Six months after her disappearance family members and police continue to search for a missing Hemet mother. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News on Feb. 13, 2023.
Family members of a woman missing for six months have been posting flyers in the Riverside County community of Hemet in a desperate effort to find the mother of two.
They tell NBCLA that they believe Danielle Rico is the victim of foul play. They also fear she might be dead and that someone is keeping it a secret.
"She's my first born, she was my easiest and best kid," said Billie Rico, Danielle's mother. "She's had the biggest smile on her face, she was always happy she could make you laugh for hours. She was hilarious."
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The 39 -year-old mother of two teenage daughters has been missing since Aug. 21 when she left her home in the Valle Vista Community of East Hemet.
Rico said she went to pick up her car which was being repaired.
"She says she was going to get her car and she would be right back," Rico said.
That was the last time Rico saw her daughter.
"I don't know how to describe how hard it is to live like this, the not knowing," Rico said. "I know how to grieve but you can't grieve this, you go to bed panicked you wake up panicked, you sleep panicked."
Rico said homicide detectives are now investigating Danielle's disappearance and that her daughter did have issues with drugs. Rico said she believes Danielle is not alive and someone knows what happened to her but won't tell investigators the truth.
"She's not going to walk away and disappear, she had nobody to take care of her and is not going to disappear on her children," Rico said. "Her daughter's birthday was in October, she's not going to not call on her birthday."
With the flyers Rico is hoping that someone who knows something will come forward with information about Danielle and give her family a chance to say goodbye to her daughter.
"At this point I don't even expect justice we just want to bring her home, she has children that need closure and bring her home and give her a proper burial and put her to rest," Rico said.
Rico is asking anyone with information to call the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. You can remain anonymous.
