Sedalia Police Actively Investigating Bruce Disappearance 14 Year Later

This story has been updated with information from the Sedalia Police Department. 

I saw the post on the Missouri Missing Facebook Page on the 14th anniversary of her disappearance. Sedalia resident Dana Jane Bruce went missing on October 4, 2008. The next day, October 5, 2008, she was reported missing after family and friends became concerned when she never returned to pick up her children. 14 years later, sadly, there isn't much to add to the original report.

She was last seen late on October 4, about 11:45 PM CDT, at her babysitter's home. She had left her children there earlier in the day and had stopped by around midnight to pay the sitter and ask her if she could watch the kids for the rest of the night. This is according to multiple websites devoted to missing person cases including The Charley Project website.

Just prior to stopping at her babysitter's home, she had been seen at Malone's Bar on Main Street with a young man who drove a late model red Ford F150. The Nam Us database entry on her case asserts she left the babysitter's home with the male in the red pickup truck, while other sources writing about the case say it's unclear whether the babysitter saw her with the man in the red truck or not.

According to The Suitcase Detective, police found the man in the red pickup and questioned him along with other individuals who might be able to help them find out what happened to Dana. The Suitcase Detective asserts the man in the red truck left town around October 14, after police started speaking to him about the disappearance.

He was questioned further according to The Suitcase Detective, after being arrested in Atlanta on charges of drug possession and driving on a suspended license. He told police he and Dana split up that same night and she was fine when he left her. Where the trail more or less goes cold.

There's no shortage of websites devoted to unsolved missing person cases summarizing her disappearance. The information has been well shared far and wide. The Missing in Missouri podcast even spent a few months reviewing the case and talking with her family in 2019. Yet 14 years after her disappearance, there isn't really anything new to report.

In an email from the Sedalia Police Department, Townsquare Media Sedalia was told by Detective Travis St. Cyr that:

"The case is still an active investigation and we are continuing to follow up on any leads or tips that come in."

He told the radio station that they have received nearly ten leads in the past year, several of which are being currently investigated.

According to the NamUs database, at the time of her disappearance, Bruce was wearing a black t-shirt with the word "Rebel" on the front with blue jeans. She has hazel eyes and dark brown hair. She is blind in her left eye, had pierced ears at the time of her disappearance, a scar on her right shoulder, and a tattoo of a teddy bear with wings and the word "Dylan" on her left upper arm.

So why tell the story of the disappearance of Dana Jane Bruce again? Especially when most longtime Sedalia residents are probably familiar with the facts. Because maybe someone who reads this knows something and today is in a different place than they were in 2008 and will reach out to law enforcement. Because those who love her deserve answers and closure. Because remembering until there are answers is important too.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Dana Jane Bruce please contact Detective Travis St. Cyr at 660-827-7823 Ext 2112, or by email at tstcyr@sedaliapolice.com