A 13 Year Old Vanished After A Court Ordered Visit With His Father

Strange Case Files
Feb 22
4 min read

The Dylan Redwine Case

Opening

On November 18, 2012, 13 year old Dylan Redwine flew into Durango, Colorado for a Thanksgiving visit with his father. On paper, it was routine. A holiday week. A custody schedule. A quick trip, then home.

By the next evening, Dylan was missing.

AI-generated realistic illustration of Dylan Redwine based on a publicly available school photo, not the original image. — AI-generated illustration based on a publicly available school portrait of Dylan Redwine. This is not the original image.

The Court Order Behind The Trip

This was a court ordered visitation. Dylan arrived at the Durango La Plata County Airport on November 18 and was picked up by his father, Mark Redwine. Dylan’s mother reported him missing the following day.

What made this case different from the start was that Dylan did not want to go. Investigators later documented that multiple witnesses said he was reluctant to visit, and that he would rather spend time with friends than be at his father’s house.

The Night Dylan Tried To Leave The House

That first night, Dylan tried to change the plan. Investigators later described text messages showing Dylan asked to stay with a friend instead of sleeping at his father’s home, and that the request was denied.

It is a small detail, but it matters because it shows Dylan trying to create distance before he ever disappeared.

AI-generated realistic illustration of Dylan Redwine holding a baseball bat, based on a publicly available photo, not the original image. — AI-generated illustration based on a publicly available childhood baseball photo of Dylan Redwine. This is not the original image.

The 6:30 A.M. Plan He Never Reached

Dylan had plans the next morning. He was supposed to go to a friend’s house at 6:30 a.m.

He never made it.

Investigators later documented Dylan’s last phone activity at 9:37 p.m. on November 18. At 6:46 a.m. the next morning, a friend texted him, “where are you,” and received no response.

That is the moment the timeline tightens. The silence starts before sunrise, and it never lifts.

The Last Known Window

Dylan was last seen at his father’s house during the visit. By November 19, he was reported missing, and searches began in the Vallecito area of La Plata County, a landscape of dense forest, steep drainages, and deep canyons.

From the beginning, the terrain worked against clarity. Time, weather, and distance can erase obvious answers fast.

June 2013: Searchers Find Remains On Middle Mountain Road

On June 27, 2013, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office announced that items collected during a five day search of Middle Mountain Road had been identified as Dylan’s human remains.

Middle Mountain Road sits north of Vallecito Lake, in high altitude terrain that investigators treated as potential crime scenes. Officials emphasized the search was not driven by new tips. It was part of planned follow up searches once snow had melted.

For Dylan’s family, it was the kind of update that ends one kind of waiting and begins another.

November 2015: A Discovery That Strengthened The Homicide Case

Two years later, hikers found Dylan’s skull about 1.5 miles farther up Middle Mountain Road from the earlier recovery site.

Investigators later documented findings that supported a homicide conclusion. Forensic anthropologists determined the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations. Investigators also described two small markings consistent with tool marks from a knife, and stated they were not caused by animals or natural circumstances.

The case was no longer just about where Dylan went. It was about what someone did to him.

2017: The Indictment And Arrest

In July 2017, a grand jury indicted Mark Redwine on second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. He was arrested in Bellingham, Washington.

The indictment also outlined why investigators believed the visit mattered. It described Dylan’s reluctance to be there, the messages about staying with friends, and the way Dylan’s phone activity stopped before the morning he was supposed to meet someone.

AI-generated realistic illustration of Mark Redwine based on a publicly available booking photo, not the original image. — AI-generated illustration based on a publicly available booking photo of Mark Redwine. This is not the original image.

The “Compromising Photos” That Hovered Over The Visit

Before trial, prosecutors sought to admit a set of statements and messages to show Dylan’s state of mind and the tension leading into the visit.

Those included text messages between Dylan and his brother, Cory, in which Dylan asked for “compromising photos” to confront their father, along with messages showing Dylan was unhappy about visiting and preferred being with friends.

This detail does not need sensational language to land. It is important because it explains why the trip felt heavier than a normal holiday exchange.

Trial And Verdict

On July 16, 2021, a jury found Mark Redwine guilty of second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death, ending a five week trial and a nine year investigation.

Sentencing: 48 Years

On October 8, 2021, the court sentenced Mark Redwine to 48 years in prison. The judge was Jeffrey R. Wilson, chief judge of Colorado’s 6th Judicial District.