A woman goes missing after a night out with friends
Danniella and Tyler Thomas become a couple and move into an apartment
Though Danniella and Tyler know each other from both their families being in the miltary and stationed at Fort Riley, a couple years later Tyler joins the Army and they start to develop a long distance relationship on Facebook. When he comes home, they become a couple and move from Kansas to Mobile Alabama where his family is. Soon, Danniella discovers she's pregnant and she and Tyler move out of Tyler's parents' home and into an apartment.
Mobile, AL
Victim
Former Significant Other Of Victim
Danniella's daughter is born
From birth, though Danniella and Tyler love and care for their new daughter emensely, her primary custodian is Tyler's mother, Julie Thomas. Tyler is dealing with PSTD from his military experiences and self medicating with heroin, which results in several arrests and rehab stints. Danniella has some of her own challenges, in part due to ADD for which she is also self medicating by taking Vyvanse that she obtained without a prescription. She and Tyler's relationship continues to devolve with constant fighting that sometimes turnes physical. The couple are self aware being with them is a poor environment for their daughter and it's in C.T.'s best interest to remain in Julie's custody until they can get things sorted out. Danniella takes a number of different jobs at different restaurants and bars in the Mobile area to make a living, but also to help provide for C.T.
Child of Victim
Friend/Acquaintance of Victim
Danniella becomes pregnant a second time
Danniella finds out she is pregnant with her second child. However, after visiting the doctor and establishing the time of conception, they realize Tyler is not the father because he had been in jail and, later, rehab. The father of Danniella's second child is unknown. Though they had a tumultuous, on-again/off-again relationship over the years, they considered each other dear friends and stayed very close. It was because of their relationship that Tyler vowed to support Danniella through the pregnancy until she gave the child up for adoption.
Danniella moves to North Carolina
Now December, Danniella's pregnancy begins to show and Tyler becomes unhappy and angry about the pregnancy. To put some space between her and Tyler and try to help get her life back on track, Danniella moves to North Carolina where her mother Joy Vian is living. She hopes they will reestablish their relationship.
Parent of Victim
Danniella returns to Mobile, Alabama
Danniella's move seems to not come together as planned and in part because she misses Tyler and C.T., she returns to Mobile after about 2 weeks,
Danniella begins working at P.F. Changs and makes a new friend
Upon her return to Mobile, she begins working at P.F. Chang's and strikes up a friendship with a coworker, Hannah Jakoboski. Hannah begins frequently giving Danniella rides to work since Danniella did not have a car of her own.
Friend / Acquaintance of Victim
Tyler overdoses on heroin.
Tyler overdoses on heroin in his car. EMS is able to resuscitate him using NARCAN, and he proceeds to the hospital to support Danniella as she goes into labor.
Danniella gives birth to baby boy
Danniella gives birth to a baby boy. She choses an open adoption process after screening several applications and settling on a Mobile couple who are present at the birth. The adoptive parents are unknown to the public except that the mother is a teacher and the father is a police officer. They are willing to let the baby know who Danniella is, but she doesn't think it is a good idea. They work out an agreement so that Danniella has up to 6 months to decide if she would like to have a relationship with the baby boy.
Tyler is incarcerated
After the baby was born, Tyler turns himself into LE for violating the conditions of his parole.
Danniella leaves the hospital
Danniella texted Julie the evening of the birth to say she was sore but okay. The CaseFile podcast claims that Danniella then writes a letter for the adoptive parents to give the baby boy when he turns 18 and leaves the hospital without ever seeing or holding him.
Danniella returns to work
Despite having complications from the birth and continued heavy bleeding, Danniella returns to work, relying on Norco, a prescription painkiller known to cause drowsiness, to help her work through the pain.
P.F. Changs
Danniella and Tyler decide to have his parents become C.T.'s legal guardian.
Danniella, Tyler and Julie and her husband had been discussing for some time making C.T.'s grandparents legal guardians. Once Danniella & Tyler could make their lives more stable and safe for their daughter, she would return to their custody. They meet with a lawyer who represents C.T's interests and they are scheduled to have a court date the week after Danniella's disappearance.
