Deadly Date: The Bizarre Disappearance of Erin Gilbert
Her case has been one of Alaska’s biggest mysteries for 25 years.
Erin Gilbert was excited as she got ready for her first date with Dave Combs on the afternoon of July 1, 1995. He was taking her to the Girdwood Forest Fair in Girdwood, Alaska, and had promised to pick her up at 4:00 pm. When she went outside to wait for him, she wasn’t alone. Her sister and brother-in-law, along with their children, waited outside with her, eager to meet the man Erin had told them about.
Dave arrived right on time, and once he got out of the car Erin introduced him to her family. Her brother-in-law asked Dave to take his sunglasses off so he could get a better look at him, and Dave complied with a smile. Sunglasses were pretty much a requirement in Alaska during June and July, when the sun never set. Once it appeared that Dave had been approved by the group, Erin climbed into his car. Her 4-year-old nephew told her she should take a mobile phone with her; Erin laughed and told the child she would be fine. She gave them a final wave, and the couple drove off. It was the last time Erin’s family would ever see her.
Erin was 24 years old and had moved to Anchorage, Alaska about a year earlier. Her older sister, Stephanie, had persuaded her to make the move; Stephanie’s husband…