By Bethany BROWN

“Donna the Dead,” a play on words from the 2004 film “Dawn of the Dead,” can be found in a different location each day through the month of October.

Todd Franklin, identified as Donna’s keeper, has been a resident of Briggs Terrace for over 20 years and said he has always installed decorations for the holidays on Shields Street. His décor has included Donna the witch for nearly a decade, but the idea to bring her to life came to him during the pandemic in 2020.

“I was thinking that things were looking pretty dire; people were cooped up in their houses; we couldn’t go trick or treating and all that, and she was out there. So I thought it’d be fun if she was moving around the neighborhood and it wasn’t just a stationary decoration,” Franklin said. “The intention was just to have some Halloween fun and stimulate some thought and conversation.”

Donna could be seen last year reading Harry Potter books in a lawn chair, holding a martini glass after a long night and wearing Dodger gear when the team won the World Series.

Franklin said the witch quickly developed a cult following and a “life of her own” after being shared among residents on the La Crescenta Facebook page and shortly thereafter becoming a recognizable figure in the community. Franklin noted that he was able to do more vignettes last year because he had more time on his hands, but he is still committed to ensuring Donna gets to where she needs to go each evening.

“Vampires, witches and nurses – we all work nights,” he joked. Franklin works overnight shifts at Los Angeles County Medical Center’s Burn Unit. The atypical schedule allows him to move covertly to keep the mystery alive.

“She really is a mystery woman,” said local resident Cynthia Livingston. “I look for her every day and, if I can’t find her, I’ll make a U-turn and go back to look for her. I just wonder, ‘What time does she get moved? Where did she get moved?’ I’m like full on Nancy Drew trying to figure it out.”

Livingston, also a resident of Briggs Terrace for 20 years, said she has seen people stopping to take pictures with Donna on various occasions and she herself tries to capture a photo of her every day when she passes by. She recalled not seeing her for a couple of days last week and feeling worried that she went missing.

“She’s been around for a while, but last year, when she started moving, I thought, ‘Wow, this is really special.’ It warms my heart for my community that somebody takes the time to bring joy to the people on the street like this,” Livingston said. “Times are hard and it’s fun to have something to look forward to every day; it’s like a little secret scavenger hunt that we have.”

“It’s just all about being a community here and having fun and doing something a little bit different,” Franklin said. “That’s what community is all about, you know? Participating even in some tiny way to make somebody smile.”

Donna has made surprise appearances at the Montrose Farmers Market, local businesses and on other holidays in addition to Halloween, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Keep an eye out for the neighborhood’s friendly witch; you never know where she’ll next pop up.