Audrey Eileen Watson Dill (Courtesy Iowa Department of Public Safety)
Mediapolis in Des Moines CountyAudrey “Eileen” (Watson) Dill, 32, of Mediapolis, Iowa, was reported missing to the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington on Friday, August 18, 1978.
She was last seen at her Mediapolis residence wearing blue jeans and a blouse, and described as a 5-foot-3 white female with brown hair, blue eyes, and weighing 110 pounds.
Officials classified her disappearance as “Involuntary,” which describes a person of any age who is missing under circumstances indicating the disappearance was not voluntary — i.e. an abduction or kidnapping.
Though officials suspected foul play in Eileen’s disappearance, her mother, Marion Edith Watson, held out hope her daughter would return.
Two months after Eileen went missing, Mrs. Watson filed a petition in the Iowa District Court for Henry County to be named conservator over all property belonging to her daughter. If Eileen was still alive, the notice to appear might prove effective in drawing her daughter home.
The original notice of intent for Probate No. 14410 was published in area newspapers on Oct. 19, Oct. 26, and Nov. 2, 1978. Unless Eileen or her attorney appeared in court to defend and or dispute the petition by Nov. 22, 1978, conservatorship over all Eileen’s property would be granted to her mother.
Eileen did not appear in court and later was presumed deceased.
The United States Social Security Death Index lists Audrey Eileen Dill’s date of death as Tuesday, August 15, 1978.
According to the NamUs Missing Persons Database, dental information and charting is available and entered in Ms. Dill’s case.
A DNA sample has been submitted and tests are complete.
Audrey Eileen (Watson) Dill was born April 8, 1946, to Virgil “Everett” and Marion Edith (Garmoe) Watson.
In addition to her parents, she was survived by her 2-year-old daughter, Mindy, two brothers, Dean and Virgil “Allen” Watson, and two sisters, Marilyn Jean and Cheryl.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Lois Elizabeth Watson.
Eileen’s sister Marilyn Jean passed away in July 2000.
Eileen’s father died in May 2005, and her brother Virgil “Allen” passed away in August 2012.
If you have any information regarding Audrey Eileen Watson Dill’s mysterious disappearance and/or death, please contact Det. Eric Blodgett at the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office at 319-753-8212 or the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse / Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 1-800-346-5507.
You may also contact Iowa Cold Cases via our Contact form or our Anonymous Tip Form.
It would have been nice if Mr. Dill’s daughter provided more details about school reunion. Was this a school reunion that Audrey attended, or a reunion for the guy she was with. Also, the name of the nightclub would have been nice. She mentions a picture, but who has the picture, and a statement from the bouncer.
Plus she does not provide any details on when she supposedly fled to Texas. I assume this Stan, has been cleared of his possible involvement in her disappearance. I like to quote Sgt Joe Friday, in regards to the facts.
Also the results of polygraph exams are not allowed in court as they are not reliable. I had one many years ago, when applying for a job. The examiner seemed to think I had a thing for fires. Yet, I don’t smoke and don’t play with matches.
I even use electronic lighters to light the candles at church and the same with the incense charcoals for funerals.
In many missing person cases, we sometimes hear or read that the missing person was seen somewhere else, but it wasn’t confirmed. Was this appearance at the nightclub confirmed by law enforcement.
It would be nice, if this deceased woman in South Carolina could be exhumed and DNA to properly identify her. It would give her a name and confirm or deny she is this missing woman.
I am the last surviving member of my family. I am Eileen’s sister. I am the only one who can describe what we knew about her disappearance. We have been silent too long.
Bob Dill was a violent man. He was abusive to Eileen multiple times. One time he choked her till she passed out. She stayed with me for 3 days because she was so afraid of him. Unfortunately, he was quite good at sweet talking her to come back. He controlled every aspect of her life and was extremely jealous. She started hiding money in case she needed to get away.
When my parents received a call from her friends saying she was missing, I went with my father to file a missing persons report in Des Moines County. We later heard the investigator that did Bob’s polygraph was a good friend of Bob. When my family was finally able to clean out her house, Bob showed up and began harassing us. He wasn’t concerned about Eileen being missing. He only wanted some antiques in her house. We had to call the sheriff to keep him away while we loaded the U-Haul truck. In her house we found wet clothes in the washer and a cake on top of the fridge. Her car was parked out front but her keys and purse were missing. We had to make special arrangements to get the car moved. My parents were so afraid Bob would hurt them that they started locking their house. Something they had never done before. Eileen’s disappearance nearly destroyed their marriage and we all suffered varying degrees of anger, helplessness and grief. After seven years my parents had her proclaimed legally dead. Every time a female body was discovered in the tri-state area, law enforcement would contact them and drag all the pain up again. Eileen’s name is engraved on the back of my parents’ stone. I pray her bones will be discovered so I can lay her to rest with my family before I die.
Eileen made many mistakes in her life. But she loved her daughter Mindy with all her heart and would never have willingly left her with Bob.
I still miss you Nene. 💔
He was in excavation business. He could have placed her in one of the jobs he had been working on. I believe it was Bob. He was the last person that saw her alive. Correct?
NAMUS Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP12594 Female, White / Caucasian
Date Found
February 15, 1982
Location Found
Columbia, South Carolina
Case Information
Case Numbers
NCMEC Number
—
ME/C Case Number
82-0073
Demographics
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Possible First Name
—
Possible Middle Name
—
Possible Last Name
—
Possible Nickname
—
Estimated Age Group
Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years)
35-50
Estimated Year of Death
1982
Estimated PMI
—
Height
5′ 0″(60 inches) , Measured
Weight
134 lbs, Measured
Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Found
February 15, 1982
NamUs Case Created
June 18, 2014
ME/C QA Reviewed
—
Location Found Map
Street Address
2414 Bull Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
County
Richland County
GPS Coordinates
—
Circumstances of Recovery
Jane Doe was a patient at SC State Hospital who was unable to provide her real name due to schizoprenia. She died as the result of an accidental fall on 02/15/1982 in the hospital. She was buried as ‘Jane Doe’ by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, following exhaustive efforts to determine her identity. Her skeletal remains were exhumed by a forensic anthropologist in 1996 from the county cemetery, as part of an effort to revisit efforts to determine her identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color
Brown
Head Hair Description
—
Body Hair Description
—
Facial Hair Description
—
Left Eye Color
Blue
Right Eye Color
Blue
Curious, what did the results show?
Has anyone ruled out Richland County S.C. Jane Doe who passed away in a State Hospital?
NAMUS Has the unidentified decedent in Richland Co. South Carolina been excluded in this case?
NAMUS ME/C Case Number
82-0073
Demographics
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Possible First Name
—
Possible Middle Name
—
Possible Last Name
—
Possible Nickname
—
Estimated Age Group
Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years)
35-50
Estimated Year of Death
1982
Estimated PMI
—
Height
5′ 0″(60 inches) , Measured
Weight
134 lbs, Measured
Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Found
February 15, 1982
NamUs Case Created
June 18, 2014
ME/C QA Reviewed
—
Location Found Map
Street Address
2414 Bull Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
County
Richland County
GPS Coordinates
—
Circumstances of Recovery
Jane Doe was a patient at SC State Hospital who was unable to provide her real name due to schizoprenia. She died as the result of an accidental fall on 02/15/1982 in the hospital. She was buried as ‘Jane Doe’ by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, following exhaustive efforts to determine her identity. Her skeletal remains were exhumed by a forensic anthropologist in 1996 from the county cemetery, as part of an effort to revisit efforts to determine her identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color
Brown
Head Hair Description
—
Body Hair Description
—
Facial Hair Description
—
Left Eye Color
Blue
Right Eye Color
Blue
Eye Description
—
Mike
Eileen was a wonderful lady! She opened a branch of our dress boutique in Mediapolis. Main store was in Burlington. Bob didn’t want a divorce. Why is there no mention of her 2 year old daughter Mindy as a survivor. Bob didn’t want to give up his daughter. Bob has passed away now and with him – his secrets. As the story goes Bob Dill passed a polygraph test but I always wondered – his line of work and past history of physical abuse in other relationships. Only the Lord knows and those responsible for this terrible tragedy will be held accountable by a higher power.
She has two kids. I think her death put her family through unimaginable horror. Her ex was the last person to see her, he was an excavator or in that line of work. I researched her Sharon and saw that she opened a boutique. I think, argument, things got out of control and It was convienient for him to bury her at one of his work sites. The family doesn’t want to cause waves or upset those still alive. Breaks my heart
Tina has anyone ruled out the decedent 1982 in Richland Co. S.C.? It’s a longshot however this is what I research. Local LEA has been contacted.
NAMUS Has the unidentified decedent in Richland Co. South Carolina been excluded in this case?
