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

[StarryStarryNight]

Hmmm yeah I guess so…I just think a new set of eyes or a larger unit would have (and would still be) very helpful. Someone knows something. People do not vanish into thin air. If the case is that cold, or if they are truly stuck, ask for help. But I guess maybe that’s just my type A personality talking!

I was mostly talking about why the FBI wasn’t in charge at the beginning. Sorry if I misunderstood your post.
I totally agree that letting the FBI now or at any time would have helped.

 

[megs1477]

I was mostly talking about why the FBI wasn’t in charge at the beginning. Sorry if I misunderstood your post.
I totally agree that letting the FBI now or at any time would have helped.

From what I read, Columbia Police are in charge of the investigation, but have worked with Richland Detectives, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI. All of the above were actively working the case as of the 2017 article.

 

[SqrQn29]

I was mostly talking about why the FBI wasn’t in charge at the beginning. Sorry if I misunderstood your post.
I totally agree that letting the FBI now or at any time would have helped.

Ohhhh okay now I gotcha. Yeah that definitely makes sense!

Yeah...I have always wondered why they don't ask them to step in and help them...do they know more then they are releasing?

 

[SqrQn29]

Her mother seemed very involved in her life. Perhaps, overly so at times? Could this have put extra pressure on her? Influenced her decisions to the point she may not have been happy? The way some of the quotes were written, it was almost like they had a negative vibe to them.

Interesting thoughts...it would be nice to know her mental state that night...like was she happy go lucky and carefree at the concert? Was she on edge and maybe seemed nervous? Was there something going on that she didn't tell a lot of people?

 

[SqrQn29]

Tim Hagood was the friend

I was not able to find the name of the informant anywhere.

I did stumble across a local message board from years ago that also mentioned there is a prime suspect, but insufficient evidence.

I wonder if LE has looked back at the group of friends/acquaintances to see if any may have had any subsequent legal trouble. Generally, something as brazen as a planned kidnapping/murder, is not a one-time event.

Hmmm that is a weird thing to ask when there is no evidence...unless maybe they asked everyone that early on.

Right...I think most can agree, especially 31 years later, that this was not random. With no one snitching on another person, it makes you wonder how many are involved.

 

[phcrider]

drug dealer said she was in the trunk of a car in a lake, lake drained, car recovered. The informant named three people who had long been prime suspects. No body had ever been in the trunk

Now this is interesting. So there are or were suspects that I assume were questioned. How likely this drug dealer would name 3 of them. What if more than one person was involved if not initially then later on.

 

[SqrQn29]

Can anyone find (or does anyone remember) major areas under construction shortly after her disappearance?

 

[Aphra]

Can anyone find (or does anyone remember) major areas under construction shortly after her disappearance?

was the Richland County Administrative Bldg on the corner of Hampton and Harden being built then? That's the only possibility I can think of.

 

[SqrQn29]

was the Richland County Administrative Bldg on the corner of Hampton and Harden being built then? That's the only possibility I can think of.

Yes, according to the State article from July 22, 1992: " demolition should take four to six weeks...construction should begin mid-September on the building that will house the new County Council chambers in the basement and a cafeteria on the ground floor."

I am researching old newspaper articles from 1992 and making a list of other construction projects around Columbia at that time as well.

 

[SqrQn29]

I’ve decided to file a FOIA if the cost is something I can handle.

Did you ever file the FOIA?

 

[SqrQn29]

I have researched articles from July through December 1992. Below is a list I have put together of construction sites at those times. All of this information has come from "The State" articles. I only included areas around Columbia. We don't know where she is so this list might not mean much, however, I thought it was worth a shot to see what people think. How many or do any of these sites cross match what sites law enforcement searched at the time?

