Kriti Mehrotra
Ever since its premiere in the summer of 2022, NBC’s ‘Dateline: Missing In America’ has been living up to its title in every way imaginable by exploring one disappearance case after another. Thus, of course, its season 2 episode 6 ‘MISSING: Lydia “Dia” Abrams’ delving deep into the 2020 vanishing of the titular Californian woman from inside her residence is absolutely no different. So now, if you simply wish to learn more about the same — with a focus on the events to have transpired, its ensuing inquiries, as well as its overall aftermath — we’ve got the details for you.
What Happened to Dia Abrams?
If there’s one word that was always used to describe Dia Abrams before everything turned upside down on June 6, 2020, it was resilient owing to how she never wavered from her responsibilities. After all, the mother of two unwaveringly operated the family’s sprawling 116-acre ranch outside of Idyllwild, California, following her husband’s death in 2018, all the while caring for their kids too. In fact, the former real estate agent thrived in this environment as it involved her favorite things; nature and animals, including her beloved dog Ruby, miniature donkeys, as well as a tiny pony.
As per the account of her son, Clinton Abrams, Dia was actually a “kind, sweet, caring person… [with] a lot of heart,” but it was the fact she loved hiking at beautiful places that often caught the attention of many. Therefore, it was no surprise when the ranch’s manager/her partner Keith Harper proposed during one such hike at a spot called “The Butterfly” in June 2019, unaware of how the next year would pan out. That’s because Saturday, June 6, 2020, was the last time anyone ever saw or heard from the 65-year-old despite the fact there were no signs of her being in trouble, unhappy, or burnt out.
According to Keith, the day started as any other for the couple, and he even had lunch with Dia at 2:30 pm before going his own way to complete some necessary chores across the massive property. However, by the time he returned at 7:30 with plans to discuss their trip to Colorado the next day, Dia was nowhere to be found — yet her car, phone, purse, and other personal items were all still there. Hence, of course, when he couldn’t find a single trace of her by the late evening of Sunday, June 7, 2020, he frantically filed a missing person’s report with the local Riverside Sheriff’s Office.
Has Dia Abrams Been Found? Is She Dead or Alive?
Unfortunately, neither has Dia been found and nor have there been any concrete investigative updates regarding her health — though it is the Homicide Unit that’s looking into her case. It thus appears as if the authorities believe she’s endangered or dead, something her adult kids think to be true too since the mother they know would’ve never left their farm in such a way. “[She] wouldn’t leave the property when there was a large fire surrounding three sides of her land,” Clinton said in the podcast. “She refused to leave because she felt that if she left, the fire department would let the structure’s burn.”
As per records, Dia was last seen on a neighbor’s doorbell camera delivering cinnamon rolls to them on the morning of the fateful day, nearly five and a half hours before Keith said she went missing. The 74-year-old, who continues to reside on the ranch and would be granted 50% of her estate when/if she’s declared dead, has since also asserted he’d received an ominous text from her at 4:30 pm. “She says to me, Harper, you cannot save me from all things. You believe you can, you cannot,” he told the podcast prior to adding she’d even implied there was “something” she needed to discuss.
Yet, despite all of Keith’s vehement claims, others close to Dia question not only his narrative of June 6 but also if he’d ever proposed because she ostensibly never once spoke of marrying him. The fact he’d left the ranch and the search for Dia to make an out-of-state meeting less than 48 hours after her disappearance didn’t sit right with many either, and then there’s his criminal past. According to documents, he’s a registered sex offender in Colorado, where he was convicted of two counts stemming from an incident involving him reaching around a woman on a snowmobile to gain its control.
Moreover, in 2002, Keith had also pleaded guilty to a third-degree assault charge in connection to allegations made by his second wife, only for it to later be dropped due to a lack of evidence. Hence, it’s imperative to note that even Dia’s son has made some seeming assertions against his mother’s partner, starting with his observation that one of her bedroom doors looked to have been smashed when he arrived at the ranch following her vanishing. Then there was a clear handwritten note he found inside, indicating she may have been fearful for her life owing to none other than Keith.
As per ‘Dateline: Missing In America,’ the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office had discovered two shell casings on the front porch, along with drops of blood on a sheet in the bedroom during their initial investigations. So, with the conflicting statements made by Keith as well as the concerns of Dia’s loved ones, they have since named him “a person of interest,” only for him to argue Clinton was likely involved. The reason — money, as it was Clinton and his sister who’d gained control of a family trust following their father’s death, just for Dia to have filed a lawsuit on the grounds the promised bills weren’t getting paid.
Though Clinton insists the bills were up to date, plus he stood to gain nothing from his mother’s disappearance, so why would he even think of threatening or harming Dia. We should also mention that the police have since served search warrants on the ranch, shortly following which Keith was removed as the estate’s co-trustee. Nevertheless, today, despite the three years to have gone by, Dia’s case remains open — she was 5’6,” 135 pounds, and had blue eyes with blond hair. There’s still a $300,000 reward from her family for any information that leads to her whereabouts, so if you know anything, please do not hesitate to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951-791-3400.
Read More: Jennifer Pandos: Found or Missing? Is She Dead or Alive?
