On New Year's Eve in 1994, 19-year-old Daniel Sheppard disappeared without a trace.
He was last seen leaving a train station early on New Year's Day.
What was supposed to be a quick 10-minute walk home turned into a mysterious case that still confuses the authorities and deeply upsets his family.
Background
Daniel Sheppard and his twin brother, Michael Shepard were born on July 4, 1975.
They were very close, like many twins, even though they weren’t identical.
Daniel and Michael grew up in Westlakes with their mother, Patricia.
Their father had died when they were 15, and their five older sisters had already moved out by the time the twins were growing up.
His twin brother, Michael Sheppard, said they had a happy childhood.
They liked biking, fishing, and watching football games at Albertan Oval.
Daniel was a big fan of Port Adelaide.
At 18, Daniel and Michael took on full-time jobs, with Daniel working at a powder coating factory.
Their new financial independence allowed them to enjoy their days off, although they didn’t earn much.
Daniel was a happy and friendly young man who was just beginning his life, which makes his story even more tragic.
The Disappearance
On New Year's Eve 1994, Daniel and Michael left for the New Year's celebrations between 6 and 7 p.m.
Daniel was dressed in blue jeans and a maroon denim shirt.
They first visited a friend’s house in Cheltenham for pre-drinks before catching a train to the city and then a tram to Glenelg.
They celebrated the New Year at Lenny’s Tavern before splitting up with their friend.
Around 1:30 a.m., Daniel, Michael, and their friends Ben Silvani and Desiree Layton took a tram back to the city.
When they got back to the city, Daniel Shepard’s twin brother Michael decided to continue the night on his own.
Daniel, Ben, and Desiree went to Rave Nightclub on Hindley Street and then to Empire Nightclub on Rose Street.
Ben and Desiree left around 3 a.m., but Daniel stayed and talked with a woman named Pamela Tanner, who last saw him around 4 a.m.
Daniel then walked to the train station to catch a train back home to Westlakes.
At the station, he ran into four former female schoolmates—Eliza Nowak, Amy McNeil, Nicole Slabski, and Nicholas Wright—who were also waiting for the train to Outer Harbour.
At 4:13 a.m., the train arrived, and Daniel boarded.
He seemed a bit drunk but he was still aware of everything happening.
He talked with the girls on the train, saying he was heading home to sleep.
The girls got off at the stop before Daniel's stop and he said goodbye to them.
Daniel continued on his own before getting off at Port Adelaide at 4:35 a.m.
Daniel Sheppard’s home was only a ten-minute walk from the train station, but he never made it home.
He mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
The last confirmed sighting of him was leaving the train station and heading home.
His twin brother Michael took the same train at 5:30 a.m. and arrived home safely.
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| Michael Sheppard |
Investigation, Theories, and Speculations
Michael realized Daniel had not returned the next morning and thought he might have stayed with friends.
After talking to Daniel’s friends and learning he had planned to go home, Michael and their mother reported him missing to the police.
The investigation began with searches around Port Adelaide and local rivers, but no trace of Daniel was found.
The lack of evidence left the authorities confused.
The police interviewed Daniel’s friends and family but found no enemies or suspicious behavior.
Also Daniel Sheppard had no history of mental illness or running away.
A possible sighting of Daniel in Rosewater between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. on New Year's Day was never confirmed.
The family doubted this tip because they believed Daniel planned to go straight home after getting off the train.
Several theories about his mysterious disappearance emerged, including:
1. Brutal Fight: One tip suggested that Daniel might have interrupted a break-in at the local rugby club, which led to him being beaten to death.
However, there is absolutely no proof of this.
2. Accident: Authorities considered the possibility of an accident, with the chance that the person who hit Daniel might have covered up the evidence.
Given the New Year's celebrations, a hit-and-run by a drunk driver was also looked into, but no proof was found.
Searches of local rivers also did not turn up Daniel Shepard’s body.
4. Drugs: One tip suggested that Daniel might have been killed over a drug debt.
The tipster said they heard a drug dealer admit that Daniel was buried in their backyard.
However, when the police used ground-penetrating radar at that home, they didn’t find anything.
The family has consistently said that while Daniel occasionally used marijuana, he was not involved in harder drugs or drug dealings.
5. Random Abduction: Police also raided the home of a local known sex offender after a tip-off claiming that Daniel was seen there.
But again, nothing came out of this.
In 2018, there was a major development related to this theory.
A nurse named Carol reached out to the Sheppard family, saying she had seen a commotion near Daniel’s home around 4:45 a.m. on New Year’s morning.
Carol described seeing a distressed person and a suspicious vehicle.
Even though she told the police about this, they mostly ignored her until she got back in touch with the Shepard family years later.
The police confirmed Carol’s account but failed to investigate further, leaving the Shepard family frustrated.
There were even tips suggesting that the occult might have been involved in Daniel's disappearance.
But all these theories, along with many others, had no concrete evidence to support them.
Recent Developments
Several weeks after Daniel Sheppard disappeared, his brother Michael took part in a reenactment.
This was done to grab the attention of the media.
The reenactment aired on television and generated several tips and theories about what happened to Daniel, but so far, no useful leads have come up.
Daniel Sheppard’s case remains an open mystery, with no suspects and limited leads.
Daniel’s family continues to seek answers, relying on someone coming forward with new information.
There is a $200,000 reward for information leading to the resolution of the case or the recovery of Daniel’s remains.
If anyone has information about Daniel’s disappearance, they are encouraged to contact Crimestoppers or visit the Shepard family’s Facebook page.
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