diane Dye was Princess Doe. A report from New York revealed that an African American pimp accused of murdering one of his prostitutes claimed Diane worked for him. Princess Doe was reported by witnesses to have most likely been estranged from her family and from the Long Island, New York area. According to Morning Call newspaper, one of the Warren County detectives, David Heater, still believed these two teen girls were one and the same, due to their striking physical resemblance, circumstances, and vital statistics. Also, Diane's last dental x-ray took place in 1976, when she was 10 years old. It is not known if Princess Doe may have had more extensive work done. In 1999, they exhumed the body of Princess Doe to gather DNA samples to compare to blood samples from Diane Dye's parents. The verdict still stands that Diane Dye is not Princess Doe. Princess Doe remains unidentified as of this day, and Diane Dye still remains missing.
Now, I can definitely see why there were many skeptics about the Princess Doe/Diane Dye rule out. These girls had so much in common, especially in their looks. Diane Dye ran away, and Princess Doe was thought to be a lost runaway. Diane was reported to have been working as a prostitute in New York, and Princess Doe was also thought to have been in the New York area. However, due to the last reported sighting of Diane Dye in 1981, I strongly believe she is still in California. Being that two and a half years later she was only 50 miles north of her hometown, it seems very possible she could still be around that area. 

The Disappearance of Lisa Sexton

Lisa Sexton, missing since May 1, 1981.

I would also like to add Lisa Sexton's story here, because it is eerily similar to Diane's disappearance. I am sure they are not connected, but what happened after they left could have been one and the same. Finding one of these girls may help spark ideas to find the other one. 
On May 1, 1981, 14 year-old Lisa Marie Sexton was last seen leaving her home to walk the dog, but never returned. It was later found out she was last seen with a male who was involved in criminal activity and drug dealing. He eventually returned to the Elyria area alone, was eventually imprisoned and died without giving any information about Lisa's disappearance. It was confirmed that Lisa was in the Tampa, Florida area, with intentions of traveling to Mexico. Three years later, in 1984, Lisa made contact with her mother. That would be the last time her mom would ever hear from her.
On June 19, 1986, a gruesome discovery was made by fisherman in Lake Pontchartrain, east of I-10 and 50 yards north from the shore in Slidell, Louisiana. A nude woman with a plastic bag secured by duct tape over her face was found, weighted down by a 22 pound weight tied around her neck. She suffered numerous stab wounds to her body and face. She was three months pregnant, thought to be married and had silicon breast implants. Detectives believe she died of asphyxia two days before she was found, and that her body was dumped between Bayou Lacombe and Rigolet's Pass. She was also not believe to have been local to the area.

 

Lake Pontchartrain Jane Doe was 3 months pregnant when she was found brutally murdered. Photo Credit: Doe Network.org

For awhile, Lisa Sexton was thought to have been the Jane Doe found in Louisiana. However, in 2003, Jane Doe was ruled out as being Lisa by dental records. Both cases are unsolved.
In Lisa's disappearance, I feel the man she was with had a great deal to do with influencing her to runaway by getting her involved in criminal activity. This also reminds me of Diane's situation with Doug. With Lisa, I wonder if she ran away because she was pregnant, and looked to the father for help more then her family. I also believe her disappearance could have been drug-related, with her forcefully leaving or choosing to run away. I wonder why she randomly contacted her mother in 1984? I would like to hear more information on that. Both cases remain unsolved.

Theories 

I find it frustrating when authorities sweep cases under the rug just because they were "run aways". It seems this is what has happened here. I believe if this case was taken more seriously back than, Diane would have been found. If she had gotten more publicity, she also could have been found, especially since she was sighted by a friend not far from San Jose. There is not much information on Diane's disappearance, and it seems her possible connection to Princess Doe is what gave her disappearance some light. 
There are many theories in this case. First, we have the Princess Doe theory from those who believe the rule-out via dental-record may have not been accurate due to Diane's dentals being from when she was 10 years old. Next, we must take into account all the sightings of Diane in the East coast, which would possibly support the Princess Doe theory, if she ended up all the way over there. The few years after she vanished, the cluster of sightings were in California. I think it is logical to think that she stayed in the California area for years following her disappearance. Considering she has been missing for over 33 years, it is possible she headed east for another change. My concern is if Diane got mixed up with the drifter named Doug. He resided in Morgan Hill, which was in the mountainous area. Diane talked about going to the mountains, and she had an interest in him. I'm not saying he killed her, but he may have given her a ride or influenced her into entering the world of illegal activity, such as drugs or prostitution. Diane's family believes she would not go this many years without contacting them, so I believe it is possible she may have gotten mixed up in the world of illegal activity.

