Dawn Phillips was a mother of five young girls. Her family told local media that she was a "loving mother, a beautiful wife and a very dear friend." There is very limited information about Dawn and what happened to her.

Dawn was last seen by her daughters on January 19, 1996. She had just given them a bath. Dawn had to go to a corner store, and she told her daughters to stay home and watch TV until she returned. Sadly, Dawn never returned. Ten months later on October 1, 1996, Dawn's body was discovered in the 600 block of Canright Street NE in Plainfield Township. Dawn died of 'homicide by unknown means'.

Dawn's case is associated with one of 17 women who were all missing or murdered in the Grand Rapids area during the mid-1990s.  Many of these women were sex workers, and their cases have received minimal media attention, however, their families are still actively seeking justice.