MI MI - Diane Lee Peckham, 25, Baroda, 20 July 1976

[Romulus]

Missing Person/NamUs #MP118332
Diane Lee Peckham, Female, White/Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: July 20, 1976
Missing From: Baroda, Michigan
Missing Age: 25 Years

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: This case involves the disappearance of DIANE “DIANA” LEE PECKHAM. She was 5’05”, 106lbs, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was reported missing on 7/21/1976 after her husband returned home from work finding her missing. All of her belonging were left behind at the residence. She has never been seen or heard from since.

 

[SimsGuy67]

The only possibility I could find is a case being investigated by @othram, Kane County Jane Doe who was found in the walls of a home in 1978. Distance is a bit far, but there's no other cases in the area I could find that match.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Who is Kane County Jane Doe (1978)?

Batavia Police Department and the Kane County Coroner’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 1978 Jane Doe

dnasolves.com

 

[DS2021]

Husband filed for divorce in 1980

Diane & Vern Divorce

Clipping found in The Herald-Palladium published in Benton Harbor, Michigan on 4/19/1980. Diane & Vern Divorce

www.newspapers.com

 

[chaddylex]

4708DFMI - Diane Lee Peckham

Here is another picture of Diane from her Doe Network Profile.

 

[alb1on]

She was born Diane Lee Elmore and married Blair Vernon Peckham in 1975 when he was 18 and she was 25. There is a family tree on Ancestry with a Don Elmore as the owner and I wonder if he is a sibling since that was also her father's name (who died in 1968). I do wonder about Blair. He remarried in 1981 to Kim Tio (and must have divorced as he married again at least once, in 1988). The 1981 marriage explains the divorce. However he had been with Kim Tio since at least 1978 and in December 1978 was sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting her - so he was a domestic abuser (see attachment). He subsequently moved to Tennessee and in 2010 was arrested as part of a group selling prescription drugs (see The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee). None of this means he had anything to do with the disappearance of Diane but it does make me think he is worth a closer look. However he died in 2021 so any questions are simply for providing answers to the family.

 

[Ksordo]

She was born Diane Lee Elmore and married Blair Vernon Peckham in 1975 when he was 18 and she was 25. There is a family tree on Ancestry with a Don Elmore as the owner and I wonder if he is a sibling since that was also her father's name (who died in 1968). I do wonder about Blair. He remarried in 1981 to Kim Tio (and must have divorced as he married again at least once, in 1988). The 1981 marriage explains the divorce. However he had been with Kim Tio since at least 1978 and in December 1978 was sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting her - so he was a domestic abuser (see attachment). He subsequently moved to Tennessee and in 2010 was arrested as part of a group selling prescription drugs (see The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee). None of this means he had anything to do with the disappearance of Diane but it does make me think he is worth a closer look. However he died in 2021 so any questions are simply for providing answers to the family.

She was my great-aunt. Thank you for the information. My great-grandmother lost contact with her when she moved up north and we were never given any other information. Hoping to find some answers

 

[Richard]

She was my great-aunt. Thank you for the information. My great-grandmother lost contact with her when she moved up north and we were never given any other information. Hoping to find some answers

Welcome to Websleuths. I hope you can find some answers about Diane's disappearance. Do you have any information to share?

 

[Lujaine903+]

She was my great-aunt. Thank you for the information. My great-grandmother lost contact with her when she moved up north and we were never given any other information. Hoping to find some answers

Hi, are you maybe the daughter of Donald Elmore? And your great-grandmother Sylvia New or Vada Elmore/Evans? I have the picture of Sylvia and Neal New here with me as they gave it to me as a present. I tried to find out more through them, but I had forgotten the name of the town where I had visited them.

This case of Diane has been very heavy on me for more than 50 years. There wasn´t hardly any day when I did not think of her! She was like a sister to me. I have a lot more to tell you. Could you please get in touch with me under Zimus2908@aol.com. I live in Germany and would also like to know what happened to Dawn-Renee and how I could contact her. Warm regards, Lulu

 

[theshadow45]

Diane has been missing for 48 years today.

 

[Aurora90]

Bumping this thread for Diane.

 

[Caring1]

Diana’s NamUs was modified today. A new photo was added on 11/1/24.

She was reported to have been wearing a blue shirt with a Seagull image and cutoff shorts with studs.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

 

[mlhenn]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Transportation​

1969 Plymouth Fury (also Grand Fury)​

Style--
Color White
State Michigan
License Plate HZX588
Expiration Year 1976

Was the vehicle ever found?

 

[TDishman]

She was born Diane Lee Elmore and married Blair Vernon Peckham in 1975 when he was 18 and she was 25. There is a family tree on Ancestry with a Don Elmore as the owner and I wonder if he is a sibling since that was also her father's name (who died in 1968). I do wonder about Blair. He remarried in 1981 to Kim Tio (and must have divorced as he married again at least once, in 1988). The 1981 marriage explains the divorce. However he had been with Kim Tio since at least 1978 and in December 1978 was sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting her - so he was a domestic abuser (see attachment). He subsequently moved to Tennessee and in 2010 was arrested as part of a group selling prescription drugs (see The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee). None of this means he had anything to do with the disappearance of Diane but it does make me think he is worth a closer look. However he died in 2021 so any questions are simply for providing answers to the family.

Statistics will tell you….might be worth finding anyone he was associated with and doing an interview.

 

[farrisanderson92]

Hi folks, I never heard about this case but the description of the car made me think of a case in the 1970's my mother knew about and would see if anybody could dig for more information. Sometime in the fall of 1976 in Baroda Michigan a woman was taken out of her home by two men in a white plymouth and assaulted. The two men were imprisoned for the crime. I don't know any more details of the story since my mother passed but seeing the details of the white plymouth and that it was also in Berrien county in Michigan made me wonder if Diane was perhaps an earlier victim. I know this isn't much to go off of but maybe somebody can find out more info regarding the assault case in the fall of 1976 and start there!

 

[Carrera6]

Hi folks, I never heard about this case but the description of the car made me think of a case in the 1970's my mother knew about and would see if anybody could dig for more information. Sometime in the fall of 1976 in Baroda Michigan a woman was taken out of her home by two men in a white plymouth and assaulted. The two men were imprisoned for the crime. I don't know any more details of the story since my mother passed but seeing the details of the white plymouth and that it was also in Berrien county in Michigan made me wonder if Diane was perhaps an earlier victim. I know this isn't much to go off of but maybe somebody can find out more info regarding the assault case in the fall of 1976 and start there!

It's true Berrien County or MSP had a home invasion, rape, abduction case where a young woman was taken from her home in 1976. Believe it was just a few months after Diane's disappearance. Two men were caught & went to prison. Wonder if they had a white Plymouth.