Unsolved Ohio: Columbus woman missing for nearly seven years

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A direct message that said "You can unlock the door, I'm close" is the last known communication from a woman who disappeared while walking to a friend's Columbus home nearly seven years ago.

LeShay Dungey was 19 years old when she vanished on Jan. 24, 2018. At the time, LeShay had recently graduated from the South-Western City School District and was working at a hotel in Dublin. 

At a 2019 news conference, Jason Brammer, a Columbus police detective, described her as a "free spirit" who moved around between family members' homes frequently. Before LeShay vanished, she was living with her aunt, according to her father Duane Dungey. 

“She was laid back, to herself,” Dungey said. “Right after she graduated, she wanted to get a job and be independent and show me her independence.”

On the Wednesday she vanished, LeShay spent the day looking for a new job in Columbus. She also had plans to meet a friend, so she took the No. 22 COTA bus that evening heading toward their home on the 1900 block of Summit Street, according to Brammer. 

LeShay did not have a data plan on her cellphone and had to use WiFi to communicate with others, mostly through Facebook Messenger. At 8:19 p.m., she messaged her friend through the app, giving them an update on where she was on the bus route. At 8:25 p.m., she sent another message that said “You can unlock the door, I’m close.” Brammer said he assumed she was still on or close to the bus when she sent the message since she was using WiFi. 

After 20 minutes passed, LeShay’s friend messaged her asking where she was. She never answered.

A 2018 Columbus police report listed a 30-year-old man as living at the address LeShay was walking to but does not specify if this was the friend she was meeting, and does not list the individual as a suspect.

The police report states Leshay's aunt reported her missing to the Dublin Police Department that January. Dublin police claimed they then forwarded that information to the Columbus Division of Police, but Columbus police said they did not receive it and the case was not brought to their attention until LeShay's aunt called them in June.

Dungey said he realized LeShay was missing when he began moving out of the apartment they previously shared and was trying to get in contact with his daughter so she could pack her belongings. He began calling family members, who all told him they had not seen her recently. This was in early spring of 2018, according to the Columbus police report. 

“Initially, I went bonkers and I was driving the streets, running out of gas like three to four tanks of gas a night,” Dungey said. “Everybody started to look like her. I was walking up to strangers.”

Dungey described himself as a protective father, who previously tracked his daughter’s phone, but had stopped and was trying to give her space at the time of her disappearance. 

“When I finally let up, this is what happens – dad’s nightmare,” he said at the 2019 news conference.

Dungey said LeShay was very into social media, and had numerous online friends, some of which lived out of the country. He believes this may be connected to her disappearance. 

“I really think something sinister has happened,” Dungey said.

LeShay's stepmother, Mia Johnson, said at the 2019 news conference that she believes LeShay was abducted. Johnson said LeShay was "fearless" and likely would not have known if she was in danger.

Brammer echoed that sentiment, stating LeShay was “open to anybody” and could have possibly been “lured into a situation she was not prepared for." Police said in 2019 that they conducted DNA testing and digital forensics, which did not amount to anything useful.

LeShay has not opened any messages on her Facebook account since she vanished, nor has she had any credit activity, according to Dungey. Columbus police told NBC4 they do not have any updates on the case to share at this time.

“I pray to God that my daughter is still alive,” Dungey said. “I don't have closure.”

At the time of her disappearance, LeShay was 5 feet 9, 129 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. As of Thursday, she would be 26 years old. 

Columbus police ask anyone with information on the disappearance of LeShay Dungey to contact them at 614-645-4545 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at 614-461-8477.

If you’re a family member of an individual with an unsolved missing persons or homicide case in Ohio, reach out to aboldizar@wcmh.com.