Dawnita Wilkerson usually stayed in constant contact with family members, so when she suddenly stopped answering their phone calls, they knew something was wrong. Dawnita’s 15-year-old twin daughters last saw her on Sunday, June 21, 2020, when she left her brother’s house in Evansville, Indiana. Dawnita told her daughters she would be right back, but she never returned. When she hadn’t contacted her mother or any of her children by the next morning, they called the Evansville Police Department and reported the 44-year-old missing.
Dawnita was a devoted mother of six children; Kiahnna Wilkerson, one of her daughters, said that one of her favorite things to do was talk on the phone with friends and family members. “She’s just really laid back. As long as she was with friends having fun, she was good.” It was completely out of character for her to go more than a few hours without talking to anyone, and her loved ones were certain she never would have willingly cut off contact with them. They feared that something terrible had happened to her.
Julia Womack, one of Dawnita’s aunts, noted, “Every day she calls her mom at 5:00 am…suddenly everyone stopped hearing from her and we knew something had to be wrong.” Dawnita hadn’t logged into her Facebook account, either, something she usually checked multiple times a day. On Monday morning, all calls to her cell phone went straight to voicemail, indicating it had either been turned off or the battery was dead.
Family members said that Dawnita had decided she wanted to go back to school and was scheduled to start classes the day after she went missing. She had been excited about going and they didn’t believe she would have willingly missed her first day. Relatives also pointed out that Dawnita’s mother had been experiencing some health problems and Dawnita had helped to take care of her. She wouldn’t have gone anywhere without letting her mother know how to get in touch with her.
A few days after Dawnita was reported missing, investigators asked the public for help locating her. They said there was a possibility she was in the Carbondale, Illinois area, though they didn’t say why they believed this. Reporters later learned that detectives had obtained Dawnita’s cell phone records, which indicated the phone had traveled to Carbondale before it was shut off.
Dawnita’s aunt, Nora Martin, told reporters that the family was having a hard time dealing with Dawnita’s disappearance, but they were working together to try and bring her home. “At times you’re hopeful, at times you’re mad. We’ve spent a lot more time together because we go out daily hanging flyers just trying to get the word out there…not knowing makes it hard.”
A month after Dawnita was last seen, Nora said that the family couldn’t say too much about the case to the news media but that they had been in contact with law enforcement agencies in both Indiana and Illinois. “This is an active criminal case. They do have suspects. There’s a chance that she crossed state lines, and they’re obtaining or have obtained warrants for social media accounts, phone records, and things like that.”
On August 15, 2020, friends and family held a “Show Up For Dawnita” fundraising event at Evansville’s Garvin Park. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the fact that Dawnita was still missing as well as collect donations that would be used to further the search effort; it featured music, food, raffles, and activities for children. Family members encouraged people to wear pink to the event as it was Dawnita’s favorite color.
Hundreds of people showed up to support Dawnita’s family at the fundraiser. Nora told reporters that they were trying to remain optimistic and hoped that Dawnita would be found safely. “We’re still thinking positive and thinking in the present tense. We are going to be relentless and do everything we can to find her.” They were using the money they raised to print additional posters and rent two billboards in Evansville. “We want her face to be everywhere.”
Julia said her niece had a heart of gold and was deeply missed by her friends and family. “We just want her back. If someone took her, we want you to know, you have already been forgiven. As a Christian, I must love and forgive. We just want her back, that is all.” She told reporters she felt that Dawnita was still alive. “I know she’s still out there. I just know it. I can feel it in my gut.” She was determined to find her. “We will leave no stone unturned.”
Hoping to raise more money to help with expenses, family members started a GoFundMe account. In the description, they noted that all of Dawnita’s loved ones were involved in searching for her and trying to keep her family together. “Our hands are tied in trying to take care of her twins. There are no laws or guidelines to help the family conduct business on behalf of Dawnita’s underage children. We cannot provide or sign for certain things without custody.” The twins needed financial support until their mother could be found.
The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners proclaimed that September 15, 2020, would be “Find Dawnita Day.” They hoped that the proclamation would raise awareness about missing persons in general and allow their families to feel supported. At the time, Dawnita was one of 12 people missing from the area.
In February 2021, officials with the Evansville Police Department released new information about Dawnita’s disappearance. While they had previously said that Dawnita had last been seen leaving her brother’s house, they had learned that from there she went to a motel on Evansville’s East Side; they obtained surveillance footage showing her leaving the hotel at 8:16 pm on June 21, 2020, a few hours after she had left her brother’s home.
Dawnita was seen getting into a silver 2004 Chevrolet Suburban that had a sunroof and tinted windows. It pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed west, driving through southwest Indiana into southern Illinois. While detectives had identified the owner of the Suburban, they said he wasn’t cooperating in their investigation and they declined to release his name to the public.
The FBI was assisting the Evansville Police Department in their investigation as it was clear that the vehicle Dawnita was in had crossed state lines. They were especially interested in locating the Suburban, as it had yet to be recovered.
