Go back

Ohio Mom of 4 Predicts Her Own Murder

48m 35s

Ohio Mom of 4 Predicts Her Own Murder

Amanda Dean, a mother of four, vanished in July 2017 from a rural cabin in Ohio where she lived with Frederick Rear. Initially reported as found safe in a shelter, her family was left in limbo, as no contact was made and she never returned. Over the years, the family grew increasingly concerned, especially as Amanda’s vibrant, loving nature made her disappearance seem unlikely. A 2023 investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation reopened the case, uncovering strong circumstantial evidence of domestic violence, including a reported black eye, blood, and testimonies of dismemberment and burning of her body. Investigators found that Rear had disposed of her remains in a creek and used a bucket to carry them. He was arrested, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, though no body was recovered. The family expressed deep pain over the lack of closure and the absence of a burial. Despite the conviction, they feel justice was not fully served, prompting the introduction of "Amanda Dean’s Law" to increase penalties for such crimes. The case highlights the struggles of missing persons families, the importance of accountability, and the need for systemic change in how domestic violence and unsolved disappearances are handled. While a legal resolution was achieved, the emotional and psychological toll on the family remains profound, and their hope for a full reunion with Amanda continues.

Transcription

6936 Words, 36213 Characters

English
the crispy chicken crunch wrap slider is back at taco bell the slider sized crunch wrap with nuggets inside you love the first time now with a spicy kick you're gonna love this time hidden valley diablo ranch or you could order some crispy all white meat nuggets on their own pretty sure you love those anytime every time okay all of the times the crispy chicken crunch wrap slider a brand new classic is back only at taco bell at participating u.s taco bell locations for limited time and while supplies last if you would walk with us are you okay paul can you show me where amanda stayed when she was here it's hard to believe but the woman that police are looking for amanda dean has been missing for more than five years so here amanda stayed here yeah okay who else did fred stay here yeah fred stayed here they believed because the sheriff told them that she was still alive they held on to that hope where was the bedroom do you know back there yeah i like them and so did paul okay we don't have nothing bad to say he would never harm anybody this has been devastating to our family why is our question why it hurt deep down inside because this was a family that just wanted to know where their and they weren't getting it. - What happened in the camper? Amanda Dean was 36 years old, a mother of four and she went missing on July 11th, 2017. Her family was concerned. It wasn't like them to not hear from Amanda. - Her boys were still in junior high school when she came up missing and her oldest boy, Joshua, he had just graduated high school. - Amanda Dean was still in junior high school when she came up missing and her oldest boy, Joshua, he had just graduated high school. he had just graduated high school. - Back in 2017, I had just turned 18. I got the call. We were like freaking out that she was missing. - In the tiny Midwest town of Collins, Ohio, it is very unusual for anyone to disappear. - It's a very rural, very remote, some farmland that's out there, no real close neighborhoods, houses on top of one another, anything like that, not very congested, minimal traffic, not really a crime ridden area, if you will. - When you look up a crime report, I mean, it gets an A as far as safety. It's a tiny, tiny rural town. - And yet in this place where everyone knows their neighbors, Amanda Dean is nowhere to be found. - I had gotten a text message on July 11th and I hadn't seen her for like a couple of weeks, but then I got a text from Wren saying, "No Amanda in the cabin." Wren is Fred's mother. - Wren is 34-year-old Frederick Rear, Amanda's longtime boyfriend. - She continued saying, "No Amanda in the cabin," and, "I hope she's okay." Her and Fred just weren't meant to be, and that alerted me 'cause I'm like, "Um, no." My sister wouldn't just get up and leave. And so I knew something was wrong. - So clearly her family is concerned. They go immediately and make a missing persons report. - On July 11th, the sheriff's office, Amanda was missing. They did go out to the rear property and Fred was not there at the time they went out. - So Fred and Amanda have been living on his parents' property. This is the place that we saw earlier on in that body cam. - She lived in the cabin that's right next to the parents' house in the same yard, like a little. - Shack. - Shack, actually. A cabin would probably be nicer. It didn't have a restroom or anything in there. There was no indoor plumbing, so if Fred or Amanda needed to use the restroom, they would have to go up to Fred's mom's house. - There was a room, a living room, and then as you walk in, that would be like a little bar/kitchen kind of area. Not even a kitchen, but where she would eat. They did have a refrigerator. Didn't have much to it, but that's all she wanted for space. She wanted to do her own thing. - She was a very. Very wild spirit. - Amanda was my baby girl. Daughter number three. Amanda was just beautiful. And she was a songbird. She was friendly. She was outgoing. - She's a little spitfire. I'll say that. But definitely had a lot of energy. And she was always there when you needed her to help with anything. And. Never made anything boring, that's for sure. - She was a fun one. - She was very interesting. - She was very fun. Every time she'd come over, she's always taken us somewhere. - Really don't have any bad memories with my mom, so. - Yeah, me neither. - It was just all good memories. - I only had my mother. I never had a father figure in my life, so it was just me and my mom for a long time. At the end of the day, that was my best friend. - Now Amanda's oldest son, Josh, had lived with Amanda and then with his grandma. Her other three children had lived with their father. This was Amanda's ex