Account
Apr 03, 2009
Jun 12, 2024
Shaquita
Bell
51
23
66 inches
67 inches
150 lbs
170 lbs
Black / African American
Female
On a summer day in 1996, 23-year-old Shaquita Yolanda Bell was last seen leaving her grandmother's residence in Alexandria, Virginia. It was approximately 1:00 p.m. on June 27th when she departed with her estranged boyfriend, Michael Eric Dickerson. Bell had made a phone call around 2:00 p.m. stating she would be returning home soon, but she was never seen or heard from again. At the time of her disappearance, she was a mother of three and worked as a clerk at a Giant Food bakery. Friends and family described her as a responsible person who would not have willingly abandoned her children. The circumstances leading up to Bell's disappearance were troubled. Her relationship with Dickerson was marked by domestic violence, and just a month prior, she had reported him to the police for assault, which led to his arrest. Fearing for her safety, Bell had moved into her grandmother's home and even kept a diary to document the abuse in case something happened to her. In the weeks before she vanished, she also reported that Dickerson had threatened her with a loaded gun. Investigators later learned that Bell had provided police with information about a homicide she believed Dickerson had committed. Years after she went missing, the investigation into Shaquita Bell's case saw significant developments. A friend of Dickerson's, Jonathan "Jody" Shields, informed police that Dickerson had confessed to killing Bell. Shields even admitted to helping Dickerson bury her body in a wooded area in Fort Washington, Maryland. Tragically, Shields was murdered in 1999, the day before he was scheduled to wear a wire to record a confession from Dickerson. In 2008, while incarcerated for the earlier assault on Bell, Michael Dickerson was charged with her murder. As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted to killing another man as well. He led authorities to a wooded area where he claimed to have buried Bell, but her remains were never recovered. The case of Shaquita Bell is a heartbreaking story of a young mother whose life was cut short, leaving a void for her family who tirelessly advocated for justice. Despite a conviction, the absence of her remains means a final sense of closure remains elusive for her loved ones.
Jun 27, 1996
Alexandria
Virginia
Alexandria City
20246
Alexandria City Police Department
Alexandria
Virginia
Alexandria City
22304
3600 Wheeler Avenue, Virginia
7037464444
Local
Law Enforcement
96012635
Alexandria City Police Department
8126
Black
Brown
Brown
06/18/2026