NAMUS ME/C Case Number
82-0073
Demographics
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Possible First Name
—
Possible Middle Name
—
Possible Last Name
—
Possible Nickname
—
Estimated Age Group
Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years)
35-50
Estimated Year of Death
1982
Estimated PMI
—
Height
5′ 0″(60 inches) , Measured
Weight
134 lbs, Measured
Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Found
February 15, 1982
NamUs Case Created
June 18, 2014
ME/C QA Reviewed
—
Location Found Map
Street Address
2414 Bull Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
County
Richland County
GPS Coordinates
—
Circumstances of Recovery
Jane Doe was a patient at SC State Hospital who was unable to provide her real name due to schizoprenia. She died as the result of an accidental fall on 02/15/1982 in the hospital. She was buried as ‘Jane Doe’ by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, following exhaustive efforts to determine her identity. Her skeletal remains were exhumed by a forensic anthropologist in 1996 from the county cemetery, as part of an effort to revisit efforts to determine her identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color
Brown
Head Hair Description
—
Body Hair Description
—
Facial Hair Description
—
Left Eye Color
Blue
Right Eye Color
Blue
Eye Description
—
Has anyone excluded 1982 Richland Co. S.C. Jane Doe?
NAMUS Has the unidentified decedent in Richland Co. South Carolina been excluded in this case?
NAMUS ME/C Case Number
82-0073
Demographics
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Possible First Name
—
Possible Middle Name
—
Possible Last Name
—
Possible Nickname
—
Estimated Age Group
Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years)
35-50
Estimated Year of Death
1982
Estimated PMI
—
Height
5′ 0″(60 inches) , Measured
Weight
134 lbs, Measured
Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Found
February 15, 1982
NamUs Case Created
June 18, 2014
ME/C QA Reviewed
—
Location Found Map
Street Address
2414 Bull Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
County
Richland County
GPS Coordinates
—
Circumstances of Recovery
Jane Doe was a patient at SC State Hospital who was unable to provide her real name due to schizoprenia. She died as the result of an accidental fall on 02/15/1982 in the hospital. She was buried as ‘Jane Doe’ by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, following exhaustive efforts to determine her identity. Her skeletal remains were exhumed by a forensic anthropologist in 1996 from the county cemetery, as part of an effort to revisit efforts to determine her identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color
Brown
Head Hair Description
—
Body Hair Description
—
Facial Hair Description
—
Left Eye Color
Blue
Right Eye Color
Blue
Eye Description
—
I am Bob Dill’s daughter. I am amazed how Eileen’s family are so eager to trash my father even though he was proven innocent with a polygraph test. I guess they forgot about the time Eileen disappeared with her son Derek and was later found in Texas living in an apartment as if she did nothing wrong. Poor Stan went through hell finding her and getting his son back. Makes me believe she was the Jane Doe in the mental hospital in SC.
Also, not long after her disappearance, I seen her in person in Gulfport Illinois at a night club. I reported it and gave them a picture of her. There was an investigation and the bouncer at the club confirmed he seen her. There was a class reunion going on that night and she was with another man.
As you can tell, it has been years and I remember that day still. I could go on and on but prefer to let the Detectives do their job.
I have not seen a single thing written or otherwise by Audreys’ family saying anything negative about your dad. Polygraph tests are not solid proof, especially in the 70’s.
He was the last person to see her in Iowa. Trained authorities listed her as= involuntary missing for a reason.
Why would she go to another state for a reunion?
I do not believe she would just up and leave her two children.
I know it must be difficult to ever believe a loved one committed such a crime… but it does happen.
Didn’t she have a 2-year-old daughter Mindy? I was the owner of the dress boutique in Mediapolis where she lived. Eileen loved life and was looking forward to being divorced. Didn’t Bob kick his first wife while she was on the floor and broke her hip? That is the story she told us. I will never forget the day she went missing. Yes, everyone thought Bob was guilty – backhoe, she would have fit in an empty garbage can – soo soo sad!!!! No one leaves their purse, a birthday cake for her daughter and clothes in the washer… Just too many questions that will probably never be answered. Bob is gone – and with that his secrets.
Yes Sharon she had a daughter Mindy and a son, she would not have just left her family and children. It is well known he abused her and his first wife. The detective said the last person to see her was Bob and as we all know polygraphs might help but they do not prove a thing.
Pretty convenient he had a excavating company. She was tiny, would have been very easy to put her body anywhere. I do not believe she went to Illinois for some school reunion. Wish there was a better picture of her on her though.
I know he is gone, one thing helpful with that is I believe he had to answer to our maker. We just won’t get justification or closure here on earth.
Your father choked Eileen till she passed out. Whatever mistakes she made in the past doesn’t change what he did to her. Don’t ever bad mouth my sister again.
I was always told that during the time of her initial disappearance, Bob had poured a new cement slab and on it had built a garage at their home. I wondered why no one had ever had it dug up to check.
