Asbury Park, NJ – 25 years have passed since 12-year-old Quiana Dees, of Asbury Park, was shot in the head and left to die in a vacant lot on Washington Ave and Fischer Avenue on the border of Neptune/Asbury Park, NJ.
25 years later, Quiana’s death still remains a mystery. Every first Saturday of May since Quiana’s murder, her mother Penny Dees, her family, and community members march on the streets to remind the community of Quiana’s untimely death and to raise awareness on victims who have been claimed by street violence in Monmouth County.
Penny Dees, Quiana Dees mother
With her head raised up high, Penny Dees calls this year a victory march as she says “we’re getting closer”. Penny Dees hopes the 25th year will be the last year of marching to solve her daughter’s murder. It is hopeful but she continues to push forward.
The group gathers at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School for a prayer before embarking on the valiant march. The march then stops at the lot where Quiana was found, where the marchers lead into another prayer. This year the march ended at the newly developed Springwood Avenue Park in Asbury Park.
Quiana Dees had left her home without permission on the night of May 1, 1992, to attend a party on Washington Avenue in Asbury Park. She was found shot several hours later. Despite an intensive police investigation and several community outreach efforts, no one with credible information concerning the killer’s identity or a witness to the crime has come forward, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone with information about the murder of Quiana Dees is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7012 or toll free at 800-533-7443.