before she got involved with Frederick Rear. - I'm not for sure when they first met. What I was told is that they were dating at one point, then they split up. And then a year or two, he went back to Fred. - I was still a very young kid at the time. And we would go over there, and Fred has a daughter, so me and her would hang out. His nonverbal autistic brother would come play with us, too. - When Amanda goes missing, of course the question is, did Fred Rear have anything to do with this? Or at the very least, does he know where she might be? So they head on over to his property. - On July 12th, we wanted to put together a small search team. - There were probably six to 10 of them searching for Amanda. - Well, I grabbed a couple of my buddies and we all stormed out there, trying to find her. - They want to search near the property where Amanda lived with Fred Rear. However, there's a huge sign posted on that property. - The Rear property had signs up, no trespassing, violators will be shot, on July 12th, when we went out there. 'Cause we had talked to the sheriff, told him we were putting together a little search team. And he said, "Well, don't go on properties "that you're not wanted." - So this makeshift search party visits other neighbors who are a little more familiar to her. - So this makeshift search party visits other neighbors who are a little more familiar to her. - More welcoming, and it's when they're out there that something remarkable happens. - In the middle of the search, I get a call. It was the Heron County Sheriff's Office. And they said, "Can you please come to the Sheriff's Office? "We have some information about your daughter, Amanda." And we didn't know what we were gonna hear. - Fall never arrives all at once. First the air, then the light, and slowly the things you love begin to find each other. A jacket meets a dress, a hoodie slips beneath a blazer, an old cap finds a new scarf. Because you don't simply step into the season. You create it layer by layer until it finally feels like fall. Find fall your way at Ross. - Monday on NBC. - U.S. Marshals! - All new "Line of Fire," the thrilling new crime drama. - The world sees us as heroes, but they don't know what the job really costs. - One family of federal agents. - It's one thing to put yourself in danger. It's different when it's your family. - Balances duty to their country. - An assassin is still out there. - Stop! - And each other. - How do you protect the world and the people you love at the same time? - Every case hits home on "Line of Fire," Monday on NBC. - So that was the longest, longest journey for me, 'cause I, you know, just traveling there not knowing. - It's a 20-minute drive from Collins, where the cabin was. - Where the cabin was. - Where the cabin was to the sheriff's department. It felt like an eternity if you talked to Amanda's mom. They get to the sheriff's office, and they're holding their breath. - And you're thinking, yeah, the worst could be said to me as I walked into that sheriff's office, but it wasn't. He told us that she had been located, and she was in a safe house, and she was being well taken care of. Nothing else mattered, you know, it didn't, because I needed to know my girl was safe. - But what the sheriff says next is kind of disturbing. He says they can't make contact with Amanda, that it's up to her to reach out to them. - She can come home or call her family if she wants. She's an adult. She's being well taken care of. - Once I heard the sheriff say that she was safe and okay, I'm a very optimistic person, so I believed everything that they were saying at the time. So, I just was like, okay, cool. She's safe, we're doing okay. You know, she'll come back, in like a year or two after she gets the help that she needs at that point we really didn't know what was going on but we were just glad that we were told that she was found that's what we were happy about i think that the family really just put their trust in law enforcement they were being told that you know amanda was in a safe house that she was safe and so you know they're going to believe them because that's law enforcement the sheriff even calls off the bolo so the police will no longer be on the lookout for amanda and then it was close case done boom it's over years go by and i start calling safe houses to be like hey she's been gone for years what's going on i start wondering maybe that's not right this is not right amanda just didn't seem like that person who would just simply abandon her mom her sister her children to do that so she didn't really fit that that norm if you will of a person that didn't want to be found it was almost like we were being told she doesn't want to contact her family and that hurt and it hurts the boys the boys are are still young and going through school and they're still young and they're still young and they're still young and that's what it's all about and to be told your mom's coming home when she want when she wants to come home if she wants to call you she'll call you that's hurtful over the years the family continues to do everything they can to track down amanda and get in touch with her i had sent sheriff corbin a demand for proof of life letter if he could not show me that she was alive prove to us that she was alive the family then we need to reopen the investigation and he didn't want to talk to me in 2020 you know they hired a private investigator to to do some some legwork on the case it didn't go very far the family goes to the sheriff's department on amanda's birthday at christmas and they give them cards for amanda please give these to amanda i don't know what happened to those cards five years after amanda disappeared this family has finally had enough december of 2022 cleveland missing was contacted by the family of amanda dean it's an organization who advocates for families with missing loved ones when cleveland missing stepped in someone finally listened shannon dean and i actually talked and then pretty quickly we had the family come on into the club and we had a family come on into the cleveland family center and and we were able to spend some time with them cleveland missing starts making a plan but by now this is a very cold case so this is going to be an incredibly steep