Ex-Husband Of Missing Rogers County Woman Says He Is Innocent

The ex-husband of a woman missing 18 years told News On 6 his side of the story. Fourteen agencies are searching property south of Claremore this week for the remains of Dione Fox, who disappeared in 1996.

The land being searched is where Dione and her ex-husband once lived.

Tony Fox admitted his ex had a protective order against him, that he was charged for assaulting her and that after she went missing he didn’t show up for court, but those charges were eventually dismissed and Fox said there’s still a lot missing from the story.

?7/22/2014 Related Story: Search Continues In Rogers County Cold Case Disappearance?

Tony and Dione divorced in 1993; she got a protective order against him a few months before the divorce. Tony said she lied to get it when she claimed he broke into her apartment.

Actually, according to Tony, he was there with police to check on her since no one had seen her for days.

He said she lied again in May of 1996 when she told police he threatened and assaulted her, resulting in him being arrested and charged. He said she hit him twice that day while they were arguing before he ever reacted.

"I reached up and grabbed her by the throat and said ‘don't hit me anymore,’ and shoved her back on the stairs going to the apartment and I left," Tony said.

He said he told her witnesses would back him up at court and she would be the one going to jail for filing false reports.

Tony said she tried to get the DA to drop the charges and when that didn't work she decided to leave town rather than testify. Said she was going to go to her mother's in Noel, Missouri.

He said she stopped by a few days before their daughter's seventh birthday party to have him check her car. Some people said the two argued that night, but Tony said that wasn’t the case.

"It was me, her and the kids. It was fine," he said.

That's when she disappeared, the charges against him were dropped and her car was found eight months later in Noel, with her keys and purse still inside.

Despite that, and the fact that many people said Dione was a devoted mother who would never leave her children, Tony said he was told she went to Vegas.

He believes she could be living under a different name, but investigators said there's been no activity on her social security number or accounts in 18 years.

Tony said her lifestyle might've led to her death.

“I wouldn't be surprised if something happened to her, but, it wasn't me who did anything to her," he said.

He said he doesn't know why law enforcement is searching his family property for Dione's remains and despite how it looks, and the rumors, he said he didn’t harm Dione.

"Sometimes a person did not do what they said they did and I've never been given a chance to say, ‘hey, I didn't do it,’ I didn't," Tony said.

Even though Tony said he once offered to take a polygraph and has talked to detectives in the past, I learnedhe canceledd an appointment with investigators Tuesday afternoon and refused to meet with them or answer questions.

Investigators said they are getting new leads and will keep looking for the truth.