Diane Augat

On April 10, 1998, 39-year-old Diane Lynn Augat vanished from the Seffner area of Hillsborough County, Florida, near Tampa. Diane, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had been staying at her mother's home. She left the house that afternoon and was reportedly seen at a nearby motel with a man. She was never seen again.

Nine days after her disappearance, a plastic bag was found at a gas station in Zephyrhills, approximately 25 miles from Seffner. Inside the bag was a severed human finger, along with sunglasses and audio tapes. The finger was identified through fingerprint comparison as belonging to Diane Augat. The clean nature of the cut suggested it had been removed with a sharp instrument.

The audio tapes contained what sounded like muffled screams and distressed sounds, though their origin and authenticity were debated. The sunglasses were identified as belonging to Diane. No other remains were found despite extensive searches of the area between Seffner and Zephyrhills.

Investigators explored theories ranging from foul play to voluntary disappearance complicated by her mental health condition. The severed finger and the tapes pointed toward a violent crime, but without a body or a suspect, the case went cold. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office continues to list Diane Augat as a missing person.