Danniella buys a car from Pearl Motors
Having saved up enough money to purchase a car, a dark blue 2014 Chevy Cruz, Danniella goes to Pearl Motors, a dealership that caters primarily to individuals with no credit or bad credit and provides on-site financing. Pearl Motors requires a number of documents to complete financing, including a letter of recommendation from her landlord stating she was reliable in paying rent. Danniella borrows Julie's car and spends the day gathering the required documentation.
Pearl Motors
Afternoon: Danniella returns Julie's car
Danniella returns Julie's car. Still suffering from complications and pain from giving birth six weeks earlier, Danniella is suffering from the day's activities, so she takes a Norco and lays down on the couch. Julie and Danniella discuss their upcoming plans. They arrange for Julie to take Danniella to the bank and to Pearl Motors. After Danniella picks up the car, she plans to go shopping for school supplies for C.T. and then meet up with friends for a celebratory drink. Danniella plans to return to Julie's on Thursday to surprise C.T. with the school supplies and stay overnight. As they discussed their plans, Danniella was very lethargic and apologized to Julie, saying, "This medicine just makes me really sleepy."
Danniella writes a list of goals
Danniella writes a note which lists her goals which relate mostly to C.T. and steps to achieving financial stability, It includes things like getting C.T.'s room together, taking her to school every day, having her sleepover 80% of the time, and paying off a library fee and an over-drafted bank account.
Morning: Julie takes Danniella to the bank
Danniella rises early to get ready for the day. She placed an envelope containing the cash for the down payment and insurance into her satchel-type handbag. Julie takes Danniella by the bank to deposit money into Julie's account so she can pay for insurance on her new car as her account is in arrears and fees would be taken from her deposit if she were to use it for the payment.
11:00 a.m.: Julie and Danniella go to the dealership
Julie takes Danniella to Pearl Motors, waiting for her to complete the necessary paperwork and pick up keys to the Chevy Cruz.
11:10 a.m.: Pearl Motors explains and has Danniella sign a GPS system agreement
Because Danniella's car is financed through the dealership, it is equipped with a GPS system that plugs into a socket at the base of the steering column. The GPS will ping every 4 minutes while in motion and every 4 hours while not in use until the car is paid off. If the GPS is disabled, the dealership will get an alert and try to locate the car. Danniella signs an acknowledgment that the GPS is there and that she will not attempt to remove it.
11:59 a.m.: Danniella returns to her apartment
Julie waves to Danniella as she left the Pearl Motors parking lot and Danniella returns home in her newly purchased car.
701 South Apartments
4:20 p.m.: Danniella texts Hannah
Danniella texts Hannah to ask if she's at work since she was planning to visit the mall. Hannah responds that she will be at work at 5.
5:20 p.m.: Danniella leaves her apartment to run her errands, including stopping at Shoppes at Bel Air
Danniella leaves her apartment dressed casually in black leggings, a dark Mellow Mushroom t-shirt, black Converse high-top sneakers and a pink hat with a doughnut graphic. She runs a couple errands, including looking for a backpack for C.T., before beginning her evening with friends. She first drives to a small strip mall on S. University Blvd and then to The Shoppes at Bel Air mall, which is where P.F. Changs is located at that time. She bumps into an unnamed coworker and chats for a moment, telling them how relieved she is to finally have a car.
Shoppes at Bel Air
Early Evening: Danniella sends a Facebook message to Randy Capps
A few minutes after texting with Hannah, Danniella messages Randy, a former coworker from Hurricane Bar & Wings, on Facebook to find out if he is working that night. Randy responds he is, but he no longer works at Hurricane's and now works at Hero's in West Mobile but she is welcome to come by. Danniella responds that she doesn't like going to a place where she's never been before. Randy replies, "LOL. I hear you. Well, I'm here, not like you don't know anyone."
6:34 p.m.: Danniella goes to Heroes Sports Bar & Grill
Danniella drives to Heroes Sports Bar & Grill to hang out with Randy while he works. Randy is about 10 years older than Danniella and also had previous arrests for drug possession, possession of stolen property, and DUI.
Heroes Sports Bar & Grille - West Mobile
Evening: Denson White and Mallory Kentworthy arrive at Heroes
A short time after Danniella arrives at Heroes, Denson White and Mallory Kentworthy arrive and join Danniella at the bar to watch the MLB All-Star game. Denson, who works as a manager at APM terminals, is in his early 40s and unknown to Danniella prior to this evening. Mallory is in her early 30s and Danniella was familiar with her through mutual friends. Denson and Mallory both play on a softball team with Randy and were supposed to have a game that night, but it was canceled due to the rain.
Person with Information
7:14 p.m.: Danniella and Julie exchange the last texts between them before she disappears
Danniella responds to a text from Julie about some local gossip. This would be the last time they communicated.
7:15 p.m.: Danniella messages with Hannah
Danniella messages Hannah to tell her she didn't see her car at P.F. Changs when she went to the mall earlier. Hannah responds that she is at work. The next message at 7:36 pm she tells Hannah, "I'm drinking happily at a sports bar." Hannah responds, "Hell yes. Taking advantage of the freedom." Then, at 8:25 pm, Danniella sends a 3rd text to Hannah, "Okay. I'm going to drive now, but should I? I don't know." Danniella has consumed a few alcoholic beverages and others would say she doesn't appear to be drunk. But, it is not known whether Danniella has taken Norco that evening. Patients are warned against drinking while taking Norco.
8:57 p.m.: Danniella and Denson become friends on Facebook
Danniella and Denson friend each other on Facebook and Denson sends Danniella an invite to a party taking place at his home a couple of weeks later.
9:12 p.m.: Danniella hugs Randy goodbye
Danniella, Denson, and Mallory decide to leave Heroes and go to Dublin's, an Irish pub not far away, to wait for Randy to get off work, and then meet back up with him at Ollie's, another bar closer to Danniella's apartment. Danniella hugs Randy goodbye then she, Denson, and Mallory leave Heroes.
Evening: Danniella sends two messages to Randy
As soon as Danniella makes it outside Heroes, she sends two Facebook messages to Randy, but he does not respond.
9:10 p.m.: Danniella, Denson, and Mallory leave Heroes
According to a timeline given to Julie by Randy, Danniella, Denson, and Mallory leave Heroes in their own personal vehicles. The timeline has allegedly been validated by timestamps on calls, text messages, and video surveillance.
9:16 p.m.: Danniella calls Hannah
Danniella attemps to call Hannah, but Hannah does not answer because she is still working.
9:46 p.m.: Danniella messages Hannah on Snapchat
Danniella sends Hannah a short video on Snapchat in which she is sitting alone in the driver's seat of her car. The clip contains nothing out of the ordinary, but Hannah notes later that Danniella appeared to be a little intoxicated.
10:00 p.m.: Hannah tries to call Danniella
Hannah tries to call Danniella back shortly after receiving the Snapchat message, but there is no answer.
10:05 p.m.: Danniella's car leaves the Heroes parking lot
According to GPS records, Danniella's car leaves the parking lot nearly one hour after exiting the bar. It is unknown whether Danniella stayed in her car in the parking lot the entire time or rode with someone else and returned to Heroes later to retrieve her car.
10:08 p.m.: Danniella's car arrives at Dublin's
Danniella continues to hang out with Denson and Mallory at Dublin's.
The Dublin Pub & Eatery
10:44 p.m.: Randy messages Danniella
Randy messages Danniella on Facebook to let her know he is off work and will head straight to Ollie's.
10:45 p.m.: Mallory, Denson and Danniella leave Dublin's
While hanging out at Dublin's, Mallory decides to go to a pool hall called Runway Bar to meet up with friends and plans to rejoin Danniella, Denson, and Randy at Ollie's later. Denson decides he was going home instead of Ollie's as originally planned. Danniella, Denson, and Mallory each leave Dublin's in their own individual vehicles. The drive from Dublin's to Ollie's is only 2.8 miles and requires a left turn out of Dublin's parking lot. Denson's house is in the opposite direction and requires a right turn. According to the GPS data and Mallory's statement, Danniella takes a right turn leaving Dublin's, which is odd since Danniella knows the area well.
