Dorothy Steele was a resident of Pasquotank Precinct, North Carolina. Sometime prior to 1697, Dorothy married William Steele, who was involved in the colony's maritime trade. In June of that year, Dorothy hired mariners William Lee and John Spelman to help her leave her husband and escort her to the Ashley River in South Carolina. Dorothy and her guides took several items from the Steele property, including three guns and a large canoe. When their group was attacked by American Indians near the Cape Fear River, they turned around, electing to escape the state north into Virginia instead. Eventually the group was either captured or decided to come back to their homes of their own accord. That August Dorothy, Spelman, and Lee all faced charges before the North Carolina General Court. One major aspect of the case was that, throughout the voyage, Dorothy Steele and William Lee had shared a bed. The court found Dorothy guilty of spousal abandonment and adultery, sentencing her to thirty lashes. Though Dorothy presumably returned to her husband, no further records about her fate after the trial have been located.