Greater than two years have handed since Danielle Lopez was final seen strolling down a distant highway in New Jersey, a disappearance that continues to hang-out her household and perplex investigators. The 37-year-old girl vanished in April 2024, together with her final confirmed sighting captured on video by a pair driving via Penn State Forest. The footage exhibits Lopez strolling alone on a dust highway ominously named Misplaced Lane, a scene that has develop into a focus within the ongoing seek for her.
The Final Sighting on Misplaced Lane
The pivotal second within the investigation occurred round 6 p.m. on April 13, 2024. A pair, touring via the realm and recording their journey with a GoPro, encountered Lopez on foot. This sighting took place two hours after that they had initially met her. Earlier that day, Lopez had approached them in search of instructions to Lake Oswego. Once they encountered her a second time, she defined that her 2008 blue Hyundai Accent had develop into caught in a muddy puddle, forcing her to stroll. She had been on foot for roughly 20 minutes and requested help together with her automobile. Based on Lopez’s mom, Sue Quackenbush, the couple acknowledged they’d test on the automotive and return, however they didn’t provide fast assist or contact authorities.
The GoPro footage from that night represents the ultimate confirmed visible of Danielle Lopez earlier than she disappeared and not using a hint. The years since have been an agonizing interval for Quackenbush, who stays steadfast in her hope of discovering her daughter. She actively maintains a Fb web page devoted to the search, which has garnered a following of round 1,600 supporters. On the second anniversary of Lopez’s disappearance, the New Jersey State Police reiterated that the investigation is energetic and appealed to the general public for any info that would support in finding her.
Background and Disappearance Particulars
On the morning of her disappearance, April 13, 2024, Lopez was seen on surveillance footage at a Wawa comfort retailer, buying espresso and showing to be in good spirits. Her mom, Sue Quackenbush, formally reported her lacking on April 24, after 12 days of no contact. The final telephone dialog between mom and daughter had taken place on April 12.
Lopez had been staying together with her boyfriend, James Scott Dunn, at a campground situated in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, roughly 16 miles north of Misplaced Lane. Quackenbush urged Dunn to cooperate with the police, which he did roughly every week after Lopez was reported lacking. Dunn was subsequently arrested on unrelated fees, together with drug offenses and theft by deception. He was sentenced to 5 years in jail in October 2025 and stays incarcerated.
Boyfriend’s Account and Mom’s Issues
In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer from jail, Dunn acknowledged that he and Lopez had been experiencing homelessness previous to staying on the campground. He claimed to have been away from the campsite for a number of days, visiting mates and staying in resorts whereas selecting up a motorbike. Upon his return on April 13, he discovered the campground in a state of disarray and was involved about Lopez’s whereabouts.
Lopez’s mom, Sue Quackenbush, has expressed vital doubts about Dunn’s account. She acknowledged that Dunn offered differing timelines relating to when Lopez left the campground and attributed her departure to numerous people in several variations of his story. “These contradictions matter. They’re a part of why many individuals think about his conduct a significant pink flag,” Quackenbush advised the Inquirer. Regardless of these issues, Dunn has not been charged in reference to Lopez’s disappearance, nor has he been formally named a suspect or particular person of curiosity by regulation enforcement.
Private Struggles and Household Tragedies
Quackenbush has additionally shared that her daughter struggled with alcohol habit, a problem that intensified following the demise of her older brother, Eric, who died by suicide in 2015. “Blaming herself led to Danielle accepting a way of life she did not deserve,” Quackenbush defined. She recounted efforts to assist Danielle, together with providing her a spot to remain and inspiring rehabilitation. “The door to my dwelling was and continues to be open for Danielle. I invited her and begged her to return dwelling. Danielle was coerced into going again. If I might change any a part of how this unfolded, I’d have,” the mom lamented.
The household has endured profound loss in recent times. Lopez’s brother, Michael, a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, died in a automotive accident in 2016, only a 12 months after Eric’s demise. Moreover, Lopez’s grandfather handed away in Could 2020, adopted by her father a month later. Including to the heartbreak, her rescue canine, Roscoe, needed to be euthanized just a few months earlier than Lopez vanished.
Ongoing Search and Reward
Regardless of the passage of time and the quite a few private tragedies, Sue Quackenbush stays dedicated to discovering her daughter. She has established a memorial for Danielle on Misplaced Lane and has expressed a need to see the highway’s title modified. To encourage info, Quackenbush is providing a $25,000 reward for any particulars that lead investigators to Danielle Lopez.
The New Jersey State Police proceed to research Danielle Lopez’s disappearance, urging anybody with info to return ahead. The case highlights the enduring ache of lacking individuals circumstances and the unwavering hope of households in search of solutions.