10:48 p.m.: Randy arrives at Ollie's
Unable to find the group at Ollie's, after a few minutes, Randy calls Denson but gets no answer, so he waits for them to arrive.
Ollies
11:00 p.m.: Danniella flashes her headlights at Denson
According to Denson, he is not aware Danniella is following him until he is passing through a quiet industrial area and she flashes her headlights at him, signaling him to pull over.
11:05 p.m.: Two cars pull into parking lot of a Shell station
Despite there being open gas stations and a Waffle House nearby, Danniella and Denson pull into a closed Shell gas station. Danniella tells Denson she lost her phone. Note: NBC 15, a local news station, initially obtained and published the surveillance footage. At the request of MPD, they removed the actual video but left a timeline of the video up.
Shell Gas Station
11:07 p.m.: GPS on Danniella's car makes final ping
At the Shell station, as a result of either being intentionally disconnected or a fuse blowing, the GPS installed in Danniella's car by Pearl Motors stops communicating. It's been reported that the GPS was securely installed in an outlet under the steering column, making it highly unlikely that it accidentally became unplugged.
11:07 p.m.: One car leaves the Shell station
The grainy surveillance video shows one car leaving Shell station and one car staying.
11:08 p.m.: Another car pulls into the Shell station and parks
The surveillance video shows another car pulling into the Shell station. It is unclear whether this is the same car that left or a different one.
11:11 p.m.: Denson calls Danniella's phone via Facebook messenger
Danniella was known to frequently lose phones and used Facebook messenger as her primary method of communication. It is assumed Denson calls her phone in an attempt to locate it and uses it via Facebook messenger because Danniella either hadn't memorized her phone number yet or was not in a state to remember it. A voicemail is left, seemingly inadvertently, in which a male and female can be heard, presumably Denson and Daniella. This voicemail can be heard on the CaseFile podcast at 55:15
11:12 p.m.: Denson calls Danniella's again
A second voicemail through messenger is left, again seemingly unintentionally, in which a male and female can be heard, presumably Denson and Daniella. It is unclear whether the female voice heard in the second audio is the same female voice heard in the first audio clip . This voicemail can be heard on the CaseFile podcast at 55:55.
Evening: Mallory arrives at Ollie's
After stopping at Runway Bar, Mallory meets up with Randy to wait for Danniella and Denson to arrive.
11:17 p.m.: Denson calls Randy
Denson calls Randy to explain that Danniella lost her phone and he is going back to Dublin's to look for it.
11:24 p.m.: Both cars leave Shell station
Video shows both cars leaving Shell station and turning towards Dublin's. Danniella follows Denson for a while before turning towards a "more populated part of town." It is unknown whether Danniella was actually driving her car as detectives only state she was last seen "occupying" her vehicle.
11:37 p.m.: Denson arrives back at Dublin's
Denson sends Mallory a text message containing a selfie of him at the bar inside Dublin's with the caption "Getting phone. Just got back here but somehow lost a Danniella." A server had found Danniella's phone on the back of a car in the parking lot and placed it behind the bar for safe keeping. Denson retrieves the phone from the server.
11:52 p.m.: Denson attempts to video call Danniella via Facebook messenger
Denson attempts to call Danniella via Facebook messenger and receives no answer. This is unsurprising considering he had her phone and she presumably had no way to answer the call. When she didn't answer, he wrote her a Facebook message that read, "Call me. Dublin had your phone."
12:00 a.m.: Denson arrives at Ollie's
Denson joins Randy and Mallory at Ollie's, who tell him Danniella had not shown up.
12:04 a.m: Denson attempts to call Danniella a 2nd time by video via Facebook messenger
Again Denson tries to reach Danniella via Facebook, he gets no answer.
