October 13, 2025 | By: Bela Sparks

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

Diana Snodgrass was always the life of the party, especially when she was in a dance hall with George Strait playing on the speakers. “I went to the club with her one time back in the day, and she went floating by on the dance floor,” said her sister, Pamela Zelinka. “She was an amazing dancer.” Diana was also an amazing seamstress and an unbelievable cook. She was warm and funny and had just started catering as a side business.

Diana attended her last party over 35 years ago. She was last seen in a vehicle leaving her favorite bar in Jacksonville. Her body was found the next morning near the US-129 exit off I-10, near Live Oak. Her murder has never been solved.

Diana was the eldest daughter and was affectionately called “Deedee” by her four siblings. She helped her mother raise her brothers and sisters, even before they all traveled via Greyhound as they moved from Columbus, Indiana, to Jacksonville, Florida, in the summer of 1967. Diana gladly held the title of “little mom” and often watched her youngest sister, Pamela, when they were children. When they lived near Five Points in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, Diana and her siblings would regularly be seen running around and playing with the local kids. “She had a ton of friends,” said Pamela, “some good, some bad.”

As an adult, Diana was a well-kept woman, always dressed up for each day and wearing her hair done perfectly. In typical Florida girl fashion, she was always working to perfect her tan. In the summers when she drove her station wagon with all the windows down, her hair always had a windswept quality to it. She wore a beautiful smile and always kept it on, no matter what the day entailed. She often helped clean a beauty shop run by her mother’s best friend just to get her perms done perfectly for free.

Diana had a high school boyfriend and got pregnant with her first daughter, Angela, the year she turned 16. Angela’s father and Diana did not stay romantically linked. As an adult, she moved to Virginia and got married. She had another daughter while she lived there. A few years later when her sister, Nancy, was married, Diana moved back to Florida to stay for good. Her marriage was never officially dissolved, but the couple had separated before she moved back to Florida. Angela and her sister shared Diana as their mother. Angela’s sister lived with Diana but moved to be with her dad after Diana’s passing. In the summers when Angela came to Florida to be with Diana, Angela would spend time with her at the beaches or with close family friends.

In addition to dancing and spending time with her many friends, Diana adored her family and always held on to her role as her siblings’ mini mom. She had an innate maternal instinct, developed from her assistance in raising her siblings. “My sister was a great parent; much better than me at times,” Pamela said. “She never even lost a pair of socks. Socks! Any mom can understand how hard it is not to lose a pair of socks, and that’s how great she was.”

Thanksgiving was the family’s favorite holiday, and Diana was one of the main cooks along with her mother. “Her and Mom would spend the whole day in the kitchen making the whole feast, but my favorite thing Diana made was green bean casserole,” said Pamela. The family always shared a meal together and occasionally invited friends to join them when they had nowhere to eat. Those years were so special when everyone chatted and shared stories around the table. Angela and Pamela still remember those days fondly.

Just a week after her 33^rd birthday, Diana was at a local bar called the “Beer Witch” near her apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Lane Avenue. July 27, 1990, would be the last night she would ever go out with friends. Diana was last seen leaving the bar, presumably headed to a friend’s house for the night.

She was found the following morning. On that Sunday, the paper posted an article on the front page describing a deceased female who was found by police. July 29, 1990, the day after she was found, was the day the family found out. Her mother read the description in the paper and immediately knew her daughter was gone. Angela would soon find out when she was at a close family friend’s house. She hadn’t heard from Diana since she was leaving for work on the 27^th.

The investigation came screeching to a halt following a series of Gainesville murders that occurred in August of that year and grabbed significant media attention. The family felt as though they had been put on the back burner. They no longer hold that resentment towards law enforcement; they are just grateful Diana was found at all.

Following the tragedy, Diana’s family members all mourned the tremendous loss of light in their lives. “We fell apart,” said Pamela. The family was blindsided with grief, and according to Pamela, “My mother was never the same…ever.”

“The month of July is not a good month for me,” said Pamela. She visits her sister’s grave often, but says that the Normandy area where it is located is just too dangerous for her to visit alone anymore. She says that she has an increasingly hard time trusting strangers and is always on her toes with unfamiliar people. This reality is harsh for Pamela, but she still allows herself to look back fondly on her memories with Diana.

Diana’s passing happened right before Angela’s senior year of high school, during her summer visit to Florida. She said she doesn’t remember much of the immediate aftermath except for her mother’s funeral. She distinctly remembers a man who showed up at the funeral that the family didn’t know. “He was dressed well in some jeans and a nice shirt, I just remembered him looking very nice,” she said. He told Angela that his friends convinced him to come to the funeral to honor Diana as his favorite waitress in a local restaurant. “He said that he always knew the coffee was going to be great when my mom was working,” said Angela.

Her daughter, Angela Harris, now lives in Indiana but tries to visit Florida every year to see family and clean up her mom’s headstone. She said, “My trip isn’t just for Mom, but I always think of her when I’m there. In the quiet moments, especially on the beach, are when I think of her most.” The years since the tragedy have helped to ease Angela’s grief, but she just wishes that she hadn’t lost her mom so young. “That was such a bratty age, I just wish I could have developed that relationship more with Mom,” she said. She said that she wishes she could see her mom at this age and experience being closer friends with her.

In remembrance of Diana, Pamela eats a great big side of green bean casserole every Thanksgiving. Since the tragedy, Pamela says she has gained tremendous respect for the families of victims of violent crimes. She now always strives to reach out to people before they sink into what she calls “the sea of grief.” From her experiences, she has learned to be strong and continue living for her sister, however difficult it may be.

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Anyone with information concerning Diana Lynne Snodgrass’s unsolved homicide is asked to call the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office at (386) 362-2222. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers at (386) 208-8477.

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