25 years unsolved: The murder of Quiana Dees

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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.

25 years unsolved

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

Every first Saturday in May since Quiana’s murder, her mother Penny Dees, her family, and community members march through Asbury Park to honor her life and raise awareness about victims lost to street violence in Monmouth County.

Quiana Dees Stop the Violence March in Asbury Park NJ (Unheard Voices Magazine)

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 in solving her daughter’s murder.

Justice for Quiana Dees march

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 searchers found Quiana’s body. There, marchers lead into another prayer.

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

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 that it is never too late to come forward if they have any information.

Quiana Dees murder investigation

The 12-year-old 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

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.