WAVE 3 News Article

Authorities stumped by disappearance of Madison man

Posted: May 21, 2008 10:22 PM EDT

Updated: June 17, 2008 08:09 AM EDT

MADISON, Ind. (WAVE) -- Authorities say a 25 year old Madison, Indiana man has vanished without a trace. Now his family fears the worst. WAVE 3's Scott Harvey spoke to the family and the last person to see Daniel Reaves before he disappeared.

Their message is simple -- help us find our son. 25 year old Daniel Reaves went missing three weeks ago and their last form of contact came from a mysterious text message.

It was nothing out of the ordinary for Daniel Reaves. He was spending time with his girlfriend of seven years, watching TV at her house.

"I dozed off, probably around two o'clock in the morning. When I woke up, he was gone," said Sara Schafer, Daniel's girlfriend.

Around 4:00 a.m., Schafer says Daniel sent her a text message that simply said, "I Love You."

"I tried to call him back about five minutes after that. He didn't answer," Schafer explained.

Daniel hasn't been heard from since.

"He has essentially fallen off the face of the earth," says Scott Reaves, Daniel's father. "We cannot find anything."

When Daniel didn't show up at home, his parents contacted police. Ten days later, investigators found his car on Green Hills Road in Madison.

"They by coincidence had put a tow sticker on his car," Scott Reaves said.

Residents told police the car had been there for a week.

"There was something extremely abnormal about the condition that he left his car in," said Scott Reaves.

The car was unlocked. His wallet, money, and credit cards still inside.

"It was at that point it became a pretty severe situation and we have been looking for him since," said Scott Reaves.

But Daniel's parents say his keys and cell phone were gone.

"We looked at his Verizon account. He hasn't used it since May 3rd," Scott Reaves said.

Indiana State Police detectives have processed Daniel's car for evidence.

"They are just as stumped as the family is," said Sgt. Noel Houze, public information officer for the ISP Versailles post.

State police say they are at a dead end, not knowing if Daniel is in danger or if he just doesn't want to be found.

"We just want everyone to be looking for Daniel and we want his face and name out there, so that if anyone has any information they can please help us find him," said Debbie Reaves, Daniel's mother.

Debbie and Scott Reaves describe Daniel as a shy, but happy computer enthusiast. They say he wasn't depressed or angry.

"Everything seemed to be in perfect order in his life," said Scott Reaves.

If you have any information about Daniel Reaves or if you saw him the night he went missing, the Indiana State Police ask that you call them at 812-689-5000.

Online Reporter: Scott Harvey

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway