Shortly after the divorce, Dixie and Tad reunite again, and Dixie becomes pregnant. David secretly arranges for her to stay at a special clinic in Switzerland. Tad and JR (Dixie's son, then Jonathan Bennett) are puzzled by her sudden disappearance. When Dixie is close to her delivery date, and everything is going well health-wise, she decides to tell Tad everything, and they make arrangements for him to be there for the birth of their daughter. As Tad goes to the airport, heading for Zurich, Opal receives a phone call and rushes to tell Brooke the horrible news. Brooke hurries to board the plane to tell Tad that there has been an auto accident and Dixie has been killed. The car has gone over a cliff and they couldn't find her body. Tad is devastated. Stuck to his seat, unable to move from shock, the two of them head for Switzerland. They go to Dixie's apartment, where they find that she had prepared a special evening. A framed baby sonogram sits on the table with the name "Kate Martin" on it. They gather up Dixie's things and return home. Tad takes a long time to mourn the death of his beloved Dixie and their unborn daughter.