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E237: Daniel Reaves
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May 3rd, 2008 ended just at it normally did for Daniel Reaves, spending time with his girlfriend. But Daniel never made it home. Instead, his car was located near a local state park with no clue as to where Daniel may have gone. If you have information that could help in the investigation into the disappearance of Daniel Reaves, please call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at 812-265-2648 or the Indiana State Police at 812-689-5000.
Please follow and share the Facebook group dedicated to helping find Daniel: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/6YvPZdmwV7BLraaT/
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Transcript
Introduction and Public Service Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
To start our episode today, I actually want to make a public service announcement.
Support for Simone Biles Owens and Mental Health Awareness
00:00:05
Speaker
As I watch the Paris Olympics and obsess as always over gymnastics, I cheer on Simone Biles Owens. I cheer her on not only because she's the greatest of all time, but also because she has helped us have honest and open conversations about mental health. It seems sad to me that there are people out there to whom I have to justify my support of Simone for that exact reason. Obviously I feel that it's because for so many years mental health was an issue that those people over there suffer from and it doesn't come anywhere near the big M.E.
00:00:41
Speaker
We're still not to the point where everyone feels comfortable talking about struggles with mental health, whether that's depression, social anxiety, or one of a slew of other struggles that we may face on a daily basis. But we're at least one step closer.
Personal Experiences with Mental Health and Grief
00:00:55
Speaker
What I think is important to know about mental health, and it's the reason why Maggie and I really emphasize support of the families at the center of the cases we cover, is that our struggles, sure they come from traumatic events that have happened in our lives, the loss of a child or a sibling or a best friend or things that we're not really equipped to understand how to deal with, whether it's in the moment or even years after. But what I think is important about mental health as well is that it's not just the big events that can cause trauma or can cause us to struggle.
00:01:26
Speaker
Just as a small personal example, I've lost two grandparents to whom I was extremely close. And of course, that was very hard. However, I was able to understand my emotions, to continue to live life in a quote unquote normal way afterward. Perhaps because they were older, I knew that likely they would pass before I did. But a few months ago, I lost a friend and coworker. We weren't best friends. We didn't even hang out other than talking every day at work. But her quick decline in her battle with cancer and her passing and having known her three young children has affected me in ways that I never would have thought possible. For the first time ever, since the inception of our podcast in 2019, I've been a day or sometimes too late posting episodes or have fallen behind in getting our Patreon episodes finished. And I've just struggled with motivation in general.
00:02:19
Speaker
And this was from an incident that one would think would not have affected me mentally as much as the loss of one to whom I was extremely close. But that's the thing about grief. That's the thing about struggling with mental health that we need to be more open about. These families in our cases, they don't just feel the trauma. They don't just need the support in the moment or in the days after something has happened to their loved one.
Focus on Lesser-Known Cases and Podcast Mission
00:02:41
Speaker
It might be years later and something small like losing a car key that causes built up trauma to surface. We have to continue support for the long haul. And I keep that sit in mind, especially for the families of these lesser known cases that have not gotten the public support that families get of more well-known cases. And that's why I feel so compelled to cover cases like the one this week that don't get the coverage that I might not have all the details for. But that doesn't mean I can't try to support them in some small way. And the it's the reason why I trust all of you, our listeners, with these stories. It's because I know in my heart that you feel the same.
00:03:19
Speaker
You come back to us each week versus another podcast because you know that we're going to cover those cases that aren't sensationalized. I mean of course we want listeners and of course we want you to rate our show to share a show with friends and on social media and of course we want to continue to grow. Because that means more people are hearing about these lesser known cases. We're not covering cases that have a byline that's going to immediately get traction online. We don't cover cases that are immediately going to go viral because it's a hot button issue or uses buzzwords.
Case Introduction: Daniel Reeves
00:03:50
Speaker
We cover cases because we want to support families, just like the one this week. This is the case of Daniel Reeves.
