TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It’s been nearly two years since 34-year-old Hollie Dasso's body was found in the desert and her family is still pleading for help as many questions are left unanswered.
Steven Dasso, Hollie's father, says her husband called him on September 22, 2023 and said he was unable to locate her.
"The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I just knew something wasn't right, that her own husband didn't know where she was at," Steven said.
Detective Miguel Flores with the Pima County Sheriff's Office (PCSD) is the lead investigator on the case and says footage last captured Hollie on a Sun Tran bus by Laos Transit Center on September 21, 2023.
“I don’t know if she was alone that night when she boarded the bus or not. I have no idea," Steven said.
Her body was later discovered on September 23, by a Union Pacific train conductor in a rural area on I-10 and Marsh Station Road near the railroad tracks.
Detective Flores says she was found with trauma to her body, but the exact cause of death is still unknown.
"They were careful to document each of the injuries noted to her, but based on the available information to them, which includes portions of our investigation, her death has been ruled undetermined at this time," Detective Flores said.
He says they have no indication that she had a cell phone on her and they have been able to retrace some of her steps through various interviews and followed up on various leads.
"So we have things that we recovered from the scene that have been sent to both the DPS crime lab as well as private labs out of state," Detective Flores said.
After receiving a large donation from family in March, the reward has increased from $2,500 to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest.
"The reward’s been increased hoping more people will come forward and provide answers," Steven said.
Detective Flores says since the reward increase, there has been more awareness and public interest of people reaching out.
"Right now, we're sorting through what we have already accomplished and what we've already elected, and seeing what it is we've missed," Detective Flores said. "We also have alerts out for certain people we've been looking for. Some of these people are not readily available, and we do have to locate them. And these are people of interest that we've been put in contact with through other investigative leads as well."
He says this case has not gone cold because in the last 18 months, there has been progress and they will keep moving forward.
“Our investigation has included past relationships she’s had with friends and other people that have reached out to us or we’ve located on our own and they’ve been very cooperative and they’ve actually been able to generate new leads for us as well," Detective Flores said.
Steven wants to know what happened to his daughter he describes as someone who lights up any room she walks into.
“Everybody loved Hollie. She got along so great with other people. She’s very outgoing, very social,” Steven said. "She had a good head on her shoulders. She worked a lot of different jobs, career driven. Went to Pima Medical Institute, so she had a career path and plans for a bright future."
He added that she enjoyed karaoke and they loved listening to her.
"She had a very beautiful voice and when we would go out and she'd do karaoke, I mean, she'd get a standing ovation," Steven described.
Hollie is survived by her parents Julie and Steven Dasso, two brothers 31-year-old Shane and 25-year-old Brandon, and her 16-year-old son.
Her family visited the site she was found, on what would’ve been Hollie’s 36th birthday April 3.
“Just to be out there and feel close with her. Just a feeling of, I guess relief or comfort just being out near where she passed," Steven said.
He says they will not give up on his daughter and hope some leads come in that will help.
“We’re hoping one day the sheriff gets a hold of us and lets us know that they finally have justice for our daughter," Steven said.
If you have any information in this case, please contact 88-CRIME. Tipsters remain anonymous.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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