Le-Shay Monea N’cole Dungey

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Columbus Division Of Police (OH)

Missing From:

Columbus, OH

Summary:

Le-Shay Monea N'cole Dungey, 19, disappeared on January 24, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio. She left her workplace in Dublin and took a COTA bus to visit a male friend near Summit and East 18th Avenue in Columbus. At 8:25 p.m., she messaged him saying, "You can unlock the door, I'm close." She never arrived at her friend's home and has never been heard from again. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

At the time of her disappearance, Dungey was working at a hotel in Dublin, Ohio and living with her aunt while looking for a new job in Columbus. On the Wednesday she vanished, LeShay spent the day looking for a new job in Columbus. She also had plans to meet a friend, so she took the No. 22 COTA bus that evening heading toward their home on the 1900 block of Summit Street. She left her workplace in Dublin, Ohio, and boarded a #2 COTA bus heading to visit a male friend who lived near the intersection of Summit Street and East 18th Avenue in Columbus. Le-Shay was in contact with this friend via Facebook Messenger, and at 8:25 p.m., she informed him that she had exited the bus and was walking to his house. The bus Le-Shay was traveling in is said to have dropped her off about seven blocks away from her friend's residence. She never arrived at her friend's home and has never been heard from again.

Additional Details:

Dungey's aunt reported her missing to the Dublin Police Department in January, and that department says they forwarded the information to the Columbus police, but the Columbus Police Department says they never got the information and they were unaware that Dungey was missing until her aunt contacted them in June. She is a graduate of the South-Western City School District and is described as a "free spirit" and independent young woman. Her father said he was a protective parent and used to track her phone, but he had stopped and was trying to give her space by the time she went missing. Since Dungey's disappearance she has not had any activity on her credit or social media accounts. More than eight years after 19-year-old LeShay Dungey vanished while walking to a friend's home in Columbus, investigators are still searching for answers. Her father, Duane Dungey, calling this ordeal a "dad's nightmare" and stating that he "can't describe the pain." Le-Shay's stepmother, Mia Johnson, dubbed Le-Shay "fearless" and said, "If she was in danger, she probably didn't even know it." Duane said LeShay was very into social media, and had numerous online friends, some of whom lived out of the country. He believes this may be connected to her disappearance. Columbus police told NBC4 they do not have any updates on the case to share at this time.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 18, 2026