Dane Chandler Williams, 23 [FOUND DECEASED] MSG San Diego, CA 01-25-08 [ARREST MADE]

[Grande]

missing Dane Williams

Reply to: comm-554108974@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-01-27, 11:07PM PST

Dane Williams was last seen friday night at close to 2 am by the Hard Rock Cafe outside of the Marriott Gaslamp in San Diego. We are worried because no one has had contact with him since then. If you have heard from him or seen him, please contact the San Diego police department or call:

Amy- 714-553-4375
Jessica- 714-330-6952
Danny-714-613-2369
Or his parents Jim and Valen- 714-960-1341

Please repost this bulletin, it is very important. Tell everyone you know!

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/laf/554108974.html

[Grande]

Surfer missing from ASR San Diego January 28, 2008 Dane Williams from the Hurley Marketing Dept. has been missing since Friday night at ASR (Action Sports Retailers Tradeshow).

He was last seen Friday night at close to 2 am by the Hard Rock Cafe outside of the Marriott Gaslamp in San Diego.

We are worried because no one has had contact with him since then. If you have heard from him or seen him, please contact the San Diego police department or call:

Amy- 714-553-4375
Jessica- 714-330-6952
Danny-714-613-2369
Or his parents Jim and Valen- 714-960-1341

Here's a picture of Dane:
http://i27.tinypic.com/152zz86.jpg

http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/surfwire.cfm?id=13398

[Grande]

Police Release Photo Of Missing Man
UPDATED: 11:58 am PST January 28, 2008

http://i32.tinypic.com/34pjneu.jpg

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing man.

Dane Chandler Williams, 23, was last spotted Saturday. Police said he was last seen at 2 a.m. at 6th Avenue and K Street in downtown San Diego. Authorities said he did not return to his hotel room or show up for work.

Williams is 6 feet 1 inch tall, 175 pounds with blond hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt with white stripes and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the San Diego Police Department at 619-531-2000.

[Grande]

6:31 a.m. January 28, 2008
Police search for missing conventioneer

SAN DIEGO – Police are searching Monday for a 23-year-old man who disappeared from downtown San Diego over the weekend.
Dane Chandler Williams was last seen at Sixth and K streets leaving Hard Rock Cafe around 2 a.m. Saturday, according to San Diego police Sgt. Garry Collins.

Williams is from the Los Angeles area and in town forthe Action Sports Retailers trade show. He did not return to his hotel room after leaving the restaurant, nor did he show up for work at the convention the next day, Collins said.

Foul play is not suspected yet, but friends fear something bad may have happened because for Williams not to show up for work is out of character, Collins said. Wialliams works in the marketing department of the action sports manufacturer Hurley.

Williams has blond hair and brown eyes and is around 6 feet 1, weighing about 175 pounds. He was wearing a black shirt with white stripes and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on Williams' whereabouts is asked to call San Diego police at (619) 531-2000.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080128-0631-missing.html

[Grande]

23-Year Old Huntington Beach Man Missing
Last Update: 6:42 pm

Family and friends searched all over Downtown San Diego for Dane C. Williams. The 23-year-old was last seen outside the Hard Rock Cafe Saturday morning.

On Monday friends and family posted missing flyers Downtown where Williams had attended the Action Sports Retailers Convention as a sports clothing rep.

His father, Jim Williams, tells FOX6 News, "Ah, just not knowing. This is the worst thing a parent can go through."

Dane's father has searched San Diego hospitals, parks and train depots for any sign of his son.

"All of his luggage is back at the hotel," said Williams. "He didn't change his clothes. There is money there. He just didn't comeback."

Dane's family says this unlike him. Dean Williams, Dane's uncle, says "We are certain. He is hurt or he needs help. He can't contact us. So we are desperate for help from anyone."

San Diego police have turned this over to the missing person's unit and they don't say there is evidence yet pointing to foul play.

The disapperance has everyone shocked and the family determined.

If anyone has any information to his whereabouts you are asked to call San Diego police at 619-531-2000.

http://www.fox6.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=32e448ca-6c1b-4fdb-b628-24e5758fc2a7&rss=tick

[Grande]

Police, Family Search For Missing Man
UPDATED: 5:17 pm PST January 28, 2008


SAN DIEGO -- A 23-year-old man, in town for a convention last week, has disappeared and his family and friends are hoping someone knows what happened to him.

Dane Chandler Williams was last seen on Saturday at 2 a.m. at 6th Avenue and K Street in downtown San Diego. Authorities said he has not been heard from since. He did not return to his hotel room or show up for work.

Jason Marsh, Williams's cousin, told NBC 7/39 Dane was in town attending the ASR Convention at the San Diego Convention Center last week. He arrived from his home in Huntington Beach on Thursday. Marsh said his cousin went out partying with friends on Friday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and was last seen walking down the street alone.

Marsh said Williams never returned to his hotel room at the Sheraton. When officials went into his room, his clothes, luggage and Mac book were still in the room.

Williams works for Hurley International and is a surfer, Marsh said.

"He's a family person and always stays in touch with his family," he said.

Marsh also said police have been unable to trace his cousin's phone because it is turned off. He described his cousin as a responsible person who does not have a history of disappearing. Marsh spent the day Monday posting fliers and hopes someone can help his family find Williams.

Williams' mother, Valen Williams, said security camera tape from the Ramada Hotel in the Gaslamp, where he was last seen, will be reviewed to try to provide some clues in this case.

"He didn't disappear on his own. Something happened and I don't know what it is. Nobody does," said Williams mom.

