Resolved FL - Fort Lauderdale, WhtFem UP7840, 45-65, notes in Arabic, Apr'03 (Zulejha Visnjic)

[reasonableguess]

Hi Ya'll
I am reaching out to inform you about the status of this case. My name is Zana V. and I am a daughter of the woman that has been found in 2003. The Nam case #7840. I had picked up my mothers remains back in March of this year 2018.
My mother took off in March of 2003 leaving behind to myself my younger brother and our uncle a note each. In the note she wrote that if anyone asked for her that she had left for Canada.

Moths passed by and no contact from her ever arrived. I went to the police station and tried to report a missing person but because I had the note they told me that she had a right to leave and that they had no rights to go after her due to her not being mentally ill. My mother had never displayed suicidal tendencies. And never had it crossed my mind that she would try and commit suicide.

Years have passed by and my father decided to get his pension, the clerk kept asking him for his wife for which he replied that he had no idea of her whereabouts. A friend of my older brothers wife that works for FBI found the NAM 7840 and emailed to my older brother and then and he gave it to me. I got in touch with investigator W.C. who then told me that they had the fingerprints of the woman but for some reason the fingerprints were never sent to immigration to try and find out the identity. She was a USA citizen and her fingerprints would have been on file if they sent them when she was found but in 2017 there were no longer any records. So I had to submit my DNA sample and the test came positive match.

She was found in the area we knew not of anyone, I still don't know what was she doing there or who she could possibly be there with. She was a very positive person an optimist and very intelligent. She disliked one piece of bathing suits and would never wear one under her clothes. She was found with her jeans, bathing suit and shirt but no shoes, glasses or any other personal items. She had a decent knowledge of medicine being that my father is a doctor and I don't believe that she would have taken all that medicine and then cut herself like that...

The letter that was found with her was from her mother who was a devoted Muslim, passed away in 2012 due to stomach cancer but my mother nor her three sisters were religious nor did they speak Arabic. Regardless to that my grandma liked to give her notes with doves written in Latin so she could say them when in trouble or stress. The letter also has notes in Bosnian because we are from former Yugoslavia and the names Pero is her husband and Ziva is not a name it means Alive. We say "ziva bila" it means may you be alive in direct translation wishing good health.
I don't understand how could she lay in residential area for over a week and no one noticed a body until it started to decompose. How could she have wondered away without her glasses she had a very thick prescription.
Her sister passed away the same moth from lymphoma and I can see that she might have taken pills from her but still nothing makes sense.
She was fifty years old at the time born December 22, 1952 her name was Zulejha nick name Lela

I see a huge thread going about this case so I thought you all would want this information. I have her remains cremated in my apartment and at some point will most likely scatter them either in Atlantic or take them back to Bosnia. I have not decided yet. Her remaining sister told me to do as I wish. I cant let her go yet I have been waiting on her since 2003

So sorry for your loss. May your memories comfort you.

 

[carbuff]

My condolences on your loss, and thank you for taking the time to let us know.

 

[Triss]

I am very sorry for your loss, Zana, and I'm sorry your mother felt suicide was her only option. May she rest in peace.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Hi Ya'll
I am reaching out to inform you about the status of this case. My name is Zana V. and I am a daughter of the woman that has been found in 2003. The Nam case #7840. I had picked up my mothers remains back in March of this year 2018.
My mother took off in March of 2003 leaving behind to myself my younger brother and our uncle a note each. In the note she wrote that if anyone asked for her that she had left for Canada.

Moths passed by and no contact from her ever arrived. I went to the police station and tried to report a missing person but because I had the note they told me that she had a right to leave and that they had no rights to go after her due to her not being mentally ill. My mother had never displayed suicidal tendencies. And never had it crossed my mind that she would try and commit suicide.

Years have passed by and my father decided to get his pension, the clerk kept asking him for his wife for which he replied that he had no idea of her whereabouts. A friend of my older brothers wife that works for FBI found the NAM 7840 and emailed to my older brother and then and he gave it to me. I got in touch with investigator W.C. who then told me that they had the fingerprints of the woman but for some reason the fingerprints were never sent to immigration to try and find out the identity. She was a USA citizen and her fingerprints would have been on file if they sent them when she was found but in 2017 there were no longer any records. So I had to submit my DNA sample and the test came positive match.