12:33 a.m.: Denson attempts a 3rd time to reach Danniella
After again not reaching Danniella with Messenger video calling, Denson asks Randy what to do with her phone. Randy suggests taking it to P.F. Chang's so she could get it on her next shift.
Early Morning: Denson leaves Ollie's and takes Danniella's phone
7:30 a.m.: Hannah texts Danniella
Hannah sends Danniella a text asking if she is okay and receives no answer.
Morning: Tyler calls Danniella
Tyler calls Danniella from jail. At this point, Denson is in possession of Danniella's phone and answers it telling Tyler he had found the cell phone in a parking lot. Tyler gives Denson Julie's phone number.
7:30 a.m.: Julie receives a phone call from Denson
Denson calls Julie and tells her he found Danniella's phone, not mentioning that he was with her the night before or that he knew her. She told him to drop the phone off at P.F. Chang's.
Morning: Julie contacts 701 South building manager and asks them to leave a note on Danniella's door
After Julie received the phone call from Denson, she contacts the building manager of Danniella's apartment and asks them to leave a note on Danniella's door. Several hours later Julie checks at the apartment and the note is still on the door, untouched.
Afternoon: Patrick, P.J., and C.T. return home
Patrick, P.J. and C.T had been visiting Patrick's family for a week and return home this afternoon. Everyone catches up on their trip, without Danniella there to greet her daughter.
Evening: Julie messages Danniella on Facebook messenger
After Danniella did not show up for C.T.'s return, Julie became worried and messaged Danniella on Facebook messenger. She continues checking for a response, but the message had not been viewed and Facebook was showing that Danniella has not been active in two days. Julie then posts a message on Danniella's public wall asking her to get in touch with her.
Late Evening: Hannah continues trying to message Danniella
Hannah texts to Danniella via phone and Facebook messenger but still receives no response
Hannah calls friends to see if anyone has heard from Danniella
After receiving no response from Danniella, Hannah contacts mutual friends to see if anyone has heard from her. An unknown mutual friend says that Danniella was at Heroes Tuesday night.
Hannah calls Heroes
Hannah calls Heroes and asks the manager to check the parking lot for Danniella's car, but her car was not there. The manager offers to check the schedule and see who had been working. The manager calls Hannah back and says Randy confirmed Danniella had been at Heroes and had been hanging out with Denson and Mallory.
9:17 p.m.: Hannah contacts Denson
Hannah didn't know Denson but finds him on Facebook. She sends him a message asking if he knew where Danniella was or had any information.
Evening: Denson calls Hannah
Denson calls Hannah and tells her he had not seen Danniella since Tuesday night, but he had her phone and had been trying to get in contact with her so he could return it
Evening: Hannah goes to Danniella's apartment
Hannah checks Danniella's apartment again and finds no sign of her there.
Morning: Hannah messages Danniella again on Facebook
Morning: Hannah drove by Danniella's apartment
On her way to cosmetology school, Hannah goes by Danniella's apartment to check for her again. Danniella still isn't there.
10:00 a.m.: Danniella no-shows at work
Danniella is scheduled to work a 10:00 am shift, but has not show up.
Hannah calls Julie and messages Denson
Hannah calls Julie and messages Denson to let them know there has still been no sign of Danniella. After a flurry of calls and messages between the three of them, they decide it is time to report her missing.
Morning: Julie and Denson meet at the police station
Julie and Denson arrange to meet at the police department on Airport Blvd. and Dawes so Julie can file missing person report and so Denson could hand over the phone and make a statement. They are directed to the Government Blvd. location where the missing person department was housed. On the way there, Julie calls Hannah to get the 6-digit passcode to Danniella's phone so she could check her messages and calls over the last week. Hannah advises it was her employee ID number and gives her the number.
Afternoon: Julie, Denson, and Hannah give statements to the police
Denson gives a statement to the police regarding Tuesday evening. Hannah gives a statement about how out of character it was for Danniella to be out of contact and not show up for work. Julie gives as much information as she could and handed over Danniella's phone.
