HURON COUNTY, Ohio — It has been more than five years since Amanda Dean was first reported missing in Huron County.
As her family continues their search for answers in the case, they gathered at noon Friday outside of the Huron County Sheriff’s Office to mark Dean's 42nd birthday.
“Right now while we wait for answers, we have so many by our sides to keep us strong, which we so need," one speaker said at the vigil.
Some in the group were seen holding signs that declared "Amanda matters."
We streamed live video from the vigil, which you can watch in the player below:
“She’s a family person. I just want her home," Dean's mom, Caroline Tokar, said during a family press conference that was held last month. "This is out of character for Amanda. She’s never gone hardly any time without a phone call, without communication of some sort with her family. I love her. Love you, Amanda. I hope you’ll come home soon and meet the new additions to the family.”
Watch a portion of the family's press conference from Jan. 4, 2023:
The case dates back to July 2017 when Dean was first reported missing. During a 2020 interview, Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin told 3News the situation was initially treated as a missing persons investigation, but that changed after he talked to a domestic violence shelter and learned she was living there.
“They explained to me the protocols that they have in place that ‘we don’t normally relay that information, but for the purposes of what you’re doing we’re just going to say that she is fine. She is in a good place. She is OK. She is being cared for.’”
Tokar previously told 3News she doesn’t believe her daughter would go this long without contacting her family – including her children.
“It’s at her discretion whether or not she wants to contact her family,” Sheriff Corbin said in our 2020 interview.
Anybody with information in the case is asked to call the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 1-555-BCI-OHIO. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads investigators to Dean’s whereabouts.
Tipsters can remain anonymous.