$1M bond issued for boyfriend accused of murder in 2017 disappearance of Amanda Dean

HURON COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - The man accused of multiple charges in connection to the 2017 disappearance of Amanda Dean made his first appearance in court Monday afternoon in an arraignment hearing.

40-year-old Frederick Reer faces the following charges:

• One count of murder, an unclassified felony
• Three counts of tampering with evidence, all third-degree felonies
• One count of gross abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony

Reer pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the judge issued a $1 million bond.

Reer was Dean’s boyfriend at the time of her July 2017 disappearance.

The Huron County Sheriff’s Office re-opened its investigation into Dean’s disappearance in December 2022 with the additional support of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).

Dean’s family delivered a letter to the sheriff’s office demanding ‘proof of life’ prior to the case getting re-opened.

Investigators executed a search warrant in November 2023 at a home belonging to Reer’s father. It remains unknown what investigators discovered during their search.

“So many memories won’t include Amanda, as her killer robbed these children of a life with their mother,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said previously. “Her family deserves justice.”

The Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults and the attorney general’s office confirmed Reer was arrested Feb. 9.

Editor’s note: The below video is an interview with Amanda Dean’s family featured on 19 News’ special, 19 Investigates: The Missing.

Reer will be back in court for pretrial hearings at 1 p.m. on March 11.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.