Authorities are still looking for a 21-year-old pregnant woman, who mysteriously disappeared last week, just hours before her boyfriend’s car was found on fire on a street in Philadelphia.
Dianna Brice was last seen on March 30, 2021, at the K Laundry on Church Lane in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, where her mother was doing laundry. While waiting in the car, Dianna joined her 23-year-old boyfriend, Justin Smith.
Her mother, Betty Cellini, told Dateline that she got back in the car, where she was greeted by Justin and a visibly upset Dianna.
“She was very upset and she kept crying,” said Betty. “I asked her what was wrong. She said, ‘Nothing, mom’ ”.
Dianna is 14 weeks pregnant with Justin’s baby and takes medication daily for a serious medical condition, her mother said. She told her mother that Justin would take her to get the medicine. Then, around 1 pm, Betty took the couple to Justin’s car that was parked at the corner of the laundry.
“I asked her, ‘Are you okay?’ and then I left, ”said Betty to Dateline. “And I haven’t seen my baby since.”
Betty told Dateline that she spoke to her daughter on the cell phone shortly after and Dianna informed her that they had driven to Philadelphia. She asked her mother to get her medicine and assured her that she would be home later.
But Dianna never came home. Calls to her phone were not answered.
Betty told Dateline that she finally got in touch with Justin, who told her that they had started an argument. They were in the 57th and Springfield area of southwest Philadelphia, and he said she got out of the vehicle and left.
“What kind of man does that?” Asked Betty. “What kind of man leaves his girlfriend carrying his son?”
She added that Justin told her that he looked for Dianna in the area, but was unable to find her.
Betty told Dateline that she was worried, then told Justin over the phone that she would go ahead and file a missing report.
At around 5:30 pm, Philadelphia police found Justin’s black 2018 Ford Fusion wrapped in flames near 59th and Florence streets in southwestern Philadelphia, according to a press release issued by the Upper Darby Police Department. Investigators determined that neither Dianna nor Justin were in the vehicle, the statement said.
The police are asking anyone who may have seen Dianna or Justin to contact the authorities. Dianna is considered a missing person “in danger” and they are concerned for her safety.
Dianna’s family also hired Kevin Ryan, a private investigator to assist with the investigation.
“Time is of the essence here,” Kevin Ryan told Dateline. “There are days when you don’t take the medication and you need it daily. There are two people missing here and we are doing everything we can to find both. One will lead to the other, but Dianna is our priority. “
Kevin Ryan told Dateline that he, along with family members and Dianna’s friends, have been looking for the young mother. He added that he is interested in talking to people who can fill the gaps in what happened in the couple’s life in the days leading up to their disappearance.
“Two people just don’t disappear,” he added. Ryan said. “Does anyone know anything.”
He told Dateline that both cell phones are turned off and there was no banking activity on either account. He added that Justin’s wallet and other personal belongings were found inside his vehicle.
Betty told Dateline that it is different for her daughter to go without speaking or seeing her 4-year-old son for a long time.
“She can’t even go to a Wawa without calling me and asking how her son is doing,” said Betty. “Or calling to make sure he’s listening. It is not even a question that she would leave alone – she would never do that. “
Betty said her family and the community are frantically looking for her every day, talking to people in the area, hanging up pamphlets and posting updates on Dianna Brice’s Facebook page.
“Your 4-year-old son is at home asking me, ‘Where’s my mom,'” said Betty. “And I don’t know what to say to him. I am numb, I have no emotions. But we are there – we are hitting the sidewalk every day. She is my baby and I need her at home. “
Dianna is described as being 4’11 ”tall and weighs about 190 pounds. She has brown eyes and dark hair that she wears in braids, but she usually wears a long, dark wig or scarf.
She was last seen wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, black sweatpants and furry Ugg slides. long-haired wig with scarf and false eyelashes. She has a black heart tattoo on her right hand, a Mickey Mouse glove with the letters “AJ” on her left forearm and roses on her left shoulder and right ankle. She has the word “NANNY” tattooed on her left shoulder and the phrase “Guardian of my brother” on her chest.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dianna or Justin should contact the Detective Division of the Upper Darby Police Department at 610-734-7693 or 610-734-7677 or the Kevin family’s missing person investigator Ryan at 803-993-8477.