Williams is 6 feet 1 inch tall, 175 pounds with blond hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt with white stripes and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the San Diego Police Department at 619-531-2000.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15156526/detail.html

[PinkPony]

One of the things that bothers me about this is that LE say that they don't suspect foul play. Why not? You have a 23 yr old young man that is apparently responsible, just fall of the face of the earth, and no foul play?

I know LE have protocol that they follow, but come on. The family feels that something has happened maybe that lead should be followed.

Also they say that Dane's cell phone is shut off. How do they know? Maybe the battery died. Is there a difference in the pings, or lack of ?

I know that not all missing persons meet up with foul play. But sometimes I get this gut feeling and this is one of them. I hope I'm wrong.

So often vauable time is lost because protocol is followed.

[Grande]

Body Found In Alley Believed To Be Missing Man
UPDATED: 5:19 pm PST January 29, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- A body believed to be that of a 23-year-old Orange County man, who went missing last weekend after leaving a Gaslamp Quarter tavern, turned up Tuesday in an alley about five miles from where he disappeared.

A passer-by made the discovery in the 5200 block of Landis Street in City Heights about 6:30 a.m., according to San Diego police.

The dead man "bore a strong physical resemblance" to Dane Chandler Williams of Huntington Beach and was "clad in the same clothing Williams was wearing" when he disappeared, San Diego Police Department Lt. Kevin Rooney said.

There was no obvious cause of death, the lieutenant said. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday . Williams went missing after leaving a bar at the Hard Rock Hotel on Fifth Avenue about 2 a.m. Saturday, police reported.

Williams, employed in the marketing department of a Costa Mesa-based sports apparel company, did not return to his rented room that night and failed to show up the next day at the trade show he was working, police said.

He was in town for the Action Sports Retailers fair at the San Diego Convention Center, according to his family, who reported him missing Saturday.

Williams' relatives and friends spent the last several days posting missing-person fliers in and around the commercial district where he disappeared.

http://www.10news.com/news/15167464/detail.html

[2Hope4]

:( Gosh and the police didn't suspect foul play.

My prayers to his family and friends.

[Roamer]

Such a young man. RIP, Dane. :1222423:

[Rockdog]

:1222423:

[KittyMom]

:1222423:

So many young people dying lately.

[Audie]

:1222423:

[Grande]

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Huntington Beach man's suspected death in San Diego a mystery
Body found in alley wrapped in blanket believed to be missing Hurley International intern, officials say.
By KIMBERLY EDDS and HANG T. NGUYEN
The Orange County Register

HUNTINGTON BEACH – San Diego police do not know how a 23-year-old Hurley intern from Huntington Beach ended up dead, his body wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a neighborhood alley during a company trip to San Diego.

The body of Dane Chandler Williams was discovered about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday by someone driving down an alley in the Chollas Creek neighborhood of San Diego, said Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department's Homicide Unit. Williams had been dead for several hours, Rooney said, but with no obvious trauma to the body, how exactly he died remained a mystery late Tuesday.

Fingerprints have not officially identified the body as Williams, but it bore a striking resemblance to him and was dressed in the same clothes Williams was wearing when he disappeared early Saturday morning after drinking at a bar at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego's trendy Gaslamp Quarter, police said. Williams' body was found about seven miles from where he was last seen, authorities said.

"I told his parents that I wish that I was wrong, but there is every indication that it is their son," Rooney said.

Authorities believe Williams had been dead for more than 12 hours before his body was discovered in the alley. Several residents of the area who were in the alley as late as 9:30 p.m. Monday told police they did not see anything suspicious.

The early morning discovery brings a sad end to a desperate search by family and friends to find the missing man. An army of Williams' loved ones spread out across downtown San Diego on Monday, plastering the area with missing person fliers and looking to clues to his bizarre disappearance during a weekend working at the Action Sports Retailer trade show.

Williams' luggage was left behind at his hotel room. He was reported missing after he failed to show up Saturday morning for the return trip to Orange County.

Investigators still are trying to put together a timeline of where Williams was late Friday and into Saturday, Rooney said. Several people said they saw Williams at several San Diego businesses after he left the Hard Rock bar, but that information only takes detectives to 3 a.m. Saturday, Rooney said.

"But we don't know what happened to him between 3 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.," Rooney said.

Detectives are checking surveillance tapes of those businesses to see if they can track Williams' travels through San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter on Friday night, Rooney said.

An autopsy is scheduled for this morning. It could take up to six weeks for toxicology results to be returned.

Anyone with information about Williams is asked to call the San Diego Police Department at 619-531-2000.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/huntington-beach-mans-1969063-suspected-death

[KittyMom]

wrapped in a blanket???

[PinkPony]

Thanks Grande

My gut wasn't wrong, again!

:1222423:For Dane and his family

[Grande]

BREAKING NEWS: Police believe body was dumped
Body presumed to be Costa Mesa employee was probably moved from place of death, San Diego officer says; autopsy planned for today.
By Michael Miller

A San Diego police officer said the body presumed to be that of Dane Williams, an employee for a Costa Mesa-based company who went missing Saturday, may have been moved before its discovery Tuesday morning.

A passerby alerted police of a dead body, which matched the clothes and physical description of Williams, in an alley in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood. Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department said the body was wrapped in a blanket with no signs of physical trauma, and officers believe someone moved it from the scene of death.

“We do believe he didn’t die there, that he was left there,” Rooney said.

The alley where the body was found is almost exactly seven miles from the Gaslamp Quarter neighborhood where Williams, a marketing employee for the clothing company Hurley International, was last seen about 2 a.m. Saturday. Rooney said police were busy checking surveillance cameras around the area for any clues to Williams’ route.

Meanwhile, an autopsy on the body is planned for this morning.

“I think we’re going to have to leave this one to the doctor to give us some answers,” Rooney said.

