Although Farmington Hills, Michigan, woman Danielle Stislicki vanished almost a year ago, her close friends say they will continue to search for her and never give up hope.
Jill Thompson, Megan Fischback, Kristy Holme, Caiti Wannamaker, Danielle Frederick, and Rachel Perell are all part of a group dubbed the Redford girls . They, along with Danielle, grew up in the Redford area and would get together often for brunches, Friendsgiving in November, and other events like weddings and birthdays, Click on Detroit notes.
The group had gathered together for what they call Friendsgiving last November on Sunday before Danielle vanished, Thompson said. Wannamaker told Click on Detroit that the last time they saw Danielle, she spoke about “her hopes and dreams” for the future. Thus, the women felt that this year’s celebration of friends would be the appropriate time to reminisce and talk about Danielle.
Frederick discussed the morning they all learned that Danielle had vanished. She said she immediately knew they had to get to Danielle’s apartment and figure out what was going on.
Wannamaker told Click on Detroit that once inside Danielle’s apartment, it hit her like a ton of bricks that what was taking place was real. She noted that everyone there wanted to say something to Danielle’s family but at the same time didn’t want to “say anything at all.”
Danielle Stislicki: Missing Woman’s Loved One Posts Moving Message On Facebook, Has Hope She Is Still Alive https://t.co/L8fKFVTKpL
— The Inquisitr (@theinquisitr) October 7, 2017
When police announced a search had commenced for Danielle’s body in Hines Park, the Redford girls were devastated because some of the hope they had she was still alive “faded fast,” according to Click on Detroit .
Once the women learned that Floyd Galloway Jr., a security guard who once worked at the building where Danielle was employed, had been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, and assault with the intent to commit murder in an unrelated attack on a female jogger case, they questioned whether something similar may have happened to their friend.
Person of interest in Danielle Stislicki case headed to trial on separate charge https://t.co/uZBfnSHZaZ
— FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) November 10, 2017
He is accused of assaulting the jogger as she ran through Hines Park in Livonia on September 4, 2016, about two months before Danielle vanished from Farmington Hills, reports Detroit News .
Galloway was offered a plea deal in the jogger case, which would have resulted in Galloway spending 15 to 35 years behind bars. He turned down that deal and now faces life in prison if convicted at trial.
The nationally syndicated show Crime Watch Daily revealed that witnesses reported seeing Danielle with Galloway the night she vanished. Authorities also told CWD that DNA from Danielle’s case and that of the female jogger was a match. Galloway’s house has been searched several times with a mattress and some floorboards removed from the home.
According to Click on Detroit , Danielle’s friends have refrained from making social media comments regarding Galloway, concerned that doing so may negatively impact the case.
The Redford girls consider Danielle to be family, telling Click on Detroit , “You never give up on family, and that’s what we are to each other.”
Although Galloway is considered a person of interest in Danielle’s case, he has not been charged with any crime related to Danielle.
Danielle, 28 at the time, went missing in the late afternoon of Friday, December 2, 2016, after leaving her job at MetLife at around 5 p.m. She had plans later in the evening to meet a lifelong female friend for dinner after first stopping at her apartment on the way home from work.
When Danielle failed to show up for the planned dinner, her friend became extremely worried. When she was unable to make contact with Danielle by Saturday and Danielle failed to show up for work, the friend became alarmed. She then headed to the Independence Green apartment complex where Danielle lives and when the friend arrived, she found Danielle’s Jeep Renegade parked near her apartment.
Local law enforcement later announced that inside Danielle’s locked Jeep was her purse, her identification, and her credit cards. Danielle’s keys and cell phone were nowhere to be found; thus, authorities announced her key ring contains a unique key charm consisting of a yellow figure with a green body and yellow legs. Danielle’s cell phone is a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime in a rose gold case.
Danielle is described as being 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighing about 123 pounds. She has brown wavy medium-length hair and was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, a blue Eddie Bauer jacket, and burgundy boots when she vanished.
Police want to speak to anyone who may have spotted Danielle or her Jeep between 5 p.m. on Friday, December 2, and 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, when her vehicle was found. Danielle’s vehicle is a black 2015 Jeep Renegade with Michigan License Plate DGH 8957.
The website www.finddani.org is another place where those who want to support the search for Danielle can find a bevy of information about her case. In addition, the “How Can I Help?” section of the website features social media links to the Twitter page @find_dani and details about tagging tweets and retweets. Also, a link exists to the finddaniellestislicki Instagram page where memories of the young woman are being shared.
At press time, a GoFundMe campaign offering a reward for information that will lead to Danielle had jumped to $34,715, surpassing its original goal of $25,000 by several thousand dollars. Danielle’s employer, MetLife, is offering a $50,000 reward, and the Independence Green apartment complex where Danielle lives is offering another $50,000, making the current reward $134,715.
Anyone who has information regarding Danielle Stislicki is urged to call the Farmington Hills Police Command Desk at 248-871-2610 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or 1-800-773-2587. Those who call with any information about the missing woman can remain anonymous if they so desire.
[Featured Image by Find Danielle Stislicki/ Facebook ]