In the fall of 2012, 19-year-old Male Dashad Smith, also known as Sage, was embracing a new chapter in life in Charlottesville, Virginia. Having navigated the challenges of the foster care system, Smith had recently moved into an apartment with roommates and was looking forward to the future. On the evening of November 20, 2012, Smith told a roommate about plans to meet someone and was last seen in the 500 block of West Main Street. When Smith, who was always in close contact with family, did not show up for Thanksgiving dinner two days later, relatives grew deeply concerned and reported the teen missing. This marked the beginning of a long and painful search for answers for a family and a community that held Smith dear.
The investigation into Smith's disappearance quickly focused on an acquaintance named Erik McFadden, who was believed to be the last person to have contact with Smith.
Cellphone records confirmed communication between Smith and McFadden around the time of the disappearance. McFadden had reportedly made plans to meet Smith near the Amtrak station that evening. When initially contacted by police, McFadden gave inconsistent accounts, at one point denying the meeting took place and later, in an email to his then-girlfriend, admitting to seeing Smith but claiming to have left after others approached them. Shortly after Smith vanished, McFadden also disappeared, failing to show up for a scheduled in-person interview with detectives and reportedly leaving town. McFadden's girlfriend reported him missing just four days after Smith was last seen. His abrupt departure and conflicting stories made him a person of interest in the case.
For years, the case grew cold, leaving Smith's loved ones in a state of agonizing uncertainty. The Charlottesville Police Department, along with state and federal partners, dedicated countless hours to the investigation, scouring evidence and conducting interviews. In December 2016, the case was reclassified from a missing person investigation to a homicide, signaling a grim turn in the search for Smith. Despite the passage of time, the commitment to finding answers never waned. A significant breakthrough occurred in late 2025, when investigators located Erik McFadden in Los Angeles, California, where he was reportedly attempting to legally change his name. Detectives traveled to Los Angeles and were able to interview him, gathering new information that is now being carefully reviewed as part of the active and fluid investigation. The search for Dashad 'Sage' Smith is an ongoing homicide investigation, with authorities continuing to seek any information that could finally bring closure to a family and community that has waited over a decade for justice.Last Seen: Nov 20, 2012
