D'Wan's mother, D'Wanna, told authorities that her son disappeared while shopping with her at The Wonderland Mall in Livonia, Michigan on December 11, 1994. Authorities stated that they did not believe her story and thought D'Wan was never at The Wonderland Mall with his mother the day he disappeared. No witnesses saw him there and he didn't show up on the tapes from the mall's twelve surveillance camera either. Witnesses did see D'Wanna arrive at the mall, alone, at 3:30 p.m., an hour after she says D'Wan disappeared. D'Wanna has maintained her innocence in her son's disappearance. She has never been charged in connection with D'Wan's case due to lack of evidence, and no suspects have been identified. In the years following D'Wan's disappearance, his mother moved to Durham, North Carolina. She was living with her husband and children when she died in 2020.