Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Michael A. Sheppard Jr.






Sheppard, date, approximate 2003; Joshua Stamm; Adam White; Scott Hall
Date Missing 05/08/2003
Missing From
Milan, Ohio
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 07/12/1967 (55)
Age 35 years old
Height and Weight 6'0, 160 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes.
Details of Disappearance Sheppard was living in his mother and stepfather's Milan, Ohio home when, in April 2003, they found out he was selling drugs and asked him to leave. Late that month, he went to visit his mother driving a red Ford pickup truck. He said he'd just bought the truck and was on his way to get license plates for it, and would return to visit her in two days. He never did. He was last seen on May 8, and has not been seen or heard from since.
Several months after Sheppard's mother last saw him, she got phone calls from two brothers in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Sheppard used to live. The callers said Sheppard had stolen thousands of dollars from a drug dealer. They demanded to know his whereabouts and threatened his life. Sheppard's mother notified the police about the threats and filed a missing persons report.
According to his family, Sheppard began using drugs in high school and was selling them by the time he was in his twenties. They stated he tried many times to overcome his addiction, but always relapsed. In spite of his drug problem, however, he was devoted to his family and kept in close contact with them. None of his relatives have heard from him since 2003.
In May 2017, three men were indicted for murder in Sheppard's presumed death: Joshua W. Stamm, Adam White, and Scott Hall. Photos of all three are posted with this summary.
Stamm cooperated with the prosecution. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in October 2018 and admitted to his role in the crime. In exchange for his cooperation, he was sentenced to three years in prison, to be served concurrently with an unrelated three-year sentence out of Florida for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to Stamm, Sheppard was shot multiple times during an attempted drug deal gone bad, and his body was buried in the Fox Lane area off U.S. 250 between Norwalk and Milan, Ohio. Investigators are hoping to recover his remains. White and Hall are still awaiting trial.
There have been many unsubstantiated rumors about Sheppard's disappearance and the supposed location of his body. Authorities believe he was murdered by his drug associates. They think his body may be in the Huron County, Ohio area. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Perkins County Police Department
419-627-0824
Other
The Coshocton Tribune
The Sandusky Register
America's Most Wanted
Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team
Ohio Attorney General's Office
The Norwalk Reflector

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos