Two years after Diana Estey went missing, her disappearance ‘doesn’t make any sense’

When Medford resident Diana Estey disappeared from her house on Nov. 2, 2016, neighbors noticed the lights had been left on overnight, and the front door was unlocked. Inside, they found the TV on, her purse on a table and her car keys in clear sight, according to Medford resident and friend Kent Black.

Her car was in the driveway, yet the 71-year-old woman was nowhere to be found.

Two years have passed since Diana Estey was last seen, on Oct. 31, 2016, and her disappearance has left the tiny Piscataquis County community of 245 people unsettled, Black said.

Estey’s family and friends have participated in multiple searches conducted by the Maine Warden Service since her disappearance. And on Sunday, the Warden Service was set to lead another early morning search for Estey. Her brother, Paul Estey of Bangor and other Medford residents were scheduled to join in the search effort.

Diana Estey’s case remains an open missing person’s case, and Maine State Police are planning an announcement about the case next week, state police spokesman Stephen McCausland said.

“It’s been two years since she went missing, and our goal is to find her,” he said.

Paul Estey said a number of searches for his sister have taken place over the past two years.

Diana Estey

“There have been extensive searches for her, with dogs and horses and people driving through the woods,” he said. “They also had divers in the pond by her house and the river. We haven’t found anything that would lead up to any conclusion.”

Diana and Paul Estey grew up in Medford, and Diana returned to the small town after retiring from her career as a university registrar in North Carolina. At the time of her disappearance, she still owned a house in North Carolina, which brother sold last year. According to Black, authorities also looked for her there.

Paul Estey also said there has been no activity detected on her bank accounts.

“A 71-year-old woman doesn’t just disappear with no money,” Black said. “From an outsider’s perspective, it doesn’t make any sense, and it’s unsettling.”

Diana Estey had shown no signs of dementia, her brother said, and she had tested negative for Alzheimer’s during a doctor’s visit shortly before she vanished.

“The feeling is that she didn’t just wander off. There’s been some foul play,” Paul Estey said.

Both Black and Paul Estey want to keep Diana Estey’s disappearance in the public eye two years after she vanished, hoping for some information or leads in the case.

“The two years seem more like 10,” Paul Estey said. “It’s something that I think about every day, all the time, and there’s been no closure.”