IL IL - Diana Loncar, 56, Chicago, 7 Dec 1948

[Romulus]

Missing Person/NamUs #MP120460
Diana Loncar, Female, White/Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: December 7, 1948
Missing From: Chicago, Illinois
Missing Age: 56 Years
Height: 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight: 175 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Left Eye Color: Blue
Right Eye Color: Blue

Clothing: Flower house dress, black shoes, glasses

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Disappearance: Diana was last seen on 12/07/1948 at her residence, It was stated she stepped outside for a minute. Her purse was left behind.

 

[cenazoic]

Looks like the correct spelling of her last name should be “Lonkar”. Wife of Louis.

The only newspaper mentions I could find:

View attachment 499423

 

[alb1on]

Born Danica Diana Smeljanic in Yugoslavia in 1892/3 and married to Luka (Louis) Lonkar. The odd thing about this case is the withdrawal of $1000. That is $12000 in todays value. What was the purpose/reason?

 

[Diavola]

The proper name would be Lončar (Lon-char) if they are both from Yugoslavia. Lonkar could be just an English misspelling/mispronounciation.

 

[ifindedout]

Route from her home to Calumet Park

9537 S Exchange Ave to S Walton Dr

www.google.com

 

[OddOneOut]

The proper name would be Lončar (Lon-char) if they are both from Yugoslavia. Lonkar could be just an English misspelling/mispronounciation.

It could be deliberate to make it seem more American or simpler. My grandfather did that with our last name changing the "k" to a "c."

 

[mst]

Born Danica Diana Smeljanic in Yugoslavia in 1892/3 and married to Luka (Louis) Lonkar. The odd thing about this case is the withdrawal of $1000. That is $12000 in todays value. What was the purpose/reason?

Maybe a protection payment? Also look at what was going on in Yugoslavia then

 

[Diane Redfern]

Diana Loncar

4739DFIL - Diana Loncar

Louis Lonkar article 1

Clipping found in The Times published in Hammond, Indiana on 12/14/1948. Louis Lonkar article 1

www.newspapers.com

Is this her husband?

Louis Loncar (1888-1974) - Find a Grave Memorial

es.findagrave.com

Funny how Diana's daughters never talked about him as their father, just Diana's husband.

 

[Same Old Stella]

Funny too that his gravestone has room for a dead spouse but there is no name other than his. As far as I know, when a spouse dies, both names are put on the gravestone even though one of them stills lives. All that remains to be put on is the surviving spouse's date of death, when the time comes. As for the reasons the daughters didn't speak of him as their father, the answer is probably on Mrs. Loncar's missing person page at Doe network. Either that or he was their stepfather. MOO

Funny how Diana's daughters never talked about him as their father, just Diana's husband.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I wonder if she was misled into a fake ransom scheme?

 

[cenazoic]

The other ‘funny’ thing I noticed in @Diane Redfern ‘s post is that the theories were:

1 - jumped in the lake over the loss of money from a possible swindle, or
2 - went to Ohio to visit relatives.

I wonder where they heard either/both of those.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

4739DFIL - Diana Loncar

 

[RobinLonkar13]

The other ‘funny’ thing I noticed in @Diane Redfern ‘s post is that the theories were:

1 - jumped in the lake over the loss of money from a possible swindle, or
2 - went to Ohio to visit relatives.

I wonder where they heard either/both of those.

This is my great grandmother. The son ( my grandpa Emil Lonkar ) never spoke to his father again after that day. He believed his father killed his mom or made her go away. We still hope for answers but will most likely never know. Her coat was apparently found by the lake. My question is they randomly found a coat? I think it was a red herring.

 

[RobinLonkar13]

Funny too that his gravestone has room for a dead spouse but there is no name other than his. As far as I know, when a spouse dies, both names are put on the gravestone even though one of them stills lives. All that remains to be put on is the surviving spouse's date of death, when the time comes. As for the reasons the daughters didn't speak of him as their father, the answer is probably on Mrs. Loncar's missing person page at Doe network. Either that or he was their stepfather. MOO

This is my great grandmother. The headstone was purchased in the 1970s and we think exactly the same. Why was her info not put down in hopes of finding her? Their daughter Dorothy has since been buried there and her name has been added. We believe her husband killed her. He was an abusive alcoholic and was unhappy she took the train to California earlier that year to visit her first grandchild being born. Her second grandchild was due in a month from the day she went missing and she planned on taking a train to California. I don’t think she would have been planning trips if she planned on jumping in the lake. I also believe her body would have eventually came up. My father is her grandson born 1949 is in Namus in hopes a bone ect would be found.
I will add a few years after her disappearance my great aunts had their crawlspace dug out. They stayed in their parents home until 2005 in hopes of answers.

 

[RobinLonkar13]

Looks like the correct spelling of her last name should be “Lonkar”. Wife of Louis.

The only newspaper mentions I could find:

View attachment 499422View attachment 499423

 

[RobinLonkar13]

Born Luca Lončar in Udbina Americanized his name to Louis Lonkar. There was another Loncar family in south Chicago. They owned a tavern and made it clear no relation. However after dna testing we share cousins through Danica Smiljanic ( Americanized to Diana lonkar )

 

[RobinLonkar13]

Missing Person/NamUs #MP120460
Diana Loncar, Female, White/Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: December 7, 1948
Missing From: Chicago, Illinois
Missing Age: 56 Years
Height: 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight: 175 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Left Eye Color: Blue
Right Eye Color: Blue

View attachment 499142View attachment 499143

Clothing: Flower house dress, black shoes, glasses

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Disappearance: Diana was last seen on 12/07/1948 at her residence, It was stated she stepped outside for a minute. Her purse was left behind.


Your link does not work for me. I view Namus monthly in hopes to see a link to my Great Grandmother. I’m told she would have never went anywhere without her purse. Also in Dec of 1948 it was not legal for her to remove 1k out of the bank without her husband. If she knew the teller and lets say did remove and was a part of a swindle why would she leave her purse at home ?

 

[Quoththeraven]

From the above link:

 

[Brightchaser47]

Just chiming in with my $ .02. It does sound like her disappearance was staged. Maybe her husband was afraid she wouldn't come back from the trip to California and allowed the withdrawal of money from their account to support the idea that she took the money and left him voluntarily, though something much more sinister actually occured. jmo