Wasilla missing person case goes into 2nd month with no contact

Dean Clayton Vroman, 21, of Wasilla has been missing for nearly two months. Family members reported him missing May 16, but no one is sure of the specific date the young man went missing.

“His roommate came to my house, asking if I’d seen Dean,” Michael Hollowell, Vroman’s friend and neighbor said.

Hollowell says that the unnamed roommate told him that Vroman had walked off around 1 a.m. May 1. Hollowell says this conversation took place on May 16.

“This is not normal for Dean to walk off or not check in with friends or family,” said Hollowell.

Private investigator Brenda Paradise has been working on Vroman’s case and her information corroborates with the idea that Vroman “went for a walk in the middle of the night,” and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

When asked if Vroman might have simply left town, Hollowell thinks that Vroman didn’t have the means to get on a plane or make plans to leave the area.

He expressed frustration that there hasn’t been any leads on his friend.

“Someone knows something-he doesn’t just run off like this,” he said.

Hollowell says that after Vroman’s father passed away last year, he struggled.

“His dad helped get him squared away with an apartment and making sure he was good to go,” said Hollowell. “But when his dad died last year, it led to him (Dean) hanging around some bad people, people that would take advantage of him.”

Vroman did have access to his cellphone, but sources believe that it was turned off before he was reported missing, and that it has been turned back on, but Vroman may not know that the phone is working again, which may account for his not contacting friends or family.

Details are also unclear as to where he was last seen or exactly what he was wearing. There have been reports that Vroman was last seen at a party at Man Made in Palmer on April 29, while another source posted that he was seen in Wonderland Park on May 15 with “several juveniles.”

On flyers posted on social media and around Wasilla and Palmer, Vroman had been wearing either a grey hoodie or white to dirty white sweater and flannel shirt, khakis or jeans, and either Adidas tennis shoes or tan work boots, and a blue beanie. He has no known tattoos or scars.

Vroman is described as 5-foot-8, approximately 170 pounds, with greyish-green eyes and brown hair and light facial hair.

Paradise says that because information from people close to Vroman has been vague, she hasn’t been able to conduct an organized search that is often seen in other missing persons cases.

“At this point, I just want to know that he is alright,” says Paradise.

Hollowell echoes her sentiment, saying that Vroman is a good guy.

“I just want him to reach out, let us know he’s ok,” Hollowell said.

Anyone having contact or information regarding Dean Vroman is asked to contact the Alaska State Troopers in Palmer at (907)-352-5401 and reference incident AK-22048008.

People may also contact the AST Anonymous Tip Line by texting keyword AKTIP and their message/tip to 847411. Brenda Paradise may also be contacted with information at (907) 795-5292.