The Dina Shoemake case is a Houston County, Texas cold case in which 32-year-old Dina Michele Shoemake disappeared on January 10, 2000, after visiting her ex-husband Curtis Allen Shoemake’s home in Latexo. Curtis was indicted for first-degree murder in May 2018, more than 18 years later. He remains free on bond, Dina’s body has never been recovered, and trial is scheduled to begin on January 19, 2027.1AOL News. Trial Scheduled in East Texas Cold Case
What Happened on January 10, 2000
Dina drove to Curtis’s Latexo home that day to see the couple’s two children. Before she arrived, Curtis had already dropped the children off at a neighbor’s house and told the neighbor he would come back for them later. Curtis told investigators that Dina left his property with an unknown person in a dark green 1990s Chevrolet extended-cab pickup.2Charley Project. Dina Michele Shoemake
She never came home. On January 13, her live-in boyfriend filed a missing persons report. When deputies went to Curtis’s house, Dina’s car was still parked there. Sheriff Darrel Bobbitt later said that detail stood out from the start: “From a law enforcement standpoint, and just a person, that seemed to be an alarm to us that a mother would leave and not check on her children, would not try to inquire about those children at some time or come back to see them.”3KTRE. Houston County Crime Stoppers Offering Reward on Missing Persons Case
Why Investigators Focused on Curtis Shoemake
Curtis was the primary suspect from the beginning. Investigators searching his house noticed a strong odor of bleach, though a black-light test for blood spatter came back negative. Shortly after Dina vanished, Curtis pawned several pieces of her jewelry at a local pawnshop, including items she wore every day and pieces she had borrowed from other people. Before her disappearance, Dina had called 911 more than once about Curtis’s behavior and had told people she was afraid of him.2Charley Project. Dina Michele Shoemake
Why the Arrest Took 18 Years
Building a prosecutable case without a body is difficult, and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office spent years working the file. Officials described thousands of man-hours on the case and estimated that between 50 and 60 witnesses were re-interviewed over that stretch.4KTRE. Arrest Made in 18-Year-Old Houston County Cold Case Murder Sheriff Bobbitt, who took office roughly a year after Dina disappeared, kept the investigation active throughout his tenure.5Messenger-News. Arrest Made in 18-Year-Old Cold Case
The case eventually drew in Kelly Siegler, a former Houston prosecutor who works on the television series Cold Justice, after Dina’s daughter reached out to the show. Siegler began working with the sheriff’s office, and a department official said at the time of the arrest that an episode covering the case was expected to air later that year.4KTRE. Arrest Made in 18-Year-Old Houston County Cold Case Murder
The 2018 Indictment and Arrest
On May 15, 2018, a Houston County grand jury indicted Curtis Allen Shoemake, then 60, on a charge of first-degree murder. The indictment alleged that he “intentionally or knowingly caused the death of an individual, Dina Shoemake, by an unknown manner and means.” Deputies arrested him the next day on a warrant from the 349th Judicial District Court. Judge Pam Fletcher set bond at $100,000. Curtis posted it and was released.4KTRE. Arrest Made in 18-Year-Old Houston County Cold Case Murder
Prosecuting a Murder Without a Body
The case falls into a category known as “no-body” homicide prosecutions. To convict, prosecutors have to prove both that the victim is dead and that the defendant is responsible, without producing physical remains. The underlying legal concept is corpus delicti, which requires proof that a crime actually occurred.6KBTX. How Prosecutors Won Rare No-Body Homicide Case Following 2019 Disappearance
Against Curtis, the state’s evidence is circumstantial: Dina’s car left at his house, his account that she departed with an unknown driver, the bleach smell during the search, the jewelry pawned soon after she vanished, her 911 calls about him, and the statements of dozens of witnesses gathered over nearly two decades. The indictment itself does not commit to how she was killed, alleging only that Curtis caused her death “by an unknown manner and means.”4KTRE. Arrest Made in 18-Year-Old Houston County Cold Case Murder
The False Tip and the Long Wait for Trial
In late January 2019, the sheriff’s office received an anonymous letter claiming to identify where Dina’s remains were located.7KTRE. Houston County Sheriff Asking for Help After Receiving Tip in Cold Case Bobbitt publicly asked the writer to come forward.8Messenger-News. HCSO Asks for Help in Shoemake Case A search based on the letter came up empty, and the tip was ultimately deemed false.1AOL News. Trial Scheduled in East Texas Cold Case
By 2024, Dina’s daughter, Kimberly Sanders, was publicly frustrated by the long gap between the indictment and any real movement toward trial. According to a May 2026 report, a pretrial hearing is set for September 21, 2026, and the murder trial is scheduled to begin on January 19, 2027, exactly 27 years after Dina was last seen. Curtis Shoemake remains free on bail, and Dina’s body has not been found.1AOL News. Trial Scheduled in East Texas Cold Case
Sanders has said her hope for the trial goes beyond a verdict. “I’m hoping that he gets convicted of murder and finally decides to tell me where my mother’s remains are, because that’s our biggest goal: to bring her home where she belongs,” she said.1AOL News. Trial Scheduled in East Texas Cold Case