Where is Amanda Dean?

NORWALK — A day after Amanda Dean was reported missing exactly six years ago, the case was solved. Dean, a woman who had been a frequent victim of domestic violence, according to family members and sheriff's reports, was "found," alive. She wanted to be estranged from her family, according to Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin. Amanda Dean Provided A sheriff's deputy wrote in a supplemental report closing down the search that Corbin talked with someone at a domestic violence shelter who allegedly told him Dean was safe. Nothing about the conversation, other than that, was documented, or at least if it was documented, the records, redacted or otherwise, were never provided by the sheriff in response to public records requests. The mother of three sons and sibling to two sisters and a brother has never been seen by any of them since. Her mother also never saw her again. When family members asked Corbin to reopen the short-circuited missing person investigation, he refused, telling them repeatedly that he had no right to search for a person who did not want to be found. "On July 12, 2017, I was advised by Sheriff Todd Corbin Amanda had been located, and she was in a safe place," a deputy wrote in a supplemental report. Corbin, when asked in January, said he never talked with Dean or confirmed she was safe. Re-do again The search for her was never re-started until late December, when family members approached Corbin again. Initially, they got some heated pushback from Corbin. "I am sure she is safe and alive," Corbin told the Register in late December, providing no other information for why he believed that. After the Register reported about the sheriff's refusal to help the family, the Cleveland Center for Missing Children and Adults agreed to help the family, which led to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation agreeing to help. The sheriff agreed to reopen the investigation. But there's been almost no comment from anyone since then, except for some individuals who contacted a state hotline where tips and other information are received. Some of the callers to that line complained they left numerous messages without getting any callback. One source told the Register that state agents asked Huron County prosecutor James Sitterly to file search warrants for properties, including Dean's last known address. But Sitterly refused, according to the source, and he's refused comment about why he won't ask for search warrants. Mum's the word Corbin and Chief Deputy David Ditz also will not comment. It's not clear that anything is being done by any agency to locate Amanda Dean, nor is it clear why six years have passed with no further law enforcement action. It's not clear if anyone is actually searching for Amanda Dean, who would be 42 if she is alive, and it's a mystery why that is. Sitterly and Corbin have refused to respond to all inquiries for most of the year after issues about whether the sheriff's office was properly managing public records or if it is unlawfully discarding public records arose. Numerous disciplinary records appear to be missing, although the sheriff's office contends those records have been "purged" but not discarded. One deputy who investigated a prior domestic violence complaint in which Dean was the victim has a history of being arrested in a domestic violence dispute, according to records from other law enforcement agencies. There's no background check in that deputy's employment file or other file maintained by the sheriff's office and no explanation for why that is has been forthcoming from Corbin. Although the sheriff contends all records have been released, the prosecutor's office has acknowledged that, if some records are missing, they were disposed of prior to 2017 under the prior sheriff. It's unknown how they reached that conclusion. The Register has made a public records request for the records that would show how that was determined.