Mobile Police Department
Afternoon: Julie and a police officer go to Danniella's apartment
Julie and an officer, along with a crime scene technician, go to Danniella's apartment to conduct an assessment. Nothing seems to be missing or out of the ordinary.
Late Afternoon: Julie returns home and logs into Danniella's Facebook
Danniella's Facebook login information was stored on Julie's computer. Julie logs in and finds several missed phone calls and two voicemails from Denson.
Late afternoon/early evening: Julie contacts the police about the voicemails found on Facebook
Julie contacts the police about the messages found on Daniella's Facebook and they advise her not to log back in to Danniella's account to ensure no evidence is tampered with. Julie asks about the potential of CCTV footage from various locations, but she is told no such footage had been found. Julie is shocked in the days to come when a local news station airs footage captured from surveillance cameras at the Shell gas station where Danniella's car last pinged and contacts the police again to ask about it. Instead of responding to Julie, the police contact the news station and demanded they remove the video, to which the station complied.
Julie and Patrick attend court to finalize custody arrangements for C.T.
With the custody discussions already in motion with Danniella's full cooperation and the custody appointment already made, since Danniella is missing and unable to attend the hearing, the court awards full custody to Julie and Patrick.
Tyler is released from jail.
Upon his release from jail, Tyler immediately returns to the apartment he shared with Danniella and took any items of value, including a video game system, and pawns them. When Julie finds out, she buys the items back.
Danniella's case handed over to homicide department
Law enforcement confirm that Danniella's case had been handed over to homicide but that they have no evidence that a homicide actually occurred.
Police states no evidence of foul-play in Danniella's disappearance
Danniella's case is handed over to the homicide division, but the police Chief Battiste insists that there is no evidence at this time that foul play is involved.
Hannah enters Danniella's apartment
Tyler gives Hannah a key to the apartment and asks her to let him know if she notices anything unusual. Hannah notes all of Danniella's possession are still there.
Evening: First candlelight vigil held
A week after her disappearance, family and friends gather at Medal of Honor Park near Danniella's apartment. This is a park that she would go to with C.T. frequently.
Medal of Honor Park
Detectives search Danniella's apartment
At some point after Danniella disappeared, detectives search her apartment and note she has a whiteboard that contains notes related to her goals and money saved. According to the notes, she had $1,200 saved. There is no official record of the money ever being found in her apartment.
701 South evicts Danniella and Tyler
Tyler is unable to maintain the rent on the apartment and is evicted. The building manager would not allow Julie in to collect Danniella's possessions and instead dumps them on the sidewalk for Julie to collect.
Mobile Police Department publish a tip and info blog on their website and announcing a reward
An blog sharing minimal details related to the investigation into Danniella's disappearance is published on the Mobile Police website which allows members of the public to submit information and tips. It also shares that there is now a $2,000 reward.
Police arrest Jason Dykes
Jason, Julie's nephew, is arrested on charges of domestic violence, strangulation, assault, and unlawful imprisonment. The alleged victim claims that he had said something threatening about Danniella. However, a raid of the property finds no evidence related to Danniella or her disappearance. The allegations are later proven to be false, he charges are dropped and Jason is cleared as a person of interest in the investigation of Danniella's disappearance.
Other
Julie starts a GoFundMe to aid in the investigation
Frustrated with the lack of information, Julie starts a GoFundme and uses the funds raise to print flyers to post and pass around. She also has billboards posted featuring Danniella's photo and details about the disappearance.
Police increase reward for information to $5,000
Second candlelight vigil by family and friends of Danniella
Third vigil held at Medal of Honor Park for Danniella's 26th birthday
Off-duty sergeant mapping areas for dive training marks an unusual spot for dive team to investigate
An off-duty police officer mapping out areas for dive training in Saraland, Alabama, approximately 17 miles north of where Danniella was last seen, notices something unusual in a drop-off approximately 20-30 feet down near a public boat launch located in a residential area and marks it for the dive team to investigate during training.
