In Darke County, detectives have been working to solve a double homicide from nearly 30 years ago.
The deaths of Kimberly Stephan and Dennis Young are Greenville’s only unsolved murders. Now, almost three decades after someone killed them, investigators are taking a new look at the unsolved crime.
Kimberly Stephan was Tony Dunevant’s sister and considered his best friend.
Dennis Young, Jr., said he and his dad were the jokesters.
Dennis and Kimberly started dating in the fall of 1996. Dennis was a widower, and Kimberly had filed for divorce from her fourth husband.
Dunevant said, “She was happy as she could ever be.” Denny’s son said, “He truly seemed to be happy.”ry Here
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Less than six months later, the couple was dead. In February 1997. Kimberly’s sons found her and Dennis shot and Dennis stabbed.
“They tried to cut his head off. So, it was really personal,” Denny, Jr. said.
Dunevant said, “She was gone, and we couldn’t bring her back.”
For decades, News Center 7 followed the investigation. But the family told News Center 7’s Gabrielle Enright, they still have no answers.
“We had a lot of promises that never seemed to come true,” Dunevant said.
Days after the murders, police named Bob Stephan a suspect. He was Kimberly’s estranged husband.
“I, 100%, believe it’s her ex-husband,” Dunevant said. Prosecutors never charged him.
The murders got national attention on the show “To Catch A Killer.” But the show stirred up rumors and a rift between the victims’ families.
It was mentioned that the rumor around town that Kimberly’s sons were the killers is outrageous and unfounded.
“For them to be blamed, it just ripped my heart out. I knew them, boys. They loved their mom,” Dunevant said.
For decades, investigators chased all sorts of leads but never arrested anyone.
“There’s got to be an end,” Dunevant said.
None of the case’s original investigators still works for Greenville Police. So almost three decades later, two new detectives are taking a new look at the case.
“This is the only unsolved homicide that we have, and it’s a double homicide,” Detective Jackie Hawes said.
Hawes is from Greenville. “I grew up not too terribly far from where those murders occurred, so it was a very eerie feeling in the community.
Det. Mike Dickmann has been with the Greenville Police Department for almost 20 years
“I think there’s a potential for one piece of evidence to blow it wide open,” he said.
The detectives are reviewing every piece of old evidence and gathering new information.
“I’m just trying to start at ground zero and treat it as it’s a new case,” Hawes said.
“They came in the front door, they were confronted, and they were found here,” Det. Dickmann said.
Kimberly’s young boys discovered their bodies hours after 1:30 a.m., when they could not reach their mother by phone.
“I sent those boys over there, and I felt so bad,” Dunevant said.
Dennis, Jr., said, “Whoever did this knew dad’s routine.”
Police believe the killer cut Dennis Young’s phone lines, then turned the thermostat to 90 degrees to make it more difficult to determine the time of death.
Investigators also believe the killer took the murder weapon, which is a 22, from Dennis’ gun cabinet.
“We have not located that gun,” Dickmann said. But investigators did find the knife. “It was in the sink,” Dickmann said. He continued by saying, “There was some blood on it that did come back to Denny, but other than that, we have not gotten anything off that yet.”
Dickmann said he thinks they will because detectives are retesting all the old evidence for DNA, and they’re adding items no one ever tested.
“It was very important to me, whenever we started investigating this, that it was investigated with fresh eyes with no preconceived notions,” Hawes said.
Detectives are following up on an old statement and a new tip, which could lead them to the murder weapon.
“We have a couple of places that we want to look for that missing weapon, some water, pongs, areas,” Dickmann said.
Terry Dunevant is Tony’s wife and Kimberly’s sister-in-law. She never met Kimberly, but keeps pushing the police.
Her husband, Tony, wants answers.
“I needed to have proof, and that’s what I’ve always fought for,” Tony Dunevant said. And, so does Denny’s son. “We don’t have no closure. We talk, and we have fun, we laugh, but in our dark nights we cry,” he said.
“I would say that we have multiple persons of interest,” Hawes said. “We have to be able to eliminate everybody so as not to consider them persons of interest.”
“I want whoever did it punished,” Tony Dunevant said.
The family has a message for the killer. “We’re coming for you. It won’t be long,” Terry Dunevant said.
Right now, there is a $42,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the case. If you have any information that could help solve this cold case, contact Greenville Police.
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