Vanished without a trace... except her FINGER
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Diane Augat's disappearance involved a terrifying voicemail, a severed finger found by a highway, and her neatly folded clothing discovered in a convenience store freezer.
- ❖Sailor Joe Stevens' death in a 1927 submarine sinking was eerily foreshadowed by his 4-year-old self, who declared 'All hands were lost' during a make-believe game and refused to play again.
- ❖Patricia Meehan vanished after a head-on collision, calmly walking into a field, and was later seen in multiple states, appearing confused and unable to identify herself before disappearing again.
Insights
1The Unsettling Disappearance of Diane Augat
Diane Augat, a 40-year-old woman with bipolar disorder, vanished after leaving a bar in Hudson, Florida. Days later, her mother received a terrifying voicemail of Diane screaming 'Help! Let me out!' from an untraceable number. The most disturbing discovery was the severed tip of her right-hand finger found by a man walking along Highway 19. Further strange clues included a bag of her neatly folded clothing in a convenience store's outdoor freezer and toiletries with her name scrawled on them left on a counter, but police never determined who placed them or why.
Diane's last known location was the Hayloft Tavern on April 10, 1998. Her mother received a distressed voicemail on April 15. On April 16, a severed finger tip identified as Diane's was found near Highway 19. Subsequent discoveries included her clothing in a freezer and toiletries with her name.
2Joe Stevens' Premonition of a Submarine Disaster
In 1927, 21-year-old sailor Joe Stevens was trapped in a sunken US Navy submarine off Cape Cod Bay. He and five others survived in a sealed torpedo room while the rest of the crew drowned. Despite communication with rescue divers, a severe storm prevented their timely rescue, and they all suffocated. His older sister, Florence, recalled Joe, at age 4, dropping his homemade periscope during a submarine game and chillingly stating, 'All hands were lost,' an expression meaning everyone on board died, and then refusing to play the game ever again, leading her to believe he predicted his own death.
The USS S-4 submarine sank on December 17, 1927. Joe Stevens and five others were trapped. Rescue efforts were hampered by a storm. Joe's sister Florence recounted his childhood premonition of 'All hands were lost' at age four.
3Patricia Meehan's Phantom Disappearance and Sightings
Patricia Meehan, 37, called her father expressing stress and a desire to move back home, but never called again. The next day, she was involved in a head-on collision in rural Montana, 400 miles from her home. Witnesses reported she calmly walked away from the crash site into an empty field and vanished. Over the next month, she was sighted over 5,000 times across America, often in restaurants and truck stops, appearing vacant, disoriented, and unable to recall her identity or origin, before running off when approached. Her case remains unsolved.
Patricia's last call to her father was April 19, 1989. She crashed her car on April 20 and walked away. A police officer sighted her in Luverne, Minnesota, 700 miles away, two weeks later. Dozens of confirmed sightings followed across the country.
Lessons
- Recognize the profound impact of mental health on vulnerability; Diane Augat's erratic behavior due to untreated bipolar disorder complicated initial search efforts.
- Consider the psychological toll on families when loved ones disappear under inexplicable circumstances, as seen with Mildred Augat's constant worry and Florence Stevens' grief and reflection.
- Understand that even with extensive public awareness and thousands of sightings, cases can remain unsolved, highlighting the enduring mystery of some disappearances.
Q&A
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