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/01/30/publicsafety/dpt-hurley31.txt

[Grande]

http://i25.tinypic.com/2ly6era.jpg

http://comment.signonsandiego.com/view/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.signonsandiego.com%2Fnews%2F metro%2F20080129-1447-bn29body.html&page=2

[Grande]

http://i27.tinypic.com/e8tpv7.jpg

http://cbs2.com/local/Missing.Man.Found.2.640854.html

[Grande]

This just breaks my heart...

RIP Dane!

:1222423:

[ferretplay]

:1222423:

[Grande]

Autopsy inconclusive on OC man found dead in City Heights
4:32 p.m. January 30, 2008

An autopsy on the body of a Huntington Beach man found dead in City Heights was inconclusive, authorities revealed Wednesday afternoon.
San Diego detectives hope toxicology tests, which can take up to six weeks, will answer how Dane Chandler Williams died. The 23-year-old was attending the Action Sports Retailer trade show at the San Diego Convention Center when he went missing Saturday morning.

His body was found in a City Heights alley early Tuesday morning with no obvious sign of trauma, said Lt. Kevin Rooney.
Detectives are now investigating what happened to Williams from the time he was last seen alive in the Gaslamp Quarter until his body was discovered.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080130-1632-bn30id2.html

[KittyMom]

drugs?

[Claudia]

drugs?

That was my thought when they said there was no obvious COD.
I can imagine he could have gone to someone else's room, they did
some drugs together, and Dane OD'd. The people that were there,
possibly provided the drugs to Dane, got scared & dumped him. I
don't recall if anything was said about Dane & drugs - but there is
a first time for everything. It could happen, especially if he had a lot
to drink & his judgment was impaired.

My first husband died because someone was afraid to call 911, so they
sat there & watched him die. I suppose that's why it's so easy for
me to imagine a scene like this.

[Grande]

Family Of Man Dumped In Alley Makes Plea
UPDATED: 7:21 pm PST January 30, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- Fighting back tears, the cousin of a 23-year-old man who came to San Diego for a convention and wound up dead pleaded for the public's help in the case on Wednesday.

The body of Dane Chandler Williams, of Orange County, was found on Tuesday in City Heights. His family confirmed his identity to NBC 7/39 that same day.

An autopsy on Wednesday was inconclusive in determining his cause of death. The family will now await results of toxicology tests, which could take take up to six weeks.

His cousin, Jason Marsh, who attends college in San Diego, expressed his gratitude to downtown businesses that supported his family's search for Williams.

"We would like to thank the San Diego community and specifically the citizens and business owners of the Gaslamp Quarter for the concern and support they've shown during this difficult time," Marsh said.

The 23-year-old was last seen around 2 a.m. on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel after attending a party. An employee with Hurley International, he was in town for the Action Sports Retailer trade show last week.

Marsh asked for the public's continued support in their search for answers as to how he died.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, we are asking for the public's help with any information you may have," Marsh pleaded. "Someone may have seen Dane -- someone may have spoken to him. They might have just passed him on the street after 2 a.m. Saturday night."

Police believe Williams' body was dumped in the alley where it was found around 9:30 p.m. on Monday.

"Obviously the three-day gap puzzles us too," said Lt. Kevin Rooney with the San Diego Police Department.

"Between Saturday morning and Tuesday morning, we have all that time unaccounted for. I think it runs the gamut from he became sick, met up with people, something bad happened to him perhaps --passed away someplace else -- and the people panicked, didn't know what to do and then they ended up leaving his body in the alley," theorized Rooney.

Anyone with any information is asked to call San Diego police.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15181064/detail.html

[Claudia]

Wait - I'm confused. That article says the body was found 9:30 PM Monday. That would make it what - from Sunday at 2 AM to Monday 9:30 - a day and a half he was missing. Later in the article, it says he was missing from Saturday morning to Tuesday morning, that would make it 3 days. What am I missing here? Do I have the times wrong? :confused:

[KittyMom]

Wait - I'm confused. That article says the body was found 9:30 PM Monday. That would make it what - from Sunday at 2 AM to Monday 9:30 - a day and a half he was missing. Later in the article, it says he was missing from Saturday morning to Tuesday morning, that would make it 3 days. What am I missing here? Do I have the times wrong? :confused:


I caught the three day thing too! :waitasec:

[KittyMom]

Went back and read...

last seen on Friday night (actually, Sat. morning 2am)
body found on Tuesday morning (6:30 am)

So, when was the time of death? How long had he been dead when he was found rolled in a blanket? He was also 7 miles away from his hotel. Someone isn't talking.

[Claudia]

Went back and read...

last seen on Friday night (actually, Sat. morning 2am)
body found on Tuesday morning (6:30 am)

So, when was the time of death? How long had he been dead when he was found rolled in a blanket? He was also 7 miles away from his hotel. Someone isn't talking.

Oh, okay. So it was 3 days. I don't see anyone keeping his body around that long after an accidental overdose. I am anxious to hear the toxicology report.

[KittyMom]

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Intern_Death_325773C.shtml

HUNTINGTON BEACH

The body of a 23-year-old Hurley International intern was found wrapped in a blanket in an alley in San Diego, where he had been attending a sports trade show, police said Wednesday.

Dane Chandler Williams of Huntington Beach was last seen at a bar early Saturday in San Diego's trendy Gaslamp Quarter. Friends and family began searching for him Saturday afternoon when he did not report to work at the Action Sports Retailers Tradeshow at the San Diego Convention Center, said Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego police homicide unit.

Williams' fully clothed body was found around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in an alley seven miles away from where he was last seen and investigators believe it was moved there after Williams died, Rooney said. A resident who was in the alley at 9:30 p.m. Monday said the body wasn't there then.

