Missing
Dawn Marlene Allen
Allen, approximately 2011; Allen's purse; Allen's ring; James Snovelle
Date and time person was reported missing : 05/04/2011
Missing location (approx) :
Carroll, Iowa
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 02/08/1961 (60)
Age at the time of disappearance: 50 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2, 140 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A multicolored shirt, bright blue sweatpants or knit pants, a silver Fossil watch with a black face and a diamond at the 12, a white gold ring with a 3-carat diamond solitaire, and possibly brown sandals with black straps. Carrying a bright orange purse containing a Samsung Acclaim cellular phone and car keys with a key fob. Photos of a similar ring and purse are posted with this case summary.
Medical conditions : Allen takes medication to control her blood pressure.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Allen's hair naturally brown, but it was dyed blonde at the time of her disappearance and cut in a short, spiky style. Her ears are double-pierced and her navel is pierced. She has a tattoo of a charm bEthnicity : let wrapped around her right ankle, a tattoo of a Tinkerbell cartoon character on her right shoulder blade, and another tattoo at the front of her waistline. Allen may use the last name Taylor.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Allen was last seen near her home in Carroll, Iowa at 8:30 p.m. on May 4, 2011. She didn't show up for work at the Carroll Subway the next day. She had worked there for 21 years and had never been late or missed work before. Because of this, her boss reported her disappearance to police immediately. She has never been heard from again.
The morning after Allen's disappearance, her white 2001 Chevrolet Blazer was found locked and abandoned in the parking lot of the Piranha Club in the 1200 block of Plaza Drive. It hadn't been there when the club closed at 10:30 p.m. the previous day. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, or at her home. Cellular phone records indicate her phone was used for the last time at 3:30 a.m. on May 5, then turned off a few hours later.
Allen was in the process of an amicable divorce and was dating a 54-year-old married man, James Snovelle, at the time of her disappearance. They had met several months before, and he claimed he was separated from his wife, which was untrue. A photo of Snovelle is posted with this case summary. Authorities thought he might know her whereabouts and sought him for questioning.
On May 9, when the police approached him in Coffey County, Kansas, he took his own life by shooting himself. He had no known history of violence, but about a month before he died he indicated to his brother that something bad was going to happen. Investigators believe he was involved in her case, but they don't think he took her to Kansas. She may be somewhere between Coffey County and Carroll.
Allen's adult son died suddenly in September 2010, eight months before her disappearance. She has one surviving son and four grandchildren. Authorities stated she has no history of mental illness and wasn't having any problems in her life that would have led her to walk away. Foul play is suspected in her case, which remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Carroll Police Department
712-792-3536
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Iowa Missing Persons Information Clearinghouse
Iowa Cold Cases
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
