Found Deceased TX - Sharla Shaffer, 48, went on bike ride, bike found, Stephenville, 29 July 2022

[pinkflamingo68]

The heat is brutal, but she seems to be part lizard. She just never seemed to see anything wrong or weird about going for a hike, run or ride in the heat.

A few years ago I did an overnighter to DVSP on 205 by bike from Stephenville in summer. It's definitely a trip to carry lots of water on, since the only place to refill is the spigot outside Paluxy Baptist Church, (yeah, nobody out here would say anything if they saw a cyclist getting some water from their hose unless it was to offer ice, but that's just something most of us would only do as a last resort) but I could see Sharla wondering why I wouldn't do that 30 miles each way every weekend.

Her mom said she had a hydration pack, but no real indication of whether it was a small 1L running pack or a 2-3L day pack. For a 90 minute ride right now, I personally would want at least 2L just because of the potential to have bike trouble and have to walk back for a lot longer than planned.

THIS…yes.. Also, she was wearing jeans and a denim top.
I’m in the Stevenville area too and it’s unforgiving even for a 30-minute morning run, you need a liter.

So many things don’t add up.

 

[annpats]

THIS…yes.. Also, she was wearing jeans and a denim top.
I’m in the Stevenville area too and it’s unforgiving even for a 30-minute morning run, you need a liter.

Whsaaaat?! Wearing jeans and a denim top?!? While cycling in that heat?!

Oh my!!!

 

[pinkflamingo68]

I can't find it now, but I remember distinctly Coates's wording in the first interview Tuesday was "we don't even know for sure that it ever left," which shortly afterward became "it definitely left before the first search and came back sometime after." I guess his PR/campaign person pointed out how bad it looks to admit you didn't really check the open sided carport close enough to say for sure that the missing person's bicycle wasn't sitting there in plain view. It's frustrating, because it means there's really no way of knowing when it came back: I have no idea how often her mom looks in that carport, and we can't really trust the reports because of the pretty significant backtrack of going from "don't know" to "absolutely sure."



She's been a long distance runner since high school at least. Maybe junior high, though I don't remember that much as I never made it past being a decent sprinter, and a couple of years behind her in school. She's got the legs and the endurance to get that bike wherever she wants to take it.

I've also never wandered their fields that I can recall, but most of us do have some cattle trails as well as at least cleared strips big enough to get a pickup through. Sometimes there are gates to adjoining properties, sometimes not. Sometimes the bottom strand is high enough to slide a bike under, sometimes not. It would be hard to say how easily she could travel very far off road around there without actually walking their fences in person. With the tires on that bike, I'd be concerned about mesquite and cactus, but otherwise it would handle the sandy soil and some moderate rocks just fine. Can't see how aggressive the tread is, but having worked in a bike shop here, I've found a lot of 2"+ wide tires that were fine for road riding, just not as fast or efficient as 28mm or smaller.

Since getting a bike to 205 from her parents house would either require having something you're able to ride on a sandy dirt road and some gravel, or pushing it for the first 15 minutes of your ride, most people would just go for tires that handle dirt and gravel well, but with a tread that doesn't rattle your teeth any more than the bad chipseal job on several of the side roads already will. (Though last time I rode 205 it was buttery smooth, while I ended up turning back from trying two different side roads because they were just too rough to ride on 28s.)

I’m not at all convinced that bike ever left the premises.
Everyone feels bad about not noticing it sooner, I’m sure, family and LE.
No one has actually said they observed her getting on the bike and leaving?

 

[pinkflamingo68]

Whsaaaat?! Wearing jeans and a denim top?!? While cycling in that heat?!

Oh my!!!

Yes, supposedly a short sleeved snap kind. It was on a FB post.

 

[KD5NRH]

For the record, though I'm local and have spent a bit of time talking to Sharla recently, I definitely wouldn't consider myself an insider on this; we barely ran into each other in grocery stores and such in the ~30 years between high school and reconnecting a bit over some shared interests (hiking, biking and wildlife photography) at church last year. We're distant cousins, but different lines of a family that's been in the US since 1690 (oh shut up, pedants, I know it wasn't the US for the first part of that) and ended up in the same town by chance.

I doubt her parents and I have done much more than an occasional greeting in passing in that time either. No animosity at all, just not really anything to talk about.

