NY NY - NY, BlkFem 18-99, UP6837, known as "Crazy Diane", poss homeless, Dec'97

[YaYa_521]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

"Crazy Diane" ?
Female, Black / African American
Date Found. December 4, 1997
Location Found. New York, New York
Estimated Age Range. 18-99 Years

Demographics
Sex Female
Race / Ethnicity Black / African American
Estimated Age Group. Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years) 18-99
Estimated Year of Death. 1997
Estimated PMI-- N/A
Height. 5' 4" (64 inches) , Measured
Weight. Cannot Estimate
Hair. Black, tightly curled
Eyes. Brown
Inventory of Remains. All parts recovered
Condition of Remains. Not recognizable - Charred/burned

Circumstances of Recovery -
Unknown female found at above location. There was a fire at this location in 12/3/97, residents were evacuated and the building was sealed. FDNY were responding to a second fire there the morning of 12/4/97 when they came upon the decedent in the second floor apartment. She is possibly a homeless woman known to the neighborhood as "Crazy Diane."

Location found. -
154 West 141st Street
Apt 2E
New York, New York
County. New York County
GPS Coordinates. 40.81806, -73.938734

Zero images and zero comparisons.

 

[YaYa_521]

FL - FL - Diane, 31, & Tammy Hollins (fnd dec'd), 14, Daytona Beach, 11 June 1979

I wonder whether this UID would be a match to Ms. Diane Hollins? Diane, and Tammy, her daughter, went missing from Daytona Beach, FL in June of 1979. UID was found in 1997. Tammy's body was located in Georgia. Ms. Diane Hollins has never been located.

It's possible she could have traveled to NY where she lived (possibly homeless) until 1997. I'll reserve any sort of speculation regarding Tammy's remains being located in Ga. vs. Diane continuing on eventually ending in NY. It seems more important to me at this point to determine whether this is a match before I speculate. MOO

Please review then share your thoughts/input.

#

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)​

​

Diane Hollins​

Demographics
Missing Age. 31 Years
Current Age. 71 Years
First Name Diane
Middle Name--
Last Name. Hollins
Nickname/Alias--


Sex. Female
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 135 lbs
Race / Ethnicity Black / African American

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact. June 11, 1979
NamUs Case Created. June 24, 2010

Last Known Location Map
Location Daytona Beach, Florida
County. Volusia County

Circumstances of Disappearance -
Diane and Tammy (daughter) were last seen on 06/09/1979 at app. 6am, walking down the street away from their house by a neighbor. Unk clothing desc. Diane never showed up for work and Tammy never showed up to school after that day.

Comparisons: 19 Unidentified Persons
1 image
#

 

[Jim_M]

FL - FL - Diane, 31, & Tammy Hollins (fnd dec'd), 14, Daytona Beach, 11 June 1979

I wonder whether this UID would be a match to Ms. Diane Hollins? Diane, and Tammy, her daughter, went missing from Daytona Beach, FL in June of 1979. UID was found in 1997. Tammy's body was located in Georgia. Ms. Diane Hollins has never been located.

It's possible she could have traveled to NY where she lived (possibly homeless) until 1997. I'll reserve any sort of speculation regarding Tammy's remains being located in Ga. vs. Diane continuing on eventually ending in NY. It seems more important to me at this point to determine whether this is a match before I speculate. MOO

Please review then share your thoughts/input.

#

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)​

​

Diane Hollins​

Demographics
Missing Age. 31 Years
Current Age. 71 Years
First Name Diane
Middle Name--
Last Name. Hollins
Nickname/Alias--


Sex. Female
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 135 lbs
Race / Ethnicity Black / African American

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact. June 11, 1979
NamUs Case Created. June 24, 2010

Last Known Location Map
Location Daytona Beach, Florida
County. Volusia County

Circumstances of Disappearance -
Diane and Tammy (daughter) were last seen on 06/09/1979 at app. 6am, walking down the street away from their house by a neighbor. Unk clothing desc. Diane never showed up for work and Tammy never showed up to school after that day.