00:04:31
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families with each case. We encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, coffee and cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:05:08
Speaker
That was a very touching intro. Thank you, Maggie. It's, I really have struggled with motivation recently and over, obviously it was a loss of a friend, but it wasn't someone to who, you know, it wasn't the best friend. It wasn't, but it, I think it hit me because she was so young. Yeah. I was going to say close to our age. Right. And so, Yeah, but I mean, I'm powering through, but it's it's hard some days. Yeah. So Maggie, our case this week takes us to Madison, Indiana from our part of the world in Kentucky. Madison is about 48 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, about 30 miles from LaGrange. I'm trying to throw some cities out there so you might know. And only one and a half miles from Milton, Kentucky, which is a small town
00:05:59
Speaker
right across the river, so one and a half miles to Madison, Indiana. These two towns, Milton, Kentucky, Madison, Indiana, are situated on either bank of the Ohio River.
The Setting: Madison, Indiana and Clifty Falls State Park
00:06:10
Speaker
They are connected by, are you ready for it? Yeah. The Milton Madison Bridge. Oh, very creative name. I know. They get equal footing in the name of the bridge, but Milton, Kentucky, according to the 2022 census, is home to 633 people. Oh, okay. Meanwhile, on the opposite of banks, Madison, Indiana seems large in comparison with a reported 12,357 citizens on that same census.
00:06:36
Speaker
and so 12,000 doesn't seem that large, but in comparison, it is. Our case this week was set in 2008, but much of the town of Madison, Indiana was the same then as it is now. In fact, many of the buildings downtown are original structures to the city's founding in the early 1800s. Oh, I bet they have a pretty down tank. Oh, I bet it's beautiful. And they boast nine historic museums. I mean, I think I read it was like, forget how many square blocks of historic buildings, but it was some astronomical number in comparison to what you would think.
00:07:16
Speaker
Because it's on the river, Madison is also known for riverside music and art festivals that draw tens of thousands of people to the city each year. And historically, it is known as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Oh, this has got a rich history. Yes, it does. And aside from its history and the manmade architecture, Madison is probably best known for the natural wonders, the fossils, and the hiking in Clifty Falls State Park, Clifty Creek, and Clifty Canyon. Now I want to go to Madison, Indiana. Clifty Falls State Park actually sees many visitors each year, Maggie, and if you are an outdoor enthusiast, it is a great place to visit because there are 10 hiking trails, some for every level of expertise from easy trails to extremely rugged trails that are some of the most difficult in the whole state of Indiana. I'll be on the easy ones. Catch me on the easy trails.
00:08:10
Speaker
But the views along the way, no matter your choice, are gorgeous. In fact, there are four waterfalls within the 1,400 acres of the park, all of which are over 60 feet tall. Wow. And we've said it before, Maggie and I are not outdoorsy people. No. But we appreciate the beauty of nature. Yeah, exactly. And with that being said, I will say, if anything is going to get me to go on a hike, it would be a waterfall. I think I've told this story before. When I went to Utah in college, there was this waterfall and everybody was like, you have to go see this waterfall. It's like the best thing in Ogden. You have to go see it. And so the other person that went, we were like, okay, so and it's ah it you have to hike it.
00:08:50
Speaker
And like, I complained the whole way up because the oxygen is thinner up there in the Rocky Mountains. I don't care what people say. It was worth it when I got to the top, but I complained the whole way. so ah But yeah, um a waterfall would get me to high. That's probably about the only thing. I'm still going to complain, but I'll do it. But we'll be happy when we get there. And I bring this park up because Daniel Reeves, the subject of our case this week, loved hiking and he loved to visit the park. In fact, he had grown up not too far from the entrance
The Disappearance of Daniel Reeves
00:09:24
Speaker
to the park. So when I say he was familiar with it. It was like his backyard. Yes. He likely could have found his way around blindfolded even in the park itself, even though now his family lived in North Vernon, Indiana about 25 miles away.
00:09:39
Speaker
In May 2008, or at least the fall semester of 2007 into 2008, 25-year-old Daniel was taking classes at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany. His family have described him as the shy type who had a little bit of social anxiety, but that's something I think describes almost all of us. Yeah, it all depends on how big the crowd is. Yeah. And sometimes I'm more anxious when it's a smaller group than I am. Like a bigger group because I can blend in with the bigger group. Right. now Yes. While none of my research said what Daniel was studying in college, my inference is that it would have to be something linked to computers because in nearly every article Daniel was described as a quote, computer enthusiast. Okay. So he loved them. Yeah. I am
00:10:31
Speaker
a book enthusiast? Yeah. Computer Tolerator maybe. like i have I have to have it to function in my day-to-day job, but once I am enthusiastic. It's technically part of my job. That's true. and Even though Daniel was shy, he was extremely close to his family, his mom, dad, sister, and brother. and to his girlfriend, Sarah, whom he had been dating for close to seven years. She needs a ring. Yeah. He needs to put a ring on it. That's right. Well, they had plans. Okay. And while Daniel still lived at home with his parents, nearly every waking moment was spent with Sarah at her home. They loved one another and the product of that love they shared was their one year old baby. So you mentioned putting a ring on it. After college, they planned on getting married and continuing to strengthen our small family.