Love Never Quits

Diane's case may be getting old, but it was one I have hope for. Sure, there is always the possibility she met up with the wrong people. Being only 13 years-old, how could she support herself? If she left by herself, where did she stay every night? How did she get food or necessities? It is likely she could have fallen into the dark world of prostitution or drugs to survive. Maybe she hitch hiked a ride with a dangerous person. (I wonder if any other Unidentified Persons Data Base, such as Doenetworkorg or NamUS has been looked at for matches with Diane?) The fact is, there is no evidence pointing to foul play as of now. I think Diane Dye could still be in the area, or at least still in California. It's very possible she is alive, and living life. We are creatures of routine, maybe she feels nervous about reaching out to her family. I saw my older brother the other day whom I had not seen for decades, and I was so nervous. I honestly felt it would be easier to just not see him, but I am so glad I did. 
Diane's mother, Patricia Dawes of Eugene, Oregon  has passed away without knowing what happened her daughter, but she still has many family and friends who have dedicated their lives to finding her. If you have any information about the vanishing of Diane Dye, please see the information below to report any tips, no matter how big or small. And Diane, if you are still out there, please know you have many people who love you, and want to know you are okay. Just a simple phone call to them to say, "Hey, I'm okay," would mean so much to them. I'm sure there would be nothing but love on the other end of the phone. 
 Investigators are trying to locate a girl named Lisa who was friends with Diane at the time of her disappearance to see if she has information about where Diane was heading to that day. She may have been part of Santa Theresa High School, class of 1984. 
 

 "I have never given up hope."- Patricia Dawes, Mother of Diane Dye.

Age progressed photo of what Diane Dye would look like at 46 years old.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Diane Genice Dye, please contact:

San Jose Police Department

408-277-4141

or

1-800-THELOST

If you have any information about the disappearance of Lisa Marie Sexton, please contact 

Age progression of what Lisa Sexton may look like now. Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org

 Elyria Police Department
216-322-3465
or
1-800-THELOST 

If you have any information about the identity or murder of Princess Doe found in Blairstown, New Jersey, please contact:

 Facial reconstructions of Princess Doe. (DoeNetwork.org)
Warren County Prosecutor's Office
Sgt. Steve Speirs Jr.
908-475-6275
OR
New Jersey State Police
800-709-7090

 The outfit and necklace Princess Doe was found in. (DoeNetwork.org)


For more information about Princess Doe, please see her Doe Network File.

If you have any information about the identity or murder of Lake Pontchartrain Jane Doe found in Slidell, Louisiana, please contact:

 Lake Pontchartrain Jane Doe's facial reconstruction. (DoeNetwork.org)
 St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office
Detective Marco Demma
985-645-2467
  --
Mary Manhein
225-578-6084
For more information about Lake Pontchartrain Jane Doe, please see her Doe Network File.  

Sources: 
Lisa Marie Sexton
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/sexton_lisa.html
Princess Doe
 www.princessdoe.org
Charley Project
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/dye_diane.html
Boca Raton News Archive
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1291&dat=19850201&id=kzpUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fo0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4200,40675
AP News Archive
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1986/Dental-Experts-Say-No-Link-Between-Princess-Doe-And-Runaway/id-ec0e1b9a2014e4981dd6877c8d9d98b8
The Morning Call
http://articles.mcall.com/1999-09-23/news/3258648_1_dna-evidence-dna-profile-heater
Websleuths
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26957
Whereabouts Still Unknown:
http://whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/diane-dye/
NAMUS
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4020
Lake Pontchartrain Jane Doe
http://www.missinginamerica.us/apps/blog/show/21424792-unidentified-female-discovered-in-lake-pontchartrain-in-slidell-saint-tammany-parish-louisiana-on-june-19-1986-