hill to climb from a law enforcement perspective you know here we're handing you a case that's five and a half years old you know in a lot of missing pieces parts and so you know imagine trying to to pick up the pieces when a whole lot had not been picked when a whole lot had not been done it's been nearly six years six years now six tough years since amanda dean's family has heard from her of course her family's still holding out hope that she will come home and this is amanda's mom caroline tokar and caroline um of course you still you still have hope that we're going to see amanda again we did this press conference and we just drew a ton of attention to this case and blew it wide open the idea and the premise behind this was simply to just get the word out there at the time i was president of cleveland missing and so i was working with sylvia cologne on the case and and trying to do my part as a liaison to law enforcement in john majoy's role as local police chief he gets in touch with bci this is the ohio bureau of criminal investigation when i met caroline and shannon one of the things that we were able to tell them is that bci is now taking the case and the tears just flowed it was a happy yet somber moment because somebody's finally listening to them when cleveland missing stepped in when chief john majoy got involved got bci to stepped in that is when this investigation really took on a whole new life amanda disappeared in 2017. she was a young woman to disappear in 2017. now after nearly six years the bci has reopened her case just praying that bci can find those answers for us because our family this is long overdue i just can't believe the progress they've made for us so far opening doors resources amanda's family has hope one day they'll be reunited with her but before the family can get any closer to finding amanda whether she's dead or alive this investigation basically has to go back to step one the first thing we want to do is be able to set let's do a missing persons flyer who should we have them call well amanda wasn't even listed as a missing person when the sheriff told the family that amanda was safe her name was taken out of the missing person database cleland missing he had flyers very beautiful done flyers of amanda that we could put out at local locations um to try and search for her because in our eyes she was still missing and from that point it just took off the question after all these years is whether amanda is really safe in a shelter or did something else something worse happen to her so bci goes back and they cover ground that was basically ignored the first time and that includes doing a thorough search of the rear property well the search warrant was in november of 2023 when they went to the property and did the the dig there they brought in excavators hand tools search dogs and they went through the house of executing a full search warrant and so they're looking for evidence of a crime that potentially happened five and a half years earlier which is you know almost looking for a needle in a thousand haystacks but they did give it a good effort the search warrant was in november of 2023 when they went to the property and did the dig there they brought in excavators hand tools search dogs and they went through the house of executing a full search warrant and so they're looking for evidence of a crime that potentially happened five and a half years earlier which is you know almost looking for a needle in a thousand haystacks but they did give it a good effort police interview frederick rear's family members who still live at the property they get what may be a clue was amanda ever back here yeah she was yeah where at in the camper fall never arrives all at once first the air then the light and slowly the things you love begin to find each other a jacket meets a dress a hoodie slips beneath a blazer an old cap finds a new scarf because you don't simply step into the season you create it layer by layer until it finally feels like fall find fall your way at ross what happened in the camper that's what happened in the camper yep okay who did that and polly was even polly is fred's brother was going around like when they interviewed him saying that they asked what happened to amanda like this yeah and they like visualized it like because he can't speak very well he's autistic now investigators talk to both families and that is when they realize there was a smoking gun in amanda's relationship with rear there was a police report that was filed fred gave her a black eye i'm the one who reported her black eye when she had text me and left a message on my voicemail amanda said she did not want to press charges she text me when she had the chance and she said you made the situation a little bit worse but at least they know what he's doing to me and it was kind of like a relief for her like they know now well still didn't seem to help it was pretty clear that amanda was the victim of domestic violence and it baffles me why they didn't arrest this guy would it have made a difference we'll never know but it may have amanda's sister shannon reveals something else that puts an even stronger spotlight on fred rear fred always got rid of her phones so a lot of times she would have to wait until fred went to sleep or passed out for her to text me and call me and she'll tell me race this message or don't text me back i'll text you later and so i always would have to wait for her to text me she tried leaving him a few times but she ended up always going back now these new investigators have a clear picture of amanda's life back in 2017. this is a woman who was caught in a deeply troubled relationship and she has been missing for six years they leave no stone unturned as they dig into this cold case - They just started putting pieces of the puzzle together and then get a list of potential witnesses, people who had tips, who had information. - Okay, so there was one witness that said he went to Fred's cabin, it was in July of 2017, and he saw blood everywhere. He was cleaning up the mess, the bloody mess, with rags. There was another witness, they had said he was burning at a burn pile for four days. And that he was burning Amanda for four days. - After he chopped her up? - He chopped