HURON, Ohio — Amanda Dean’s family is pleading for answers.
“I know, I just know, she would not leave, she would not,” said Shannon Dean, Amanda’s sister.
The then-36-year-old was last heard from July 11, 2017 in a text with her sister. Her family said she was involved in an abusive relationship. She was living with her boyfriend at the time. Her sister said the last text was about a plan to leave.
“We were going to remove her from that home, from that cabin,” explained her sister.
After they didn’t hear from Dean again, the family became concerned and filed a missing person’s report. But it was canceled a day later, her family said, because of what the Huron County Sheriff’ told Amanda’s mother, Caroline Tokar.
“Sherriff Corbin told us she was in a safe house, and as a mother, I lived on that,” Tokar said.
But then just weeks ago, Tokar couldn’t take the not knowing anymore, and set a letter to Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin demanding answers.
“He was telling people and the media that she’s safe up to two and a half weeks ago. So I send a demand letter. And the demand letter said you have seven days to give proof to our family, Amanda’s family, that she’s safe, alive, and OK, or if you can’t prove this within seven business days, then I would like to open the investigation,” Tokar said.
News 5 went to the Huron County Sheriff’s Office to speak with Corbin. We were told he was in a meeting and couldn’t speak with us. The Huron County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release last month confirming they have reopened the investigation into the whereabouts of Amanda Dean.
It also said they have requested the help of BCI. The family has sought the help of Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults, the organization co-founded by Gina DeJesus.
“Our organization will supply resources to the family as much as we need to do to bridge that gap between law enforcement, the family and the investigation. This is a one-of-a-kind organization in the country,” said John Majoy, President of the Board of Directors, Cleveland Missing.
A lot has changed since Dean disappeared; the mother of four is now a grandmother of two. What hasn’t changed is that her family misses her every day.
“She wasn’t just a mom to me, she was my best friend,” said Joshua Dean, Amanda’s son.
Any information or tips should be directed to BCI 1-855-BCI-OHIO
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
