IN IN - Daniel Reaves, 25, Madison, 3 May 2008

Real cold case mysteries: What happened to these southeast Indiana residents?

The Indiana State Police are requesting information on five cold cases within the Versailles District (...)

On May 3, 2008, Daniel Reaves, 25, North Vernon, was at his girlfriend’s house on East Shafer Road in Jefferson County. Sometime before midnight, as his girlfriend slept, he left the residence. At about 4 a.m. May 4, his girlfriend received a text message from Reaves. She called him back, but he did not answer his phone. This was the last contact anyone had with the young man.


Approximately a week after his disappearance, a gold 1999 Chrysler Sebring was reported to Madison police as abandoned on Green Hills Drive. A check of the vehicle’s registration indicated it was registered to Daniel Reaves and through their investigation, they learned the car had been at that location since about 11 p.m. May 3. The vehicle was processed by Indiana State Police crime scene investigators.

However, no clues as to Reaves' whereabouts were located.
 
Oh wow, I remember this case very well. Hadn't thought about for several years now though.

I agree, Rayemonde, to me this has always seemed like a suicide too.
 
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/family-still-hopeful-4-years-after-disappearance
Article from 2012

Police searched the area, including the Clifty Falls State Park, for several weeks, but found no sign of Reaves.

Family members and close friends told investigators that Reaves didn't have any mental problems and that it would be out of character for him to seclude himself.

I repeat myself but young men in their late teens, early 20s can be great at hiding their mental health issues. He also has that "sad look" to me in almost all of his pictures.
 
Found a thread about his case on an online forum starting with T, well, there seem to be many rumors surrounding his disappearance. I don't want to repeat all of it but what stood out to me, someone mentions a previous suicide attempt years before he went missing.
 
Hi, just started looking into this case as I've started researching cold cases in Indiana looking for one to investigate. This one strikes me as odd for two reasons. One: his girlfriend gives contradictory statements in regards to when she fell asleep. In one instance, it was reported that she said she fell asleep at midnight. In another, she says it was 2 am. However, neither of those really fits the timeline for when he left her apartment - which the police report to be before midnight on May 3rd. Two: The police also place his vehicle around Greenhills Drive around 11 pm on May 3rd. Given, they are pretty nonspecific when it comes to the exact time Daniel left his girlfriend's apartment, but that doesn't seem to fit the timeline either.

In regards to suicide, I'm tempted to agree. But the family has insisted he was not suicidal in any capacity and had no previous history/signs of mental illness. I do agree, however, that his "I love you" text points to suicide. It could also point to homicide and him knowing he might die.

The car bothers me, too, but I can't really articulate why yet. I'm looking more into it as I write this. But any further theories or clues that might not have been in the reports would be extremely helpful.
 

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