her up. - And the remains he took and put in a bucket and took it to the creek. - There was a comment about putting her in a blue barrel and things like that, and those, you know, those comments can't be dismissed. - Although there's no smoking gun, police have gathered enough circumstantial evidence to arrest Frederick Greer. They believe that he killed her in that shack where they were living together, that he cleaned up the crime scene, that he burned the mattress that he killed her on, that he dismembered her body and then burned it to hide the evidence. - So in one and a half years, BCI was able to do what the Sheriff's Department never did, Fred Greer was indicted. - So years after Amanda went missing, investigators go to the Greer property and take Frederick into custody. - Larenda. - Hi, Larenda, is Fred home? - My son, yes. - Your son? - Hold on. She's dead. Hi, Fred. You got some shoes? - Yeah, I'm there. - Okay. - What is up? - I have a warrant for your arrest. I need you to get some shoes. Can you get some clothes for me, Larenda? Why don't you stay right here for a minute? Did you get anything with you, Larenda? - No. - Okay. - Why do I have a warrant for my arrest? - Yeah. - I said, why? - Why do you think? What have we been talking about? - To see something that had been going on and working with his family and getting as close as I've gotten with the family, to see that happen was just, it was very surreal in my opinion. - I've got an arrest warrant for your son. - Okay. - Okay? - Call his lawyer then. - So. - So. - Where's all this information coming from? - From a year's worth of investigation. - I think his general demeanor was that he wasn't gonna get caught. His general demeanor was, you know, I got away with this, prove it. - Yeah. - How long you been in it? - 36 years. - Why the hell don't you retire? - I'm still having fun. - You're having fun? You're killing me, huh? - Yeah. - All right, Fred, come on outside. - In terms of a sigh of relief from the family, it was, it was a night and day. Sitting on the edge of your seat and all of a sudden, you know, all that you had hoped for for years and years and years has finally happened. - That's something that, that's a jail thing. They'll be doing that. Once he gets to the jail, he gets booked in. - Okay. - Okay? Watch your step. - Investigators never stopped looking for Amanda Dean. And with the help of Cleveland Missing, her family is getting answers. Newberg Heights Police Chief John Majoy was with them when the news came out that there was an arrest in her case. - Once the news came out, there was tears, there were smiles, there were hugs, and there was some high fives. - This was just a huge, huge, huge mountain to climb. - And they had reached the top of that mountain. - Count two is dismemberment of the body of Amanda Dean. Count three. This count refers to the burning of a mattress which Amanda Dean died on July of 2017. Count four, the count refers to Fred Rear cleaning up the bloody scene with towels, rags, and disposing of the bloody sheets from the bed at or near the shack that Fred Rear lived in with Amanda Dean. - I'll bring the proof for all of this. - All right, that's, it is not my investigation. Um, I, my, my suggestion is consult your attorney. - You know, he had gotten away with it for years. He knew what he did. And so, you know, he was gonna play the role, if you will, um, to try to cover up what he had done, or at least, you know, good luck trying to catch me, kind of thing. - But he may not be so confident when he sees the evidence. He sees the evidence that police have collected. - It was announced this weekend by the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost that charges had been filed. This is going to be his arraignment for murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence from this case back in 2017. - The evidence had shown that, that he killed her. He dismembered her. He burned her for over three days. And we-- - Fall never arrives all at once. First, the air, then the light. And slowly, the things you love begin to find each other. A jacket meets a dress. A hoodie slips beneath a blazer. An old cap finds a new scarf. How far would you go when someone threatens everyone you love? Who can you trust? From Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, "Animals" stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun. When a Los Angeles mayoral candidate's son is kidnapped, he and his wife are pulled into a web of deception, forced to make choices that could tear their world apart. Watch "Animals" in select theaters and on Netflix October 9th, rated R. Tap the banner to learn more. - When he found out that these bones were dead, these bones are not gonna disintegrate, then at that point, he decided to take the bones, throw 'em over a bridge, into a river, into a stream, and then, you know, done and done. - So we'll never have her home. We'll never be able to properly bury her, because he made sure that we couldn't have nothing. - As much as the family is glad to see Rear in court, facing justice, seeing him again brings back all that pain. - Everything in me just, it was so many different, I was sad, I was upset, extremely angry, just seeing the person that did that, and that's the last person she saw, and that, it just hurts me to my core. - I feel like he was soulless. Nothing was there, like he didn't, didn't care. He wouldn't even look up at anybody. - I've been to every single pretrial. I've been through everything. When I first saw him, he looked insane. He had that big, bushy beard. It looked completely different from how I remembered him. - It was hard. There was a lot of emotions going around. Obviously, I couldn't do anything to him. I wanted to, but I couldn't do. - I could tell by just his face alone. When we first seen him, he did not care. He did not care about what he did. There was no, nothing behind those eyes. - He didn't even look at us the whole time. - For the purposes of arraignment, and are you aware of the charges that you're facing here today? - Um, somewhat. - Frederick Rear pleads not guilty to all counts. - I think it's a very common thing for him to plead not guilty from the get-go. Our role as Cleveland Missing was trying to prepare the