Danny Violette was a popular, athletic, determined teenager who died unexpectedly at the age of 17. His death has never been explained and those who loved him live without answers, without closure, without the chance to say good-bye. He disappeared on Saturday, October 24, 1998 after he ran away from home that afternoon. He was seen once, at a local grocery store, at 7:00pm that evening. He was never seen again. He's shirtless body was found in a remote area of a local corn field 11 days later, a ligature mark around the neck and some type of tracks across the chest. The cause of death was asphyxiation. Beyond that we know almost nothing. 

Danny was a lifelong extremist, fun-loving and witty, quietly willful. He didn't mind breaking rules, and he thought that he was invulnerable to harm.  He enjoyed playing almost all types of sports and he wrestled on the varsity team, earning his letter and the title "Most Improved Wrestler" his sophomore year. He was very competitive. He wasn't strong academically, although he could have been. He was intelligent, but school was not a high priority. 

Danny was a very loyal person; he would take the blame for an infraction before he'd tell on a friend. He touched so many people in his short life and no one knows who would want to kill him.

Danny got involved in some areas he should have avoided. In the toxicology report after his death, it was noted that he had a trace amount of LSD in his system. Involvement with the wrong crowd is one hint of why he died. 

He had also shown symptoms of manic depression during his final year of life, which could have been a contributing factor. But despite his flaws, Danny had a good heart. He didn't deserve to die so early, so ignobly, so mysteriously. If you know anything that could lead to a solution to the cause of his death, contact us at the email link below.

Daniel and Jayne Violette - VioletteFamily@murdervictims.com