Danna Lori Dever (August 26, 1961 - c. June 16, 1996) was a woman who initially disappeared on June 14, 1996 and discovered a month later. Due to an inaccurate postmortem interval estimation, Danna remained unidentified for nearly eleven years.
Case[]
Dever is believed to have been killed by her long-term boyfriend to prevent her from testifying in court about his abuse. Her badly decomposed body was discovered a month later. A thumb print was recovered from the body and was later matched to her when the then-unidentified victim's case was reopened.
Her boyfriend, Lonnie, who had eventually married another woman, was convicted solely on circumstantial evidence in 2011. He had claimed she left home on her own accord with a “drug dealer,” which her family and authorities did not believe.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Dever's case appeared on the episode “The Doe in the Desert” during the second season of Who Killed Jane Doe? in 2018.
- The series Exhumed: Killer Revealed covered the case on the ninth episode of its first season, titled “Bones of Truth” in 2021.
Sources[]
- Danna Dever at Find a Grave
- SF Gate
- Who Killed Jane Doe?
- The Vacaville Reporter
Notes[]
- ↑ Some sources state Dever’s age was 35 at the time of death.