Shortly after attending her daughter's wedding in Weberville, Michigan on September 28, 2024, Joanna Ryan, 52, who is battling stage 4 cancer, mysteriously disappeared. In light of her serious medical condition, the news of her abduction shocked the neighborhood and beyond, causing concern and fear for her safety. The bride's mother drove her husband's car from the ceremony with the intention of changing clothes and returning to the festivities at home. But after several hours, Joanna did not appear again, prompting her family and local authorities to launch a desperate hunt.
To the great joy of her family and friends, Joanna was found safe after an agonizing struggle that lasted almost twenty-four hours. On her Facebook page, her daughter Darian Garcia posted a message expressing her sincere appreciation, saying, “She's been found thank you all!” Darian took to social media to raise awareness and ask for assistance.
Around five or six in the evening, Joanna, wearing a stunning floor-length black dress and a silver veil, left her daughter's wedding in Weberville. This marked the beginning of an intense and worrying series of events. Taking her husband's 2018 Dodge Charger, she intended to make a short drive to her home on Lansing's north side to change into more comfortable clothing before returning to continue the festivities. Joanna left fairly regularly, but as the hours passed and her absence worried her family more and more, they sensed something was wrong. When her mother left the wedding, Darian, who was excited about what was supposed to be one of the best days of her life, immediately began to panic.
Darian was immediately concerned about her mother's unstable condition as well as her location. Joanna was told she had stage 4 cancer, an incurable disease that had already caused serious damage to her body. Her condition was largely managed by medication, a feeding tube and a breathing tube, all of which were abandoned when she disappeared. Her phone was dead or turned off, meaning all calls went straight to voicemail, which could have been a lifeline for her family. Each passing hour increased the urgency to find Joanna as Darian and her family knew that her mother's condition could rapidly deteriorate without medical supplies and care.
