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Dana Jane Bruce

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Disappearance (Desaparición)

Circumstances (Circunstancias)

Dana Bruce was a single mother who adored her two young kids (ages 2 and 5) and was working hard to give them a good life in midwestern Sedalia, Missouri. Their lives changed irrevocably when Dana tragically disappeared in 2008, a suspected victim of foul play.

Dana was having a fun night on the town with a male friend after hiring a babysitter to care of her kids on October 4, 2008. She hung out for a while at the downtown bar “Malone’s on Main“, as witnessed by the bar owner and staff. She then left at approximately 11:30pm with an unknown man driving a ‘newer’ red Ford F-150.

Around fifteen to thirty minutes later (between 11:45pm – 12:00am), Dana arrived at the babysitter’s home to check on her kids. Dana asked the babysitter if she could just leave the kids there to sleep for the rest of the night and the babysitter agreed. Dana handed over the extra money with the expectation that she’d be back the next day to pick up her kids. It is not clear if the babysitter saw her leaving with the man in the red truck at this point or not.

This was the last time that family or friends saw Dana – she was reported missing on October 5 after she failed to pick up her children and family/friends became concerned. Without a trace, she had vanished overnight, leaving behind her beloved children and all of her belongings. Dana did not have bank cards or a bank account and did not have access to a cell phone or vehicle, all facts pointing to the unlikelihood that Dana left voluntarily given a lack of means. Nor was she, according to family and friends, the kind of person who would just abandon her children.

Secondary sources state that the driver of the red truck was a 34-year-old man working as a welder / pipe-fitter at Pro-Energy in Sedalia, but this information has not been verified by us via police or any available news articles. He was not someone her family or friends was familiar with and it is not clear if Dana knew him before that night.

Regardless, police identified and questioned him alongside dozens of other individuals. According to some articles, he left town around October 14th to head to Georgia after police began speaking with him about the disappearance. He was arrested in Atlanta shortly afterward on charges of drug possession and driving on a suspended license and was questioned further. According to this man, he and Dana split up that same night and she was fine when he left her. Police have not disclosed the man’s name or where he says the two of them parted company. He remains a person of interest but not an official suspect in the case. Very little new information has come forth regarding this case since it happened, with Dana’s trail seemingly going cold almost as soon as the investigation began.

Local citizens conducted their own searches for Dana, including combing close streets, the Pinhook Conservation Area, and nearby wooded places. Sedalia’s surroundings include a substantial area of forested and hilly territory that make searches more difficult.

Someone that frequently appeared in discussions of the case was N. W. D., a man that many claim was Dana’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her two children. Police arrested N. multiple times for charges related to theft/robbery and financial crimes according to Missouri CaseNet, including an incident in 2009 where he was accused of robbing a woman at knifepoint. They also charged him in November 2008 with possession of marijuana. Although he has a criminal background, police have not made public any information that would suggest he was involved in Dana’s disappearance.

On December 10, 2012, the local news reported that an unidentified woman had gone to police claiming to have information about the disappearance. Unfortunately, the incident does not seem to have brought forth any new answers as nothing more has been revealed about her disclosure.

Description (Descripción)

*Charley’s Project puts her at 98lbs (Link). The Missouri State Highway Patrol says she was 135lbs (Link). NamUS just offers a range between 100lbs – 135lbs (Link).

*Una fuente dice que pesaba 44,4 kg. La policía dice que pesaba 61,2 kg. NamUS pone su peso en un rango entre 45,3 kg y 61,2 kg.

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Distinguishing Marks or Factors (Características Distintivas)

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Medical Concerns (Preocupaciones Médicas)

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Suspect (Sospechoso)

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Clothing (Ropa)

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Vehicle (Vehículo)

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If You or Anyone You Know Has Information About The Disappearances, Please Contact:

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Resources

• Dana’s Myspace Account: dana_jane22 (Link)
• “Dana Jane Bruce”, Charley’s Project, Link
• Dana Jane Bruce Tribute Page, Facebook, Link
• Facts Uncovered (2018) ‘Dana Bruce Unsolved Missing Person Sedalia Missouri”, March 9, Link.
• Town Hall Online (2021) ‘Help Us Look’, Link
• WebSleuths (2008), “MO – Dana Bruce, 23, Sedalia, 4 Oct 2008”, 16 October. Link
• KSIS (2012) “Sedalia Police Crime Reports and MSHP Accident Reports: Afternoon of December 10, 2012”, Dec. 10. Link
• MyDeathSpace (2008) “Dana Bruce – 5 Oct 2008”, Oct. 24. Link
• Schleicher, L. (2021) “Local cold cases deserve our attention”, Sedalia Democrat, April 24, Link.
• Martinez-Keel, N. (2018) “Search for Dana Bruce reaches 10 years”, Sedalia Democrat, October 5, Link.
• Sedalia Democrat (2016) “Still searching for Dana Bruce eight years later”, October 14, Link.
• Central Missouri Sleuth (2013) “Missing Local: Dana Bruce 10/4/2008”, August 31, Link
• Hogan, C. (2008) “Sedalia police search for missing woman”, KRCG, October 16, Link.
• Doe Network (n/a) “4026DFMO – Dana Jane Bruce”, Link.
• Missing Persons of America, “Dana Bruce: Missing from Missouri since 2008”, Link.
• Columbia Daily Tribune (2009) “Volunteers search for missing Sedalia mom”, January 10, Link.
• Baird, K. (October 2009) “One Year After Sedalia Woman Disappears Family And Friends Gather To Remember Dana Bruce:”, Link.
• National Missing Persons Directory “Dana Jane Bruce Missing Person News and Details”, Link.
• SYNOVA’S TRUE CRIME STORIES (2018) “Missouri’s Missing – Dana Bruce”, December 20, Link.

Podcasts:

• Missing In Missouri (Link) – Season 1
• Missing in Sedalia: Dana Bruce (Link) – Episode

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