New questions emerge in Amanda Dean investigation

HURON COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - New questions have emerged in the murder of Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four who disappeared on July 11, 2017 from Huron County.

Nearly a decade later, her boyfriend Fred Reer was convicted in Dean’s death. With no body recovered, Reer pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The Dean family recently sat down with 19 News anchor Nichole Vrsansky to share their story.

That interview is featured within our Dark Side of the Land podcast, “They Said She Was Safe: The Murder of Amanda Dean.”

The family has filed a federal lawsuit against Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin and the Huron County Sheriff’s Department for failing to investigate Amanda’s disappearance.

Now 19 News has learned, according to new court filings regarding the lawsuit, counsel for Amanda’s family claims the Attorney General’s Office is withholding documents from them, and counsel claims it is because of an ongoing investigation into Sheriff Corbin and the Huron County Sheriff’s Office.

Attorneys for Flannery Georgalis, LLC write: “Counsel for Plaintiffs spoke with representatives from the AGO (Attorney General’s Office), who stated that requested documents related to that case would be withheld because of an ongoing investigation regarding Defendant Corbin and the Huron County Sheriff’s Office.”

19 News Legal Expert Alyssa Belli explains what this means:

“It’s not a formal declaration that there is an investigation into the sheriff at this point. It’s not a finding of fact by the court but it is record now that counsel’s representing, they had this conversation and they believe this is who the investigation is in.”

We reached out to the Attorney General’s Office, who told us, “Our office does not confirm the existence of, or potential for, criminal investigations.”

We also reached out to Sheriff Corbin, who has not responded, but in court filings his attorney says they are not aware of an investigation.

On April 3, Judge Jack Zouhary issued an order requiring the Ohio Attorney General and Bureau for Criminal Investigations to promptly release all documents related to the case to the court for inspection.

The judge will then determine whether the records provided will be made available for review by counsel for the parties in this case.

The judge did not give a date or a deadline for that decision.

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