An autopsy Wednesday found no signs of trauma, but further results were withheld pending toxicology results, which will take about six weeks, Rooney said.

Detectives said the death was "suspicious," but were not calling it a homicide at this point, Rooney said.

His sister, Hayley Williams, told The Orange County Register that Williams was studying marketing at Santa Ana College and had been working as an intern at the Costa Mesa-based surf and skate clothing manufacturer for about six months.

"Everyone at Hurley is deeply saddened over the tragic news regarding Dane Williams," Hurley said in a statement on its Web site. "In memory of Dane, we hope the circumstances surrounding his death are quickly resolved."

Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 16:44 PST


This helps with the timeframe. He would've died between Sat. 2am and Monday 9:30pm. I wonder if he was found with his wallet and cell or if they were missing. Had he been buddying around with anyone in particular that week?

[Grande]

Updated: Feb 03, 2008 - 21:58:51 PST
Williams, 23, honored

http://i31.tinypic.com/1zeuwb6.jpg
Amy Pacheco, 23, carries a surfboard bearing the image of her friend, Dane Williams, as she heads into the ocean for a paddle-out ceremony at Goldenwest Street in Huntington Beach on Saturday morning. Williams, 23, died in San Diego last week.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Dane Williams’ friends gathered Saturday morning to honor his memory at one of the 23-year-old surfer’s favorite spots — off the beach by Pacific Coast Highway, just beyond the waves.

Four days after Williams’ body was discovered in a San Diego alley, more than two dozen friends and family members held a “paddle-out” ceremony in his honor. The group ventured into the water near Williams’ family’s home on surfboards, carrying flowers and a wreath, and held hands in a circle as dozens of others watched from the shore.

Williams’ loved ones held a candlelight vigil for him earlier in the week, and the flowers and candles — some still burning — remained on the sand during the paddle-out along with Williams’ surfboard, skateboard and wetsuit.

Brandon Guilmette, who knew Williams since high school and worked with him at the Costa Mesa-based clothing company Hurley International, said the beach near Pacific Coast Highway and 22nd Street was one of Williams’ favorite surfing spots. He described Williams as a hard worker who was loyal to friends.

“I never even knew Dane to get into an argument,” Guilmette said. “If it got to that point, he’d just say, ‘You win.’ He was the best kind of friend you could ever ask for, bottom line.”

Police remain puzzled about the cause of Williams’ death, which occurred some time after he went missing following a trade show in San Diego Saturday morning. A funeral service is planned for Williams at 1 p.m. Monday at Hope Chapel Huntington Beach, 715 Lake St.

“He was something else, I’ll tell you that,” said his mother, Valen Williams, who attended the paddle-out Saturday. “I’m so proud I was his mother.”

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/02/03/publicsafety/dpt-paddleout020308.txt

[emmeblu]

:1222423:

This young man met up with or was with someone he most likely knew when he died. It just does not make any sense that nothing showed up on autopsy unless it was drug related. No trauma on the body, etc.

So sorry for his family. He was so young. Just really heart breaking. Hopefully, LE will get to the bottom of who was with this guy when he died.

:1222423:

[Polonius]

Sickening. What could have happened?!

[Grande]

Good question Polonius, I wish we knew. I have checked everyday for an update, it's tough not knowing.

I will make sure to post the updates as they come accross the AP.

[Claudia]

Nothing new about Dane? I expected some news by now.

[Grande]

Nothing new about Dane? I expected some news by now.

Nothing yet, unfortunately.

:1222423:

[wheezer]

UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

11:49 a.m. February 21, 2008

SAN DIEGO – A $10,000 reward is being offered for information about the suspicious death of Dane Chandler Williams, a 23-year-old Orange County man whose body was found in a City Heights alley in January.

San Diego County Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 and Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach is offering $9,000 for information that leads to a felony arrest in this case.

Williams, an employee of Hurley International, attended an action sports retailer trade show on Jan. 26 at the San Diego Convention Center. Police said he was last seen early Saturday morning leaving a Gaslamp bar.

His body was found Jan. 29 in an alley near 52nd Street and Towle Court. The cause and manner of Williams' death is still undetermined.

Anyone with information on Williams' death is asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080221-1149-bn21reward.html

[Grande]

So, that's all they have??

Oh, man this is terrible...

RIP Dane, Justice WILL BE SERVED!

[Grande]

No Answers in Surfer's 'Suspicious' Death
Dane Williams Found Dead in San Diego, Wrapped in a Blanket Three Days After He Vanished
By DAVID SCHOETZ
Feb. 23, 20008

His blond hair, bright smile and warm personality made him a popular member of his beloved Huntington Beach surf culture.

Those same qualities also helped 23-year-old Dane Chandler Williams earn an internship at Hurley International, one of the biggest names in surf and skate apparel.

It was while Williams was in San Diego to attend a convention for Hurley that he disappeared in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 26, after leaving the bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, in the Southern California city's popular Gaslamp area. Williams never returned to his hotel room, and family and friends launched an aggressive search for the missing young man.

Three days later, a San Diego citizen leaving home early in the morning called the police to report a dead person in an alley behind his home.

"The decedent bore a strong physical resemblance to Williams, and he was clad in the same clothing Williams was wearing when he was last seen," according to a release from the San Diego Police Department. The body, wrapped in a blanket and dumped 10 miles from the hotel in a rougher San Diego neighborhood, was identified by Williams' family.

The case remains classified as a "suspicious death." Williams had been dead for several hours when he was found, Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department said at the time, but there were no obvious signs of trauma or struggle. Toxicology reports are not expected for another three weeks.