The only information I have on the case is from the media and my own literal ground-pounding as a friend and fellow cyclist who was initially concerned she'd been hit by a car somewhere out on those back roads and left to suffer in a ditch. So I can tell you a lot about the ditches on both sides of 205 since I put in ~200 miles driving back and forth checking out every shiny bit that could possibly have been a piece of broken reflector up until the bike was discovered back at home. There are a lot of litterbugs on that road, and I'd like to personally slap every one of them for the time I spent stopping the car and running to a flicker of reflection just to find somebody's candy bar wrapper or beer can.

I've hiked some trails she'd mentioned she particularly liked, with no sign. (And with 104F days, there's nobody else on most of them either, so I was looking at every footprint or bit of litter.) I have passed on to rangers at the nearest state parks which trails she had mentioned hiking. The botanic garden a few of our conversations revolved around is currently membership-and-reservation-only while they transition from the spring plantings to the fall plantings, so if she goes there, she'll have to call ahead and give her name to get access anyway.

I figure someone's going to get diggy and notice her maiden name is a very close variant of my last name, so I wanted to clear that up.

 

[TGIRecovered]

It's interesting, the turns a thread can take. I hope Sharla is okay.

 

[KD5NRH]

I think you're being too harsh on NBC. An article by "Staff" is typically just a reprint of the press release. LE hasn't distributed a photo - the article itself says "a photo of Shaffer has not been provided by law enforcement". I'm not sure how rights and photos work, but I would consider the sheriff more at fault than NBC.

If anything, I find it really weird that Erath County Sheriff printed out the press release, took a photo, and released that rather than a direct photo of the press release or copying-and-pasting the entire thing in text form, as it cannot be searched for.

I suspect you're giving the sheriff too much credit for even knowing how to tell someone to send out a press release. The writing on the first one they put out was...well, I just hope his fifth grade English teacher wasn't around to see that.

My current working theory is that he's trying to make Roscoe P. Coltrane look imminently competent by comparison. I just wish he'd find somewhere far away to be so successful.

 

[Warwick7]

I think it could be the opposite of what you are suggesting she could be found deceased inside a shed or outbuilding.

This is my thoughts too.

 

[clorenc]

I wonder if the bike was located where Sharla usually keeps it?

Would seem odd to overlook that spot, unless it was just accepted she had taken off on her bike because she said so in her note or a conversation, and a thorough search for it wasn’t done. Someone (her mother?) posted on FB that Sharla “planned to be back by 7.” Is that what Sharla said?

Or was it assumed that Sharla took off on the bike because it wasn’t found in its usual spot? If the bike was located in an unusual place, could Sharla have hidden it to give people the impression she took off on it?

(Foul play definitely seems unlikely to me now — why would someone risk getting caught returning evidence?)

 

[KD5NRH]

I wonder if the bike was located where Sharla usually keeps it?

Would seem odd to overlook that spot, unless it was just accepted she had taken off on her bike because she said so in her note or a conversation, and a thorough search for it wasn’t done. Someone (her mother?) posted on FB that Sharla “planned to be back by 7.” Is that what Sharla said?

Or was it assumed that Sharla took off on the bike because it wasn’t found in its usual spot? If the bike was located in an unusual place, could Sharla have hidden it to give people the impression she took off on it?

(Foul play definitely seems unlikely to me now — why would someone risk getting caught returning evidence?)

I wish I knew; bear in mind I haven't been there in 30+ years, and that was just a brief visit with some other school friends, but as I recall, that's an open carport that faces away from the driveway. Assuming people occasionally drive up having taken the wrong road, it's a logical spot to keep a bike that's ridden often: it's easy to grab and ride, but not visible to someone just turning around in the driveway who might be an opportunistic thief.

As for whether it left, I don't see much reason to doubt the one person who saw her riding east that evening, and her mom did say they followed a bike track down the private road to the county road as soon as they realized she was late coming back. Since she'd driven out there, her car tracks would have been on top of any bike tracks from previous rides, and the other bike they showed has what look to be much narrower tires.

At this point, I'm just hoping she brought it back because she's planning to come back and ride it again soon.

 

[clorenc]

Since she'd driven out there, her car tracks would have been on top of any bike tracks from previous rides

I might not be understanding correctly — does this mean fresh bike tire tracks could be seen indicating that she probably did ride the bike out?

If so, I’d think that same dirt/dust/gravel would just as easily show an even newer track if the bike were returned later?

Unless it were carried (quite a ways?) or driven in on a car, which seems unlikely if family/neighbors are being vigilant for her or anything suspicious.

Or unless there’s much more commotion/other tracks on the road now than normal, with people searching/visiting the family. But again, more people around/eyes open would to me make it even unlikelier that a bike could be returned unnoticed.

