Diane Drake's murder remains unsolved, her brother thinks it's time to honor her

NEWPORT — Keeping the memory of his sister alive 43 years after her still-unsolved murder, Bob Drake said he wants to refocus Diane’s story to one that honors her legacy and values.

“I’m not giving up, but I want to change the narrative,” Drake said. “I want her to be remembered for more than the bad things that happened to her.”

Bob Drake held his third memorial for his sister at Easton’s Beach from noon to sunset on Tuesday. His first memorial on the 41st anniversary of her death in 2021 reignited memories of Diane and her death in Newport.

Who was Diane Drake?

On March 21, 1980, 19-year-old Diane Drake’s nude body was discovered on Easton’s Beach. The medical examiner determined she was strangled the night before and deposited onto the beach sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight.

Drake had six sisters and two brothers, one of whom is Bob Drake. Bob Drake has held a memorial for his sister for the past three years, starting on the 41st anniversary of his sister’s death, at Easton’s Beach. A large canvas with Diane’s image lays against the side of Bob Drake’s van, and a sign reading “In memory of Diane Drake 1960-1980” and another reading “Stop Violence Against Women” are posted up nearby.

Several possible leads have speculated on who murdered Drake, including a rumored deathbed confession in October. Drake said he had only heard of the rumor recently and had little details about its validity.

“Her murder was senseless,” Drake said. “She didn’t have enemies. She was just a 19-year-old college student and we don’t know why. I don’t think we’ll ever know why.”

Remembering Diane Drake

At the memorial, which began at noon and lasted until sunset, Bob Drake recounted a couple memories of his sister and of the battle to find her killer. He remembered his sister as a young woman dedicated to social justice, who would talk with him about the reasons behind why people do unjust things. He recalled that, a few days before her death, she had shown him a puzzle she was trying to complete which was missing a piece at its center. He later discovered that piece under her bed as he was clearing the then-recently-deceased Diane’s belongings from her home in Middletown.

“It’s like she was trying to tell me something,” Bob Drake said.

'Somebody knows something': Newport cold case fresh in the minds of Diane Drake's family

Still, he said he wants to shift the focus on the case away from the mystery and toward honoring her memory. He said he doesn’t want it to seem like he is blaming the people of Aquidneck Island for his sister’s death.

“I don’t want to get into a political fight,” Drake said. “I’m not blaming anyone on this island. The people on this island are friends with my family. I just wish to god someone had picked her up (the night of her death).”

Drake wants to establish a nonprofit to fight violence against women

Bob Drake said one of the ways he wants to keep the memory of Diane Drake alive is by establishing a nonprofit organization that combats violence against women, tentatively named Seven Sisters, in honor of Bob Drake’s siblings. He said all seven have faced some sort of domestic violence at one point in their lives.

Drake also said it felt as though violence against women has gotten worse in the years since his sister’s death.

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“I’m thinking about creating a nonprofit to help people who have been victimized by these senseless crimes that go on and fight the good fight and they live- some of these women live in fear of this kind of senseless violence,” Drake said. “It’s very sad.”

Or, possibly, have Easton’s Beach renamed in her honor

As Drake gets older, he is hoping to see some sort of permanent memorial on Easton’s Beach in honor of his sister. His main idea is to rename the beach, something to the effect of “Easton’s and Diane Drake Memorial Beach.” However, as the city starts looking to demolish and rebuild the facilities on the beach, Drake suggested it would also be nice to have a mural of Diane somewhere on the new buildings.

“That would be the first thing you see when you came around the corner,” Drake said. “That would remind people.”

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Diane Drake cold case death: Brother holds memorial on 43rd anniversary