DURANGO, Colo. — The communication between Mark Redwine and his 13-year-old son Dylan was sporadic in the months leading up to the boy’s disappearance, but the father sent four text messages to his teenage son the day he was reported missing.
This was part of the focus of the first day of the third week of testimony in Mark Redwine’s murder trial. He is charged with second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for the November 2012 disappearance of Dylan Redwine.
Patrick Beyer, who is now part of the U.S. Secret Service, testified about his analysis of the communication between various devices associated with both Mark and Dylan Redwine, as well as the boy’s mother, brother and best friend.
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Dylan Redwine’s last known communication was on the night of Nov. 18, 2012. His father reported him missing the next day. Beyer testified that while the boy’s mother called him repeatedly, Mark Redwine was more subdued on Nov. 19, 2012.
This was the content of four messages Mark Redwine sent his son the day the search for him began:
- 8:14 a.m.: Hey bud, out of the office, call me.
- 8:15 a.m.: Hey you, call me please.
- 11:23 a.m.: Dyl, I am home and you’re nowhere to be found. Come back so I can get you to Bayfield. At least call me, k?
- 2:33 p.m.: Dylan, you need to call me. Where are you?
Dylan Redwine was never heard from again. His partial remains were found up the road from Mark Redwine’s Vallecito home on Middle Mountain in June 2013. His skull was found five miles away in November 2015.
Previous witnesses testified there was evidence he suffered a skull fracture and sharp force injury at the time of his death.
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Mark Redwine’s defense team has argued that Dylan Redwine wandered off and succumbed to the elements. The prosecution has argued that the boy was killed by his father in a fit of rage after he was confronted about compromising photos.
> The video above is from a previous 9NEWS story recapping the opening statements in the trial.
Beyer’s testimony showed that the relationship between the boy and his father appeared strained in the months before his disappearance. Multiple text messages sent to Dylan Redwine by his father went unanswered, and the boy told his brother he intended to show his father the compromising photos he had seen of him.
The day he was last seen, Dylan Redwine had flown from his mom’s home in Monument to Durango, where he met his father for a court-ordered visit.
Beyer testified that when his mom texted him to ask if he’d arrived, Dylan Redwine responded with “yes” and a frownie face emoji.
That was the last message he would send his mom. Beyer testified that Dylan Redwine logged onto Facebook multiple times per day, and texted his friends on both his phone and iPod. There was no activity after 10 p.m. on Nov. 18. The boy's phone was never found.
Mark Redwine’s trial is slated to last for four weeks.
9NEWS is providing daily digital updates on the Mark Redwine trial. For all of our latest coverage, visit www.9news.com/dylanredwine.
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