In the late summer of 2008, a 26-year-old woman named Alicia Anne Digna disappeared, leaving her family with years of unanswered questions. On August 27, 2008, Alicia was last seen in Romulus, Michigan. At the time she went missing, she was driving her burgundy 1992 Pontiac Grand Am. She was reportedly wearing black jean shorts and a white shirt. Her disappearance marked the beginning of a long and painful search for a cherished daughter and sister.
A week after she was last seen, Alicia's car was discovered abandoned on the east side of Detroit, at the intersection of Mount Elliott and East Vernor. According to her family, a cell phone that did not belong to Alicia was found inside the vehicle. Her loved ones have stated that it was highly uncharacteristic of her to leave her car, as she valued the independence it provided her, especially given her health challenges. All of her personal belongings were left behind, and there has been no activity on her Social Security disability benefits or her medical insurance since she vanished.
Alicia lived with serious medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis and an inoperable tumor on her lower spine, which required numerous medications and specialized care. Her health issues could lead to severe complications without proper medical attention. Alicia has several distinct physical characteristics that would aid in her identification. These include numerous surgical scars from past medical procedures, one on her back, one on her pelvic area, and another on her right wrist where a metal plate was implanted. She also has a unique tattoo on her right shoulder that says 'Property of Charley Davidson,' possibly with roses. Despite these identifying features and the relentless efforts of her family, who believe something was wrong as she would not have willingly cut off contact, her case remains unsolved. The passage of years has not brought any definitive answers, leaving a void in the lives of her nine brothers and sisters and the rest of her family who continue to hope for her return.
Alicia Anne Digna was a 26-year-old female who was last seen driving through Romulus, Michigan, on August 27, 2008. At the time, she was operating her burgundy four-door Pontiac Grand Am and was believed to be wearing black denim shorts and a white shirt. Alicia had recently been staying with her mother in Romulus, although she had been living in Gibraltar before her disappearance. She had recently ended a relationship with her fiancé and was reportedly planning to move to Indiana with one of her sisters. Nothing publicly available indicates that she intended to abandon her family or disappear permanently. Instead, she drove away that summer evening and then fell completely out of contact with the many relatives who knew her as a close and loving part of their lives.
Alicia’s car was especially important to her because it allowed her to remain independent while coping with severe health problems. Approximately a month before she vanished, the vehicle had been stolen, and she had only recently recovered it from an impound lot. A week after Alicia was last seen, the Grand Am was found abandoned at a gas station near Mount Elliott and East Vernor on Detroit’s east side. The vehicle’s door was reportedly open, and a cellular telephone that did not belong to Alicia was discovered inside. The public record does not explain who owned the phone, how it came to be in the car, or whether it produced any useful investigative evidence. No confirmed witness has been publicly identified as having seen Alicia leave the vehicle or travel away from the gas station.
The abandoned car immediately raised concern among Alicia’s relatives. They said it was completely unlike her to walk away from the vehicle because of how much she valued the freedom it gave her. The fact that someone else’s phone was left inside made the discovery even more troubling, yet it did not provide a clear account of who may have been with her or where she went afterward. Alicia’s personal possessions were left behind, and she has not used her Social Security disability benefits or medical insurance since she disappeared. Those circumstances have made it difficult to accept that she simply chose to begin a new life elsewhere, particularly because maintaining access to medical treatment was essential to her safety.
Alicia suffered from multiple sclerosis, hydrocephalus and a serious tumor on her lower spine. She had a lumbar shunt and required numerous medications and specialized medical care. Without treatment, her conditions could cause permanent damage to her brain or spinal cord and could become fatal. She was also allergic to several medications, including morphine, Dramamine, Neurontin and succinylcholine chloride, creating additional danger if she experienced a medical emergency and could not communicate her history. Her family knew that she would not willingly go without the medicine and care she depended upon, and her failure to use her insurance after disappearing became one of the strongest reasons they believed something had happened to her.
At the time she vanished, Alicia was described as a white woman standing approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing between 130 and 170 pounds. She had dark brown hair, large blue or blue-green eyes and thick dark eyebrows. She sometimes wore eyeglasses, although her family did not believe she had them with her when she disappeared. Alicia’s extensive medical history had left several highly distinctive physical characteristics, including a large scar on her right wrist, a surgical scar extending across her abdomen from above the waist toward the pelvic area and another scar near the lower portion of her back. A metal correction plate had been surgically implanted in her right arm, and one arm was slightly longer than the other because of an abnormality in the left arm bone.
Alicia also had a tattoo high on her right shoulder reading “Property of Charley Davidson” or “Property of Charley,” possibly accompanied by roses. Her ears were pierced. These identifying features, particularly her surgical changes, scars and implanted metal plate, could help distinguish her if she were located without identification or under circumstances in which she could not communicate. A toothbrush believed to contain her DNA was submitted for testing years later, but it did not produce a usable result. Genetic profiles from her mother, father and sister were successfully completed and entered into national comparison systems, giving investigators a continuing way to compare unidentified remains with Alicia’s family.
Alicia came from a large family that included nine brothers and sisters. She was remembered as cheerful and frequently smiling despite the pain and limitations created by her illnesses. Her sister described Alicia as very close to the family and deeply involved in the lives of younger relatives. Before disappearing, she lived near her sister and regularly spent time with the children in the family. During the many years since Alicia vanished, new nieces and nephews have been born without ever meeting her, and her father died without learning what happened to his daughter. Her relatives have continued to search, pursue reported sightings and follow tips, but none has produced a definitive lead.
The Lincoln Park Police Department has remained the agency responsible for the investigation. Alicia’s disappearance is classified as an endangered missing-person case because of both the suspicious circumstances and her life-threatening need for medical care. No suspect or person of interest has been publicly identified, no arrest has been announced and no verified evidence has established that Alicia voluntarily left Michigan. Investigators have not publicly explained whether the unidentified phone found in her car was successfully traced, whether useful fingerprints or forensic evidence were recovered from the vehicle, or whether surveillance recordings existed near the Detroit gas station where it was abandoned.
Her family has occasionally believed they may have spotted Alicia and has pursued information that offered brief hope, but no sighting has been confirmed. As recently as 2026, public reporting continued to describe her as missing and her relatives as still searching for answers. The years have not lessened their determination or the emptiness created by her absence. They have repeatedly emphasized that Alicia was loved, that she remained connected to them and that they have never stopped hoping she can be brought home.
In overview, Alicia Anne Digna was last seen driving her burgundy Pontiac Grand Am in Romulus on August 27, 2008. The medically vulnerable young woman vanished without her essential treatment, and her car was found abandoned one week later at a Detroit gas station with its door open and another person’s cellular phone inside. She has not used her medical insurance or disability benefits, no confirmed trace of her has surfaced and no suspect has been publicly named. Her family continues to seek the truth about how Alicia’s drive through Romulus ended with her vehicle abandoned miles away and their beloved daughter and sister missing without explanation.
Last Seen: Aug 27, 2008
