GLENDALE, AZ — It's a Memorial Day weekend mystery; what happened to Diana Shawcroft and Jennifer Lueth? The two 19-year-olds were reported missing from Glendale in May 1996 during the holiday weekend. But nearly 30 years later, there have still been no answers in their case.
Diana's sister, Kristina Frigo, lives in the Valley and sat down with ABC15's Ashley Holden. As one of the last people who saw the girls alive, Frigo detailed her own path to processing what happened. She also shared more about the twists in the case and the answers she longs for.
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Learning what happened to the teens is a goal of the Arizona Attorney General's new Cold Case Unit. ABC15 sat down with multiple agencies to shed light on the case and learn where the investigation stands decades later.
Everyone involved is hoping that justice is closer than it ever has been.
May 24, 1996
Diana Shawcroft and Jennifer Lueth had grown up together in Loveland, Colorado. Kristina Frigo, who goes by Tina, said Lueth had visited one weekend and never left.
"Her best friend came to visit, so their plans were to have a good time and hang out," said Frigo. "And I was the big mean sister that was like, get a job."
The three young women all lived in Frigo's one-bedroom apartment in the area of 59th Avenue and Camelback Road. Diana had a job working at Burger King in the area as well.
May 24, 1996, was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. The two teens wanted to go out and do something fun.
"It was a terrible night for me because of the way it all ended," said Frigo.
She had been looking at homes all day and described herself that night as "grumpy."
"The very last thing Dee Dee said to me was, 'I can still see her face and her head around the doors,'" described Frigo. '"Tina, please come with us.'" And I said no."
The two girls walked to a convenience store that Frigo said was close by, but the pair never returned.
It wasn't until the next morning that Frigo started to realize something was wrong. She told ABC15 she contacted her dad, Roger Shawcroft, but waited to alert Lueth's parents. Something she believed angered the family long after 1996.
"A lot of it was a blur," said Frigo. "I finally reached out to my dad and had my dad come over. And things just kind of started to go from there."
SEARCHING FOR THE GIRLS
People donated helicopters to search for the girls, and both Diana's parents and Lueth's made sure they were in the Valley to help.
A few important clues from witnesses who were nearby that night emerged, including tips from a 14-year-old.
People said they saw the girls talking to a man in a blue truck. Then, witnesses described the girls getting in the truck and pulling away. Police ultimately put out a sketch of that man, hoping to talk to him.
But it would be months until the teens' remains were found in a remote area of Yavapai County by hunters.
"You start thinking about any type of scenario, good to bad, to horrid, to horrific," said Frigo. "Obviously, this was horrific. My brain went to a lot of hopefulness that maybe it was just an accident that went wrong, and people got scared and didn't know what to do. And that's what I still hope it is to this day, it helps me have a little bit of peace with it."
Frigo said she went through hours of questioning with police since she was one of the last people to see her sister and Lueth. Eventually, she said she asked for a break.
In December 1996, Frigo went to the area where the girls were found. She and other family members created a memorial.
"We know somebody knows, and we know somebody did this," said Frigo in 1996. "And we wait for that day to find you."
The family continued to speak out about the case. Roger even volunteered to help parents of other missing kids, like Mikelle Biggs.
But years after the two girls' remains were found, another twist in the case. Frigo said someone tampered with the memorial at the site.
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"There was a picture frame with a picture of Diana, DeeDee, and Jenny," said Frigo. "And the pictures were gone. So, they truly believe whoever did it, you know, went back. And a lot of times, that's how they get caught as well."
Still, close to 30 years later, Frigo doesn't have closure. Both Shawcroft parents passed away, not having answers either.
NEW COLD CASE UNIT
The Arizona Attorney General's new cold case unit hopes to be able to give both sets of relatives answers and get justice for Diana and Lueth.
The case is one of five now being reviewed by the unit.
Roger Geisler, Supervising Special Agent with the new unit, worked previously with the Glendale Police Department. This case is one he knows well.
"Given that movement from such a long location, somebody either saw or heard, or the people involved talked about that," said Geisler. "Whether they were hunters or somebody up in that area, it's just all those things. We believe somebody has information out there."
Now the AG's office is working with Glendale police and the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office on this case.
"It's just, it's difficult, it's frustrating, and we want to find out who did this to them," said Officer Moroni Mendez with Glendale police.
ABC15 asked Geisler about new evidence that the AG's office said is being analyzed.
"New evidence can be old evidence that is now being reviewed," said Geisler.
He can't go into too much detail about what evidence they have, but Geisler did say they are hopeful new technology could bring answers.
"Items that may have been tested before can be retested, and new evidence, being new DNA, could be discovered and therefore bring this case to closure," said Geisler.
Frigo is hopeful after learning how to let go of the guilt that haunted her for years, that soon she could finally get answers.
"I still just want to know facts, and I just want to know what happened," said Frigo.
She said she's grateful for the work being done and hopes one day she will get that final chapter of closure.
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