Photo: Crime online
New details could solve the case.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on May 17, 2019
When a person vanishes without a trace there is nothing more difficult for their family and friends. Sometimes the people they love most are located very quickly, but other times they stay missing for months or even years. Nothing hurts more than losing someone, but not knowing their fate can hurt pretty badly too. Young Alabama mom Danniella Vian led a very simple life. She was a hardworking mother with a whole life laid out in front of her. But one night on a ride to retrieve a missing item she vanished, seemingly into thin air. Here's what you need to know about Danniella and the latest breaks in the case. Who killed Danniella Vian?
1. The Disappearance
24-year-old Danniella Vian has not been seen she vanished one night in July of 2018. After a night of bar-hopping, Danniella told her friends that she needed to head back to the last bar where they had been. The reason for the backtracking? Danniella had noticed her cell phone was missing and needed to go back to find it. There have been no leads in the case that have turned up any sort of positive results, that is, there haven't been effective leads until now. Now, police are reporting that they have found Danniella's car which was left to sink in the Bayou Sara, and there's a body inside of the car which may, in fact, give her family the closure they need.
2. Accidental Death
When Danniella's disappearance was first being investigated it did not take the police very long to make a serious decision about the case. They originally determined that she was abducted and murdered, leading them to label the case a homicide. But in light of the new discoveries, they are revisiting that decision. Mobile's own safety director James Barber recently revealed that the body they uncovered inside of Danniella's car did not show that it had any signs of trauma. That said, the body also has not been officially identified as being Danniella's in the first place. Obviously, this case isn't done doling out surprising twists and turns.
3. Her Family
Danniella left behind more than just her friends when she disappeared. She also left behind her roommate, Julie Thomas, and her four-year-old daughter, Cora. All of them have suffered due to Danniella's absence. “In the beginning, she just knew that Mommy was missing,” Julie said about Cora. “But now, three months later, she has overheard more. As careful as you are, she’s going to hear.” Currently, Cora is still living in the home that she once shared with her mother, a small blessing in the midst of all this chaos. Julie Thomas, you see, happens to be more than just a roommate. She's mom to Danniella's boyfriend, Tyler Thomas, and thus, also the grandmother of young Cora.
4. The Car
Living closely with Danniella meant that Julie was very involved in her life, including the day Danniella finally was able to buy her first car. “I pulled up to the dealership. She went inside, got the keys, and got her car,” Julie said. “She was all excited. I assumed she was going back to her apartment to get ready for work.” According to Julie, the day Danniella bought that very first car sticks with her for more reasons than one, and not all of them are happy ones. You see, the last time Julie saw Danniella was when she leaving the car dealership. Danniella planned to celebrate the new purchase by celebrating with some friends. It was the last time her family saw her.
5. The Night She Vanished
The night Danniella was last seen, she drove her car to a bar where her friend Randy Capps was working. While she was there, she was joined by a woman and a man named Denson White, two people who she didn't know very well. The trio decided to leave the bar and head to another until Randy was done with work for the night. Later, when Randy was done, he headed to a third bar and texted the group to come meet them. As they headed out, Danniella realized she had left her phone at Randy's bar. Denson offered to follow her to the bar and at one point during the drive noticed that she was no longer behind him, so he continued on to the bar. “He said he went inside, found her phone, and then waited for her for about 20 minutes to see if she would show up,” said Julie. “But she didn’t. So he got in his car and went to [the third bar] where the rest of the group was.”
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.