Episode #232: Wilkes-Barre Missing

10 minutes ago

2 min read

Three people, three disappearances, and a city left with unanswered questions. In this episode, we take a closer look at the missing person cases of Wilkes-Barre residents Joan Marie Dymond, Danielle Drozdowski, and Yiear James Samuel West. Although their stories are unique, each disappearance leaves behind questions, uncertainty, and loved ones still searching for answers. Join us as we revisit these cases, examine the known details, and keep their names and stories from being forgotten.

Joan Marie Dymond Danielle Drodzowski Yiear James West

Joan Marie Dymond

Birth: 05/26/1955 – Date Last Seen and Presumed Death: 06/25/1969

Ethnicity: Caucasian – Sex: Female

Height: Approximately 5'5" – Weight: Approximately 125 lbs.

Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA – Luzerne County.

Other pertinent information: Joan was 14 years old when she disappeared. She told her parents she was going to Andover Street Park after dinner. She had light brown hair, parted in the middle, and brown eyes. She was last reported wearing a brown, long-sleeved blouse and flowered slacks. Her remains were discovered in Newport Township in November 2012 and positively identified in October 2022. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Danielle Marie Drozdowski

Birth: Date not confirmed in available sources – Date Last Seen: January 2014 (reported last seen in the Irving Place area); last known Facebook contact: 03/19/2014.

Ethnicity: Caucasian – Sex: Female

-Height: 5'2"–5'3" – Weight: 120–165 lbs.

Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA – Luzerne County.

Other pertinent information: Danielle had red hair and blue eyes. Distinguishing tattoos include designs on the webbing of both hands, a colorful sugar skull with flowers on her upper arm, and a tattoo on the back of her neck. She was 25 when she disappeared. She was scheduled to testify before a grand jury as a confidential informant in August 2014 but never appeared. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

Yiear James Samuel West

-Birth: Date not confirmed in available sources – Date Last Seen: 12/09/2016

Ethnicity: Black/African American – Sex: Male

Height: 6'1"–6'2" – Weight: 220–230 lbs.

Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA – Luzerne County

-Other pertinent information: Yiear was 28 years old when he disappeared. He had black hair, brown eyes, shoulder-length dreadlocks, and a goatee with significant facial hair. He also had burn marks on his forearms from working as a grill cook and a scar beneath his right eye. He was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, black pinstriped chef pants, black socks, black Crocs, and a black skullcap.

Yiear was last seen after leaving his job at Outback Steakhouse. He walked approximately two miles to Corner News on Coal Street, stopping at Wegmans along the way. Surveillance footage showed him at Corner News around 6:40 p.m., where he withdrew $200 from an ATM. He has never been heard from again and left behind two children.