25 years unsolved: The murder of Quiana Dees

Asbury Park, NJ – 25 years have passed since 12-year-old Quiana Dees, was shot in the head and left to die in a vacant lot on Washington Ave on the border of Neptune and Asbury Park, New Jersey.

And 25 years later, Quiana Dees death still remains a mystery.

Every first Saturday in May since Quiana’s murder, her mother Penny Dees, her family, and community members march the Asbury Park streets to remind the community of Quiana’s untimely death and to raise awareness on victims who have been claimed by street violence in Monmouth County.

With her head raised up high, Penny Dees calls this year a victory march as she says “we’re getting closer”.

Penny Dees hopes the 25th year will be the last year of marching to solve her daughter’s murder.

The group gathers at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School for a prayer before embarking on the vigilant march.

The march then stops at the lot where Quiana’s body was found. There,  marchers lead into another prayer.

This year, the march ended at the newly developed Springwood Avenue Park in Asbury Park.

Family and a representative from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office gathered on the steps, resounded the message of hope.

They reminded the community it is never too late to come forward if they have any information.

Quiana Dees had left her home without permission on the night of May 1, 1992, to attend a party on Washington Avenue in Asbury Park. She was found shot several hours later.

Quiana Dees March 2017, (Photo: Keith Covin, Unheard Voices Magazine)

Despite an intensive police investigation and several community outreach efforts, no one with credible information concerning the killer’s identity or a witness to the crime has come forward, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Anyone with information about Quiana Dees death is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7012 or toll free at 800-533-7443.