Shawn Raymond Missing Person Case

Aug 04, 2016

Apr 13, 2020

Shawn

Raymond

62

19

69 inches

145 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the summer of 1983, a young man named Shawn Patrick Raymond, at the age of 19, vanished from Detroit, Michigan, leaving behind a family desperate for answers. On the evening of July 21, 1983, Shawn, a recent graduate of Algonac High School, went with friends to Menjo's, a gay bar in Detroit. He had recently come out to his mother and was navigating this new aspect of his identity. Witnesses later reported seeing him at the bar around closing time, but he never returned home that night, and his family never saw him again. His 1981 Chevy Citation was also never found. The days that followed his disappearance were filled with worry for his tight-knit family, as it was highly uncharacteristic of him not to contact his mother. Years turned into a painful decade with no sign of Shawn. Then, in September 1992, a significant breakthrough occurred when a human skull was discovered during a routine dredging of the Clinton River near Harrison Township. However, the technology of the time did not allow for immediate identification. It wasn't until 2004, more than a decade after the skull was found, that it was officially identified as belonging to Shawn Patrick Raymond. The identification was made possible after a forensic artist with the Michigan State Police created a facial reconstruction from the skull in 2003. A former colleague of Shawn's from a restaurant in Algonac recognized the reconstruction, which ultimately led to confirmation through dental records. The identification of Shawn's remains transformed a missing person's case into a homicide investigation. Despite this confirmation, the rest of his body has never been recovered. The case remains unsolved, and the circumstances surrounding his death are still largely a mystery. His family continues to seek justice and closure, remembering Shawn as an attractive, popular, and caring young man with a bright future ahead of him. The investigation, which was hampered by a lack of substantial evidence from the outset, received renewed attention after the identification, but the passage of over two decades presented significant challenges. The case of Shawn Patrick Raymond is a somber reminder of a life cut short and a family left to grapple with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of their loss.

Jul 21, 1983

Detroit

Michigan

Wayne County

Detroit

18598

Michigan State Police - Lapeer Post

Lapeer

Michigan

Lapeer County

48446

Dan Drake

D/Sgt.

975 South Main Street, Michigan

8106642905

State

Law Enforcement

24-1381-04

1983-07-23

Michigan State Police - Lapeer Post

Brown

Brown

Brown

Yes

07/01/2026