Diane Janssen was Kate Austen's mother. Diane first became pregnant with Kate by a man named Wayne (possibly while she was still married to Sam Austen). Kate grew up believing that Sam was her biological father. Eventually, Diane returned to Wayne, despite the physical abuse he inflicted upon her. Wayne (who was an alcoholic) made repeated advances toward Kate, who who was still unaware of the "true" identity of her father.
One day while making a photo album of all Sam’s war pictures, a date caught Kate’s eye. A picture showed Sam at war, dated nine months before Kate was born. Kate then understood the truth - Wayne was her real father, as there was no way Sam had contact with Diane around the time of Kate's conception.
Disgusted at how he was ruining her mother's life, Kate blew up Wayne's house while he was still inside. Before fleeing, Kate consulted Diane about what she had done. Diane, fuelled by the fact that her own daughter had just killed the man she loved, gave Kate up to the police. As Kate lived a life on the run, Diane remained as a lonely widow who eventually developed cancer. Through a chain of events, Kate made it possible to visit her dying mother in the hospital. Diane, who was apparently unaware of the setup, was extremely taken by surprise when her daughter showed up and subsequently began to scream for help for fear that Kate would kill her too. A doctor rushed in to see what was going on, but Kate ran for the door just in time. This was the last encounter Diane had with her daughter before she died.
Trivia
- Last name is a reference to the TV show The Fugitive, which starred David Janssen.
- Sawyer's waitress in "The Long Con"