The reward for information leading to a felony arrest in Williams' case jumped to $10,000 this week. Jack's Surfboards of Huntington Beach put up $9,000, on top of $1,000 offered by the San Diego Crime Stoppers organization.

Rooney did not return a phone call from ABC News, but Valen Williams, Dane's mother, said that family and friends continue to plaster fliers featuring Williams' image around San Diego in the hope that someone may remember seeing something the night he disappeared or during the three days that passed before his body was found.

"We're trying to get the word out because we're really at a standstill as far as what happened that night and what occurred after he disappeared," Valen Williams told ABC News.

Surveillance cameras captured her son leaving the Hard Rock, where he was supposed to meet two friends from Huntington Beach, she said. He had a new phone with him at the time, but it was not working properly. Authorities have not told the family if the phone, Williams' wallet and watch were recovered with his body.

Dane Williams was not a drug user, his mother said, and had never gotten in any serious trouble with police. He went to high school in Huntington Beach and was taking marketing classes at Santa Anna College.

She also said she did not want to "sugarcoat" the situation, acknowledging that her son likely had been drinking the night he disappeared.

The fact that three days elapsed between her son's disappearance and the time his body was found is the most troubling aspect of her son's death, Valen Williams said, leading her to imagine "so many scenarios," many of which involve some type of violence.

"Dane was 6 foot 1," Valen Williams said. "Two to three people would have been needed just to carry him."

After his body was recovered, friends and family gathered at his favorite surf spot, just a few blocks from the Williams' family home. On surfboards, the group held a "paddle-out" in his honor, forming a circle and leaving flowers in the ocean.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4329972&page=1

[Claudia]

No Answers in Surfer's 'Suspicious' Death
Dane Williams Found Dead in San Diego, Wrapped in a Blanket Three Days After He Vanished
By DAVID SCHOETZ
Feb. 23, 20008

His blond hair, bright smile and warm personality made him a popular member of his beloved Huntington Beach surf culture.

(snipped)

I got all excited when I saw you had a new post on here, Grande! I was hoping for answers, but an update & some kind of time frame for toxicology results is great! Thanks so much for the update!! :happy0207:

[KittyMom]

Authorities have not told the family if the phone, Williams' wallet and watch were recovered with his body.


hmmmm....makes me think "no"

[Grande]

YW, Claudia.

We will follow this case all the way through the judicial process when that takes place. Hopefully that will be sooner then later.

[SavannahStar]

So, that's all they have??

Oh, man this is terrible...

RIP Dane, Justice WILL BE SERVED!

:1222423:

I keep hoping for updates. Such a cute kid! :sad0119:

[KittyMom]

http://www.foammagazine.com/featured/dane-chandler-williams-rip/

January 30, 2008 Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Dane Williams

Hurley will be holding a candle lighting at 8 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 30) at Dane William’s local surf spot on 22nd St. and PCH in Huntington Beach for 23 year old. Dane, a loved member of Hurley’s Marketing family, went missing very late on the night of Friday, Jan. 25 and into the early morning hours on Saturday. He was last seen at 2 a.m. after Hurley’s Walk the Walk fashion show on Saturday by the Hard Rock Café outside the Marriott Gaslamp while attending ASR at the convention center in downtown San Diego. What’s believed to be Dane’s body was found early yesterday (Tuesday) morning in a City Heights alley — quite a distance from both the convention center and the Hard Rock — without any visible trauma.

Dane’s friends and family had been searching and passing out fliers in downtown San Diego for nearly three days after he didn’t show up at the tradeshow on Saturday morning, which was out of character for him. Dane’s closest friends will attest to the fact that he neither used drugs nor showed any violent tendencies — ever.
An autopsy was scheduled for today and so far police don’t know how Dane ended up in City Heights or cause and his time of death, which is being classified as suspicious and not as a homicide pending further investigation.

Please keep Dane’s memory and his family and friends in your thoughts. Anyone who wants to share his or her support is welcome to the candle light Hurley will be holding tonight in Huntington Beach.

[Pauli]

Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ask Us Anything: Why do toxicology reports take so long?

By ANNIE BURRIS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Q: Why do toxicology reports take so long? The San Diego police said it would take at least six weeks to know the cause of death for Dane Williams, but we knew how Heath Ledger died almost immediately. Why make his family wait so long?
– Kelly Cason,
Huntington Beach

A: The speed of the toxicology, autopsy and investigative reports depends on the medical examiner's office, said Maryann Mulawka, a representative of the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office.

Heath Ledger died in New York, where the examiner's office could have a larger budget and faster technology than in San Diego, where Williams' dead body was found, she said.

In order to determine the manner and cause of death, the examiner's office must consider the investigative report taken from the scene of the crime and the toxicology and autopsy reports. The timeline for the toxicology and autopsy reports is also reliant on the cause of death, Mulawka said.

The doctors must be satisfied with these reports before information is released to the public, she said.

It can take from two weeks to six months to determine the cause and manner of death.

Williams' body was found wrapped in a blanket in a San Diego alleyway on Jan. 28, three days after he disappeared from the Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter. Williams, a 23-year-old Huntington Beach native, was in San Diego attending the Action Sports Retailer trade show for Hurley International, a surf and skate company based in Costa Mesa.

It could take another two weeks before officials will announce how Williams died, according to investigators working on the case.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/reports-diego-williams-1993788-san-death

[Pauli]

Report: Cause Of Conventioneer's Death Undetermined

POSTED: 3:28 pm PDT March 24, 2008
UPDATED: 6:47 pm PDT March 24, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- The city's medical examiner released toxicology reports Monday in the death of 23-year-old Dane Williams.According to the reports, the cause of death is undetermined.

