LIVONIA, Mich. – Local 4 has been following the disappearance of D’Wan Sims for nearly 26 years.
After years of tips, clues and dead ends, his mother, Dwanna Wiggins moved to North Carolina, where she passed away Monday. Police claim she died from a heart attack.
“We actually got the call this morning Ms. Sims had passed away” said Captain Ron Taig with Livonia Police.
Taig said he’s had numerous conversations with Dwanna Wiggins over the years. It’s the case he will never forget and still hoping they will solve. Taig said the death of Dwanna will make things more difficult to do that, but the case is not over.
“Absolutely not. That case is going to continue to be open,” Taig said. “We have detectives in our cold case unit that are continuing to look at the case to see if anything was missed.
Everything happened back in 1994 at Wonderland Mall in Livonia when Dwanna Wiggins told police her son disappeared while they were shopping. Taig said they looked over every piece of video from the mall that day and they saw Wiggins on the security videos at the mall, but what about little D’wan?
“Absolutely not,” Taig said. “He was never in any of those videos.”
Since then, Wiggins moved to North Carolina and denied she had any involvement with her son’s disappearance.
About a year ago, a man claimed on social media that he was D’wan Sims. Police even performed a DNA test on him.
“The latest is we’re still waiting on the results,” Taig said. “We were told by the lab they had to shut down because of the pandemic.”
So as of now, Taig said they’re back as the beginning. Does he believe little D’wan is still alive?
“As far as making a statement whether D’wan is alive or dead, obviously, over this time frame, it’s discouraging for us that we haven’t received any other tips or any other information,” Taig said.
Police said D’wan Sims deserves justice and they’re asking anyone with new information about this case to contact the Livonia Police Department at 734-466-2470.
READ: Man thinks he may be D’Wan Sims, boy who went missing in 1994; Livonia police take DNA sample
Wiggins’ church, the First Calvary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, released the following statement regarding her death: