Update: Missing ‘Best Mom in the World’ Checks Baggage at Airport, Fails to Board Plane

The husband of a missing California woman who failed to return home from Texas says she has two young children at home who consider her the “best mom in the world.”

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Danielle Becker Friedland, 36, checked her baggage at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday night but never boarded the plane. According to loved ones, she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco.

“My biggest fear is just, honestly, Dani’s safety,” her husband, Jordan Friedland, told KHOU. “We have a two and 5-year-old and she’s the best mom in the world…and their world won’t be the same without her.”

Friedland was reportedly in treatment at the renowned Menninger Clinic on Main Street in Houston for numerous mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts. Since her disappearance, she hasn’t had contact with her husband, who lives in Piedmont, California.

“There were a couple of apparent sightings yesterday, but nothing has turned up yet,” Jordan said Monday.

Family friend, Will True, told the Jewish Herald-Voice that Friedland made so much progress while in the treatment program released her on November 22, so she could continue treatment in her home state.

“Over that time, with diagnosis, therapy, and medication, she has had remarkable progress to the point that the clinic was ready to discharge her and send her home to her husband and two young boys (2 and 5) in California and have her continue treatment there,” True said.

Police said Friedland purposely left her phone at the airport and has no known connections in Texas. She left the airport in a cab with $160 cash, police added.

Danielle Friedland
Danielle Friedland/Handout

Meanwhile, back at home, a neighbor remembers Friedland as a friendly mother who would spend time taking care of her children and jogging in the neighborhood.

“She’s always been incredibly pleasant, I mean we’ve seen her running in the neighborhood, taking the kids to school, going to see friends and things of that nature,” Dani’s neighbor said, according to CBS News.

“I’ve had multiple discussions with her since we’ve been here that she’s happy. She’s smiling when we were talking.”

Friedland is described as a white female who stands 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs around 100 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and was last seen in a blue puffy jacket with blue and orange stripes and blue jogger pants. She was also carrying a black suitcase.

Anyone with information on Friedland’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Houston Police Department Missing Persons Division at 832-394-1840.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.

Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most – your children.

[Feature Photo: Danielle Becker Friedland & Family/Facebook]