Maybe it happened in the darkness of night? I wonder what time of the day it was discovered.

 

[5W's]

In one of the Facebook threads, a woman a little east on 205 said she saw Sharla ride by Friday evening, heading east.

Could it have been a different cyclist? Possibly, but there aren't many who would be riding that far out of town in that heat. I don't know how well she knows Sharla, but given it was the right time and place, I'd give that statement a pretty solid chance of being accurate.

So the real question is when the bike got back; if she brought it back Friday evening and then disappeared, what was the point of going on the ride? Checking to make sure someone who was picking her up was where they were supposed to be? With no rack and only a small backpack, she wouldn't have been caching supplies in a hiding place.

If it came back sometime after the initial search, when and why? The house is at the end of a private road with a couple of neighbors, off a low-traffic county road with a couple more neighbors. You'd have to get past 4-5 houses to return the bike, and in the place where everybody is on maximum alert wanting to know what happened. If it was her, presumably it was so people would know she wasn't wrecked somewhere in a ditch, or maybe she just likes the bike and wanted it where it would be safe when she comes back. If it was anybody else, they took an insane risk for nothing: they could have ditched it literally anywhere other than the place everybody's looking for, and people want answers bad enough that they'd have to hope if they got caught, it would be by the sheriff, because he's the only one who would have any concern at all for their rights.

I know that's originally what I was thinking that she put it back herself and still do. Maybe she went for a run or walk afterwards. I'm assuming she was reported missing after she didn't come home as in later at night. Or was the concern after seeing the note? When did they find the note was it after reporting her missing? Or did her family see her note before reporting her missing earlier like around the time she went for the initial bike ride?

 

[5W's]

I might not be understanding correctly — does this mean fresh bike tire tracks could be seen indicating that she probably did ride the bike out?

If so, I’d think that same dirt/dust/gravel would just as easily show an even newer track if the bike were returned later?

Unless it were carried (quite a ways?) or driven in on a car, which seems unlikely if family/neighbors are being vigilant for her or anything suspicious.

Or unless there’s much more commotion/other tracks on the road now than normal, with people searching/visiting the family. But again, more people around/eyes open would to me make it even unlikelier that a bike could be returned unnoticed.

Maybe it happened in the darkness of night? I wonder what time of the day it was discovered.

Yes, because by the time the bike was noticed at the spot it was found many people had used that route looking for her. But of course before she was reported missing the track would have most likely yielded some clues, I'm sure. Again as the OP has wondered was it returned at night in darkness? If it was her why would she do that. It doesn't make sense. I don't know Sharla of course but sometimes middleaged people do have midlife crisis. Although I don't want to simplify the situation because could it be something else entirely different and its really concerning she hasn't been found yet. I don't know if I agree with midlife crisis in Sharla's case. She was doing really well in her life careerwise and she enjoyed the outdoors and was active in that respect.

 

[KD5NRH]

I might not be understanding correctly — does this mean fresh bike tire tracks could be seen indicating that she probably did ride the bike out?

If so, I’d think that same dirt/dust/gravel would just as easily show an even newer track if the bike were returned later?

Unless it were carried (quite a ways?) or driven in on a car, which seems unlikely if family/neighbors are being vigilant for her or anything suspicious.

Or unless there’s much more commotion/other tracks on the road now than normal, with people searching/visiting the family. But again, more people around/eyes open would to me make it even unlikelier that a bike could be returned unnoticed.

Maybe it happened in the darkness of night? I wonder what time of the day it was discovered.

Her mom said they could see a track turning onto the county road from the dirt private road. Presumably the first deputies on scene drove right through all of that getting to the house.

The bike was found around 7:30AM Tuesday. No idea how much traffic there had been on the private road at any point other than obviously a lot during the searches Saturday and Sunday. I believe there are two other residences on the private road before theirs, and then a gate at the end leading to their driveway. I don't know whether they normally keep that gate closed, or whether it's possible to just go around it on a bike. Either way, that would mean there's a fair chance the neighbors had driven the private road earlier that morning, so any tracks would only be inside the gate...and again, probably driven over by responding deputies.

Looking at the photo of the bike, there are no tracks in the dust directly behind the wheels. OTOH, we don't know if that's the original in situ photo of the bike or if it had been moved to inspect for damage, or possibly fingerprints.

 

[5W's]

Her mom said they could see a track turning onto the county road from the dirt private road. Presumably the first deputies on scene drove right through all of that getting to the house.

