MO MO - Diana Braungardt, 18, Crystal City, 11 March 1987

I found a link created by sweetpe657 in the Missing Children in America - A Profile section. I thought the case should be here.

Below are some links:

Charley Project

The Doe Network

And links to some pay articles:

APPEAL MADE IN SEARCH FOR FESTUS WOMAN

FAMILIES AND POLICE REFUSE TO GIVE UP IN MANY MISSING CHILDREN CASES (1988)

MISSING WOMANS PARENT STAY HOPEFUL (2004)

More to come . . .

My interest stems from the fact I grew up in the area and remember this in the news. I graduated from high school around this period of time, and have always wondered what happened to Diana.

I also wonder if this is connected in any way to other cases of this period.

I do know that people would cruise Festus Main Street around this time. This was a big deal. I'm not sure what day she disappeared on, though the date is available. I've always wondered if a predator drove up, picked her up for a ride, and that was it.

I'm not sure if police found signs of a struggle. Nor, if there were any witnesses or video camera footage.

Another link:

Prayers Set For Woman She Has Been Missing Since '87; Clues Sought (1992)

Here is one I find interesting, but haven't read it due to the pay-per-view:

Link Suspected In The Killings Of 10 Women 'A Lot Of Similarities'Are Found; Officials Consult FBI On Evidence (1991)

It came up on Google Search like the others.

More information for those who don't like to click on links:

Details of Disappearance

Braungardt was last seen leaving the Venture store where she was employed part-time on March 11, 1987 in Crystal City, Missouri. She finished her shift and was walking to the parking lot at the time, where her family's 1982 yellow Ford Escort was parked. Braungardt never arrived home that evening and has not been seen again. The vehicle was located later in the lot, but there was no trace of Braungardt. She was last seen wearing a Venture smock, bright turquoise pants and a short black coat. She was a senior at Festus High School at the time of her disappearance.

Samples of Braungardt's blood were released to a Missouri laboratory in 2001 for DNA profiling. The samples will be added to a victims' database in the state. There have been no leads in Braungardt's disappearance and her case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: March 11, 1987 from Crystal City, Missouri
Classification: Involuntary
Date Of Birth: January 31, 1969
Age: 18 years old
Height and Weight: 5'6, 108 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Dark blonde hair, hazel eyes.

March 11, 1987 was a Tuesday. That really eleminates my theory that someone picked her up under the guise of "let's cruise Festus Main Street", and then abducted her. School wasn't out, and I don't recall much cruising any nights other than Friday or Saturday.

The information above, which does not provide many details, indicates her car was located in the Venture parking lot. I wonder if there is any way to tell if it had been moved? Was her Venture smock or coat inside?

I guess I'll have to hit the library to see what I can dig up, as I don't want to pay for access to those articles online. And even that may not provide many details.

Any feedback from someone who lives in Jefferson County, and might recall this crime (or other similar disappearances around that time), would be appreciated.

It's been 25 years since high school senior Diana Braungardt left her cashier's job at an eastern Missouri mall and was never seen again.

Since her disappearance on March 11, 1987, investigators have amassed 11 binders and three boxes of paperwork. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ( http://bit.ly/whb4Rz) reported that authorities have searched for links to serial killers and occasionally hear from out-of-state police seeking to identify bodies.



Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-...543-57a2-9ca3-3f576d0538a1.html#ixzz1ouhaI5oP

I live in the area now, but I was not born until 1985 so I don't remember this happening. I just heard about this tonight and I was hoping I could find some info on here about it. There doesn't seem to
be much anywhere truly nothing ever happens here so this in intriguing. The most high profile missing case from around here is Amanda Jones missing from Hillsboro.

Festus teen's disappearance still a mystery 25 years later. (Post-Dispatch)

CRYSTAL CITY • Twenty-five years ago today, Diana Braungardt clocked out after her shift as a cashier in the Twin City Mall. She hasn't been seen since.

