From 2017.
Mom Seeks Answers In Daughter's Disappearance Nearly 3 Decades Ago
It was around 6:30 a.m. March 2, 1989, when Denise got up to make breakfast for her live-in boyfriend at their Lancaster apartment. He later left for work, and that was the last time Denise and Daniel were seen by anyone.
“The apartment hadn’t looked ransacked, her property was there, her clothes were there,” Lopez said. “In fact, her vehicle was still in the parking space outside.”
He says other than some damage to Daniel’s closet door and what looked like a footprint on top of the air conditioner outside, everything else was intact. The only other things missing besides the mother and son were their Social Security cards. Lopez says the cards were later found at the house of the baby’s father. He had a volatile relationship with Denise over custody of their son.
“He just said they showed up mysteriously in his mailbox,” Lopez said.
Daniel’s father and Denise’s boyfriend were immediately considered persons of interest, the detective said. Both denied any involvement in the disappearance. And throughout the investigation, there was never any physical evidence, anything that could positively identify or eliminate either as the suspect.
“At this point in the investigation, neither one have been exonerated,” Lopez said. “They’re still in the pool as potential suspects.”
Denise and Daniel’s remains were never found. Lopez says if they were abducted and murdered in the Lancaster area, it would be nearly impossible to find their remains in this vast desert.
“I know she’s in a better place,” Gausman said. “I know she’s not here, and I just pray that Danny is.”