The justice system failed a young family when a repeated pedophile abducted their two youngest children… Now, nearly 14 years after the incident, family members are still feeling the pain of what happened.
Shasta and Dylan
Shasta and Dylan Groene were playing outside one early summer day when a person who crossed their paths would end up changing their lives forever. That was when Joseph Duncan saw those two children and decided to kidnap them.
Joseph Duncan
Duncan began to stake out the homes for days before he decided to strike. This was only the beginning of his sick obsession…
That Dreadful Night
On May 16th, 2005, Duncan broke into the Groene family home where Shasta, Dylan, mother Brenda, step-father Mark, and brother Slade lived. He broke into the home armed with a gun, wearing black gloves.
Things are Going South
Shasta’s mother called the children into the living room, as directed by Duncan. That’s when he used nylon zip ties to tie up her mother, step-father, and older brother. Duncan then took Shasta and Dylan out to his stolen rental car.
It’s Over
That’s when Shasta heard her mother’s scream come from the house. Then, she heard her stepfather scream. Through the open door, she saw her older brother staggering around the home.
Taking the Kids
Duncan appeared in the doorway and made his way to the car. That’s when he drove off with the two children and took them to an undisclosed location.
AMBER Alert Goes Out
The next morning, police found the three victims beaten to death in their living room. The town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho was in complete shock that this could happen. They immediately put out an AMBER alert for 9-year-old Dylan and 8-year-old Shasta.
No Leads
The police were stumped. They had no leads, no witnesses, and no fingerprints to go off of. They were trying to find any DNA to test on the crime scene, but any evidence was far and few in between.
Missing Kids
According to police, it was as if these kids vanished into thin air. The news reporters vowed to make sure this was the top story and covered it every night. They followed crews as they combed through the woods for the kids… It was weeks before anything else happened… And, what did happen was monumental.
Finally, a Development
On July 1st, 2005, Shasta was seen in a convenience store with her abductor. It had been a month and a half since the children were abducted…  Unfortunately, the convenience store clerks didn’t do much to help.
No Help
The convenience store clerks weren’t sure if this was Shasta or not… They spent too much time talking about it and the abductee got away.
Missing Child Posters
Since this, police heavily encourage all places of business to have missing child posters in their stores in case of issues like this. Luckily, this wasn’t the last they saw of Shasta…
The Dennys
Early in the morning on July 2nd, 2005, Shasta and Duncan went to a local Denny’s. It was just after 2 a.m. Denny’s employees are usually suspicious of this kind of stuff as they usually don’t get children in so late at night…
The Waitress Who Saved Shasta’s Life
Amber Deahn was the waitress for the two that night and was immediately put on high alert. Deahn said in an interview, “Any child that comes in after 2 [a.m.], especially at Denny’s, or any child I see, I automatically think of the Groene children.”
Warning Signs
Something was immediately wrong with the child, Deahn noticed. “She seemed very closed off. Most children that we get in, if they do come into Denny’s that late, they’re passing through town, trying to go home or headed home. And you give them crayons and a mask, and they light up and get all excited and say thank you, and she didn’t.â€
It Was Obvious
When Deahn offered the coloring page to Shasta, and didn’t speak. She only looked at Duncan, as if she needed permission to speak from him. She then very unenthusiastically began to color. Deahn was positive something was wrong.
Making Sure
Deahn tried her best to get a positive ID before making any moves to calling the police. Her manager had taken down the missing child poster very recently, so Deahn tried conversing with other coworkers to see if it was her…
Getting the Police
They needed to buy time. She ended up trying to ignore the table a bit as to make them wait longer. She already had an excuse if it turned out to not be them. Now, it was time to call the police.
Getting Everything Ready…
The officer arrived in the back of the lot as to not raise any suspicion. He had told her to give them their check, and the officers will be waiting for them when they leave. It was foolproof…
Things Were Escalating
Deahn went back into the Denny’s to give them their check. Duncan was way ahead of her…
He’s Trying to Leave
“And I went back inside,” Deahn remembered, “And they were headed to the bathroom, and he said, ‘We need our check,’ and pointed his thumb towards the table very quickly and abruptly. I said, ‘OK, I’ll get that for you.’”
