Summary based on the NamUs case record (CP999657216) and
1 other sourceJanesta Lynn Dildine was a 29-year-old woman last seen on July 23, 2022, in Hannibal, Missouri. Public reporting described her as a Hannibal woman whose disappearance was listed through the Missouri Highway Patrol’s missing persons information with no additional public details about the circumstances of where she was going, who she may have been with, or what may have happened in the hours after she was last seen.
She was born on January 24, 1993, and at the time she disappeared she was described as 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 135 pounds, with identifying tattoos that included the letters “KGS” on the back of her neck and “RIP Dad” on her left leg. The limited public information left those who cared about her with very few answers, only the fact that Janesta had vanished from the Hannibal area and had not been heard from again.
For nearly two years, Janesta’s absence remained an unresolved and painful part of her family’s life. Her obituary later described her as a “social butterfly” who loved people and animals, someone remembered for an outgoing and courageous spirit, resilience, kindness, and a vivid presence in the lives of the people who knew her. Those words give a fuller picture than the missing-person listing could: Janesta was not only a name in a database, but a daughter, sister, aunt, relative, and friend whose disappearance left a deep void. The obituary named surviving family members including her mother Regina Dildine and Kenny Barfield, her brother Preston Dildine and Cierra Chronister, nieces Jaelinn, Paislee, and Bella, nephew Hudson, extended family, and many friends; it also noted that she was preceded in death by her brother Ti’ler W. Dildine, niece Ti’ler Louise Dildine, and father Harold Murphy, Sr.
The case reached its tragic resolution after human remains were discovered south of Hannibal along Highway M in February 2024. Ralls County Sheriff Brad Stinson reported that remains were first found on February 9, 2024, prompting authorities to cordon off a large area and conduct a grid search. During that search, investigators located additional evidence, and more remains were found the following day. The remains were released to Ralls County Coroner Austin Simmons, who arranged for an autopsy. According to the sheriff’s report cited by local news, a medical examiner in Columbia, Missouri, identified the remains as Janesta Lynn Dildine on February 13, 2024.
With that identification, Janesta was located deceased, and the missing persons case is no longer active. Publicly available reporting does not provide an exact date of death, so the exact date remains unknown. After reviewing the evidence and autopsy reports, Sheriff Stinson reported that no foul play was suspected. The information made public has remained relatively sparse: Janesta was last seen in Hannibal on July 23, 2022; she was missing for roughly two years; remains found south of Hannibal on Highway M in February 2024 were later identified as hers; and authorities reported no suspected foul play. In overview, this was the case of Janesta Lynn Dildine, a 29-year-old woman from Hannibal, Missouri, whose disappearance began with few public details, whose family endured a long period of uncertainty, and whose case ended in sorrow when she was found deceased and identified in 2024.Last Seen: Jul 23, 2022