She was 18 years old, a senior at Festus High School. She told co-workers that she needed to get home to study for a test the next day.

She stood 5-feet-6-inches tall, weighed 108 pounds, and had large, wide-set, almond-shaped hazel eyes. She was excited about attending a modeling class that weekend.
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much more at the link above

26 years and she's still missing. Saw her case at an old episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Diana is one of 14 people listed on the Missouri State Patrol Missing Persons for Jefferson County on their website.

http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/CJ51/Search?personType=&county=Jefferson
The link to Diana's poster links to Charley Project.

Diana was about the same age as Curtis Wayne Wright (known as Wayne), currently charged with the murder in FL of Dr. Teresa Sievers, the wife of his childhood friend Mark. CWW is also a POI in the disappearance of Ronnie Bolin in 1996. The cases of
Diana, Bolin and Amanda Jones (2005) all have an abandoned car in common plus no apparent signs of foul play and no body.

Can locals shed any light on a possible connection to CWW or any of his associates?

Curtis Wayne Wright's thread:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ight-Charged-with-Murder-in-the-Second-Degree

Bolin's thread:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...onnie-A-Bolin-33-Jefferson-County-8-July-1996

Amanda's thread:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...illsboro-14-Aug-2005-9-months-pregnant/page41

Lilibet -- I am also trying to find connections between CWW and AJ, RB and DB.

Your post is from 2015, have you found any other information on these cases?

Thanks

Tbone456 said:

Lilibet -- I am also trying to find connections between CWW and AJ, RB and DB.

Your post is from 2015, have you found any other information on these cases?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Welcome! I’ve been away from those cases for quite awhile, so everything I found is in those threads. But now you’ve got me curious again.

Diana Jane Braungardt – The Charley Project
Diana Jane Braungardt

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Braungardt, circa 1987; Sketch of suspect

• Missing Since03/11/1987
• Missing FromCrystal City, Missouri
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth01/31/1969 (50)
• Age18 years old
• Height and Weight5'6 - 5'7, 108 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA Venture smock, bright turquoise pants and a short black boys' coat.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Dark blonde hair, hazel eyes.

Details of Disappearance
Braungardt was last seen on March 11, 1987 in Crystal City, Missouri, leaving the now-defunct Venture store in the Twin City Mall. where she was employed part-time as a clerk. She finished her shift at 10:00 p.m. and was walking to the parking lot, where her family's yellow 1982 Ford Escort was parked.

Braungardt, a senior at Festus High School, had told coworkers she needed to get home and study for a test. She never arrived home that evening and has not been seen again. The vehicle was located later in the parking lot, but there was no trace of Braungardt. Authorities don't believe she ever made it to her car.

Witnesses saw a man talking to Braungardt in the store parking lot before she disappeared. He's described as Caucasian, in his early twenties, about 5'10 tall with brown or black hair and a medium build. A sketch of the man is posted with this case summary; he has never been identified.

Braungardt did not have a boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. Her father was a pastor at the First United Methodist Church in 1987, and the family lived in the 800 block of west Main Street. There have been no leads in her disappearance and her case remains unsolved.

Diana Jane Braungardt was just a small town girl working in a Venture store. She finished her late night shift and vanished in thin air.