“She was last seen at her residence in Mediapolis by her ex-husband.“ that is what I found out from the case detective
Pretty sure her ex husband who operated backhoe equipment did it. She lived next door to her ex in laws and he was the last one to see her. I am guessing there is lack of physical evidence
I know Eileen’s daughter who was just a baby when she went missing. She is my cousin’s half sister .
your case grabbed my eye for some reason… i still think of you… it is kinda obvious what happened to you… but there is lack of proof… rip
I still think of you Audrey
A Eileen Higdon married a Stanley C. Higdon in Elko, Neveda, have one minor child when they divorced in January 1975
have any family members done any investigating on her? any info at all…
Tina, some of the family members must have gotten involved because NamUs now shows that dental charting information has been entered, and that tests are also complete on a submitted DNA sample.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they have the victim’s DNA on file, but that either siblings or the victim’s parents provided DNA samples for comparison should Eileen’s remains ever be found. Mitochondrial DNA (which comes from one’s mother) is passed down to all her children, and testing the sequence of mitochondrial DNA in siblings will show if they are biologically related via the maternal line. With nuclear DNA, a person inherits half from his/her father and half from his/her mother, and those samples can also be used to verify whether unidentified remains are that of one’s son or daughter.
Either way, the DNA sample on file could help identify Audrey Eileen should she or her remains ever be recovered. Her family is to be commended for making this possible.
Did Eileen’s mom Marion Watson have any contact with her in a few days before Eileen went missing???
Jody!
Do you know Eileen’s home address at the time she went missing? I just wondered if she still lived at her mom’s Marion house at that time. I am just wondering.
Karen,
Eileen’s first cousin
Thanks go out to Meyahna for sending along the conservatorship notice on Audrey Dill and also alerting us to Audrey’s now-updated page (with the revised missing date) on the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse site. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!
I would like to make a comment. I am Eileen’s first cousin. My name is Karen K. Watson/Shull. The comment I would like to make is that Eileen goes by the the name of Eileen, The other name you are using is her middle name ONLY. Her name before she got married the first time was “Watson”. Eileen is my first cousin.
I want to know what happened to her. Has the detective agency on this case had any hits at all????
Her name is Eileen A. Watson (maiden name)
Have you found anything????
Dear Karen,
Thanks so much for your comment, and please accept our condolences on your cousin’s unsolved disappearance.
I must admit, what little information we have about her is confusing at best. Her sister, Cheryl Sanders, had written back in January and said we had the incorrect date — she stated her sister disappeared in the 1970s, not 1994 — but then when I responded and asked for the correct date in the 70s, she didn’t respond. Also, she referred to her sister as “Audrey Eileen Dill.”
Now, you are telling us it was Eileen Audrey, not Audrey Eileen, and that her last name should be listed as Watson, not Dill. I realize now that Watson was her maiden name, but was she divorced at the time she went missing? If so, had she taken back her maiden name?
I’ve made some of the changes to her page, but have included both surnames in the event someone looks for her under Dill rather than Watson. And, other than the information provided on the State’s MPIC site, we still have no official “missing” date other than the one they have listed.
If you have any other information you could provide to us for her page, it would be most helpful. Perhaps we’ll be able to find more under her maiden name, as that was something we didn’t have before.
I’m not sure whether any new leads have been reported to the investigating agency, but you could contact them (the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office) and inquire as to whether they have anything new to report.
Thank you again for contacting us, and we look forward to receiving any new information you might be able to provide, including any photos.
All best,
Jody Ewing
Dear Cheryl,
Thank you so much for contacting us about your missing sister, Audrey, and for clarifying the date. In cases like these — where we have so little information and what we do have appears to be the same erroneous information reprinted across the Internet — it helps enormously to hear from one of the victim’s family members.
Would it be possible for you to send me the correct details and information about Audrey’s case, and (if at all possible) to send me a better photo of your sister that we may use on her case summary page? (Full credit will be provided to you for any photos you let us use.)
If you’d like to include additional details about your sister’s case such as the circumstances under which she went missing (and whether there were any immediate suspects or persons of interest) I will get that added to Audrey’s page as soon as I receive it. You may send it directly to jody@iowacoldcases.org.
Watching months and then years pass after Audrey’s disappearance, I can’t begin to imagine how difficult the “not knowing” must be for you and your family.
You are in my thoughts.
Thank you in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
All best,
Jody
You don’t have the correct date Audrey Eileen Dill was reported missing. She disappeared in the 1970’s. She is my sister.