Losing something like a phone, friend or even a loved one can make anyone’s heart drop to the floor. Even though death and accidents occur, certain cases prove that accidents do not always happen.
This case involves 9-year-old Dorian Thomas who went missing on Oct. 26. 1998, over 24 years ago. Born May 6, 1989, in Amarillo, last seen airing up his aqua blue bike tires, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, and riding his bike through his neighborhood on W. Amarillo Blvd where he lived down the street from. Since then, Thomas and his bike remain missing. Family members first believed that Dorian traveled to Dallas, TX with a family friend. His family reported him missing the next day, due to the outdated belief about waiting 24 hours before filing a missing person report.
“It is a very sad case that will most likely turn cold,” Officer Janson said.
Note a possibility of domestic violence, as a 911 call was made from the Thomas house earlier in the year. Officers claimed Thomas was a victim of assault. Investigators still do not know the reason behind his disappearance.
“We had tips, family,” Detective Harlem said. “We canvassed the area. They did searches on horseback, dog searches, and ATV searches. We checked everywhere he was known to frequent.”
Thomas found Gloria Ann Covington’s body in 1997, near Hilltop park behind the YMCA building. This case also has ties to Linda Gayle Jackson’s murder, where someone reported witnessing the homicide of Covington and assault by the suspect. Both women were last seen getting into a light-colored pickup truck before their death.
Thomas’ case could relate to an assault case in which one of Covington and Jackson’s friends were beaten up by an unidentified Caucasian male in September 1998. She later told the police that the assailant had red hair pulled back in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a mustache. The victim did manage to get help from Thomas’ mother at their residence. At home, Thomas witnessed the interaction and reported seeing the suspect when he went to the house and threatened Thomas’ mother. The victim believed that the individual might have been involved in Thomas’ case. The same witness in Jackson’s murder says she thinks the same killer who murdered Jackson also abducted Thomas.
However, authorities have not figured out if Thomas’ disappearance ties back to the other unsolved cases. Many theories circle around the city, but many people think Thomas may still live but many think that he is dead; some even think there is a possibility of Thomas staying with family members far away. Throughout those years, anytime authorities drain a lake or do a search in a lake, many people always assume that any remains found belong to Thomas.