00:11:17
Speaker
May 3rd, 2008 ended as nearly every day for Daniel Reeves did at Sarah's house on East Shafer Road in Jefferson County, Indiana. They've been watching something on television together and Sarah had fallen asleep sometime between midnight and 2am. I know, I'm asleep by 9. Now in terms of the timing, accounts on this detail have varied whether it was because of journalistic error or maybe her changing recollections, I don't know. okay But yeah, if i if Rodney turns on a movie and I'm already tired, it could be 8.30. Have you seen the meme where it's like,
00:11:59
Speaker
Your husband turns on a movie and you're in the perfect position to hide your face so they can't tell you go to sleep. im No. you know Yes. Props to her whether it was midnight or two a.m. I would not have been awake at either. What we do know is that when she awoke a couple of hours later around 4 a.m. Daniel was gone. Again, I'm uncertain and the little research there is on this case didn't clarify whether Daniel would sometimes stay at Sarah's overnight or whether he would normally stay until the wee hours and then head back to his parents' home. My immediate thought would be Jesus came back and I was left behind. That would be my immediate thought. Anthony will even say like, he'll text me for like recording. I had to run to Walmart. So if you come out, you did not get left behind. The rapture did not happen.
00:12:50
Speaker
That is too funny. But yeah, so I don't know if when she woke up and he wasn't there, if she were like, oh, he probably went home or if she's, if that would worry yeah her. I'm unsure what his typical behavior was. What I haven't seen detailed is that when Sarah woke up and noticed Daniel gone, she did look outside to see that his car, a 1999 gold Chrysler Sebring convertible, was no longer in the driveway. When she picked up her cell phone, she noticed that she had a text message from Daniel.
00:13:23
Speaker
that had been sent apparently just around the time that she had woken up. Okay. So it could have been even been subconsciously the ding of a phone that woke her up or something, maybe. But the text message simply read, I love you. Only about five minutes had passed since the message had been sent. So Sarah tried to call Daniel. He didn't answer. And I imagine she was probably either thinking, okay, well maybe he didn't answer because he was driving and he wasn't able to, or without knowing how long she had been asleep in relation to when Daniel had left. Maybe he was home already and had sent- Like he's going to bed, I love you. Yeah, just sent that before falling asleep. Because again, if Daniel's anything like me, I could be in the middle of a sentence and fall asleep, or you could count down from 10 when my head hits the pillow and I'm out.
00:14:16
Speaker
So, I'm, I'm inferring here that because those are the two things I would be thinking, Oh, maybe Rodney's driving and he can't answer or I just woke up. How long have I been out? Did he leave right after I fell asleep? And he so he's been able to make the drive home? Yeah, which would have just been a short drive or or what? The next morning, Daniel's parents looked in his room and outside, Daniel's car was nowhere to be seen. So he didn't make it home. Daniel wasn't home. It's that detail that they noticed his absence that kind of tells me what I was mentioning before that he likely would return home every year at least most. Oh, because they know to look for him. Exactly. Yeah. So I'm guessing he was more of a creature of habit. He was normally home and that's why they noticed.
00:15:05
Speaker
Because like you just said, otherwise they wouldn't have noticed him not being there, more time would have passed. Unlike some of the cases that we cover Maggie, Daniel's disappearance after finding that he also wasn't at Sarah's house and wasn't answering his phone was reported to law enforcement on the morning of May 4th, 2008. So just hours after Sarah said she last saw him. A search ensued for Daniel Reeves. Family and friends, they continue to call Daniel's phone, but none of them were able to get through. And he's never had any prior instances like this where he's just sort of fallen off the grid. No. As days passed, hope lessened of Daniel just walking through the door with some legitimate reason of why he hadn't come home and why he couldn't be reached.
