Name: Danielle Marie Drozdowski
Age: 25 years old
Last Seen: June 17, 2014
Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Status: Still missing
Case Information
25 year old Danielle Drozdowski was last seen in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 17, 2014. She was scheduled to testify in court as a confidential informant, but disappeared before the hearing.
Background
Danielle Drozdowski’s parents divorced in 1993. In 2001, her father was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison on federal drug trafficking charges.
As a result, Danielle was raised by her mother. She had limited education and was “essentially homeless” starting at age 13. Danielle suffers from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression, and struggles with substance abuse issues.
At the time of her disappearance, she was living in the area of Carey Avenue and Susquehanna Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Disappearance
On May 10, 2014, Danielle Drozdowski was arrested for retail theft and disorderly conduct after allegedly trying to leave a store with $440 worth of shirts.
In June 2014, her probation officer petitioned to have her supervised release revoked due to violating the conditions.
On June 17, 2014, Danielle appeared before a magistrate on the retail theft charges. He released her on her own recognizance with orders that she move into Ruth’s Place, a women’s shelter, and attend a substance abuse program.
Danielle hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Her family last heard from her on March 19, 2014, through a Facebook post.
She was due back in court for a probation revocation hearing on July 24, 2014, and for a formal arraignment in the shoplifting case on August 8, 2014, but court records indicate those hearings never took place.
Danielle was also scheduled to testify before a grand jury as a confidential informant in another case in August, but disappeared before the hearing.
In April 2015, her family reported her missing. She was subsequently listed as wanted by the FBI in connection with a drug case.
Investigation
Prior to her disappearance, Danielle had gotten involved with a criminal gang from Brooklyn, New York called Together Forever, or the TF Mafia.
Danielle’s boyfriend at the time, Hasan “Hostyle” Woods, had taken her in when she was homeless, and it is believed the gang took advantage of her addiction, economic circumstances, and mental health condition.
On January 18, 2012, the car Danielle was riding in was pulled over by state police. The driver, 56 year old Paul Rivera, was the founder of the TF Mafia.
A police dog was brought in and sniffed out 170 grams of cocaine and 170 bags of “Monster Mash” heroin.
On June 19, 2012, a federal grand jury indicted Danielle on drug trafficking charges. Four other members of the gang, including Rivera, were also indicted on drug conspiracy charges.
The charges allege that Danielle helped distribute the drugs in Pennsylvania.
In November 2012, Danielle reached a plea agreement and admitted guilt to one count on conspiring to traffic over 280 grams of crack.
On March 20, 2013, she was sentenced to time served and was put on probation for two years.
On October 7, 2013, prosecutors upgraded the drug charges against Rivera, alleging he ran a multi-state racketeering enterprise. He was also charged with sex trafficking, money laundering, witness tampering, and murder. If convicted he would face life in prison.
During their investigation into TF Mafia, Danielle was abducted and beaten by members of the gang, according to court documents and her family.
“She was gone for three days. They had her on the railroad tracks. They lit her on fire. They raped her. They beat her with milk crates,” Danielle’s sister Liz Atkinson said. “She said the FBI came to question her and somebody must have saw, and that was the repercussion. She needed reconstructive surgery. It was that bad.”
As a result she suffered shattered facial bones, committed by a man known as “Dollar” who thought she was a “snitch.”
When her family went to visit Danielle at the hospital they found FBI agents outside her door. Her family believes the TF Mafia attacked her because she was going to testify against it’s members.
When Danielle failed to appear to testify before a grand jury regarding the TF Mafia case in August 2014, she became a wanted woman and was listed as a missing person with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Rivera was convicted on all charges at trial in June 2015. He is serving a life sentence plus 20 years at U.S. Penitentiary Tucson, Arizona.
Danielle’s family had hoped that maybe she was in witness protection, but police have denied this. Her father died in 2017, without ever knowing what happened to his daughter.
Appearance
White female with red hair and blue eyes. Danielle stands 5’3 tall and weighs 120-160 pounds. She had previously broken bones in her face.
She has several tattoos; “Om” symbol on the back of her neck, a clover/shamrock on her right hand between her thumb and pointer finger, multicolored sugark skull on her left arm with flowers, and an anchor on her left hand between her thumb and pointer finger.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Danielle Drozdowski please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (570) 697-2000, or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at (800) 4PA-TIPS.
Agency case number PA20-298498.
Resources & Further Information
Danielle Marie Drozdowski – NamUs
Danielle Marie Drozdowski – The Charley Project
Media Links
Police Continue to Search For Missing Confidential Informant – FOX56
Missing Luzerne County Woman Linked to Brooklyn Murder Squad – The Citizen’s Voice
State Police Are Searching For Confidential Informant Who Disappeared in 2014 – FOX43
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