Officers Moving In
Duncan immediately made a beeline for the table. That’s when officers, who were looking in through the window, rushed the restaurant. They followed him right to the table.
Talking with Shasta
It started pretty civilly. They asked him if they could speak to him for a moment and whisked him away. Another officer sat down with Shasta, and Deahn went to give her some food.
Is It Really Her?
That’s when the officer asked Deahn to stay with Shasta while she ate. Deahn kneeled down to eye level with her and spoke to her…
Her Savior
Deahn said, “‘Hi, sweetie. How are you?’ And she didn’t say anything. I said, ‘Honey, what’s your name?’ She said, ‘Shasta Groene,’ and started crying. And I couldn’t help myself. I picked her straight up and just held her.”
They Got Him
Joseph Duncan was arrested on the spot. He was charged in the murders of Brenda Groene, 40, Mark McKenzie, 37, and Slade Groene, 13. Now, they have Shasta, but where is Dylan?
Shasta’s Story
It took a while before they could really interview Shasta about her horrifying experience. That’s when they found about what happened to Dylan…
What Happened To Dylan?
Shasta, Dylan, and Duncan were standing just outside of the car in a remote area. Shasta was on one side of the car, while Dylan and Duncan were on the other side. All of a sudden, there was a huge bang.
It Was An ‘Accident’
Shasta ran to the other side of the car and saw Dylan lying on the ground, screaming and bleeding. Apparently, the first shot had just been an accident… At first…
Accidental Shooting
According to Duncan, he had been looking through a plastic box for a beer when a shotgun that was in the box went off. It hit Dylan in the stomach. Shasta said that she saw Duncan hold the gun to Dylan’s head and try to fire, but it jammed.
Dylan Was Murdered
Duncan reloaded the shotgun and shot Dylan in front of Shasta. He died instantly. Now, Shasta was alone.
Going to Court
Joseph Duncan has met his fate in court. He was convicted by three courts; an Idaho district court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and a California superior court.
Multiple Crimes
He had been convicted in the kidnapping of Shasta, kidnapping and murder of Dylan, and murders of Brenda, Slade, and Mark. He had also been convicted of kidnapping and murder Anthony Martinez in a separate case.
Death Row
Duncan is currently on death row. He is also serving 11 life sentences without parole. He had confessed to the murders of two girls in Seattle in 1996, but was not tried for them.
He Had A Vicious History
Duncan is a convicted pedophile who had been in and out of jail prior to ruining Shasta’s family. He was on the run from a molestation charge when he committed the murders. If he had been kept in jail, poor Shasta wouldn’t have had to face all of this…
Community Comes Together
The community rallied around Shasta and her father to help them get their lives back to order. Shasta’s mother’s home was bulldozed to remove the remainder of the murders that took place… Then, 10 years later, news stations caught up with Shasta to see how she was doing.
10 Years Later
After 10 years, Shasta was happy to report that she was pregnant and engaged. But, it wasn’t easy to get to that point…
Difficult Upbringing
Shasta had struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout her teen years. She got drunk for the first time when she was 12, and tried meth at 14. She ended up in jail at 17. She says that’s what changed her life.
Prison Time
While she was in prison, she said she was able to soberly face what happened to her for the first time in years. She was able to conceive her first son, who she calls a miracle.
Miracle Pregnancy
Shasta always believed that because of the injuries she faced through weeks of vicious sexual assault, she would never have been able to conceive. She is so happy to prove Duncan wrong.
Two Kids
Shasta now has two children, Lorenzo and Omari. “My kids helped sway me away from drugs and alcohol, but it’s something I still face every day,” she said. “There’s always people from the past who I run into trying to sway you back into that. It takes time to overcome.”
Still Struggling
Unfortunately, Shasta was arrested again for leaving meth in the reach of her child, who was under one-year old at the time. She still struggles with her drug addiction.
They Went Missing
As of February 21st, 2019, she and her two young sons went missing for a weekend. She was last seen at a Walmart near her home.
Found, but Under Bizarre Circumstances
She and her sons were found soon after they went missing, but police did not release any more information.
Doing Her Best
Shasta is still fighting to live a normal life after her horrible encounter with death. She plans to write a book telling her story, as she tries to fight through the horrible post-traumatic stress that it induces. She wants to connect with other survivors and bring them a sense of community and for them to know that they are not alone.