family, because when they look at this, and they're like, well, he's pleading not guilty. Well, he's gonna plead not guilty. You're gonna force the prosecution to make their case. - The prosecution does have strong circumstantial evidence, but they are missing that one thing that would help them clinch this case. - The prosecution knew if they didn't have a body, it makes their case twice as hard, even hard, to get a conviction. - Homicide or murder prosecution without a body, it's an uphill battle. But there was a lot of overwhelming evidence that pointed in his direction. - In order to avoid a challenging trial, but to make sure that Rear is still held to account, the prosecution considers offering him a plea arrangement. But first, they want something from him. They want an honest account of what he did to Amanda Dean. - You know, Fred Rear was given a proffer, and basically, a proffer is when the defendant will tell the prosecution certain things, and it won't be used against them. And so, he had admitted that he burned Amanda's body, put her bones in a bucket, and then took them to this creek and jumped them off a bridge. - Then he took them to where he placed her, At the creek. Told him what he did to her. We were able to go there. There was a lot of emotion there for the family, but I also think that there was a lot of relief a little bit. You know, they had, like, this emotion coming over them that, you know, this is where Amanda's remains were put in this creek. And so kind of a surreal, sad moment. But I'm very glad that they were able to take the family out there and do that for them. You know, again, another small sense of closure, if you will. With that admission from Rear, the prosecution offers him that plea arrangement. Given the fact that the trauma that this family had gone through for so long, and to bring that back out and have to testify, is that something that you want to go through? And so they all came to the conclusion, like, we support a plea arrangement here. The murder charge, which we was originally charged with, went to an involuntary manslaughter charge. And he ended up with two counts of tampering with evidence and one gross abuse of a corpse charge. So it definitely reduced his sentence. But he did it. He didn't admit he killed her. And he told them what day and what he did. Count five, involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree. How do you wish to plead guilty? Rear pleaded guilty to four felonies, including involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse. A killer now facing nearly two decades in prison for killing Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four. There's no evidence. There's no amount of time or effort or anything you can say that can be replacement of listening to the individual who killed your loved one finally fess up and plead guilty and plead guilty because he did it. It was very emotional, I think, for everybody in the room. I think the family felt that they had so much love because so many people, family and friends, came out to support them. Dean's family was in tears as they listened to 42-year-old Frederick Rear, admit to killing his girlfriend, Amanda Dean, back in 2017. But there's one haunting question still unanswered. What happened to Amanda's body? We don't even have a single piece of her. Not at all. Nothing. So, I mean, it's just, it's terrible. No, it's not good. It just sucks. Rear will be sentenced on January 5th, but today's outcome, a victory for Amanda Dean's family who still hasn't given up on getting Amanda the justice she deserves. The court calls the case A.M. Ohio v. Frederick Rear for 2024-0091. We're going to give the prosecutor his sentencing this morning. Your Honor, we don't have very many clips of Amanda Dean. I wanted you to hear her voice, hear what she sounded like. We'll never see her again, listen to her again, talk to her again. You can't even visit a grave site. So the prosecution plays a video of Amanda, and it's of her celebrating the birth of her sister Stephanie's baby. I'm very, very happy and overwhelmed that we have a new baby. I have a new baby niece. So. It was always nice to see her walk in and smile and always be happy, no matter what was going on in her life. She just always made sure everybody else felt good and happy, and she wanted to make people laugh, and she did. So I miss that, too. I wish the best, and. Well, do we want to take a picture of you and the baby, please? Um, yeah, perfect. I have done my best to take Stephanie and her new baby. If most people in that courtroom are moved, there is one exception. Throughout everything, he just acted like he didn't care about anything. It pissed me off. So. Oh, man. The way he just wasn't caring about anything. But now is the time for the family to look at Amanda's killer in court and tell them how much they care, how much they feel. It was hard for me to say anything. I struggled. I just, I was angry. Fall never arrives all at once. First the air, then the light. And slowly the things you love begin to find each other. Show button here. Football is finally back and PrizePix is going to win. They're going crazy with the deals to start the season. Giving out promos every day in September. On PrizePix, you can make all the picks you want. All in the same app. And now, PrizePix is available nationwide. So what are you waiting for? Lock in for kickoff. Because everyone and everything is on PrizePix. What you want? Download the app today and use code SPOTIFY to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. PrizePix. Run your game. I just didn't know what else to say besides, he's a terrible human being. I got so mad, I just couldn't speak anymore. You killed her. You dismembered her and you burned her precious body for days. Everyone was holding up a picture of Amanda. Everyone. That courtroom was packed. Standing room only. There were people standing in the back and every single one had a picture of Amanda. And I asked the family, why was that so important? To have Amanda so present in that courtroom. And they said, because we wanted the last thing Fred Rear to see when he left that courtroom was Amanda. Your Honor, I stand before you today as the mother of Amanda Dean. Amanda was the youngest daughter