August 15, 2025 • 14 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: On January 24, 2018, 19-year-old LeShay Dungey stepped off a Columbus, Ohio city bus—just blocks from a friend’s front door. She sent one final text: “I’m walking from the bus. Unlock the door.” However, she never arrived and no one has heard or seen from her since. There have been no witnesses, no evidence, and no breaks in her case. For over seven years, her family has been searching for answers to one haunting question: What happened to LeShay in those few short minutes? Anyone with information about this case should contact the Columbus Police Department at 614-645-4545.
This is the story of LeShay Dungey.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that happened back in January twenty eighteen.
A nineteen year old woman sent a simple text message
(00:21):
to a friend opened the door. She was just steps
away from his apartment, having walked from the bus stop
on a familiar route.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
But she never knocked on that door.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
She never made it inside, and that text message would
be the last time anyone would ever hear from her.
What should have been just a typical walk through a
Columbus neighborhood became the beginning of a mystery that has
devastated a family for over six years. This is this
(00:59):
story of Leche Dungee. Lechee Monea Nicole Dungee was just
nineteen years old when she vanished in January twenty eighteen.
Known simply as Shay, she was born into a loving
family who described her as free spirited, independent, and full
(01:24):
of drive. She was the kind of young woman who
wanted more for herself, someone actively searching for jobs, trying
to build her future. Living in Columbus, Ohio. Lache's life
was really just beginning. She had recently graduated from Southwestern
City School District and was working at a hotel in
(01:47):
Dublin at the time of her disappearance. She is described
as having black hair, brown eyes, and a warm presence
that stuck with the people who knew her. Her father,
Duayne Dungee, remembers her as the kind of daughter who
always kept in touch, a constant in their lives, never
(02:09):
won to simply disappear without a word. After her disappearance,
he made a heartbreaking public plea, Shay, we need you,
we love you, we miss you. I don't care what
you're going through, Just come back haul anything. She was
(02:33):
someone deeply loved and missed, someone who had her whole
life ahead of her, and whatever happened on that cold
January night, it changed everything. January twenty fourth, twenty eighteen,
(02:58):
started as a productive day for the shy. She spent
the morning and afternoon in Columbus filling out job applications.
Her day included a stop at her job on Franz
Road in Dublin, Ohio. By all accounts, it was a
normal Wednesday for any young person navigating early adulthood, but
(03:20):
as evening approached, she made plans that would take her
across town. She wanted to visit a male friend who
lived near the intersection of Summit Street and East Eighteenth
Avenue in Columbus.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It was a trip she had.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Made before, a route she knew, which should have been
a simple visit to a friend, would instead become the
last journey with Shay Dungee, whatever tape. As the evening
drew closer, Laha made her way to the CODA bus system,
(03:58):
the Central Ohio transit authority that connects the city's neighborhoods.
She boarded the number two bus, settling in for the
ride that would take her to her friend's neighborhood. The
bus route was familiar to her, the destination was somewhere
she had been before. Everything about this trip seemed routine, ordinary,
(04:23):
and safe. As the bus made its way through the streets,
Lache had no way of knowing that she was traveling
toward a fate that would ultimately leave her family searching for.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Answers for years to come.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
At eight twenty five pm on January twenty fourth, the
bus pulled to a stop near Summitch Street in eighteenth Avenue,
Lche stepped off. She was just blocks away from her
friend's apartment at nineteen forty two Summitch Street. As she
began walking, Lache pulled out her phone. At exactly eight
(05:05):
twenty five pm, she sent a text message to her friend.
The message was simple, short, and would soon lead to
this devastating mystery. On walking from the bus, unlocked the door,
she said. Lachae's friend received the text message and he
(05:27):
waited for her arrival. A few minutes passed, then twenty
minutes passed. Lachay's friend waited, expecting to hear her footsteps,
her knock, her voice calling out or something, but it
was nothing but silence. It became clear that something had
(05:49):
gone terribly wrong Somewhere in those few blocks. Somewhere in
those few minutes, Lache Dungee had vanished. The last anyone
would ever hear from her was that last text message
sent on walking from the bus, unlocked the door. According
(06:12):
to a twenty eighteen Columbus police report, the address Lache
was walking to that night belonged to a thirty year
old man. However, it remains unknown whether this was the
friend she was intended to meet. Authorities have since cleared
this individual as a suspect in the case. A few
(06:33):
days after Lacha went missing, loved ones realized that no
one had had any type of contact with Liche. Her
aunt reported her missing to the Dublin Police Department that January.