00:15:52
Speaker
A week after Daniel had last been seen, on either the late hours of May 3rd or the early, early morning hours of May 4th, his car was located on May 10th, 2008. They're in a residential Madison, Indiana neighborhood. Green Hills Drive was his gold Sebring convertible parked alongside a privacy fence. Did he have ties to this neighborhood? Not that I read. And when I looked at a map, this Green Hills Drive is off of the main road. So it's not even on the main road that he would have taken to travel back home.
00:16:34
Speaker
It was parked six miles away from his girlfriend Sarah's house and half a mile away from one of the two entrances to Clifty Falls State Park. But neither Daniel nor any sign of him were found. Maggie, it was his car though that led to an amped up investigation into the disappearance of Daniel Reeves. It's because there didn't seem to be any visible or mechanical reason i no flatch higher nope why his car didn't run out of gas.
00:17:08
Speaker
didn't look like he'd hit anything. Were the keys and stuff in the car? Let me get to that. So yeah, there's no clear, visible, mechanical reason why the car was abandoned there. And what's more, his car was unlocked with Daniel's wallet, complete with cash, driver's license, and bank cards still inside.
Investigations and Theories Around Daniel's Case
00:17:31
Speaker
wherever Daniel was, he didn't have his wallet. However, he did have his car... Well, or somebody. Yes. His car keys and his cell phone were gone.
00:17:43
Speaker
I'm going to theorize that one of our theories is suicide though. Yes. Because of the, I love you tags. Yes. That is one of our theories. His parents actually found those details about the car though extremely troubling since they said Daniel would never have left his car unlocked. Heck they said he even locks his car when he parks it in our driveway at home. Oh, I need to be better about doing that. Anything's been getting on to me. I always forget to lock the car and sometimes I forget to take the keys in. Oh, no. I like how you whispered that into the microphone. Shh, don't tell. I'll be in trouble. But yeah, so he, Daniel would lock his car in the driveway and hear his car is in some random residential neighborhood and it's not locked, but his keys are gone. And it's weird that cash money is still in the car. Yes, very.
00:18:40
Speaker
it So they're thinking, okay, well, if he would do that... Well, he would never have left it unlocked. So this is not normal. No, but at least we now had a location of where Daniel may have gone after leaving Sarah's house. Police had a new point from which to continue their search after interviewing several people in the neighborhood concerning the car or anything potentially suspicious, et cetera. They learned that this car, Daniel's car had been reportedly in the neighborhood since the evening hours of May 3rd.
00:19:15
Speaker
But he and Sarah watched a movie though, right? Yes. i'll I'll get to the timeline. Okay. Daniel's father, Scott Reeves, told Wave 3 News, quote, they by coincidence had put a toe sticker on his car, end quote, because it had been abandoned there for several days. And as I mentioned earlier, Scott Reeves went on to tell the reporter, quote, it was at this point, it became a pretty severe situation. and we've been looking for him since. So we haven't found him? No. The car had obviously been there. And if you're in a smaller residential neighborhood, you would notice, yeah you've talked about like back home. If you see, even if there's a strange vehicle driving down the road, you're like, who owns that? So in a residential neighborhood, I feel like you would notice a car that doesn't belong to your neighbors. And especially if it's just been left yeah beside of a privacy fence.
00:20:11
Speaker
And I wanna pause here so I can address your question, because I do feel as though someone has the timeline on. And I wanna be careful because I don't want to be accusatory of any party. So we have Sarah, Daniel's girlfriend, saying that she fell asleep sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. on May 4th, putting Daniel at her home at that time, so on the morning of the 4th. And since she told law enforcement that she looked out the window and Daniel's car was gone, obviously he wasn't parked six miles away from her house when he had come to see her. Right. Right. And I mean, who would? Who would be? I don't know anyone who would say, let me park six miles away from my destination.
00:20:55
Speaker
That's a, that's a lot of exercise, maybe a hundred feet. yeah yeah That's more my speed. I'm like, geez, I have to part on the curb. But so it's not like he parked six miles away and had walked to her house because again, she said she looked out the window to see his car gone. Yeah, but she also has mom brains and maybe what felt like midnight was really much earlier in the night? Yeah. I think that could be the case because with this timeline, he could have left her place and driven to the location where his car was found, putting the car there from the early, early morning hours of May 4th on, especially if she fell asleep at midnight and let's say he gets there at 1230. And the neighbors are just misremembering what day they saw it there. Right. Or maybe they woke up to see the car there and they just assumed that it had been left there the night before.
