Danyel Lou Sparpana was 3 years old when she disappeared from her West Sacramento home on November 2, 1985. Her mother, Cynthia Sparpana, was found murdered inside the family home on November 5, beaten and shot in the head. Investigators concluded Danyel was likely taken by whoever killed her mother because none of Danyel’s belongings were missing except for her coat, and there were unverified reports of a small child seen wandering the neighborhood between the mother's death and the discovery of the body.

An acquaintance and former boyfriend of Cynthia, Lionel Ernest Tholmer Jr., was identified as a suspect and later charged in connection with Cynthia’s murder and Danyel’s disappearance. Tholmer was convicted of the murders, but Danyel’s remains have never been found and her disappearance is still classified as an unsolved abduction. Occasional sighting reports have not produced a verified trace.

Anyone who knew Danyel, the Sparpana family, or who has information about the neighborhood in November 1985 is asked to come forward.