Williams, who is from Huntington Beach, came to San Diego in January for a convention.

He was last seen alive at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego.His body was discovered in Chollas Creek a few days later.

http://www.10news.com/news/15695539/detail.html

[KittyMom]

WOW. I'm really surprised. From all accts, this was a very healthy young man. Healthy young men don't die wrapped in a blanket from nothing. Very sad for this family.

:1222423:

[Grande]

Reward doubled in Orange County man's death
By Tony Manolatos
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 2, 2008

SAN DIEGO – The mother of an Orange County man who died in San Diego in late January was in town yesterday to announce an enhanced reward for information about the death of Dane Chandler Williams.

http://i28.tinypic.com/wvq4k3.jpg
LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune
Dane Chandler Williams' sister, Hayley Williams (left), and mother, Valen Williams, were in San Diego yesterday.

“I want people to know Dane deserves better than this,” said Valen Williams of Huntington Beach. “He was a good kid, and somebody knows what happened. And they can let us know, so we can start our healing process.”

The reward has doubled to $20,000 for information that leads to a felony arrest. San Diego County Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000; Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach is offering $9,000; and Hurley International, a skate-and surf-apparel company in Costa Mesa, is offering $10,000.

Dane Williams, 23, worked in Hurley's marketing department. He was in town attending an action-sports retailer trade show at the San Diego Convention Center.

He was last seen at 1:30 a.m. Jan. 26 leaving a nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter, police said. His body was found three days later in a City Heights alley.

“He wasn't with friends; I'll tell you that,” Williams said. “You think as a mom I would have a gut feeling, but I don't.”

San Diego police have classified the death as suspicious.

An autopsy and toxicology tests performed by the county Medical Examiner's Office did not determine the cause of death, according to the reports. The body showed no obvious signs of foul play.

The reports did show Dane Williams' blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive. The tests also found traces of drugs used in depressants and taken to induce sleep, relieve anxiety, ease muscle spasms and prevent seizures.

“I'm not sure how that got in his system because Dane was not a drug user, and I'm not a naive mom,” Valen Williams said.

“Dane was very funny. He was everyone's friend,” said Williams, 51, who owns a business with her husband, Jim. “He went out of his way to help people. He was genuine and was loved by everyone.”

Besides his parents, he is survived by a 21-year-old sister, Hayley.

People with information about the case are asked to call investigators at (619) 531-2293 or, if they prefer to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080702-9999-1m2dane.html

[Claudia]

Reward doubled in Orange County man's death
By Tony Manolatos
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 2, 2008

SAN DIEGO – The mother of an Orange County man who died in San Diego in late January was in town yesterday to announce an enhanced reward for information about the death of Dane Chandler Williams.

http://i28.tinypic.com/wvq4k3.jpg
LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune
Dane Chandler Williams' sister, Hayley Williams (left), and mother, Valen Williams, were in San Diego yesterday.

“I want people to know Dane deserves better than this,” said Valen Williams of Huntington Beach. “He was a good kid, and somebody knows what happened. And they can let us know, so we can start our healing process.”

The reward has doubled to $20,000 for information that leads to a felony arrest. San Diego County Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000; Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach is offering $9,000; and Hurley International, a skate-and surf-apparel company in Costa Mesa, is offering $10,000.

Dane Williams, 23, worked in Hurley's marketing department. He was in town attending an action-sports retailer trade show at the San Diego Convention Center.

He was last seen at 1:30 a.m. Jan. 26 leaving a nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter, police said. His body was found three days later in a City Heights alley.

“He wasn't with friends; I'll tell you that,” Williams said. “You think as a mom I would have a gut feeling, but I don't.”

San Diego police have classified the death as suspicious.

An autopsy and toxicology tests performed by the county Medical Examiner's Office did not determine the cause of death, according to the reports. The body showed no obvious signs of foul play.

The reports did show Dane Williams' blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive. The tests also found traces of drugs used in depressants and taken to induce sleep, relieve anxiety, ease muscle spasms and prevent seizures.

“I'm not sure how that got in his system because Dane was not a drug user, and I'm not a naive mom,” Valen Williams said.

“Dane was very funny. He was everyone's friend,” said Williams, 51, who owns a business with her husband, Jim. “He went out of his way to help people. He was genuine and was loved by everyone.”

Besides his parents, he is survived by a 21-year-old sister, Hayley.

People with information about the case are asked to call investigators at (619) 531-2293 or, if they prefer to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080702-9999-1m2dane.html

I hope they get the answers they're looking for. It has to be so hard, not knowing what or who caused his death.

[Faith]

Rip- :1222423::1222423::1222423:

[packy]

So sad and I hope too that they get some answers. Hard to understand that they can't find the cause of his death.

[Claudia]

So sad and I hope too that they get some answers. Hard to understand that they can't find the cause of his death.

I know, I agree.... in what ways could someone die that would show nothing on an autopsy? Doesn't make any sense at all.

[Grande]

Friday, January 23, 2009
Rally seeks answers a year after Hurley intern's death
Dane Williams, 23, of Huntington Beach, disappeared in January 2008 in San Diego.
By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
The Orange County Register


HUNTINGTON BEACH– Friends and family of a Huntington Beach man who died mysteriously in San Diego continue to search for answers on the one-year anniversary of his disappearance.

More than 100 people are expected to attend a rally Saturday near the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego where local surfer Dane Williams, 23, disappeared on Jan. 26, 2008.

Williams, known as "Downtown Dane'' because of his love of the downtown Huntington Beach area, was found dead three days later in a San Diego alley.

Williams' death has haunted family members for the past year. With no evidence and no leads in his case, they are left only with painful, unanswered questions.

