Missing
Guadalupe Dailey
Guadalupe, approximately 1997; James Dailey
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/31/1997
Missing location (approx) :
Santee, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Asian, Biracial, Hispanic
DOB : 09/16/1970 (50)
Age at the time of disappearance: 26 years old
Height / Weight : 5'3, 110 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Biracial (Asian/Hispanic) female. Black hair, brown eyes. Guadalupe's nickname is Lupe. She is of Chinese and Mexican descent and speaks English with a slight accent.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Guadalupe was last seen in Santee, California on August 31, 1997. She planned to go to Las Vegas, Nevada with her boyfriend that weekend, but never did. She was reported missing on September 2.
Shortly after her disappearance, her white Toyota pickup truck was found at La Petite Academy, the day care center on Carlton Hills Boulevard where she worked as co-director. She has never been heard from again.
When authorities checked Guadalupe's apartment after her disappearance, all her personal belongings, including her toothbrush, hairbrush and photos of her two young children, were left behind. It's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning, and she was happy with her life and her job in 1997.
Guadalupe was in the process of a divorce from her husband, James Dailey, at the time of her disappearance. A photograph of James is posted with this case summary. He refused to take a polygraph after she vanished and police searched his home.
James, described as an aggressive individual, was reportedly "obsessed" with the idea of killing his wife and told coworkers he could dispose of her body so no one would ever find it. He suggested he could hide her body on the Viejas Indian Reservation, where he had once been a police officer. He had no history of violent behavior, however, in spite of his verbal threats.
James told police he met Guadalupe at his apartment on Lund Street on the afternoon of her disappearance and they argued about money. He says she left at 6:30 p.m. and he took his boat out on Mission Bay afterwards so he could "cool off."
When investigators checked the boat, however, it had no spark plugs and appeared to have been out of the water for some time. Guadalupe's checkbook was found inside the boat, with a cash withdrawal receipt. She was reportedly afraid of the water and wouldn't have gotten on the boat voluntarily.
James took his children and moved in with his sister in Muncie, Indiana several months after his wife vanished, and began a new life there. He enrolled in Ball State University as a English major. In 2001, authorities charged him with Guadalupe's murder.
At his trial later that year, his defense argued the case against him was circumstantial and there was no evidence Guadalupe was even dead. There was no physical evidence to prove murder, and some witnesses testified to seeing Guadalupe alive after her supposed death.
James was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in November 2001. He continues to maintain his innocence.
Guadalupe's remains have never been found.
Other information and links : ncy
San Diego County's Sheriff's Office
619-258-3113
September 2021 updates and sources
The San Diego Union-Tribune
KGTV San Diego
October 12, 2004. September 8, 2010; picture and DOB : added, Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