She was found in the area we knew not of anyone, I still don't know what was she doing there or who she could possibly be there with. She was a very positive person an optimist and very intelligent. She disliked one piece of bathing suits and would never wear one under her clothes. She was found with her jeans, bathing suit and shirt but no shoes, glasses or any other personal items. She had a decent knowledge of medicine being that my father is a doctor and I don't believe that she would have taken all that medicine and then cut herself like that...

The letter that was found with her was from her mother who was a devoted Muslim, passed away in 2012 due to stomach cancer but my mother nor her three sisters were religious nor did they speak Arabic. Regardless to that my grandma liked to give her notes with doves written in Latin so she could say them when in trouble or stress. The letter also has notes in Bosnian because we are from former Yugoslavia and the names Pero is her husband and Ziva is not a name it means Alive. We say "ziva bila" it means may you be alive in direct translation wishing good health.
I don't understand how could she lay in residential area for over a week and no one noticed a body until it started to decompose. How could she have wondered away without her glasses she had a very thick prescription.
Her sister passed away the same moth from lymphoma and I can see that she might have taken pills from her but still nothing makes sense.
She was fifty years old at the time born December 22, 1952 her name was Zulejha nick name Lela

I see a huge thread going about this case so I thought you all would want this information. I have her remains cremated in my apartment and at some point will most likely scatter them either in Atlantic or take them back to Bosnia. I have not decided yet. Her remaining sister told me to do as I wish. I cant let her go yet I have been waiting on her since 2003

I have such mixed feelings. Happy that your mom is now identified and with family. Angry that her fingerprints were never submitted when found. Sad if she was suicidal. Yet, from your comments, I am now confused about the suicide and many aspects of it. If you feel there was foul play, please follow up on it. Many on here would help if needed.

 

[Zana Visnjic]

I have such mixed feelings. Happy that your mom is now identified and with family. Angry that her fingerprints were never submitted when found. Sad if she was suicidal. Yet, from your comments, I am now confused about the suicide and many aspects of it. If you feel there was foul play, please follow up on it. Many on here would help if needed.

Because of autopsy that I have the report on it has been concluded that there was no bruises or damages to the body, she was not carrying any terminal illnesses like cancer that would perhaps drive her to suicide... But the body was in such state that at first they could not even determine the race of the woman... sadly that is what I believe is the reason the fingerprints were not sent, they just thought she was either illegal or minority because of the note found on her, which isn't even a suicide note... Why would she leave her bathing suit on and then wonder away into an unknown area without shoes and glasses and violently cut herself like that in residential area and then no one sees her for days laying its beyond me... she never quarreled with anyone so I cant think of anyone wanting to hurt her... I have not followed up with the officer that wrote her report since the investigator W.C. sort of convinced me that everything points out to suicide and that it is possible that she threw away all her belongings not wanting to be found... I have a lot of mixed feelings as well...

 

[Al Ka]

Dear Zana, thank you very much for letting us know about your dear mom and I am so very sorry for your loss. Many here on Websleuths cared and researched about her for years and wanted more then anything for her to be reunited with family. It is very sad but also hm bittersweet news that after so many years she is finally identified.
May she RIP

===
If you do not mind me asking when she left in March was it from different state or was it also in Florida?

 

[Two for the road]

Zana,

I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad you found resolution to the question "where is she?" And I hope in time you can have answers to the "why" questions too.

Thank you for updating us here on Websleuths.

Can someone flag a mod to move this case to identified? I'm on a phone atm and don't know how.

 

[Zana Visnjic]

Dear Zana, thank you very much for letting us know about your dear mom and I am so very sorry for your loss. Many here on Websleuths cared and researched about her for years and wanted more then anything for her to be reunited with family. It is very sad but also hm bittersweet news that after so many years she is finally identified.
May she RIP

===
If you do not mind me asking when she left in March was it from different state or was it also in Florida?