"Every day, every night, it doesn't matter what time it is, you wonder; what happened to him? Was he scared? Was he hurt?" said Williams' mom, Valen Williams.

She said she hopes the rally will prompt someone to offer up some information about her son.

"We're going to the public hoping to get a witness, some kind of answer or someone will finally come forward," Valen Williams said. "It won't bring closure, but it will definitely help."

Dane Williams, a Hurley International intern, had been working at the Action Sports Retailer trade show in San Diego. He was reported missing when he didn't show up for the ride back to Orange County, police said.

Family and friends scoured the Gas Lamp Quarter, where Williams was last seen, looking for anything that might lead them to him.

Several people told police they saw Williams at a surrounding business after he left the Hard Rock Hotel bar. He was last seen at 3 a.m. Jan. 26. Police found Williams' body at 6 a.m. Jan. 29 wrapped in a blanket in an alley about seven miles from where he was last seen.

At one point, a $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to a felony arrest. San Diego County Crime Stoppers offered $1,000; Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach $9,000; and Hurley International, a surf-and-skate apparel company in Costa Mesa, offered $10,000.

His family is not willing to let his mysterious death go unsolved.

"It has been extremely frustrating because everything is undetermined," Valen Williams said. "We don't know why he died, how he died, who did this to him. We have nothing to go by.

"But someone out there knows something."

Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Homicide Unit said officers have reviewed surveillance tapes of surrounding businesses where Williams was last seen hoping for a lead but they didn't provide any extra information.

He said it is not unheard for cases with little or no physical evidence to be solved years later.

"Sometimes where people wouldn't talk to us before, they might talk to us a couple years later. It's not that uncommon," Rooney said. "I just have to believe that there are other people who know what happened."

The eight-hour rally will start at noon across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel, and participants will walk to the San Diego Public Library. The rally will be split into two shifts, one from noon to 5 p.m. and another from 7 to 10 p.m.

Williams said her family plans on hosting similar events until her son's death is no longer a mystery.

"We will find answers," she said. "Someone will talk."

Contact the writer: 714-445-6692 or jfletcher@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/williams-diego-san-2288584-family-last

[Amusedtdth]

What a shame its been a year and the family still has no answers. Praying someone will come forward with the information needed to bring them some type of closure and peace.

[Pandabear]

It's just so strange that they couldn't determine the cause of death. I hope and pray that someone comes forward with some information and Dane's family and friends can find some peace.

[sarahhod]

Family deserves closure

By Chris Epting

Updated: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 12:54 AM PST


Editor’s note: Chris Epting is a columnist for the Pilot’s sister paper, the Huntington Beach Independent.

The photos are chillingly blunt, in both their appearance and in their lettered-numeric identifications. A blood-red beanie on a flat, white background is marked PT-043409. Item No. 9 — Beanie. Case No. 08.005574. A black, gray and beige plaid blanket is tagged as Item No. 14.

But don’t be fooled. These two items, insignificant as they may look, may be what ultimately helps solve the brutal mystery of the death of Dane Williams. The blanket is the one this young man’s body was wrapped in. The hat, as Jim Williams, Dane’s dad, tells me, may have been pulled over Dane’s head so the people who killed him, according to detectives, wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. Either way, it was on Dane’s head when he was discovered in that squalid City Heights alley where he had been dumped. Jim barely chokes out that last part, because there’s only so much a father can take when he’s talking about his son, a memorable young man who inspired dozens of people to join the family in San Diego last week.

They were there to create some community outreach as the one-year anniversary approached of Dane’s disappearance and subsequent death.

Has it really been a year that this sparkling 23-year-old lost his life and he went missing from a downtown San Diego hotel? Yes. Are detectives any closer to figuring out who did this to him and arresting them?

Maybe, but it’s hard to say. Detectives are just not in the business of releasing many details about open cases, but they did issue these two photos last week, which gives the family some hope.

Jim said his wife, Dane’s mom, Valen, orchestrated a walk around near the Hard Rock, where Dane was last seen.

Approximately 40 volunteers handed out many fliers in the area, and according to Jim, “Many people remembered the case and actually thought it had been solved. They weren’t aware that it was ongoing and that we were still looking for the people that did this to Dane.”

Jim is convinced it was more than one assailant due to the size of Dane’s body.

“You’d need at least two, probably three to move someone as big and strong as Dane.”

Jim also told me that the local media were terrific in helping spread the word, and in the evening last Saturday, a rally was staged near the library.

The location was chosen due to the large number of homeless people who live near where Dane was found.

“That’s the tough reality,” Jim says. “We’re reaching out to people who may have been in a situation to see something or hear something on the street, but they’re scared — they fear retaliation, and so it makes it hard.

“Beyond that, little by little, we think people will also want to start reclaiming their neighborhoods and cities by anonymously offering information they may have about this crime and others as well.

“That’s the thing, we know the answers are out there; somewhere, someplace, someone knows something, and so it’s just about convincing people to share what they know.

“But it’s a huge challenge because potential witnesses fear for their own safety.”

It’s been a tough year for the Williams family, as this anniversary reminds us.

But as Jim said, the answers are out there, and so the mission continues to ferret out any bit of information that will help track down the people who did this to Dane.

Why there is not more public outrage in San Diego is a mystery to me, and given how intense media focus can help resolve situations like this, I wish there were more of it. Lots more.

So help spread the word — forward this article and others like it to decision-makers in San Diego, to media outlets, to congressmen, to the police — to whoever might be able to make a difference in helping solve this horrific crime.

People get outraged about so many things these days; why not focus that energy on perhaps that most serious of social challenges today — innocent people being killed in cold blood.

