MO MO - Brenda Johnson Dunham, 26, Thomasville, 10 May 1985

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Cops search old well for clues in 1985 cold case
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Linda Greer, Staff Writer



On May 9, 1985, Brenda Louise Johnson Dunham, a 26-year-old rural Thomasville wife and mother of an infant and toddler left her job at the now defunct International Shoe Factory in West Plains and was never seen again.

The patrol's online "active missing adults" list states Dunham was listed missing from Alton on May 10, 1985. The site does not include a photo of Dunham.

I can't find anything else about her.
 
She is in Charley Project now.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/dunham_brenda.html

dunham_brenda.jpg
 
Brenda Louise Dunham
show_image.php

Link to her missing poster http://www.oregoncountysheriff.org/page.php?id=11 and http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/mpphotos/A1001001A12B09A94156H620061.pdf

Missing Brenda Louise Dunham FB page with pics https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brenda-Dunham-Missing-since-1985-from-Alton-MO/188687571232386

Topix discussion, including comments from her sister http://www.topix.com/forum/city/alton-mo/TEIDNQDG6SMG5C8PI/p2

Due to above Topix discussion Cops search old well for clues in 1985 cold case http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1814102.html

On May 9, 1985, Brenda Louise Johnson Dunham, a 26-year-old rural Thomasville wife and mother of an infant and toddler left her job at the now defunct International Shoe Factory in West Plains and was never seen again.

At Dunham's family's request, on Jan. 21, 2012 a team of cold-case experts and local law enforcement authorities searched an old cistern on an Oregon County farm for clues about Dunham's disappearance almost 27 years ago.

"There were rumors for years about that well, but there was only one way to find out for sure, and that was to dig it out," Oregon County Sheriff George Underwood said Feb. 6.

Underwood, who is originally from the area, but working at a Florida penitentiary when Dunham disappeared in 1985, said he had little knowledge of the case until recently when Dunham's family contacted him.

Dunham's family members asked the property owners if the well, which had been filled in with soil and debris many years earlier, could be uncovered. The property owners agreed, Underwood said.

Joe Marcello of Cabool and his cadaver dog, Missouri State Highway Patrol forensics expert Darren Jones and Oregon County sheriff's deputies searched the site, recovering a few items that are being studied.

A home on the farm burned many years earlier, and the well was filled with junk, including a lawnmower frame, household garbage and a bone that turned out to be from an animal.

Clothing found in the well was sent to the patrol's crime lab for DNA testing.

After the search, the hole was refilled with soil, Underwood said.

"There were a couple of things, but we're not sure yet if it will lead to anything," Underwood said.

No suspects were charged in conjunction with Dunham's disappearance, which drew little media attention. If Dunham died or was killed, her body has not been found.

The patrol's online "active missing adults" list states Dunham was listed missing from Alton on May 10, 1985. The site does not include a photo of Dunham.

Dunham's younger sister, Debi Redricks of Owasso, Okla., spoke with authorities and television reporters at the dig site, saying her family "needs closure" regarding Brenda's disappearance.

According to one report, Redricks said it was rumored that the cistern was filled with gravel a few weeks after Dunham disappeared.

Redricks, who was given up for adoption at birth, never met Dunham and was found by an investigator six months after Dunham's disappearance. Redrick's and Dunham's birth mother hired the investigator to find Redricks, hoping Dunham was with her, according to posts made by Redrick on an online forum.

"I have mixed emotions about digging this back up," Redricks posted. "I truly want to know what happened to my sister and give her a respectful burial."

Redricks said she has mixed emotions, however, because she does not want to hurt Brenda's son and daughter, who are now adults.

Results of the DNA tests from the clothing taken from the well are not yet available, Underwood said.
 
short blog from Brenda's sister (recommending to read)

The Woman Behind QD’s — Part 1: Adoption

I still remember the very first time they put my baby in my arms. I was so overwhelmed with love. I actually had a moment that I thought….did my birth mother hold me like this? I wonder if she ever thinks of me. It was very surreal.

Then a few years later, I received a call from a private investigator. He confirmed who I was then told me he was calling on behalf of my birth mother. My sister had disappeared and they thought maybe she was with me….WHAT? WHAT SISTER???