Comparisons: 19 Unidentified Persons
1 image
#

I believe this sounds totally plausible. Two inches difference... Would the fire cause contraction of the bones? It does say the UID remains were charred/burned. Hmmm. Anyone familiar with bones' reaction to fire?

"Crazy Diane", might have witnessed/experienced horrible things IMO. One might have been losing her loving daughter. That's sad, all the way around.

 

[YaYa_521]

I believe this sounds totally plausible. Two inches difference... Would the fire cause contraction of the bones? It does say the UID remains were charred/burned. Hmmm. Anyone familiar with bones' reaction to fire?

"Crazy Diane", might have witnessed/experienced horrible things IMO. One might have been losing her loving daughter. That's sad, all the way around.

#
I agree Jim. All of our cases are sad to a degree but there are some that beg for answers. Ms. Diane, crazy or not, may have been telling horrific, gory tales of murder and mayhem. She may have suffered anxiety, depression, and extreme paranoia through all her years in NY. There are a million+ reasons "crazy" people behave in certain manners and we're all our own kind of crazy to some degree. But, the challenge with "crazy" people is figuring out what is fact and what is fiction.

From your post above -
"Crazy Diane", might have witnessed/experienced horrible things IMO. One might have been losing her loving daughter. That's sad, all the way around."

Yes, Diane might have seemed "crazy" to the majority of New Yorkers whose lives have never been affected or effected by "witness[ing]/experienc[ing] horrible things". I can only imagine how she and her stories might have seemed far-fetched to others. Some of the stories we concern ourselves with here at WS defy logic! Maybe Diane wasn't so "crazy" after all.

I wondered about damage from the fire. I'm excited to see they were even able to determine anything about her hair. I always imagine fire victims spread across or curled on the floor. I had to wonder about positions in which only part of the body remains identifiable while the other part(s) have damage beyond recognition. I'm no fire expert but it seems reasonable to think the heat could have destroyed enough leg bone to make a difference. I'll wait for the fire buffs to stop by here.

Great points!

 

[carbuff]

I believe this sounds totally plausible. Two inches difference... Would the fire cause contraction of the bones? It does say the UID remains were charred/burned. Hmmm. Anyone familiar with bones' reaction to fire?

"Crazy Diane", might have witnessed/experienced horrible things IMO. One might have been losing her loving daughter. That's sad, all the way around.

Two inches is within the margin of error for most height measurements. Certainly not enough to make a ruleout with so many other things matching.

 

[CCJD]

Michelle Eason? Circumstances might be iffy but she was known to leave the Poughkeepsie area for "extended periods of time" and Kendall Francois denied any involvement in her disappearance. Timing's not bad, stats are good, distance around 75 miles.

Michelle's WS thread: NY - Michelle Carol Eason 29 missing from Poughkeepsie, New York 1997

NamUs Link: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[YaYa_521]

Michelle Eason? Circumstances might be iffy but she was known to leave the Poughkeepsie area for "extended periods of time" and Kendall Francois denied any involvement in her disappearance. Timing's not bad, stats are good, distance around 75 miles.

Michelle's WS thread: NY - Michelle Carol Eason 29 missing from Poughkeepsie, New York 1997

NamUs Link: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

I agree , CCJD, this could be Michelle. The timing is perfect and height, etc. seem close enough for a match. The only things I noticed was the tightly curled hair vs. what's shown in Michelle's pics. Although hair styles are easily changed from longer to shorter and we have no idea how long before she disappeared that the pics were taken. Oh and, "Diane", I wonder if she used this name as an alias?

Imo, at this point, this many years after the events, it'd be worth investigating the potential match.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I’m renaming her.
Dearest Diane

 

[carbuff]

I agree , CCJD, this could be Michelle. The timing is perfect and height, etc. seem close enough for a match. The only things I noticed was the tightly curled hair vs. what's shown in Michelle's pics. Although hair styles are easily changed from longer to shorter and we have no idea how long before she disappeared that the pics were taken. Oh and, "Diane", I wonder if she used this name as an alias?