of my three girls. She was my baby. For five and a half years, we believed that she was coming home. Sadly, later we discovered she was never coming home. She was a little nervous, but I said to her, I mean, this is for you to deliver what you've wanted to say because for the longest time, she's like, we want the world to know. We want the world to know Amanda. We want the world to know what happened to Amanda. And now is your opportunity to Fred Rear. I cannot begin to describe the magnitude of what you took away when you killed my daughter. You took her away from all of us. Four sons must live without their mother. Why, Fred? Why? We could not bring any part of my daughter home. We are left with nothing. We cannot properly bury her. I can't even bring anything back. He accepted responsibility for the crimes that he pled guilty to. Those are the crimes that he committed. So I would submit to you that a fair and just sentence is eight years with credit for time served. Thank you. Does the defendant wish to address the court? No, sir. I would just like to say I'm sorry to the Dean family, sorry to my family, I'm sorry to the community, and thank you, Your Honor, and Coach. I appreciate your time. On a scale of 1 to 100, for a sense of sincerity, I would put it at about a negative 50, maybe. It was a facade at best. It was arrogant. It was not from the heart. There's no regret. There's no remorse. There's not anything. The court would impose the following sentence as to account one, tinkering with evidence of felony of the third degree. The court is going to impose a two-year prison sentence. On count two, gross abuse of. On count two, gross abuse of a corpse, a felony of the fifth degree, a one-year prison sentence. On count five, an involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree. Now the court's going to impose a nine-year prison sentence. As far as count six, tampering with evidence of felony of the third degree, the court is going to impose a two-year prison sentence there as well. The court is going to run those sentences consecutively to each other. On the total of 14 years, that was the total sentence. It feels like a slap on the wrist for what this man did to Amanda. To kill someone and then to mutilate their body? To cut up another human being and put him on a fire? That is a different kind of evil. That wasn't justice. Anybody else would have got way more time. I don't understand that. Amanda. did not get justice like she should have got, and it's not fair. Who can you trust? From Academy Award winner Ben Affleck. Animals stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Jillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun. When a Los Angeles mayoral candidate's son is kidnapped, he and his wife are pulled into a web of deception. Forced to make choices that could tear their world apart. Watch Animals in select theaters. And on Netflix, October 9th, rated R. It's not right. In 14 years, Fred Rear is going to be out of prison. Chief John Majoy says he is a threat. He's a killer. He's a cold-blooded killer. And he deserves to be locked up. But as if that's not enough, Frederick Rear adds insult to injury. Now anything further than that. We request a contact visit with his mother, your honor. I leave that determination up to the sheriff. As far as the institution, I will leave it up to their discretion. When he said, can I have a hug from my mother? Yeah, that was a slap on the face. Knowing my sister was not ever going to be able to hug her mother. Why should he get to hug his mother? Make sure to ask for it in front of everyone. But Frederick Rear may not get the last word. As soon as Fred sentencing, the next day, a couple investigators from Pinellas County, Florida, came in to question him about another missing person. In fact, Rear is currently a person of interest in two Florida cold cases. That 2018 missing persons case and that 2020 death of a former business partner. As for Amanda's story and her family's quest for justice, that too is far from over. I am very honored to be able to work with two of our state representatives on a new law, hopefully revised law, and it is, I'm not going to let them speak of it, but it is the gross abuse of a corpse. Now, as far as the gross abuse of a corpse, what he did to her body, in Ohio, the max you can get is one year for that. And it's Amanda's family who is fighting right now to have that punishment be changed, to have that be up to eight years in prison. We are titling it Amanda Dean's Law. And we hope with that law to strengthen penalties when someone commits these unspeakable acts of violence. It won't help in this situation, but going forward if we get this cast, it will help. If I walk away from this job today, I would just be thankful to have the opportunity to help these guys and to get to know them. And I'm just glad to have had that opportunity to see that the person responsible for Amanda's death was convicted and sentenced. And again, you never get full closure, but at least they got another sense of closure where they can begin to move on with their lives. It's been a battle, an uphill climb for us for eight and a half years. Thank God we're at this point now, but there's just so much more to do in honor of Amanda that I know we can do as a family. I want her story to be out there, and I want them to know how wonderful and beautiful this girl is. And how loving she was, and her smile, and how it just brought smiles to the room. I want this to spread awareness to any person of a domestic violence situation. It's very unfortunate what happened to our mom, but I don't want anyone else to go through that. I want people to know there's always a way out in the end, even though our mom did not find a way out, there is always someone you can go to, you can talk to, and that you can get help. This is an incredibly sad story, but it's also an inspiring one. When you think about the Dean family's perseverance to get answers, when you think about those around them who helped them to get these answers, maybe this will give another family hope who is going through that pain of a missing loved one. ♪♪ ♪♪ How far would you go? When someone threatens everyone you love, who can you trust? Tap the banner to learn more.