00:21:49
Speaker
either that or the neighbors are right. And like you said, Sarah had fallen asleep earlier than what she had remembered. Maybe it was more like 11 then midnight. And his car maybe had been there since that evening before because he had driven, would've driven from her house. But when I hear evening though, I think like six PM or nine. ni i do There was one source, but I didn't see it corroborated in all of them that mentioned someone thinking it was there from 11 PM the night before. Oh, okay. Okay. So either she's misremembering or they are
00:22:28
Speaker
So I'm not sure which, and I don't want to be accusatory, but someone's timeline is right. Regardless, something had happened to Daniel, but what? His car was processed, but from my research, no clues were found. And I'm assuming that they not only look for clues within the vehicle, but that maybe they dusted for prints as well. I mean, not knowing whether foul play were involved. All I know is that they didn't find any Clues do they know could be think foul play. Do they think foul play is involved now? I Have seen no statement from law enforcement Saying either way. Yeah. Hmm giving any sort of theory. Hmm other than just
00:23:12
Speaker
that he is missing. That same day, May 10th, a search was organized of Clifty Falls State Park since his car was found only half a mile from the entrance. And we know Daniel was a frequent hiker. But you're going to hike at 11 p.m. or 2 a.m.? Yeah, we're going to talk about that. So I'm guessing it did have to do something with the location of his car. But I read that little Clifty Creek is where law enforcement focused their search for Daniel. law enforcement contacted Verizon, which was Daniel's cell phone provider, and they were able to determine that the text Sarah received around 4am was the last activity on Daniel's phone. Despite him having the phone on him or with him and not leaving it
00:23:58
Speaker
behind with his wallet. Well, unless it's not really with him. Right. Unless they were someone else. No other actions have been taken using his phone. And as I said before, any calls to Daniel, even the one Sarah recalls making just five minutes after the text went unanswered. So you know how you can find your iPhone with the app? Does that only work, which I don't even know if he had an iPhone, but does that only work if you have that feature turned on? You know what I mean? I do not know. Because I'm wondering if Sarah was, Sarah Jessica Parker was kidnapped when she had that on her phone and it, but it was turned off with people still be able to use that feature to find her. Oh, I don't know.
00:24:45
Speaker
or does it have to be turned on? I think it has to be turned on. Are you talking about like where I can see like Rodney's location? Yeah. Is that what you're talking about? Um, if I lose my phone, which happens all the time, and I can go on like my Macbook and go to the find my thing and it'll go. I can do that from with your watch. Yeah. I do not know if you have to turn that feature on. But I do think it's always smart to share your location with someone just in case something were to happen in that way. But again, we're talking a week later. So at this point,
00:25:24
Speaker
Clearly his phone wouldn't have lasted that long. I didn't read Maggie whether law enforcement did actually try to ping his phone for location or if they were able to take coordinates from the records to determine where Daniel was when he sent. That last text message, I would hope that they investigated those details, but again, it was not in my research. So obviously with, like I said, with the passage of a week, the battery on Daniel's cell phone would not have lasted that long to attempt to ping his phone now. But I hope that some information could be gathered, like I said, from that last text. If there is information available, it is not public information. I've not seen that anywhere. Now I will say,
00:26:07
Speaker
my phone, and I'm saying this as a, aha to Rodney, even though he's not listening or to ah my child, my phone would last longer than most because I have a compulsion with keeping my cell phone charged. And so Rodney and my daughter mock me all the time because I'll be frantically plugging my phone into the car charger on a drip. And one of them will be grabbing for it too. And it never fails that they're like, what's your phone on? And theirs will be under 10%. which is why obviously they're needing to charge. And mine, I'll be like 55% because I freak out when it drops to around 50% because I want to be prepared. So my phone would last longer.