A $20,000 reward is still being offered, and anyone with any information on Dane Williams’ death is asked to call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-TIPS (the reward includes contributions by Crime Stoppers of San Diego County, Jack’s Surfboards of Huntington Beach and Hurley International).


http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2009/01/29/topstory/dpt-eptingcolumn01272009.txt

[Nut44x4]

YESsssssssssss
http://www.10news.com/2009/0915/20926946_240X180.jpg
Suspect In Williams' Death To Be Charged With Sex Assault
Philong Huynh To Be Arraigned Tuesday

UPDATED: 11:37 am PDT September 15, 2009
San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit detectives have arrested a suspect in the January 2008 disappearance and death of 23-year-old Dane Williams of Huntington Beach.

On the weekend of Jan. 25, 2008, Dane came to San Diego as an employee of Hurley International for the Action Sports Retailers Convention. In the early morning hours of Jan. 26, 2008, Dane left a bar in the Gaslamp neighborhood and disappeared. On Jan. 29, 2008, his body was found in the north alley of 5200 Landis Street. Homicide Team II investigated Dane’s disappearance and death, including collecting DNA evidence that was entered into the CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, database.

On August 19, 2009, detectives were informed of a DNA match to the sample SDPD Crime Lab personnel entered into CODIS. The match was related to an unsolved sex crime, committed in San Diego on June 6, 2009, involving an unidentified suspect.

The Homicide Unit investigated the unsolved sex crime and identified Philong Huynh, 39, as the suspect. Detectives also determined that Huynh lived in the 5300 block of Wightman Street, approximately 800 feet from the spot where Dane Williams’ body was found. Detectives arrested Huynh on Thursday, September 10, at 5:05 p.m., as he drove in the 4300 block of Orange Avenue, and served search warrants on two residences associated with Huynh.

Huynh will be charged with murder and two counts of sexual assault, and he will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police are asking that additional victims who have not reported a crime or citizens with information about him will contact the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293.
http://www.10news.com/news/20926030/detail.html

[Roamer]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news&id=7016620

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/art/global/icon_kabc_byline.gif By Eileen Frere
SAN DIEGO (KABC) -- Dane Williams was down in San Diego for a sports convention in January 2008 when he was found dumped in that alley.
Now, a 39-year-old man has been arrested accused of his rape and murder.

Philong Huynh (http://search.abclocal.go.com/search/results?station=kabc&search=siteSearch&q=Philong+Huynh) showed little expression as he stood before a judge on Tuesday.
Police released a photo of the 39 year old after he was arrested for connection with the sexual assault and murder of Dane Williams.
(http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news&id=7016620#bodyText)


"We believe the victim was drugged and sexually assaulted," said Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department.

The body of the 23-year-old Huntington Beach resident was discovered in an alley in San Diego just days after he disappeared in January 2008.

The Hurley international employee was attending a trade show. Authorities say he was last seen leaving a bar.

"He was visibly intoxicated, he was swerving down the sidewalk and actually fell to all fours at one of time," says prosecutor Gretchen Means.
Authorities say Williams was found wrapped in a blanket wearing his clothes from the night before but he was missing his underwear.

Investigators gathered DNA evidence and the break came when another unidentified victim came forward last June.

Police say the man met Huynh in the downtown area, had a drink and Huynh gave the victim what he said was Tylonel.

"He said he had a headache and the defendant gave him two tablets," said Means. "When he woke up he felt extremely sick and disoriented, like Mr. Williams, his underwear was missing. He too was heterosexual."

Authorities allege DNA evidence taken from Williams and the other victim matched that of Huynh.

He lives a block from where Williams' body was found.

An autopsy on Williams was inconclusive. He had more than double the legal limit of alcohol in his system and like the other victim the drug benzodiazepine, which is similar to valium.

Prosecutors say a prescription for the drug was found in Huyhn's apartment.

The defense entered a not guilty plea on Huyhn's behalf, saying he denies the allegations.

He is being held without bail.

[Amusedtdth]

Thank God they caught this creep but I now wonder how many others he's done this to that are to ashamed to come forward.

[LiveLaughLuv]

"He was visibly intoxicated, he was swerving down the sidewalk and actually fell to all fours at one of time," says prosecutor Gretchen Means.
Authorities say Williams was found wrapped in a blanket wearing his clothes from the night before but he was missing his underwear.

Investigators gathered DNA evidence and the break came when another unidentified victim came forward last June.

Police say the man met Huynh in the downtown area, had a drink and Huynh gave the victim what he said was Tylonel.

"He said he had a headache and the defendant gave him two tablets," said Means. "When he woke up he felt extremely sick and disoriented, like Mr. Williams, his underwear was missing. He too was heterosexual."

Authorities allege DNA evidence taken from Williams and the other victim matched that of Huynh.

He lives a block from where Williams' body was found.

An autopsy on Williams was inconclusive. He had more than double the legal limit of alcohol in his system and like the other victim the drug benzodiazepine, which is similar to valium.


Why would he take pills from someone he didn't know? I am so glad he left his DNA so he could be prosecuted...I too wonder how many more may be out there he did this to...

When you mix tranquilizers with liquor it just intensifies the effects. I am somewhat relieved since Dane probably didn't suffer, hoping he didn't suffer..Dane looks so much bigger than this guy, had he not been drugged, it probably wouldn't have happened...hoping Philong Huynh will face the DP for it's what he deserves, IMO...

Maybe this sick POS suffocated him since they can't find a COD..:45024:

[Amusedtdth]

It sounds like the mixture of valium/alcohol may have been the cod why they say inconclusive is beyond me of course, maybe he didn't have enuf in his system to kill him but 2x the legal limit of alcohol and if he wasn't a big drinker, well..........