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, disappeared in July 2017 from a rural cabin in Collins, Ohio, where she lived with Frederick Rear.
  2. Initial reports claimed she was found safe in a shelter, but the family was left without contact, leading to deep suspicion and years of uncertainty.
  3. Investigators uncovered evidence of domestic violence, including a police report of a black eye, and testimonies of blood, burning, and dismemberment of her body.
  4. In 2023, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation reopened the case, conducted a full search of the property, and found circumstantial evidence linking Rear to her murder.
  5. Frederick Rear was arrested and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, though no body was ever recovered.
  6. The prosecution sought a plea deal after Rear admitted to burning her body and disposing of remains in a creek, providing a key piece of evidence.
  7. The family received partial closure through public acknowledgment of the crime, but remains devastated by the lack of physical remains and the absence of justice.
  8. A new law, "Amanda Dean’s Law," is being pushed to increase penalties for gross abuse of a corpse, reflecting the family’s demand for stronger legal consequences.

Summary:

Amanda Dean, a mother of four, vanished in July 2017 from a rural cabin in Ohio where she lived with Frederick Rear. Initially reported as found safe in a shelter, her family was left in limbo, as no contact was made and she never returned. Over the years, the family grew increasingly concerned, especially as Amanda’s vibrant, loving nature made her disappearance seem unlikely.

