Family continues missing Sandstone woman search 3 years later

SANDSTONE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Another Christmas has come and gone, and Lisa Urbaniak still has no answers as to what happened to her sister, Dee Anna Miner.

"I want her story to be known. I don't want her to be forgotten. I want to find out what happened," said Urbaniak. 

Miner was last seen on Aug. 13, 2020, leaving her residence in Sandstone. She left her cell phone and her purse behind and has not been seen since.

"When she wasn't using drugs, she was an amazing person. She was a great mom. She loved her children. When she would get in the throes of drugs, though, it was devastating," said Urbaniak.

Speaking to FOX 9 from her home in Wisconsin, Urbaniak says her sister battled addiction for many years, but regularly kept in touch with family and her four children. When Dee Anna didn't call back after her birthday, Urbaniak knew something was very wrong.

"Once it started to get cold and she didn't call anybody for anything... I knew... I am very confident she is not alive," said Urbaniak. 

She believes someone out there is responsible for Dee Anna's disappearance.

"I think somebody did something to her and they got rid of her," said Urbaniak. She also thinks because her sister is an addict, her case isn't being taken as seriously as it should be.

"I want to find her. I want closure for myself, but I want closure for my nieces," said Urbaniak.

Urbaniak is the only person left in her immediate family, losing her brother and her parents in recent years. She tells FOX 9 she bought a headstone with a spot for Dee Anna on it, but she still needs answers before she can have any sense of closure.

"I have nobody to bury," said Urbaniak. 

The Pine County Sheriff's Office says they have no new updates or information to release on Dee Anna's case. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 320-629-8380.