Imo, at this point, this many years after the events, it'd be worth investigating the potential match.

Curls come and go...

 

[YaYa_521]

I’m renaming her.
Dearest Diane

Sounds perfect to me!

 

[Nate_Bro]

FL - FL - Diane, 31, & Tammy Hollins (fnd dec'd), 14, Daytona Beach, 11 June 1979

I wonder whether this UID would be a match to Ms. Diane Hollins? Diane, and Tammy, her daughter, went missing from Daytona Beach, FL in June of 1979. UID was found in 1997. Tammy's body was located in Georgia. Ms. Diane Hollins has never been located.

It's possible she could have traveled to NY where she lived (possibly homeless) until 1997. I'll reserve any sort of speculation regarding Tammy's remains being located in Ga. vs. Diane continuing on eventually ending in NY. It seems more important to me at this point to determine whether this is a match before I speculate. MOO

Please review then share your thoughts/input.

#

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)​

​

Diane Hollins​

Demographics
Missing Age. 31 Years
Current Age. 71 Years
First Name Diane
Middle Name--
Last Name. Hollins
Nickname/Alias--


Sex. Female
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 135 lbs
Race / Ethnicity Black / African American

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact. June 11, 1979
NamUs Case Created. June 24, 2010

Last Known Location Map
Location Daytona Beach, Florida
County. Volusia County

Circumstances of Disappearance -
Diane and Tammy (daughter) were last seen on 06/09/1979 at app. 6am, walking down the street away from their house by a neighbor. Unk clothing desc. Diane never showed up for work and Tammy never showed up to school after that day.

Comparisons: 19 Unidentified Persons
1 image
#

I was about to submit Diane Hollins but thought id check her first . Did you ever end up submitting her ? If not I can do it now.

 

[YaYa_521]

I was about to submit Diane Hollins but thought id check her first . Did you ever end up submitting her ? If not I can do it now.

I am almost certain I did however I've looked through my emails and notes but haven't found one for Diane, yet. Even if I did send in Diane as a potential match your follow up might help push things along. Please submit and thank you.

 

[Nate_Bro]

I am almost certain I did however I've looked through my emails and notes but haven't found one for Diane, yet. Even if I did send in Diane as a potential match your follow up might help push things along. Please submit and thank you.

Anything to get some files dusted off and opened!

 

[YaYa_521]

I’m renaming her.
Dearest Diane

Dearest Diane, we're determined to give you your name back. Rosesfromangels, thanks for her nickname. It's sweet!

 

[carbuff]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

No exclusions listed.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

How very sad. Thanks for trying to help her get her name back, YaYa and others.

 

[devertere]

I do not believe this is Diane Hollins. I think she, just like her daughter, was killed. It is much more plausible than her being released by the killer, then going to NYC and becoming homeless instead of returning to Florida, informing her family, police etc.

 

[Goecke]

She was homeless, but was found in an apartment... Whose apartment was it? Was it abandoned and she was squatting, or was someone letting her stay with them?
Also, was she killed in the fire or was she already dead when it started? I assume she was killed in the fire, but it doesn't say one way or another.

 

[Goecke]

I was searching for women named Diane/Dianne/Diana on NamUs, and the only black woman who went missing pre-1997 has already been mentioned here (Diane Hollins).

However, I did find a few women with Diane/Dianne as a middle name:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) - Antoinette Diane Wilson, 24, went missing from Las Vegas, NV in 1983. She's 5'11, so a lot taller than "Crazy Diane," but otherwise lines up.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) - Deborah Diane Rice, 24, went missing from Deland, FL in 1986. Also taller than the UID, and had a gold front tooth that would be pretty distinctive. Listed as having red hair, no indication on if this was natural or dyed.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) - Lisa Dianne Jameson, 23, went missing from Chandler, AZ in 1991. Has an unspecified medical condition- Maybe a mental illness?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping case up