Damon travels regularly for business, and the family was planning to accompany him Feb. 11 on a two-week trip to Italy. Danielle was excited about the trip, her parents said.
An adventurous eater, Danielle had recently taken an interest in cooking and often sat in the kitchen with her mother, helping mix ingredients for dinner. Ice cream and Chinese dishes are her favorite foods, but she loves spicy food like hot wings and salsa. She'll add hot sauce to anything.
Roger Tso, an elementary school principal whose daughter Taylor has played with Danielle for several years, described Danielle as a well-behaved, sweet girl. Taylor has told her father that she misses Danielle, especially during lunchtime and when their reading group meets at school.
"She's a sweetheart," Tso said. "I can't say enough about her."
After she disappeared, a classmate, Regina Murphy, was planning a nighttime mission to search for Danielle with another friend until her mother discovered their plan.
And Savanna Dato, who plays with Danielle on the swings and in the sandbox at playtime, has prayed for her at bedtime, said her mother, Kim Dato.
Sara Call, 7, regularly asks her mother if Danielle can come for a sleepover when she returns home.
"I miss Danielle," she recently told her mother, Paula Call. "I want her to come home now."
Their teacher, Sharon Armstrong, said she's too upset to talk much about her student.
"She's a wonderful little girl," Armstrong said. "I'm just hoping she'll get back with us as soon as possible."