Tucson Cold Case: U of A student vanished from dorm in 1988

The reoccurring beep of University of Arizona sophomore Dianne Abbuhl’s alarm clock was the first indication that something was wrong. Abbuhl’s roommate, startled by the uncommon occurrence of the alarm’s constant blares early on Sept. 8, 1988, went to make sure her friend was okay.

The pretty, blonde accounting major was nowhere to be found, according to police reports. Her dorm room was empty and she had left behind her purse, identification, checkbook, keys and other personal items.

Abbuhl’s roommate called authorities who began their search for the 24-year-old. That search ended on Oct. 13, 1988, when hunters stumbled upon human remains in the desert near North Sandario and West Picture Rocks roads in Avra Valley. The trek from her dorm to this location would have been impossible for Abbuhl to make, her mother, Dorothy, told The Arizona Daily Star when the case was last reviewed in 2005.

“She disappeared from her dorm room. Her body was found 25 miles away in the desert. She didn’t have any transportation, so she certainly didn’t get there on her own,” her mother said. “In the back of my mind, I’ve always felt somewhere along the way we’ll find out what happened.”

And that’s a mystery Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) investigators are also trying to solve, but as time passes, their chances of solving cold cases begins to wane, they said.

“Of course people pass away, people move,” police said. “… We just want the public to know we’re not going to forget our victims in these (cold) cases.“

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Detectives want to speak with anyone who knew Abbuhl, or had any dealings with her prior to her disappearance.

She was last seen by a neighbor at 1:30 a.m. on the day she disappeared, police said.

The young woman lived the life of a typical college student, enjoying nightlife, studying and working her way through university as a waitress. Police said she had the opportunity to engage with many people, any of which could have been a suspect in her disappearance. Those who were in the Tucson area in the late 80s who knew Abbuhl have been asked to contact police with any and all information they might have about the cold case.

“Any small thing that may seem insignificant to one person could be very significant to us,” police said.

Because of advances in forensic technology and research genealogy since the case was last reviewed in 2005, another look through the file might lead to Abbuhl’s killer, investigators said.

“You don’t get over it, but you learn to live with it and go on,” Abbuhl’s mother told The Daily Star in 2010. “What are your options, you either go crazy, or you work at maintaining and getting as much out of life as you can.”