According to them, they forwarded the information to the Columbus
Division of Police.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
However, they tell a different story.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
According to the Columbus Police, they never received anything and
the case wasn't even on their radar until Lachey's aunt
gave them a call in June of that year. The
investigation into Lache Dungee's disappearance faced immediate challenges.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Authorities had very little to go off of.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Unlike cases where someone goes missing from their home or car,
Lache had vanished from a public street. There was no
crime scene to process, no abandoned vehicle to examine, no
clear starting point for physical evidence. What investigators did have
(07:45):
was a very specific timeline. They knew exactly when Lache
had gotten off the bus eight twenty five pm, They
knew exactly when she had sent her last text message
also em and they knew exactly where she was supposed
to be going. Nineteen forty two Summit Street. The questions
(08:11):
that haunted everyone involved were pretty straightforward. What happened in
those few blocks and what happened within those few minutes.
Columbus police began canvassing the neighborhood, looking for witnesses, security cameras,
anything that might provide a clue about Lache's whereabouts. As
(08:37):
the investigation continued, Lacha's family refused.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
To give up hope.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Her father, Dwayne, became a passionate advocate for finding his daughter,
speaking out in an effort to make sure her name
would not be forgotten. The family distributed flyers, organized searches,
and kept Lache's story in the public eye. They knew
that somewhere someone had to know something about what happened
(09:07):
to their loved one. By October twenty nineteen, nearly two
years after Lahay's disappearance, the Columbus Police Department made a
renewed push for information. They held press conferences, asking the
public for tips and reminding everyone that the case was
(09:28):
still active. The police and Lachay's family made urgent pleas
for information. They emphasized that even the smallest detail, something
that might seem insignificant, could be the key to solving
the case, investigators reminded the public that someone somewhere had
(09:50):
to know something. In a busy neighborhood on a winter evening,
a nineteen year old woman doesn't just vanish into thin air.
The press conferences generated some tips, but none led to
the breakthrough that everyone was hoping for. Lache remained missing
(10:11):
and her family remained without answers. The area where Lache disappeared,
near Summit Street and East Eighteenth Avenue in Columbus, is
not in isolated or remote location. It's a neighborhood with
houses apartments in regular foot traffic. The bus stop is
(10:35):
on a main route, and the walk to her friend's
apartment would have taken her through areas where other people
lived and worked. This makes her disappearance even more puzzling.
In a populated area, how does someone just vanish without
anyone seeing or hearing anything unusual. The possibility seem limited,
(10:59):
but all very troubling. Either Lache encountered someone she knew,
someone who convinced her to go somewhere else, or she
became the victim of a crime that happened quick and quietly.
That's what Lache's family believed happened on that night. Her stepmother,
(11:21):
Mia Johnson, thinks she was abducted. Columbus Police Detective Jason
Brammer described lache as being open to anyone and could
have been lured into a situation she was not prepared for.
Unlike cases where there are signs of struggle, abandoned belongings,
(11:42):
or witnesses to suspicious activity, Lachae's disappearance left behind no
physical trace. Her phone went silent after that eight twenty
five pm text. There were no subsequent calls, no additional messages,
no digital footprint that could help investigators track her movements.
(12:05):
The lack of evidence has made the case very challenging
for them. Without any evidence, witnesses, additional communication, they've had
to rely heavily on the hope that someone will come forward.
But seven years have passed and no concrete leads have
pointed to where lache might be. Today, Lachee Dungee would
(12:30):
be twenty five years old. Her family continues to search
for answers, continues to hope for closure, continues to believe
that someone out there who knows what happened will come forward.
The case remains open with the Columbus Police Department. According
(12:51):
to investigators, they continue to follow up on any tips
or leads that come in. For Lyche's father and the
rest of her family, the search for Answers is not
just about solving a case. It's about bringing their loved
one home. Did lache encounter someone she knew? Was she
(13:11):
the victim of a random crime. Did someone approach her
on the street or perhaps offered her a ride. The
answers to these questions are all out there somewhere. For
the Dungee family, every day without answers is just another
day of uncertainty, another day of wondering, another day of
(13:38):
hoping that today might be the day they finally learn
what happened. My thoughts and prayers are with the family
and friends of Lachee Dungee. Anyone with information about her
disappearance should contact the Columbus Police Department. You can find
their contact information in the description box below. As we
(14:01):
close out this episode, don't forget to click the follow
button to stay updated on Lache's case and others like it.
Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube
and follow us on Instagram and TikTok from our true
crime content and case updates. If you're watching us on YouTube.
Drop your thoughts on the case in the comments below.
(14:24):
We'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much
for joining us on another episode.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Until next time.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that happened back in January twenty eighteen.
A nineteen year old woman sent a simple text message
(00:21):
to a friend opened the door. She was just steps
away from his apartment, having walked from the bus stop
on a familiar route.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
But she never knocked on that door.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
She never made it inside, and that text message would
be the last time anyone would ever hear from her.
What should have been just a typical walk through a
Columbus neighborhood became the beginning of a mystery that has
devastated a family for over six years. This is this
(00:59):
story of Leche Dungee. Lechee Monea Nicole Dungee was just
nineteen years old when she vanished in January twenty eighteen.
Known simply as Shay, she was born into a loving
family who described her as free spirited, independent, and full
(01:24):
of drive. She was the kind of young woman who
wanted more for herself, someone actively searching for jobs, trying
to build her future. Living in Columbus, Ohio. Lache's life
was really just beginning. She had recently graduated from Southwestern
City School District and was working at a hotel in
(01:47):
Dublin at the time of her disappearance. She is described
as having black hair, brown eyes, and a warm presence
that stuck with the people who knew her. Her father,
Duayne Dungee, remembers her as the kind of daughter who
always kept in touch, a constant in their lives, never
(02:09):
won to simply disappear without a word. After her disappearance,
he made a heartbreaking public plea, Shay, we need you,
we love you, we miss you. I don't care what
you're going through, Just come back haul anything. She was
(02:33):
someone deeply loved and missed, someone who had her whole
life ahead of her, and whatever happened on that cold
January night, it changed everything. January twenty fourth, twenty eighteen,
(02:58):
started as a productive day for the shy. She spent
the morning and afternoon in Columbus filling out job applications.
Her day included a stop at her job on Franz
Road in Dublin, Ohio. By all accounts, it was a
normal Wednesday for any young person navigating early adulthood, but
(03:20):
as evening approached, she made plans that would take her
across town. She wanted to visit a male friend who
lived near the intersection of Summit Street and East Eighteenth
Avenue in Columbus.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It was a trip she had.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Made before, a route she knew, which should have been
a simple visit to a friend, would instead become the
last journey with Shay Dungee, whatever tape. As the evening
drew closer, Laha made her way to the CODA bus system,
(03:58):
the Central Ohio transit authority that connects the city's neighborhoods.
She boarded the number two bus, settling in for the
ride that would take her to her friend's neighborhood. The
bus route was familiar to her, the destination was somewhere
she had been before. Everything about this trip seemed routine, ordinary,
(04:23):
and safe. As the bus made its way through the streets,
Lache had no way of knowing that she was traveling
toward a fate that would ultimately leave her family searching for.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Answers for years to come.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
At eight twenty five pm on January twenty fourth, the
bus pulled to a stop near Summitch Street in eighteenth Avenue,
Lche stepped off. She was just blocks away from her
friend's apartment at nineteen forty two Summitch Street. As she
began walking, Lache pulled out her phone. At exactly eight
(05:05):
twenty five pm, she sent a text message to her friend.
The message was simple, short, and would soon lead to
this devastating mystery. On walking from the bus, unlocked the door,
she said. Lachae's friend received the text message and he
(05:27):
waited for her arrival. A few minutes passed, then twenty
minutes passed. Lachay's friend waited, expecting to hear her footsteps,
her knock, her voice calling out or something, but it
was nothing but silence. It became clear that something had
(05:49):
gone terribly wrong Somewhere in those few blocks. Somewhere in
those few minutes, Lache Dungee had vanished. The last anyone
would ever hear from her was that last text message
sent on walking from the bus, unlocked the door. According
(06:12):
to a twenty eighteen Columbus police report, the address Lache
was walking to that night belonged to a thirty year
old man. However, it remains unknown whether this was the
friend she was intended to meet. Authorities have since cleared
this individual as a suspect in the case. A few
(06:33):
days after Lacha went missing, loved ones realized that no
one had had any type of contact with Liche. Her
aunt reported her missing to the Dublin Police Department that January.
