Dean E. Dawson was 40 when he disappeared from Sterling, New York, on April 25, 1996. He was last seen at a friend’s house on Route 10 at about 11:30 p.m. that night; the friend discovered the next morning that Dawson was gone, had not apparently slept in the bed, and all of his belongings remained at the house.

Dawson had been struggling with alcoholism and was living a semi‑transient lifestyle after separating from his wife and two children about a year earlier. Investigators say he may have left the house to look for alcohol. There were a couple of unconfirmed sightings reported the next day — one at the Nichols Road Bridge near Martville and another on a bridge in Oswego — but no confirmed trace of him has ever been found.

Authorities consider him likely deceased, though whether foul play was involved remains unclear. Anyone who knew Dean, saw him around April 25–26, 1996, or has information about his whereabouts is asked to come forward.