The Woman Behind QD’s — Part 2: Bittersweet Reunion

Most adopted people that meet their birth parent for the first time just have to deal with the anxiousness of the meeting but that wasn’t all there was for me. My sister was missing. There was a part of me that was angry that I may never get to meet her. And the unbelievable part to all of this was, she was living in Alton, Missouri at the time she disappeared. That was only a little further drive than West Plains. How could we have been so close to each other and yet so far away?

It hurts that I will never know this wonderful woman that I’ve heard so much about. So many people loved her and are graciously sharing their memories of her with me. I’m very grateful for that. The community has not forgotten her and even though they didn’t know me until recently they have accepted me into their world and I feel that love that Brenda must have felt.

The search for Brenda continues and I will not give up my part in it until we find her. She deserves that. All missing persons deserve that…never to be forgotten….never to stop looking for answers.
 
Episode will air August 14th.

"Oregon County cold case to be featured on TNT's Cold Justice"

http://www.areawidenews.com/story/2221503.html

Sheriff George Underwood reached out to Cold Justice because this missing person case did not sit well with him and in hopes they would be able to help. "We were watching the show on TV one night and it said they were looking for cases, so I submitted the case," said Underwood. He explained the reason he did it is because there are cold cases in Oregon County and the money isn't and probably won't be there to solve the cases like Dunham's. "Cold Justice footed the bill for an investigation. They took care of everything. The prosecuting attorney [Jennifer Hyde-Crask] has the case now and she will tell us if she is going to pursue anything," said Underwood.
 
http://www.nwahomepage.com/news/sis...oman-missing-since-1985#.VdNd_ZZs2FI.facebook

"(KOLR) For three decades, there have been a lot of questions about what happened to a mother of two children from rural Oregon County, Missouri. When she went missing, it shook up people for miles around.

"On a Saturday, everybody would come to town. Everybody knew everybody," says Frances Hollis, Alton, Mo. resident.

"Its a peaceful quiet little town. I love it here, it's home to me," says Bonnie Rankin.

In a small southern Missouri town, there's a three decade-old mystery still looming.

"I think they will eventually find her or find what happened," says Hollis.

Brenda Dunham, a mother of two young children, disappeared on May 10,1985. She vanished from rural Oregon County."
 
Interesting that there's no information about how she got to work, the car she drove, the clothing she was wearing, etc. One would assume if she was married, her husband would have been able to give this information to LE.

It just seems like there should be more details about her before her disappearance.

From the link above:

Oregon County cold case to be featured on TNT's Cold Justice

...many of Brenda's coworkers and friends described how Brenda always had bruises on her or even would show up at work with a chunk of hair pulled out of her head.

:mad:
 
Was anyone able to watch the Cold Justice episode about Brenda's case?

Here's a clip from the episode where they're talking to the ex-girlfriend of Brenda's husband. There's some evidence from the past of this ex girlfriend stating that she thought Brenda's husband, Jeff had killed her.


Video link is from the FB page for Brenda Johnson Dunham.
 
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  • brenda_louise_dunham_1.jpg
  • brenda_louise_dunham_2.jpg
  • brenda_louise_dunham_3.jpg
  • brenda_louise_dunham_4.jpg
Dunham, circa 1985
  • Missing Since 05/10/1985
  • Missing From Alton, Missouri
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 02/13/1959 (64)
  • Age 26 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'8, 120 pounds
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Dunham's maiden name is Johnson. She has a mole on her head and a skin discoloration on her abdomen.

Details of Disappearance​

Dunham was last seen in Alton, Missouri on May 10, 1985. She didn't show up at her shoe factory job in West Plains, Missouri that day and has never been heard from again.

Dunham's family believes she met with foul play, as they don't think she would have abandoned her two young children. She lived in Thomasville, Missouri at the time of her disappearance.

Dunham's husband was reportedly physically abusive towards her, and her sister believes her husband was involved in her disappearance. Dunham's husband has never faced charges in her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

  • Oregon County Sheriff's Department 417-778-6611

Source Information​

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 21, 2016; picture added, distinguishing characteristics updated.
 

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