We were living in Hallandale Florida and she had a bakery in Hollywood Florida... So she was always in Florida...

 

[The4TierBridge]

This person is mentioned at length in the May 2018 MEDICAL EXAMINERS COMMISSION MEETING for Florida (thereby confirming the unsourced information which was previously discussed here):

"Doug Culbertson informed the Commission of a success story from District 17 (Broward County).The decedent was found in a parking lot in the city of Fort Lauderdale on April 30, 2003, in an advanced state of decomposition. One fingerprint was obtained from the decedent and was run through the FCIC/NCIC systems with no results. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department investigated local missing persons reports and entered the available information into the NCIC teletype system. A note was found among the decedent’s effects, written in a foreign language that was later determined to be the Serbo-Croatian dialect. The information obtained from the note at the time did not reportedly generate any leads on the decedent’s identification.

In 2010, the decedent’s information was entered in to the Unidentified Persons section of the NAMUS website by Broward Medical Examiner Investigator Wendy Crane. A copy of the note was also uploaded onto the site with permissions set for the public to be able to view it.

In 2017, a phone call was received from a family member of Zulejha Visnjic, who had reportedly not been heard from since early 2003. Ms. Visnjic, who resided in the Hollywood area, told family that she was going to Canada to visit and/ or reside with family there. The family member stated that he had viewed the details of the unidentified persons case and the note on the NAMUS website. Reportedly, the handwriting was familiar, and it specifically referenced names of family members. Additionally, he stated that the decedent had immigrated to this country from Bosnia.

The fingerprint that was obtained from the decedent in 2003 was sent to US-VISIT to be run against US immigration records, but no identification resulted. US-VISIT fingerprint analyst reported that the decedent likely immigrated prior to the automated system, and her fingerprint hardcopy could not be located. A decision was made to make contact with the decedent’s daughter, Zana, to obtain a sample for DNA comparison. Investigator Crane contacted Carrie Sutherland of NAMUS for assistance in obtaining a buccal swab from Zana, who resided in Indiana. The NAMUS manager in the Midwest region was able to coordinate the submission of Zana Visnjic’s DNA to UNT lab for comparison with the remains in this case.

On February 28, 2018, communication was received that Zana Visnjic was confirmed to be a maternal relative of the remains, which were identified as Zulejha Visnjic. Investigator Crane contacted Ms. Zana Visnjic to advise her of the DNA results and unfortunately confirm her mother’s death.

https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/getContentAsset/6a8b0914-23a4-40af-9174-638906367eba/73aabf56-e6e5-4330-95a3-5f2a270a1d2b/MEC-MinMay-2018-Nelson-Edits.pdf?language=en

 

[Susikatze]

There are actually a number of unidentifieds on this page. This particular one caught my eye due to clues such as the names in the note and the fact that it was written in Croatian.

I have an ancestry account and found some links to the stated first names with the last names from the Croatian region - Visnjic, Vujacic, Druskovic, Osojic/Ostojic, Zecevic, Rajsic, Vujanovic, Kornreich, Kaplan, in the state of Florida. Also an English sounding last name for a Zira. There are Spanish last names as well but I did not list those.

Also, this site is the "Croatian Friends of Florida" site and perhaps they could be emailed to see if anyone affiliated with them knows of a missing person?

WELCOME TO THE CROATIAN FRIENDS OF TAMPA BAY WEBSITE!

Of course if she didn't live in Florida, this is probably useless information.

And Visnijc was spot on actually

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Detail by Entity Name

search.sunbiz.org

Looks like she was in business with a man named "Pero Visjnic". Maybe the same Pero mentioned in her note?

 

[Melt71]

Detail by Entity Name

search.sunbiz.org

Looks like she was in business with a man named "Pero Visjnic". Maybe the same Pero mentioned in her note?

According to the initial post from her daughter upthread, the letter was from the deceased woman's mother and it says Pero was her husband. Though it's not 100% clear to me on re-reading whether Pero was the husband of the deceased, or her mother's husband.