Walter V. Cofield City Park
Afternoon: Sergeant and dive team return to the area with investigation equipment
The dive team investigated the area previously marked by their sergeant. They discovered a dark blue Chevy Cruz with a Pearl Motors tag containing human remains. Due to the crime scene, the vehicle and body were left underwater while investigators consulted with experts on how to appropriately remove them and preserve any evidence. Law enforcement stated they would be treating the case as a homicide until an autopsy could be performed and make a final determination.
Afternoon: Chevy Cruz is removed from the water
Investigators removed the Chevy Cruz and drained it on site. Other than damage to the front panels on both sides, the car was in relatively good condition. The car and remains were transferred to a secure facility.
Mobile Police confirm Chevy Cruz belonged to Danniella and remains are of an adult female
Police Chief Lawrence Batiste gives a press conference and confirms the Chevy Cruz belongs to Danniella Vian and the remains found are those of an adult female. He could not say how long the vehicle had been in the water and whether it had been pushed or driven in. He also could not confirm the position the body was found in and stated investigators would unlikely be able to determine the location of the body when the vehicle entered the water.
Julie tells press that she believes the body found in the car is Danniella
Mobile Police have not yet confirmed the remains are Danniella's, however all signs point to that. "You think it is going to be closure to finally find out because that is your goal -- to find her. That's what you have been working so hard for so long for, begging for and praying for, and when you finally get that, it's not closure," said Thomas.
Candlelight vigil held for Danniella at boat launch
Friends and family held vigil at boat launch and requested help figuring out what happened to Danniella and how she ended up so far away from where she was last seen.
Friend of Victim
Danniella Vian's cause of death ruled undetermined
Preliminary autopsy and toxicology results are inconclusive. Law enforcement states the preliminary investigation reveal that the condition of the car was consistent with that of an accident and the investigation is still ongoing. Their early investigation reveals that certain manipulations to the inside of the vehicle indicated that Danniella had been alive when her car entered the water. The vehicle was in park, which they believed Danniella did in a panic when she hit the water. Danniella's family was told she was found in the driver's seat with no seatbelt on. Reports indicate the keys were in the ignition, but the car was not turned on. The emergency brake was also engaged, the doors were locked, and the rear driver's side window was down about 2 inches. A rare statement from Danniella's parents is released via a spokesperson: "Bill and I have been notified that the homicide unit at this point is leaning towards an accident. We are heart broken and devastated about these findings. Danniellas father and I still have hope in the homicide division due to the fact that they have not closed the case and its still ongoing. There is yet to be a positive ID of our daughter Danniella Vian. Please continue to keep our daughter Danniella in your prayers. Thank you, Joy and Bill Vian"
DNA results confirm body found is Danniella
Chevy Cruz auctioned off
Danniella's Chevy Cruz is auctioned off, presumably by the insurance company, and shipped off to a company in the Ukraine to be used for parts. The notes indicated there were no keys to the vehicle and that it had sustained flood damage. Photos of the interior of the car showed the back passenger seatbelt had been completely removed, which had not been previously mentioned by investigators.
Afternoon: Friends and family gather on Danniella's 28th birthday
Friends gather in Medal of Honor Park for a birthday celebration of life to keep Danniella's memory alive. The received permission to plant a tree in Danniella's honor.
Alabama Cold Case Advocacy organization features Danniella in a petition to introduce a new Alabama Victims' and Families' Rights Act.
Alabama resident/victim and family advocate, Keri Orso, creates a petition featuring 4 particular cases from Alabama that inspired her to find a way to further a growing effort in the U.S. after The Homicide Victims' and Families' Rights Act passed in the House of Representatives (now pending in the Senate). Danniella's case is one of the cases close to Keri's heart and ACCA. When enough signatures petitioning for the Alabama Victims' and Families' Rights Act are collected, the hope is Alabama's Representatives will champion the act and begin the process of making it law. This law would provide additional resources to overworked and understaffed law enforcement agencies, increase cooperation between families and law enforcement, and give Alabama's families the assistance that we'd want for our own family decreasing the cold case backlog and increasing the clearance rate for families like Danniella's.
Danniella's apartment