00:26:53
Speaker
There you go. So I don't know if Daniel or more like Rodney or more like me about charging his phone, but it does seem odd to me that his phone would be gone, but there'd be zero activity from it. Right. Let's talk about some theories since those details I've shared with you are really all we know, Maggie. I want to hear your thoughts. Theory number one is that Daniel left of his own free will, and theory number two is suicide, as you guessed. And I'll talk about them together as a reason because I feel like the reasons to support either of those theories and the reasons to argue against either of those theories are, in my mind, the same. There are those who argue that Daniel, who did suffer from anxiety,
00:27:40
Speaker
may have been feeling overwhelmed. He had school, he had a growing family, he had a wedding to think about, and that's a lot for a young person. I will say, though, that his girlfriend Sarah reported that Daniel was in good spirits that night. His family also do not believe that he was depressed, nor are they aware of any major concerns or problems in his life. And I'll admit that families usually don't want to consider suicide or even a willful abandonment of loved ones as a possibility, especially when something like that is out of character for the person in question.
00:28:19
Speaker
With that being said, we know that, as I said about grief in the introduction, it doesn't have to be a major problem or a major trauma that can cause a mental break. And someone who looks like they have life figured out could be battling in silence. With those truths in mind, there are many who go to the text message Daniel sent Sarah at 4 a.m. as a goodbye text. I understand that either of those two theories are possible, but without further evidence, I'm not convinced of them either. Let's go one by one to explore why. The theory that Daniel left of his own free will is first.
00:29:02
Speaker
If this were true, I understand leaving behind your ID if you plan on going somewhere to start a new life. What I do not understand is if planned why money wasn't withdrawn from a bank account ahead of time, or if spurred the moment, why cash was left behind in a wallet. I don't understand why you would drive only a few miles from your girlfriend's house and abandon your car there. I mean, if you're trying to get away, why abandon your car at all? or at least why not drive as far as possible before leaving it behind? And knowing that cell phones can be tracked, why take it with you at all if you plan to willfully leave, especially if you don't have any plans on using it? As for the suicide theory, again, I go to the same questions. If this were a planned action, why take your cell phone and car keys? Why not leave those behind as well?
00:29:58
Speaker
And why park where he did in between Sarah's house and Clifty Falls State Park, even if this were a spur of the moment choice? I have the same questions. And the most logical place in this area for the taking of one's own life it seems, would be somewhere in the park itself. I get that. But Daniel was familiar with the park, very familiar, which means he would know that the park had a parking lot inside the entrance for visitors and hikers. Why leave his car half a mile away from the entrance if that were the plan? Why create some sort of mystery?
00:30:37
Speaker
And there doesn't seem to have been any turmoil in Daniel and Sarah's relationship either. She told reporter Kate Cornell for news coverage done by WLKY News, Louisville, quote, we're a very affectionate couple, constantly together, haven't got sick of each other yet, haven't gone more than a couple of days without speaking for the last six or seven years. Somebody has to know something. He didn't just disappear. He didn't evaporate. Somebody has him some information, end quote. So let's move on to theory number three, accident. Due to the proximity of the state park and Daniel's affinity for hiking, there are some who argue that Daniel may have decided when he left Sarah's house to go for a hike, maybe to clear his head or maybe just because he felt like it. As I mentioned before, Daniel may perhaps have felt comfortable hiking in the dark because he was so familiar with the trails that those who knew him argue that he could practically have hiked the blindfolded.
00:31:37
Speaker
But there are also several problems with this theory. First of all, even if you were familiar with the trails, hiking as the sun goes down and hiking after dark are two totally different things. And I would imagine that an experienced hiker would know even better that hiking at night alone if he were indeed alone, is not a good idea. Literally anything could happen, an animal attack, a fall, anything. And Daniel wasn't exactly dressed for a hike either. Even though he may have had a jacket, he was wearing shorts and the temperature that night would have dropped into the low 40s. Besides that, if he went into the woods for a hike and had an accident while there,
00:32:23
Speaker
Why did he not lock his car, especially if he took his keys with him? With this theory, whichever timeline is true, whether going for a hike at 11 p.m., when neighbors say the car was left, or at 4 a.m. closer to the time reported by Sarah, to me, those may as well be the same time in terms of darkness. But if he parked in that spot and went for a hike at 11 and an accident happened, Why send Sarah a text at 4 a.m. to say he loves her? And wouldn't Ping show if he were in the park? At first thought, I thought, oh, maybe that's why they focus search efforts there in the park because his phone showed something. It pinged there. But then I remembered that his car was located on May 10th and
00:33:10
Speaker
That's the same day extensive searches of the park began, and I doubt any requests for phone records would get fulfilled on the same day they were potentially requested. Then we have theory number four, foul play. Because nothing in Clifty Falls State Park was found that could be tied to Daniel, several members of Daniel's family wonder whether it were even Daniel who left the car where it was abandoned. They find it odd, as I do, that one would take car keys and a cell phone but leave behind a wallet, which is likely also kept in a pocket, I would imagine. With this theory, obviously the problem are the many unknowns.
