Mary
February 4th, 2008, 12:12 pm
http://www.charleyproject.org/images/d/derewitz_amy.jpg http://www.charleyproject.org/images/d/derewitz_amy3.jpg http://www.charleyproject.org/images/d/derewitz_amy4.jpg
Above Images: Derewitz, circa 2001
Vital Statistics at Time of DisappearanceMissing Since: June 3, 2001 from Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 20, 1978
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 5'4, 103 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Dark blonde hair, brown eyes. Derewitz's ears and navel are pierced.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gray shirt, reddish-colored boxer shorts and house slippers.
Details of DisappearanceDerewitz ended her relationship with her fiance, David Anthony Kniga, in May 2001. A photograph of Kniga is posted below this case summary. Derewitz moved out of the home they shared in Dearborn Heights, Michigan at that time. She arrived at her Kniga's residence in the 3900 block of Detroit Street near Colgate Street to exchange mail on June 3, 2001.
Kniga's new girlfriend was also visiting the house and told authorities that Derewitz and Kniga had an argument. Derewitz apparently left the residence, then returned shortly thereafter. She had a confrontation with his new girlfriend at that time. The girlfriend stated that Kniga grabbed Derewitz and went into the basement with her. He came upstairs and told his new girlfriend to leave shortly afterwards. The girlfriend told authorities that she saw Derewitz lying on the basement floor as she departed the residence. Derewitz was gasping for breath and appeared to be severely injured. The girlfriend did not summon authorities or call for medical assistance as she left the house. Derewitz has never been heard from again.
Derewitz's teal green 1994 or 1995 Ford Escort was discovered abandoned in the parking lot of Ten Eyck Park on June 7, 2001, four days after her disappearance. It had apparently been parked there on June 5 or 6. Ten Eyck Park is two blocks away from Derewitz's mother's home. There were no readable fingerprints inside the vehicle. Derewitz's personal belongings, including her purse and identification, were not recovered.
The new girlfriend has cooperated with authorities and has taken a polygraph exam regarding Derewitz's case. Kniga was scheduled to take a lie detector test, but he hired an attorney instead. He has maintained his innocence in Derewitz's disappearance and claimed that his new girlfriend and Derewitz were at his home on June 3, but they arrived at different times.
In June 2003, over two years after Derewitz vanished, authorities charged Kniga with second-degree murder in her case. Her body has never been found but prosecutors believed they had a strong case anyway. At the time of his arrest Kniga was still living in the home he used to share with Derewitz. He originally pleaded not guilty to the charge, but in October 2003 changed his plea to guilty of manslaughter.
Kniga could have been sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the original charge. Instead was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison. Investigators are intensifying the search for Derewitz's body. Kniga says he put it in a Dumpster near the former Veterans Administration Hospital in Allen Park, Michigan.
Derewitz's family describes her as an extremely dependable person who would not have left without warning. There has not been any activity on her bank accounts or her credit cards since she disappeared. She was employed at Oakwood Commons in Dearborn as a receptionist and server, a job she held since high school. Derewitz was also enrolled at Henry Ford Community College in 2001. Her loved ones stated that she planned to change her studies from health-related fields to business-oriented classes. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved.
http://www.charleyproject.org/images/d/derewitz_suspect.jpg
Above: Kniga
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Dearborn Heights Police Department
313-277-7468
OR
313-277-6770
Source Information
The National Center for Missing Adults (http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/)
Rino Kids Online (http://www.rinokids.net/)
The Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/)
Amy's Missing (http://hometown.aol.com/cheryllderewitz/AmyMissingindex.html)
Child Protection Education Of America (http://www.find-missing-children.org/)
Click on Detroit (http://www.clickondetroit.com/)
The Dearborn Press and Guide (http://www.pressandguide.com/)
Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004.
Last updated March 10, 2005.
Charley Project Home (http://www.charleyproject.org/index.html)
Above Images: Derewitz, circa 2001
Vital Statistics at Time of DisappearanceMissing Since: June 3, 2001 from Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 20, 1978
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 5'4, 103 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Dark blonde hair, brown eyes. Derewitz's ears and navel are pierced.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gray shirt, reddish-colored boxer shorts and house slippers.
Details of DisappearanceDerewitz ended her relationship with her fiance, David Anthony Kniga, in May 2001. A photograph of Kniga is posted below this case summary. Derewitz moved out of the home they shared in Dearborn Heights, Michigan at that time. She arrived at her Kniga's residence in the 3900 block of Detroit Street near Colgate Street to exchange mail on June 3, 2001.
Kniga's new girlfriend was also visiting the house and told authorities that Derewitz and Kniga had an argument. Derewitz apparently left the residence, then returned shortly thereafter. She had a confrontation with his new girlfriend at that time. The girlfriend stated that Kniga grabbed Derewitz and went into the basement with her. He came upstairs and told his new girlfriend to leave shortly afterwards. The girlfriend told authorities that she saw Derewitz lying on the basement floor as she departed the residence. Derewitz was gasping for breath and appeared to be severely injured. The girlfriend did not summon authorities or call for medical assistance as she left the house. Derewitz has never been heard from again.
Derewitz's teal green 1994 or 1995 Ford Escort was discovered abandoned in the parking lot of Ten Eyck Park on June 7, 2001, four days after her disappearance. It had apparently been parked there on June 5 or 6. Ten Eyck Park is two blocks away from Derewitz's mother's home. There were no readable fingerprints inside the vehicle. Derewitz's personal belongings, including her purse and identification, were not recovered.
The new girlfriend has cooperated with authorities and has taken a polygraph exam regarding Derewitz's case. Kniga was scheduled to take a lie detector test, but he hired an attorney instead. He has maintained his innocence in Derewitz's disappearance and claimed that his new girlfriend and Derewitz were at his home on June 3, but they arrived at different times.
In June 2003, over two years after Derewitz vanished, authorities charged Kniga with second-degree murder in her case. Her body has never been found but prosecutors believed they had a strong case anyway. At the time of his arrest Kniga was still living in the home he used to share with Derewitz. He originally pleaded not guilty to the charge, but in October 2003 changed his plea to guilty of manslaughter.
Kniga could have been sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the original charge. Instead was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison. Investigators are intensifying the search for Derewitz's body. Kniga says he put it in a Dumpster near the former Veterans Administration Hospital in Allen Park, Michigan.
Derewitz's family describes her as an extremely dependable person who would not have left without warning. There has not been any activity on her bank accounts or her credit cards since she disappeared. She was employed at Oakwood Commons in Dearborn as a receptionist and server, a job she held since high school. Derewitz was also enrolled at Henry Ford Community College in 2001. Her loved ones stated that she planned to change her studies from health-related fields to business-oriented classes. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved.
http://www.charleyproject.org/images/d/derewitz_suspect.jpg
Above: Kniga
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Dearborn Heights Police Department
313-277-7468
OR
313-277-6770
Source Information
The National Center for Missing Adults (http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/)
Rino Kids Online (http://www.rinokids.net/)
The Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/)
Amy's Missing (http://hometown.aol.com/cheryllderewitz/AmyMissingindex.html)
Child Protection Education Of America (http://www.find-missing-children.org/)
Click on Detroit (http://www.clickondetroit.com/)
The Dearborn Press and Guide (http://www.pressandguide.com/)
Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004.
Last updated March 10, 2005.
Charley Project Home (http://www.charleyproject.org/index.html)