According to them, they forwarded the information to the Columbus
Division of Police.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
However, they tell a different story.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
According to the Columbus Police, they never received anything and
the case wasn't even on their radar until Lachey's aunt
gave them a call in June of that year. The
investigation into Lache Dungee's disappearance faced immediate challenges.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Authorities had very little to go off of.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Unlike cases where someone goes missing from their home or car,
Lache had vanished from a public street. There was no
crime scene to process, no abandoned vehicle to examine, no
clear starting point for physical evidence. What investigators did have
(07:45):
was a very specific timeline. They knew exactly when Lache
had gotten off the bus eight twenty five pm, They
knew exactly when she had sent her last text message
also em and they knew exactly where she was supposed
to be going. Nineteen forty two Summit Street. The questions
(08:11):
that haunted everyone involved were pretty straightforward. What happened in
those few blocks and what happened within those few minutes.
Columbus police began canvassing the neighborhood, looking for witnesses, security cameras,
anything that might provide a clue about Lache's whereabouts. As
(08:37):
the investigation continued, Lacha's family refused.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
To give up hope.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Her father, Dwayne, became a passionate advocate for finding his daughter,
speaking out in an effort to make sure her name
would not be forgotten. The family distributed flyers, organized searches,
and kept Lache's story in the public eye. They knew
that somewhere someone had to know something about what happened
(09:07):
to their loved one. By October twenty nineteen, nearly two
years after Lahay's disappearance, the Columbus Police Department made a
renewed push for information. They held press conferences, asking the
public for tips and reminding everyone that the case was
(09:28):
still active. The police and Lachay's family made urgent pleas
for information. They emphasized that even the smallest detail, something
that might seem insignificant, could be the key to solving
the case, investigators reminded the public that someone somewhere had
(09:50):
to know something. In a busy neighborhood on a winter evening,
a nineteen year old woman doesn't just vanish into thin air.
The press conferences generated some tips, but none led to
the breakthrough that everyone was hoping for. Lache remained missing
(10:11):
and her family remained without answers. The area where Lache disappeared,
near Summit Street and East Eighteenth Avenue in Columbus, is
not in isolated or remote location. It's a neighborhood with
houses apartments in regular foot traffic. The bus stop is
(10:35):
on a main route, and the walk to her friend's
apartment would have taken her through areas where other people
lived and worked. This makes her disappearance even more puzzling.
In a populated area, how does someone just vanish without
anyone seeing or hearing anything unusual. The possibility seem limited,
(10:59):
but all very troubling. Either Lache encountered someone she knew,
someone who convinced her to go somewhere else, or she
became the victim of a crime that happened quick and quietly.
That's what Lache's family believed happened on that night. Her stepmother,
(11:21):
Mia Johnson, thinks she was abducted. Columbus Police Detective Jason
Brammer described lache as being open to anyone and could
have been lured into a situation she was not prepared for.
Unlike cases where there are signs of struggle, abandoned belongings,
(11:42):
or witnesses to suspicious activity, Lachae's disappearance left behind no
physical trace. Her phone went silent after that eight twenty
five pm text. There were no subsequent calls, no additional messages,
no digital footprint that could help investigators track her movements.
(12:05):
The lack of evidence has made the case very challenging
for them. Without any evidence, witnesses, additional communication, they've had
to rely heavily on the hope that someone will come forward.
But seven years have passed and no concrete leads have
pointed to where lache might be. Today, Lachee Dungee would
(12:30):
be twenty five years old. Her family continues to search
for answers, continues to hope for closure, continues to believe
that someone out there who knows what happened will come forward.
The case remains open with the Columbus Police Department. According
(12:51):
to investigators, they continue to follow up on any tips
or leads that come in. For Lyche's father and the
rest of her family, the search for Answers is not
just about solving a case. It's about bringing their loved
one home. Did lache encounter someone she knew? Was she
(13:11):
the victim of a random crime. Did someone approach her
on the street or perhaps offered her a ride. The
answers to these questions are all out there somewhere. For
the Dungee family, every day without answers is just another
day of uncertainty, another day of wondering, another day of
(13:38):
hoping that today might be the day they finally learn
what happened. My thoughts and prayers are with the family
and friends of Lachee Dungee. Anyone with information about her
disappearance should contact the Columbus Police Department. You can find
their contact information in the description box below. As we
(14:01):
close out this episode, don't forget to click the follow
button to stay updated on Lache's case and others like it.
Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube
and follow us on Instagram and TikTok from our true
crime content and case updates. If you're watching us on YouTube.
Drop your thoughts on the case in the comments below.
(14:24):
We'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much
for joining us on another episode.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Until next time.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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