View source for Robert Dye

'''Robert Earl Dye''' (disappeared [[March 3]], [[1956]]) was one of three men that disappeared from northern [[Jefferson County]] after attending a party in [[Robinwood]] near [[Morris]] in March [[1956]]. He and his brother [[Billy Dye|Billy]] and their cousin [[Dan Brasher]] were last seen in Billy's 1947 Ford. The trio were rumored to have stolen liquor from some local bootleggers before they disappeared.

Rumors of their fate continue to percolate. Some thought they may have been dumped down an old mine shaft. Others claim they were buried in their car under the road bed for [[Alabama Highway 79]], then under construction near [[Pinson]].

The initial investigation by the [[Jefferson County Sheriff's Office]] produced no firm leads. The efforts of Brasher's brother [[Curtis Brasher|Curtis]] convinced Sheriff [[Holt McDowell]] to assign Deputy [[Tom Ellison]] to the case. Test bores were drilled into the highway where witnesses claimed to have seen a car buried, but nothing was found.

The case was inactive until [[Jefferson County Commission]]er [[Tom Gloor]] resuscitated it on [[1972]]. A Navy metal detector was used to find more places to drill, but again nothing was found. In interviews at the time, Ellison claimed that McDowell pulled him off the case prematurely, perhaps to protect those responsible for the crime. The mens' disappearance is currently the oldest case still active with the Sheriff's Department.

==References==
* Jones, Pam (Fall 2006) "Brasher-Dye Disappearance." ''Alabama Heritage''. No. 82, pp. 44-47

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[[Category:Missing people]]
[[Category:Murder victims]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]