Dean Dawson Missing Person Case

Dec 31, 2009

Apr 12, 2024

Dean

Dawson

70

40

74 inches

170 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the spring of 1996, a sense of unease settled over the small town of Sterling, New York, with the disappearance of 40-year-old Dean E. Dawson. On the evening of April 25th, Dawson was staying the night at a friend's residence on State Route 38. He was last seen at approximately 11:30 p.m. The following morning, his friend awoke to find that Dawson was gone. Although the bed appeared to have been slept in, Dean had vanished, leaving all of his personal belongings behind. At the time he went missing, Dawson was navigating a difficult period in his life, living a semi-transient lifestyle without a permanent home or a vehicle. He had separated from his wife and two children about a year prior and was known to take on odd jobs in the Martville area. The hours and days immediately following his disappearance yielded few clues. There was an unconfirmed sighting of a man believed to be Dawson on the morning of April 26th at 7:30 a.m. on the Nichols Road Bridge in nearby Martville. Another possible, yet unverified, sighting placed him on a bridge in Oswego, a town about twenty miles from where he was last seen. Authorities have considered that Dawson, who was trying to overcome a drinking problem, might have left his friend's house in search of alcohol. Despite his transient lifestyle, he was known for maintaining close contact with his family, who reported him missing on May 3, 1996, after he failed to get in touch. He was known to walk long distances, sometimes traveling as far as Fulton or Oswego on foot. Decades have passed since Dean Dawson was last seen, and his case remains an open and active investigation with the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office. Investigators believe it is likely that Dawson is deceased, though it remains unclear if foul play was a factor in his disappearance. There were no indications that he was suicidal at the time he went missing. The Sheriff's Office has made renewed calls for information from the public, urging anyone with knowledge of Dawson's daily habits, employment, or social circles to come forward, emphasizing that even the smallest detail could be significant. For the family and community left behind, the absence of answers has created a long-lasting wound, and the search for what happened to Dean Dawson continues.

Apr 25, 1996

Sterling

New York

Cayuga County

13156

No

8040

Cayuga County Sheriff's Office

Auburn

New York

Cayuga County

13021

Cayuga County Public Safety Building, New York

3152531222

County

Law Enforcement

1996-2718

Cayuga County Sheriff's Office

8023

Brown

Blue

Blue

09/17/2026