In the fall of 2015, Deanne Marie Hastings, a 35-year-old mother of three, was embarking on a new chapter in her life in Spokane, Washington. She had recently enrolled in beauty school and was engaged to be married. On the evening of November 3, 2015, after her first day of classes, she left her home to run an errand at a grocery store, leaving a note for her fiancé. She never returned. A few days later, her car was discovered in a downtown Spokane parking lot, not far from a music venue.
Inside the vehicle were her purse and cell phone, items a person would not typically leave behind.
The days following Deanne's disappearance were filled with confusion and growing concern. Her last known confirmed activity was a purchase made at a trading company store on the afternoon of November 4th, where surveillance footage captured her inside. Witnesses who interacted with her around this time reported that she seemed disoriented and claimed to have been drugged and kidnapped. Police and paramedics were called to the scene but ultimately let her go. Soon after, her credit cards began to be used at various locations in and around Spokane. This led investigators to a man named Randy Riley, who was arrested for possession of stolen property and identity theft. Riley claimed he had met Deanne, stating she was intoxicated, and that they had spent some time together before he left her on a roadside. He said he later found her coat and wallet and proceeded to use her cards. After serving a short jail sentence, he was released and has not been named a suspect in her disappearance.
As years have passed without any sign of Deanne, her case has grown cold, leaving her family with a painful lack of closure. The Spokane Police Department has continued to investigate, and the case has been reviewed by organizations like the Cold Case Foundation in hopes of uncovering new leads. Despite the passage of time, those who knew and loved Deanne continue to hold out hope for answers, periodically organizing searches and public appeals for information. Her family remembers her as a caring individual who was deeply committed to her children. The overview of this case is one of profound mystery, a woman starting a new and hopeful phase of her life who vanished under bizarre and troubling circumstances. The strange events of her last known day, coupled with the dead-end leads, have left a lingering and unanswered question in the Spokane community: what happened to Deanne Hastings?Last Seen: Nov 3, 2015