July 9, 1992- Elementary school on Hardscrabble Rd complete by fall 1993
July 9 1992- Bruno’s Food and Pharmacy on Garner’s Ferry and Atlas February 1993: 4-6 weeks from July 1992 to start construction.
July 9, 1992- New fire station on Old Barnwell Rd at Sausage Lane- construction starts in August 1992 and ends in January 1993 old Pine Grove Softball complex.
July 19, 1992- Columbia Mall area- Two Notch, Decker, and Trenholm
July 22, 1992- Annex building and Old Columbia Hospital- demolition started July 21, 1992
July 22, 1992- construction should start mid-September on building that will house County Council members in the basement and cafeteria on ground floor
July 31, 1992- Parking garage for building on Harden and Hampton finished by April 1993
July 23 1992- North Trenholm Baptist Building completed construction in mid-October
July 23, 1992- Town-N-Tourist and Audtry Weston body found- Reginald Goodwin charged
July 30, 1992- Fire stations in Killian; Bear Creek; and off US 321 Crane Creek Station
September 3, 1992- Lowman Home at White Rock- under construction
September 10, 1992- Lighthouse Marina restaurant under construction- Johnson’s Marina Rd in Chapin
September 24, 1992- Columbia Museum of Art- Gervais, Senate, Pickens, and Bull St
October 8, 1992- Crossroad Commons Plaza starting construction located on Fort Jackson blvd and Devine St
October 15, 1992 article- groundbreaking for shopping center on North Main and Monticello Rd (Winn Dixie)- slated to open May 1993
October 15, 1992- construction began on second phase of Ames Manor apartments off Farrow Rd
October 25, 1992- Columbia Towne Theatre finished- started in 1988- unsure of location
October 29, 1992- House on Byrneswood Rd
November 5, 1992- Trenholm Rd extension- from Decker Blvd to Two Notch Rd at O’Neil Ct- open by December.
November 5, 1992- Sewer line along Hollow Creek done by end of year.
November 12, 1992- Library on North Main St recently finished; construction began mid-February.
November 12, 1992- Also new Main library on Assembly and Hampton St- completed by February 19, 1993.
November 16, 1992- First Baptist Church on Washington and Marion.
November 19, 1992- Town Hall on Maiden Lane- started February 1992 and should be done by January 1993.
December 3, 1992- South Carolin Fire Academy- Northeast Columbia broke ground December 2, 1992
December 23, 1992- BCBS building on 1-20 and Alpine Rd recently started
December 28, 1992- South Carolina National Bank started construction on new headquarters on Assembly St

 

[SqrQn29]

I have researched articles from "The State" newspaper from September 1992-December 1993 to see if there was any mention of specific places LE checked. I couldn't find anything.

I did however find in October 15, 1992 article mention of her attending a class at Midlands Tech the night before the concert. Did she mention plans for the next night? Were there any acquaintances in the class?

 

[bearfossils]

Bumping for Dail. After reading through this entire thread, I lean toward the idea that she either willingly got into a vehicle with someone, be it a person she was familiar with or a stranger who seemed “safe” to her, or was forcibly abducted at some point while attempting to get home.

I don’t think there is an ounce of credible evidence to suggest she was sex trafficked nor is it statistically likely. I also don’t think she left of her own accord; she didn’t even have her purse with her at the time, let alone the means to magically start a new life without anyone knowing. The bouncer at the club doesn’t seem suspect to me, either. Someone like that working at a busy bar in a highly populated area doesn’t have the time or ability to make sure every single patron gets home safely; he probably assumed she’d be fine since she didn’t seem highly intoxicated and declined when he asked if she needed a cab. The serial killer they originally theorized as being possibly involved doesn’t seem like a very likely suspect at this point. Of course it’s always possible he could be responsible, but it seems like he would have confessed — he admitted his other crimes, and usually killers like that only deny crimes when the victim is a child or it’s particularly heinous in a way that, in their minds, makes them “look bad”, if that makes sense. Unless there’s evidence that Dail was a heavy drug user and knew a dealer in the area, I also highly doubt drugs were involved in her presumed murder. Middle class college girls don’t typically stroll down dangerous streets to approach strangers and try to score — especially not a girl as petite as Dail. Speaking from experience alone, girls her age typically get drugs from people in their social circle: boys they know, friends with connections, etc. It’s incredibly unlikely to me that a girl like Dail leaving a club would wander on a whim into a dangerous area and approach someone she didn’t know in order to get drugs.

The most logical conclusion to me is that she was abducted and harmed by a person she came into contact that night while she was attempting to head home. Maybe it was someone she knew, maybe it was a charming stranger; either way, I believe someone got her into a vehicle and did harm to her that night. I think this was a crime of opportunity, and someone took advantage of her vulnerable state. I also think there’s a good chance of this crime being solved. Someone besides the perpetrator knows what happened to Dail. There’s a violent individual out there who has a history of similar crimes, or a person close to her with suspicious behavior that someone has noticed. IMO, it’s just a matter of connecting the dots.