Questions remain unanswered on 12th anniversary of Trib employee's disappearance

Dan Niehaus preferred actions over words.

Despite being prone to silence with the occasional “hello” and “thank you,” Niehaus of Penn Hills was known as a reliable man and a hard worker.

“Dan was a nice guy, but he didn’t talk at all,” said Todd Besh, Trib Total Media production director at the West Deer printing facility where Niehaus worked. “It was just the way he was.”

Besh said Niehaus’ silence didn’t reflect any unhappiness. He was just a man of few words.

Niehaus worked as an inserter at the Trib Total Media printing and distribution center in West Deer since 2005. He had taken three sick days prior to Memorial Day weekend in 2013, then returned to work for one day before calling off sick again. He was supposed to return June 2 but never did, according to previous TribLive reports.

“I was very surprised,” Besh said about Niehaus’ initial absence. “He was very reliable so you always expected to see him.”

Co-workers reported him missing to Penn Hills police and searched his neighborhood, the woods and spoke with businesses and neighbors in the surrounding areas. The group called area hospitals and search and rescue companies in case Niehaus had turned up.

“We just felt like we had to do something as an organization to draw attention to the fact that he was missing because it didn’t feel like anyone else was putting that pressure on the police,” said Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto.

Almost a year later, a West View Water Authority employee found human remains along the Ohio River in Avalon. DNA from the bones was sent to a lab in Texas, which eventually matched the sample to one provided by Niehaus’ family. In July 2015, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains belonged to Niehaus but did not declare a cause of death.

After 12 years, there are still no answers about why Niehaus disappeared or how he died.

An Allegheny County Police department spokesperson said Niehaus’ death was ruled undetermined by the county medical examiner’s office and is not considered a homicide at this time. The case is considered inactive pending new information.

Penn Hills Police did not respond to requests for comment.

“It was crushing to be a part of the team searching for him,” Bertetto said. “It was crushing when we found that the body that had been pulled from the river was Dan.”

Besh also was a part of the search team. He called the entire experience shocking.

Bertetto cleaned out Niehaus’ locker. Despite not knowing him personally, Bertetto felt as though she got a glimpse of his day-to-day life. Niehaus’ locker featured Post-it notes that directed him on what to do when he got to the office. His co-workers informed Bertetto that he would sit alone in the lunchroom most days.

“There was something about that — he felt so vulnerable to me, that I knew in that moment we had to always do what we could to try to find him. And then, ultimately, when we learned he was a victim of an undetermined death, that we had to keep shining a light on that until we could get answers for him,” Bertetto said.

It’s with that determination the Trib continues to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in Niehaus’ death. Allegheny County Police said information may be submitted by calling 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

“You don’t want to see anyone have the end of their life look this way,” Bertetto said.

Niehaus was 59 at the time of his disappearance. Bertetto said he was last seen at his doctor’s office before he went missing.

“I feel a sense of responsibility and caring for the people who make up the company,” Bertetto said. “Even though I didn’t personally know him, I still feel it’s my job to take care of him and to not be able to have answers after all of this time has been challenging.”