Spread Awareness Now
Last Known Location Map
Since that night, investigators have searched for links to serial killers and sent her DNA for comparison to numerous other states seeking a potential match to nameless bodies.
Despite their efforts, the mystery of what happened to Diana Braungardt on March 11, 1987, remains unsolved.
We don't expect Diana to show up at our door.
We know something bad happened.
-Jane Braungardt, Diana's mother
Diana, who the lived in the 800 block of west Main Street, had mentioned to coworkers during her shift as a cashier that she needed to get home to study for a test, as the 18 year old was a senior at Festus High School. After her shift ended at 10 p.m. that night of March 11, 1987, Diana Braungardt was excited about attending a modeling class that weekend.
She seemed to disappear from the Venture Store parking lot. Her car, the family's yellow 1982 Ford Escort, was the only thing found.
Authorities don't believe she ever made it to her car.
Her adoptive parents were at home the night she disappeared. They went to the store and saw their daughter's car on the lot and began calling her friends in the middle of the night. The following morning they filed a missing person report with Crystal City police.
Following Diana’s disappearance, a woman came forward with a statement that she had stopped in the Venture parking lot to change her baby’s diaper, and she believed she saw Diana speaking with an adult male. A sketch (included in the photos) was drawn up based on her description, and a store employee said that someone who resembled the sketch was the last customer to go through Diana’s checkout line. He's described as Caucasian, in his early twenties, about 5'10 tall with brown or black hair and a medium build. In 2007, they interviewed a local man whose appearance matched the sketch, and while he has not been named, "He hasn't given us a reason to clear him," said Crystal City Police Detective Mike Pruneau. That individual is currently in prison for an unrelated crime, and according to police, has not given them a reason to clear him.
Braungardt reportedly did not have a boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, but shortly before she went missing she had argued with her parents and stayed overnight with a friend. In that incident it was said that she had told her parents of her whereabouts. She was the daughter of a local pastor. Diana has never been located, and her parents died never learning her fate.
There is a $10,000 reward for information in this case.
This case was shown on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which thanks to some awesomely helpful Facebook angels we have obtained and added to the post!
LITTLE ELSE IS KNOWN AT THIS TIME
Height: 5' 6" - 5' 7" (66 - 67 Inches)
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: NamUs lists as Blond/Strawberry and Dark Blonde however it appears brown in photos.
Scars/Marks: 3 small scars on forehead; V-shaped scar above right corner of mouth, pierced ears
Diana was reportedly carrying a off white cloth purse, and was wearing her work clothes (Venture Smock, Bright Turquoise pants, short black coat, white shirt with colored print, brown loafer shoes) at the time she went missing.

• Dentals: Available
• DNA: Available

NCIC Number: M-257182757

If you have any information please contact:
CRYSTAL CITY MISSOURI POLICE DEPARTMENT
PHONE: (636) 937-4601
AGENCY CASE NUMBER: 210F80
or
SUBMIT AN ANONYMOUS PUBLIC TIP
Verify active missing status here.
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I grew up near the Jefferson County/Ste. Genevieve County border. This happened before I was born, but I am interested in the case because of the location in which it occurred. I asked my mom if she remembered this happening and she has a story of detectives visiting my parents home. My parents live right off of I-55 and there was a report of a woman on one of the bluffs along the highway the same night Diana went missing. I am not sure how to research this sighting/police activity, but I thought it was an interesting bit of information I haven't heard before.

Thanks very much @jafishnet . Have not heard that one before, will see what I can dig up. Please msg me for a couple of names to check out.
Appreciate your sharing this with us

Lilibet said:

Diana was about the same age as Curtis Wayne Wright (known as Wayne), currently charged with the murder in FL of Dr. Teresa Sievers, the wife of his childhood friend Mark. CWW is also a POI in the disappearance of Ronnie Bolin in 1996. The cases of
Diana, Bolin and Amanda Jones (2005) all have an abandoned car in common plus no apparent signs of foul play and no body.

Can locals shed any light on a possible connection to CWW or any of his associates?

Curtis Wayne Wright's thread:
2015.08.27 Curtis Wayne Wright: Charged with Murder in the 2nd Degree

Bolin's thread:
MO - Ronnie A Bolin, 33, Jefferson County, 8 July 1996

Amanda's thread:
MO - MO - Amanda Jones, 26, pregnant, Hillsboro, 14 Aug 2005

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I was on board till you mentioned Amanda Jones. everyone that it was Bryan westfall that killed her. please do not take the spotlight or the heat off of him for that. May his nights go unrested, his sleep eluding.