THE mystery of a woman found on a rock at sea in who speaks perfect English but can’t remember her name has been solved, friends claim. The Sun revealed how the middle aged lady was covered in scratches when fishermen spotted her and called rescuers in Krk, Croatia. Cops issued an international appeal to help […]
THE mystery of a woman found on a rock at sea in who speaks perfect English but can’t remember her name has been solved, friends claim.
The Sun revealed how the middle aged lady was covered in scratches when fishermen spotted her and called rescuers in Krk, Croatia.
Cops issued an international appeal to help identify the woman – who they dubbed “professor” because of her language skills.
Now friends in Los Angeles have recognised her as Daniela Adamcova, a jewellery maker to the stars who worked in Hollywood.
Her jewellery has appeared in movies and the TV sitcom Friends, and a string of A-listers are said to be fans of her designs including Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Brigitte Bardot.
Daniela, 56, is said to be originally from Slovakia and spent time living in the US and Ireland.
It is not known what she was doing in Croatia – let alone how she managed to scramble over razor sharp rocks to the inaccessible island where she was rescued last week.
Officials said the 5ft 4in blonde had survived several nights alone with bears prowling nearby.
A 14-strong team of rescuers used 4x4s then hiked two miles to reach her on the remote outcrop.
She had no passport or phone and was unable to say who she was or how she got there.
And she was so weak she could barely take a sip of water.
According to sources, her accent drifts between “professional English” and Eastern European – making it nearly impossible to establish her nationality.
Police tried using AI technology in the hope a computer might recognise her from international databases or social media.
In the end it was the press coverage that led to the mystery being apparently solved.
Her friend Kelecic Miriam, a Slovakian woman living in Zagreb, Croatia, recognised her and posted a photograph of her holding necklaces on Facebook.
She contacted Croatian police, who had also been informed of her identity by Slovakian journalists.
Meanwhile other friends in California also recognised her from the police appeal.
Nina Smidt told The Daily Beast the mystery woman was Daniela, known as Dana, who worked as an artisan at a company where she was a manager in 2015.
She had been placed there by a charity that helps the homeless, she said.
The company’s landlord Tyler Madsen allowed Dana to live there rent-free so she could save up money before moving to Ireland in 2015.
“I recognised the woman in the photo immediately,” Nina said last night.
“The second I saw her picture, I sent it to Tyler to confirm that it was her, which he confirmed.”
Tyler added: “One hundred per cent—there is no doubt in my mind it’s her.”
Dana had also lived in the US decades earlier, and led a much more glamorous lifestyle before apparently falling on hard times.
In 2008 a Slovakian newspaper wrote a glowing profile on her titled “Brigitte Bardot wears my jewellery.”
It said she left Communist Czechoslovakia in 1984, aged 19, to go to fashion school in the US.
She went on her own, as none of her family wanted to go with her.
She later married a Hollywood producer, which is how she got into making jewellery for the film and TV industry.
Her designs were worn on-screen by the cast of Friends and also featured in other TV shows and plays, according to reports.
Supremes diva Diana Ross is said to admire her work and bought a few pieces.
Dana divorced her husband in 2000 and returned to Slovakia, where she remained until 2008.
She then moved to Ireland and, according to her family, worked in homeless shelters between 2013 and 2018.
After that, she returned to her home in Trencin, western Slovakia, where she continued to produce jewellery. She has no children.
Pals said she liked to travel alone.
She is now being treated in hospital after the September 12 rescue.
The fisherman who called for help said he and his wife had first spotted her the day before.
He said: “We saw the woman on the shore in a very inaccessible part.
“I thought maybe she was on a walk because she didn’t show that she needed help. She didn’t wave, call or anything.
“The next morning we saw the woman in the same place. It was already suspicious to us now. The nights at sea in September are very cool.
“We saw her nervously walking up and down and when she saw us, she started yelling and waving. We approached the shore to see what was going on.”
A local told news site 24Sata: “It’s weird that she was looking in the area at all. It is an extremely inaccessible part of the bay with terribly sharp rocks — literally razors that cut the rubber on your shoes.
“There is no life or animals except maybe wild boars or bears which know how to swim to here in search of food, but this is a rarity because there is no food, nothing.
“A woman that age certainly could not swim that distance, it needs exceptional strength.”
Do you have a story for The Sun news desk?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 02077824104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.