00:33:51
Speaker
Is there a reason why he left that night? What did his phone records show? Had he been calling or texting with someone before he left Sarah's house or in the days before? Had there been a plan to meet someone? Did he have friends or acquaintances who lived near the Green Hills Drive neighborhood? But if so, why meet someone at that hour of the night and why there? And if his car were in running condition, why leave it where it was discovered unless you were going to say, give someone a ride or something like that? But leaving the car, one would normally lock it.
00:34:27
Speaker
There's also a possibility that something happened as Daniel was leaving Sarah's house, either as he was getting into the car or along the way. Some have speculated, but again, this is only speculation, and a big one because there was no evidence found when police searched Daniel's car. They wonder if someone else drove the car to this location. Perhaps something happened to Daniel at the hands of someone else. That would explain all of the inconsistencies according to his behavior. If this is the case though, again, why was the car left here? What significance does that have? Why leave a wallet behind or at least the money in it? I mean, I feel as if if someone had committed a crime against Daniel, they wouldn't likely take a moral high ground of, oh, I better not take that money when taking money
00:35:21
Speaker
couldn't be traced back to them. And where did they go? The park is still half a mile away and the Ohio River is on the other side of the state park. Wouldn't someone have heard or seen something? An argument? A struggle? Other cars? People walking? Then I have further questions. Did the final text sent from Daniel's phone match his style of texting of texting? Some of the research noted the text said, quote, I love you. And the others wrote out, I love you with each of the words capitalized. How did he normally capitalize in his texts? Did he use punctuation?
00:36:09
Speaker
Does it seem like the text came from him? And if it doesn't, who else would have known to send that text to Sarah versus someone else in his phone contacts? Certainly not a stranger. I also wonder whether law enforcement looked into Daniel's search history on his computer. He loved computers, so it's likely he used his frequently. Did it show anything? So Maggie, now that I've gone through all of these theories, what are your thoughts? I honestly because there's so little to go on
00:36:46
Speaker
I think it might be suicide. And I think this is one of the first times I've ever said that, but as soon as you say we got the text that just said, I love you, immediately I went to suicide. because Is it because it was so early in the morning because of the timing of it? Well, I feel like if Anthony had left my house while I was asleep, he would have said, hey, I'm home. I just wanted to let you know I got here safely. Talk to you tomorrow. I love you. But just to say, I love you, that would freak me out a little bit. um so oh It's almost like a goodbye. o I don't know if I'm so convinced, but again, it's hard because there is so little yeah that I have to go on that ultimately it's only my gut that's telling me there could be something more.
Community Engagement and Call to Action
00:37:34
Speaker
Agree.
00:37:36
Speaker
While Daniel's case may not be well known and may not have the coverage of more high profile cases, the Indiana Department of Corrections in partnership with the Indiana State Police and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department are doing what they can to help keep his memory alive, at least among the inmate population. Daniel Reeves is featured on the two of diamonds in the cold case playing cards distributed among jailhouse inmates. The hope is that seeing his information might jar a memory that combined with the files police do have might lead to closure. Until then, we must remain supportive of his family. Share a link to this episode. Join and tag the Facebook group his family has established to keep his memory alive.
00:38:23
Speaker
called Help Find Daniel Reeves, also linked in our show notes. Tell somebody else about his story. If alive, Daniel Scott Reeves would be 41 years old, turning 42 on October 27th. He's a Caucasian male, five feet, 11 inches tall, weighing roughly 145 to 150 pounds, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a white or light blue t-shirt, long tan shorts, possibly a black leather or leather-like jacket and light brown suede shoes. If you have information that could help in the investigation into the disappearance of Daniel Reeves, please call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department at 812-265-2648 or the Indiana State Police at 812-689-5000.
00:39:21
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.