Dean Runkle is a former Ohio science teacher who has been publicly identified as the leading person of interest in the 1989 abduction and murder of ten-year-old Amy Mihaljevic of Bay Village, Ohio. He has never been arrested or charged, and he has repeatedly denied any involvement. Investigators continue to work the case more than three decades after Amy’s death, and recent DNA testing may eventually confirm or exclude him.
Who Dean Runkle Is
Runkle was born in New London, Ohio, and grew up on a farm a few miles from the rural Ashland County field where Amy’s body was found in February 1990. He studied education with a focus on biology at Bowling Green State University and began teaching seventh-grade science in 1967 at Sailorway Middle School in Vermilion, Ohio.1Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
He resigned from a teaching position in 1987, citing “health reasons,” and moved back in with his parents in New London, where he worked at a pet store. In the fall of 1989, around the time of Amy’s abduction, he was hired at Nord Junior High in Amherst, Ohio. He resigned abruptly in 2003 without giving a reason, turning down a sabbatical that would have carried him to retirement and failing to complete the paperwork to collect his pension. That departure coincided with investigators questioning his relatives and co-workers about the Mihaljevic case.2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
Why Investigators Focused on Him
No single fact put Runkle at the top of the FBI’s list of 25 suspects.3James Renner. Why I Can’t Be an Atheist The case against him is a stack of circumstantial links.
Familiarity With the Dump Site
Amy’s body was found in a farm field off County Road 1181 in Ruggles Township, Ashland County, near New London, Ohio. Runkle grew up a couple of miles from that field. Investigators have noted that the remote location suggests someone who knew the area.1Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
The Nature Center Theory
A central theory holds that the killer used a visitor logbook at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village to collect names and phone numbers of young girls. Amy had visited the center. In 2005, a retired FBI agent contacted other girls from North Olmsted who had received suspicious phone calls similar to those Amy received before her abduction, asking whether they remembered signing the logbook at the front entrance.1Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
Runkle volunteered at nature centers, and his former employer at the New London pet store said Runkle “probably” supplied mice to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. A witness reported that a man matching his description tried to lure her into a gold-colored car near the center about ten months before Amy’s abduction, during a period when she had signed the logbook. Runkle told a reporter he would not be surprised if he appeared in a photo at the center, but claimed he did not remember being there.2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
The Gold Car and Fiber Evidence
The Ashland County coroner’s file noted gold-colored fibers on Amy’s clothing. During the period of the murder, Runkle owned a gold-colored Pontiac Grand Prix.2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest The available record does not indicate that forensic testing has ever definitively matched those fibers to his specific vehicle.
Resemblance to the Composite Sketch
A former student noted similarities between Runkle and the police composite of Amy’s abductor. Journalist James Renner, who confronted Runkle in person in 2008, wrote that Runkle looked “more like the sketch than anyone I have seen before.”2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest One witness to the abduction identified a photo of Runkle as “close” to the man she saw. Others have disputed the resemblance, pointing out that witnesses described the abductor as having dark hair while Runkle was blond.
Allegations From Former Students
Multiple former students alleged inappropriate conduct during Runkle’s teaching career. They described him as “touchy,” said he stood uncomfortably close, and reported sexual comments about girls’ bodies and clothing. One former student said Runkle sent him letters that turned sexual in nature. Another alleged that Runkle expressed a desire to have fathered a student’s child.1Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest On separate occasions, Runkle was reportedly found alone with students in his gold Grand Prix by a school principal and by a police officer who let him go with a warning. In 1995, a school superintendent questioned female students about his behavior in an unrecorded inquiry, but no formal action followed.2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
What Runkle Has Said
Runkle has consistently denied killing Amy. When Renner confronted him in Key West in 2008, where he was managing a restaurant, Runkle said, “I didn’t leave Ohio because of Amy. I left for health reasons.” He added, “I have nothing to confess to.”2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
He said he cooperated with the FBI, answered questions, and took a polygraph. He pointed to the absence of charges as evidence of his innocence: “They haven’t done anything to me.” He questioned when he would have had the opportunity, asserting he was at school during the abduction. Asked about the student he had exchanged letters with, he acknowledged they were “very close” but maintained, “It was never inappropriate.” Pressed on the allegations from former students, he asked reporters, “What history do I have of inappropriate behavior with kids?”2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
One former student said she confronted Runkle directly, telling him, “I know you’re the one who killed Amy.” According to her account, he said nothing and walked past her.1Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest
The Journalist Who Named Him Publicly
Investigative journalist James Renner brought Runkle’s status as a suspect into public view. Renner published a long investigative piece in Cleveland Scene identifying Runkle as the person of interest who most closely fit the known facts, later wrote a book about the case, and maintains a blog dedicated to it.2Cleveland Scene. Person of Interest Renner has written that Runkle appeared at the top of the FBI’s list of 25 suspects and cited a witness who identified him out of a lineup of 30 people.3James Renner. Why I Can’t Be an Atheist Renner’s reporting has drawn both praise from those frustrated that Runkle remains free and criticism from those who question the strength of the circumstantial evidence, including the hair color mismatch.
Where the Case Stands
The Mihaljevic case remains an active investigation led by the Bay Village Police Department and the FBI, with a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.4FBI. Amy Renee Mihaljevic
Recent work has focused on DNA. In August 2024, scientists at DNA Labs International in Deerfield Beach, Florida, identified male DNA on Amy’s sweatpants that had not previously been detected. The sample was too small to produce a usable profile, but investigators were waiting on more sensitive technology expected by the end of 2025.5News 5 Cleveland. An Exclusive Look Inside DNA Lab Testing Evidence in Amy Mihaljevic Case Investigators also found hairs on Amy’s clothing that do not match Amy or her family; a private lab in California has been working to extract a genetic profile from them for investigative genealogy. Hairs collected from a blanket and curtain about 300 yards from Amy’s body are being examined at an FBI lab and are scheduled to go to the same California lab.6News 5 Cleveland. One of Northeast Ohio’s Most High-Profile Cold Cases Could Be Solved With DNA Advancements
Investigators have collected DNA samples from roughly 250 individuals connected to the case. Bay Village Detective Sergeant Edward Chapman has cautioned that cross-contamination is possible given how many people have handled the evidence over more than three decades.6News 5 Cleveland. One of Northeast Ohio’s Most High-Profile Cold Cases Could Be Solved With DNA Advancements Runkle has never been charged with any crime in connection with the case, according to available records. Whether the ongoing DNA analysis ultimately includes or excludes him is not yet known.