Cold Case Files: Suspicion lingers on boyfriend and his family in 1998 death of "pregnant" Tulsa teenager

Every June 6, the Family Fellowship Church in Berryhill, Oklahoma, becomes a place of solemn remembrance.

A memorial service and vigil, held annually since 1999, honors the life of Dena Dean, a 16-year-old whose vibrant spirit was extinguished in a brutal crime that remains unsolved. What began as a small gathering in the parking lot of Marvin’s Grocery Store at the Town West Shopping Center, 5616 W. Skelly Drive, has grown into a community-wide call for justice, now hosted at the church at 6105 W. 36th St.

On June 6, 1998, Dena, a Webster High School honor student, left her shift at a nearby Arby’s restaurant and headed to Marvin’s Grocery Store to meet a friend. She never returned home.

51st Street South and 49th West Avenue, Tulsa

Her car, left abandoned in the store’s parking lot with an uneaten Arby’s sandwich and her purse inside, was the first sign something was terribly wrong. Six days later, her badly decomposed body was found in a field near a pond at 51st Street South and 49th West Avenue, less than three miles from the store.

The Tulsa Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, though the precise cause could not be determined due to the condition of her remains.

Dena was a teenager deeply in love with her older boyfriend, Michael Converse, who was preparing to leave for college. Days before her disappearance, she told him she was pregnant--a claim later disproved by her autopsy, which confirmed she had never been pregnant.

Whether it was a misunderstanding, a desperate plea to keep him close, or a miscalculation, this revelation is believed to have set off a tragic chain of events.

Investigators theorize Dena may have gone to Marvin’s that night to tell Michael she wasn’t pregnant, hoping to mend their relationship.

Witness accounts paint a chilling picture of that evening. One witness reported seeing a girl matching Dena’s description arguing with someone in a red pickup truck in the Marvin’s parking lot around 10 p.m.

Another claimed Michael’s father, Robert Converse, a local minister, was at the store just 20 minutes before Dena vanished, allegedly seeking his son’s timecard and a soft drink bottle from his checkout lane.

A third account described Robert arriving at a woman’s home later that night, covered in mud, asking to have his clothes washed--a detail that raises suspicion given Dena’s body was found in a muddy field near a pond, close to both the grocery store and the Converse family home.

The investigation has long focused on Michael, Robert, and Robert’s brother, Steven

Converse, as persons of interest. Witnesses have provided compelling, yet circumstantial, evidence. One confidential informant reported that Steven once stormed into Robert’s home, pinning him against a wall and threatening him to stay silent about the case.

In 2017, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force served search warrants for DNA and electronics in Oklahoma and Arkansas, targeting Steven among others.

A “spontaneous utterance” made by Steven during the DNA collection was described as significant by investigators, though its details remain undisclosed. DNA evidence from cigarette butts and a cardboard box in Dena’s car revealed an unknown male profile with a close familial match to Robert, but no conclusive results have been made public.

Despite these leads, no arrests have been made in the nearly 27 years since Dena’s death.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force, led by retired homicide detective Mike Huff, remains optimistic. In recent years, new witnesses have come forward with “bits and pieces” of information, and advanced DNA testing continues to offer hope.

“We’ve made significant progress,” Huff said in 2023, though he cautioned that the case remains complex. Forensic psychologist Richard Walter, involved in the investigation, hinted at a potential breakthrough in 2023, noting that suspects had made critical errors. “Their reign is coming to a close,” he stated confidently.

Dena’s parents, Diana and Larry Dean, have been tireless advocates for justice. Their annual vigils, supported by the community and the Sheriff’s Office, keep Dena’s name alive and encourage tips.

“If they know anything about any unsolved case, please get involved,” Diana urged in 2024. “Without their support, the officers can’t do their job.” The Deans’ persistence has kept the case in the public eye, a strategy they credit for recent investigative momentum.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force continues to investigate Dena’s case alongside dozens of others.

. As the years pass, the hope for closure burns brightly for Dena’s family and the community that gathers each June to honor her memory.

If you have information that could help solve Dena Dean’s case or any other Tulsa County cold case, contact the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force at 918-894-9401 or 918-596-5723.