For the family, it was a relief that the information about Dawnita’s last known location had finally been made public. Her daughter Kiahnna noted, “We’ve known about this information since July, so I’m confused on why it’s being put out right now. I’m thankful that it is.”
According to several family members, Dawnita had been having problems with two different men in the days leading up to her disappearance. Both the men had sent her threatening text messages, and she was concerned enough that she had sent their names to her relatives in case anything happened to her. Her aunt Nora noted that the texts from the men said things like, “I’ll kill you and they’ll never find your body.”
One of the men who had threatened Dawnita was an ex-boyfriend. Dawnita had shared screenshots of some of their conversations with a close friend and told her how frightened she was. “She said she was afraid for her life.”
Court records showed that this man had been arrested four times in 2018 and 2019 after beating Dawnita, and he had served time in jail on at least one occasion. A police report noted that Dawnita said “she was assaulted over a number of hours at her boyfriend’s residence…[he] would not allow her to leave and threatened that if she left he would send people to kill her children.”
Dawnita had initially attempted to get an order of protection against the boyfriend, but her case was dismissed when she missed a scheduled hearing. She changed her phone number a few weeks before she vanished, but he managed to get her new phone number and continued to harass her. She told family members that if anything happened to her, this man and one of his relatives would be to blame. Her relatives told reporters that one of these two men owned a Chevrolet Suburban.
Family members admitted that it had been hard not to disclose what they knew about these two men to the news media, but police had asked them to keep the information to themselves while they conducted their investigation. Since the man had refused to cooperate with detectives, they were releasing the information in the hopes that someone would come forward with information to help locate Dawnita.
Dawnita’s loved ones marked the first anniversary of her disappearance with a march to raise awareness about the fact that the mother of six still hadn’t been found. Her two oldest daughters had been caring for their youngest siblings, the twins who were now 16 years old. They all felt a profound sense of loss and were praying for answers. Kiahnna admitted, “In the beginning, I didn’t really have time to grieve or cope.” She was too focused on making sure her siblings had everything they needed.
Since Dawnita was gone, her first grandchild was born, and family members could only hope she would soon be home to meet the new addition. They admitted that it was a long shot, but they refused to give up their search. Kiahnna stated, “We’re still trying to look for her…no matter what the outcome is, we still want to find her.”
The uncertainty surrounding Dawnita’s fate bothered her friends the most. Her best friend, Ruth Waller, admitted, “The not knowing gets to you…is she alive? Is she dead? Is she hurt? That alone will drive you crazy.” She said she knew that there were people who were withholding information and she hoped that they would come forward so Dawnita’s loved ones could have some closure.
Hoping to bring in some new tips, Dawnita’s family announced that they were offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to her whereabouts. Unfortunately, although they suspected there were several people who knew exactly what had happened to Dawnita, no one came forward to speak with investigators.
Dawnita’s loved ones gathered on September 15, 2021, to celebrate “Find Dawnita Day” by lighting candles and lanterns in honor of the missing woman. Her aunt Nora noted, “The days get easier but that doesn’t mean we’re not still hurting and we’re not still missing her. It would just change our lives to have her back home because it changed our lives when she went missing.”
On the second anniversary of Dawnita’s disappearance, her aunt Faye Cardin admitted that the family believed that she was dead. “We hoped we would have had more answers by now, but sadly we don’t.”
As months went by, a few more details about the case made their way into local newspapers. Reporters learned that the man who owned the Suburban Dawnita was seen getting into was the nephew of her ex-boyfriend. He had apparently picked Dawnita up at the hotel but refused to cooperate with detectives when asked about the missing woman.
Evansville Police Officer Taylor Merriss said that the department remained committed to solving the case. “Someone out there knows something and it would be extremely helpful if that person or persons would come forward to help bring answers to the family and friends who have been affected during this investigation.”
In November 2022, several of Dawnita’s family members expressed frustration that they had been unable to get any answers from the detectives assigned to work her case. While they had always received a return call from investigators in the past, now they found that their phone calls went unanswered. Nora noted, “It would be easier if they said, ‘We’re calling this a cold case and putting it to the side.’ At least then we wouldn’t expect anything.”
Dawnita’s friends and family continued to do everything they could to keep Dawnita’s name in the public eye. Although they had little hope that they would ever see her alive again, they wanted to be able to give Dawnita a proper burial and see that the person or persons responsible for her presumed murder were brought to justice. They have vowed to continue their fight until they get answers.
Dawnita Leauta Wilkerson was 44 years old when she went missing from Evansville, Indiana in June 2020. Detectives know who Dawnita was last seen with, but they haven’t released his name to the public and he has been uncooperative with the investigation. Dawnita’s family members believe that she was killed but are determined to find her body and see that those responsible pay for their actions. Dawnita has brown eyes and black hair, and at the time of her disappearance, she was 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue denim shorts, a red St. Louis T-shirt, black socks with white polka dots, and white sandals. She was last seen in a silver 2004 Chevrolet Suburban which is also missing. If you have any information about Dawnita or the whereabouts of the Suburban, please contact the Evansville Police Department at 812–436–7979 or the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office at 317–595–4000. There is a reward being offered in this case.
