Friday, June 29th 2018, 7:12 pm
Dena Dean's parents have waited 20 years to find out who murdered their daughter.
The Deans met with the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office Thursday and hope they may soon have the answers they need.
They couldn't say much, but Dena Dean's parents said they met with the Tulsa County DA for the first time ever. It’s been 20 years, but they said they feel like they're finally close to getting justice for their daughter.
"Leads us to believe the end is near," Larry Dean said. "We just wanted to let them know that, no matter how long it takes, we want answers. We want that conviction. We want a trial."
In December News On 6 reported the cold case task force assigned to the case identified three main suspects - Dena's boyfriend at the time, his father and uncle.
12/19/2017 Related Story: Witnesses Reveal Details In Unsolved Murder Of Dena Dean
Two days before the 16-year-old disappeared, Dena told her boyfriend she was pregnant even though she wasn't.
Larry and Diana Dean hope arrests could be made by the end of the summer.
"I can wait another two to three months. I mean, we've waited 20 years," Larry Dean said.
Dena was last seen at Marvin's grocery store in west Tulsa on June 6, 1998.
Dena's parents found her car at Marvin's later that night with Dena's purse still inside, but they have different opinions about what happened to their daughter.
"I think they approached Dena that night with intentions of causing harm, but not death," Larry Dean said.
Diana Dean said, "I think it was intentional. I don't think it was an argument gone bad. I think they planned to murder her."
Dena's body was found six days later in a field not far away.
Her parents said all they’re living for is finding answers.
"How much longer do we have here? No telling. We want the answers," Larry Dean said.
After two long decades, the Deans are optimistic those answers could finally come to light.
"I just want justice for her. She deserves justice," Diana Dean said.
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