Disappearance of Diane Marie Webb
Diane lived in San Bernardino, California, with her parents and siblings until 1959. Her family relocated to Dolan Springs, Arizona, in March of that year. Diane chose to stay in California with her sixteen-year-old boyfriend, Bennie Milton Webb.
She went to see her family in Arizona at least once and stayed for a week. She informed her parents that she was pregnant and was planning to marry Bennie, who was living in the Phoenix area at the time. Diane’s father was against the relationship and her pregnancy, but her mother and younger brother travelled to Indio, California for her wedding. This was the final time her parents and siblings saw her.
Diane wrote letters home for several months after her marriage. Diane’s final letter to her family was mailed on August 22, 1959, her younger sister’s birthday, and included some crocheted handkerchiefs as a gift.
The letters stopped coming after that. Bennie wrote a letter to Diane’s family in late 1960, more than a year later. Bennie’s letter stated that he believed Diane was with them in Dolan Springs, and Diane’s parents responded by asking what had happened.
On January 5, 1961, Bennie responded, saying he hadn’t seen or heard from Diane in a long time. He had given her $100 and put her on a bus to return to her family the last time he saw her. Diane wrote him a letter after he last saw her, stating that she had miscarried. Bennie suggested Diane’s parents contact a female friend of hers in California; he believed her friend might know where Diane was.
Diane’s father went to Bennie’s hometown of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to see if he could learn anything about her. At the time, Bennie’s brother was the chief of police. He allegedly threatened Diane’s father and forced him to flee the city.
Bennie is still alive, but he has refused to cooperate with police or take a polygraph test, and he claims he never married Diane. However, a copy of their marriage certificate is still in existence.
Diane, or someone using her name, went to a dentist’s office in California in August 1961. This is her final appearance.
In November 1967, the skeletal remains of a young girl were discovered in the Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona, and investigators initially thought they were Diane’s and attempted to return them to her family. The cause of death was determined to be suicide. Diane’s mother did not believe her daughter would have committed suicide, nor did she believe the remains belonged to her daughter, and she and her husband refused to accept them. The bones were exhumed and DNA tested in 2013; they were not Diane’s.
Diane’s parents have died, but her siblings are still looking for her. Her case is still unsolved.
Appearance and Medical Conditions
- Medical Conditions: Diane could have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance and suffered a miscarriage.
- Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female. Brown hair and grey eyes. Diane’s mother’s maiden name is White. Her right breast is larger than her left. She has pierced ears and a freckle on the tip of her nose.
Investigating Agency
- Phoenix Police Department 602-534-3053
Sources of Information
- NamUs
- The Examiner
- Phoenix Police Department
- The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- The Arizona Republic