Where is Danielle Stislicki?
It’s a question that has been haunting the minds of the Michigan woman’s family and friends for more than a week.
“Danielle would never just disappear on her own,” Ann Stislicki, Danielle’s mother, told Dateline. “We’re terrified that she’s been taken and that someone has her, and she can’t come home.”
The last time anyone saw Danielle was Friday, December 2. She was last seen leaving her work at MetLife in Southfield, Michigan. The 28-year-old has worked there for nearly a decade, according to her mother Ann. Ann herself has worked at MetLife for more than 25 years, but wasn’t in the office that Friday.
Danielle had set plans to meet a close friend for dinner, but she didn’t show. The missed dinner appointment was an immediate red flag. But the initial thought was perhaps something came up or that Danielle had simply fallen asleep.
The next day, with text messages left unanswered and phone calls not returned, Danielle’s friend decided to go check on her. When she arrived at Danielle’s residence at the Independence Green Apartments in Farmington Hills, she discovered her friend’s black 2015 Jeep Renegade parked in its usual spot right outside the entrance to her building.
The friend called Danielle’s family. Word spread quickly that something was wrong. The authorities were notified. The search began immediately.
And in nine days since, many have made it their mission to find her.
Farmington Hills Police are investigating with assistance from several other law enforcement agencies. Authorities reportedly found Danielle’s purse with her wallet and credit cards inside her locked Jeep. The majority of her other belongings were found undisturbed in her apartment, family members said.
There were no signs of a struggle, according to police.
“Everything was there: her cat, her ID, cash, credit cards,” Danielle’s mother Ann told Dateline. “We don’t think she even made it inside her apartment after work.”
Authorities are also searching for Danielle’s set of keys, which have a distinctive key charm: a smiling yellow figure with a green body and yellow legs. Danielle’s cell phone, a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime in a rose-colored case, is also missing.
Family members believe something had to have happened to Danielle in the 20-30 minutes after she left work. They are pleading for anyone who was in the area and saw anything, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to call police.
“It’s a tremendously busy street that MetLife is on. Someone had to have seen that Jeep or Danielle driving that day. We just need to reach that one or two people who saw something,” Ann said.
It’s apparent from the dozens of postings on Facebook that Danielle is very much loved. Friends describe an incredibly tight knit group of women who have been friends since their early teens. There are photos of graduations, weddings, and birthdays posted with the hashtag #FindDani.
Hundreds gathered Saturday for a candlelight vigil for Danielle. As of Monday afternoon, more than $125,000 has been raised or donated as a reward for information leading to her safe return; $50,000 donated by Danielle’s employer MetLife, another $50,000 from her apartment complex and $25,000 raised through a GoFundMe Page set up by a family friend.
The focus is to keep Danielle’s name and story out in the public’s eye. Loved ones are drawing on their love for the girl who is funny, driven, whose life is such an open book that she can’t seem to keep a secret.
“We’re screaming from the top of the mountain,” Danielle’s mother Ann said. “People have seen Danielle. We will not stop until we have her home with us. It’s not even a thought.”
Danielle Stislicki is described as 5’5” tall, weighing 123 lbs, with brown, wavy hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black zip-up shirt with a teal Eddie Bauer coat and burgundy boots.
Anyone with information regarding the case, or who may have seen Danielle or her Jeep on December 2, is urged to call the Farmington Hills Police Department at (248) 871-2610.
You can also visit the Facebook page ‘Find Danielle Stislicki’ for more information.