The bike was found around 7:30AM Tuesday. No idea how much traffic there had been on the private road at any point other than obviously a lot during the searches Saturday and Sunday. I believe there are two other residences on the private road before theirs, and then a gate at the end leading to their driveway. I don't know whether they normally keep that gate closed, or whether it's possible to just go around it on a bike. Either way, that would mean there's a fair chance the neighbors had driven the private road earlier that morning, so any tracks would only be inside the gate...and again, probably driven over by responding deputies.

Looking at the photo of the bike, there are no tracks in the dust directly behind the wheels. OTOH, we don't know if that's the original in situ photo of the bike or if it had been moved to inspect for damage, or possibly fingerprints.

I have to say one thing IDK wheather its a lack resources or of efficiency but many LE jurisdictions including larger cities don't treat the entire location or vicinity to where the person was last seen as possible crime scene and things get overlooked. It happens many times. It really frustrates me. Even if it weren't a crime scene treat it like it is one so nothing gets overlooked. The only way IMO to get all LE jurisdictions to look at it this way is for the public to demand so. Otherwise its left to each jurisdiction to work the investigation regardless of outcome.

 

[KD5NRH]

I have to say one thing IDK wheather its a lack resources or of efficiency but many LE jurisdictions including larger cities don't treat the entire location or vicinity to where the person was last seen as possible crime scene and things get overlooked.

I think in this case, at least for the first few hours, she was just an overdue solo cyclist: everyone was assuming either her bike broke down somewhere in the middle of nowhere, or possibly a hit and run, or even an animal strike. I've been knocked off a bike by a dog running into my front wheel, and could have been hurt badly if I'd been out on open road going fast. I've also been hit by a car, and near missed a couple of times that could have gone pretty badly even without direct contact.
She was only a couple hours overdue at that point, so the big focus was on the possibility that she was somewhere on one of those backroads, possibly ten miles or more out, hurt and trying to get home.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

For those that live on neighboring properties along County Road 491, County Road 179 or County Road 178, Coates is asking for those individuals to reach out to law enforcement to allow any outbuildings to be searched.

Search Continues For Missing Woman in Erath County

A 48-year-old Stephenville woman has been missing since June 29, no foul play is suspected.

www.nbcdfw.com

<modsnip>

 

[annpats]

I know that's originally what I was thinking that she put it back herself and still do. Maybe she went for a run or walk afterwards.

In the nearly 100°F heat.....she went for a bike ride wearing denim pants and a shirt, then came back and went out for a run?!

If she did that, I would be worried about her sanity and state-of-mind, nevermind the fact that she may have suffered from hyperthermia and/or had some other medical incident.

 

[KD5NRH]

In the nearly 100°F heat.....she went for a bike ride wearing denim pants and a shirt, then came back and went out for a run?!

Compared to her, I'm fat and lazy, and I've still managed a couple of decent hikes last week, earlier in the day when it was over 100, and carrying a fair sized pack with 5L of water, a few pounds of camera gear, some food and some minimal rappelling gear. (yes, I know a solo rappel in an unfamiliar spot using natural anchors is as bad of an idea as a solo bike ride in this heat, but I hate the idea of leaving something unchecked just because I can't find a good spot to climb down...and I've done solo rides in 112F weather, so maybe we're all a bit crazy)

It's safe to say any hike I could do with that pack, she could easily run in the same conditions without the extra weight.

As for the bike color, I don't see that shade on any of their current models, but I've seen similar called different kinds of purple, usually to distinguish it from a lighter pink.

 

[annpats]

Compared to her, I'm fat and lazy, and I've still managed a couple of decent hikes last week, earlier in the day when it was over 100, and carrying a fair sized pack with 5L of water, a few pounds of camera gear, some food and some minimal rappelling gear. (yes, I know a solo rappel in an unfamiliar spot using natural anchors is as bad of an idea as a solo bike ride in this heat, but I hate the idea of leaving something unchecked just because I can't find a good spot to climb down...and I've done solo rides in 112F weather, so maybe we're all a bit crazy)

It's safe to say any hike I could do with that pack, she could easily run in the same conditions without the extra weight.

As for the bike color, I don't see that shade on any of their current models, but I've seen similar called different kinds of purple, usually to distinguish it from a lighter pink.

Oh, maybe I'm judging her by by own standards then, but 100°F/38°C is too hot to be outside for me, let alone engage in sporting activity. I like it cool and crisp.