A 2023 investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation reopened the case, uncovering strong circumstantial evidence of domestic violence, including a reported black eye, blood, and testimonies of dismemberment and burning of her body. Investigators found that Rear had disposed of her remains in a creek and used a bucket to carry them. He was arrested, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, though no body was recovered.

The family expressed deep pain over the lack of closure and the absence of a burial. Despite the conviction, they feel justice was not fully served, prompting the introduction of "Amanda Dean’s Law" to increase penalties for such crimes. The case highlights the struggles of missing persons families, the importance of accountability, and the need for systemic change in how domestic violence and unsolved disappearances are handled.

While a legal resolution was achieved, the emotional and psychological toll on the family remains profound, and their hope for a full reunion with Amanda continues.

FAQs

A limited-time offer at Taco Bell featuring a slider-sized crunch wrap with nuggets inside, available with spicy kick from Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch or crispy all-white meat nuggets.

Only at participating U.S. Taco Bell locations for a limited time while supplies last.

Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, went missing in July 2017 in Collins, Ohio. She was later found to have been murdered by her boyfriend, Frederick Rear, who dismembered and burned her body.

Yes, Frederick Rear was indicted and charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse.

Circumstantial evidence including police reports of domestic violence, witness accounts of blood and burning, and Rear’s admission that he dismembered and burned Amanda's body were key to the case.

The case is still ongoing with legal efforts to change penalties for gross abuse of a corpse, and Amanda's family continues to advocate for justice and awareness about domestic violence.

Chat with AI

Loading...

Pro features

Go deeper with this episode

Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.