Walter Shannon Stevenson, a 33-year-old man who usually went by his middle name, "Shannon," was last seen in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 1, 2009. That day, he was at the home of an acquaintance, Jeffrey May, in the 2700 block of Misty Valley, near the Highway 64 and Houston Levee area. Shannon telephoned his grandmother and initially asked her to pick him up and take him to her residence in the 3700 block of Epworth. He later called again and told her that he had secured another ride. He never reached his grandmother's home, and no confirmed contact from him has been reported since that conversation. His disappearance was especially troubling because his automobile and personal possessions remained at his grandmother's residence, suggesting that he had not prepared to leave Memphis or voluntarily begin a new life elsewhere.
Shannon was a white man with brown hair and brown eyes, standing approximately five feet six to five feet seven inches tall and weighing between 130 and 165 pounds. At the time he vanished, his hair was cut in a mohawk style. He had pierced ears, a piercing below his lower lip, the word "MANIAC" tattooed on his lower arm, and a sun tattoo on his right arm. He was reportedly wearing a T-shirt, cotton pants and sneakers, along with a cross necklace and a wide gold band-style ring. These identifying details remain important because photographs taken before his disappearance may not precisely reflect his appearance at the time; case information notes that he had lost weight after some of the available photographs were taken.
For Shannon's family, his silence was inconsistent with his normal behavior. His grandmother acknowledged that he had experienced personal difficulties, including a drug problem, but she emphasized that he regularly maintained contact with her and had never remained away from home for more than a day or two. He also had a prior criminal history and had served part of a Florida prison sentence before being paroled in September 2008, a little more than a year before he disappeared. Those circumstances formed part of his life story, but they did not explain why he would abandon his vehicle, belongings and family without notice. The fact that he had specifically arranged transportation to his grandmother's house, then vanished during what should have been a relatively ordinary trip home, deepened concerns that something happened to him after his final telephone call.
The investigation took a significant turn in September 2017, when Jeffrey May-the acquaintance whose home Shannon had called from-was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Shannon's presumed death. Publicly available case summaries state that investigators did not disclose the evidence supporting the charge. Shannon's remains have not been recovered according to current missing-person records, and authorities have suspected foul play because of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. The absence of a recovered body and the limited public information concerning the criminal proceedings have left important questions unresolved, including who was supposed to drive Shannon away from Misty Valley, where he went after the call and what occurred before he could reach his grandmother's home.
The Memphis Police Department remains identified as the investigating agency, and Shannon continues to be listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under case number MP5301. His case is the story of a man who expected to return to a familiar and trusted place, assured his grandmother that transportation had been arranged, and then disappeared before arriving. His belongings and vehicle were left behind, his established pattern of contacting his grandmother abruptly ended, and years later an acquaintance connected to his final known location was charged in his presumed death. Despite that development, the publicly available record has not provided a complete account of what happened to Shannon or where he may be found. In overview, Walter "Shannon" Stevenson was a 33-year-old Memphis man last heard from on October 1, 2009, after arranging a ride from an acquaintance's home to his grandmother's residence; he never arrived, has not been located, and the unanswered circumstances of his final journey continue to weigh heavily on those seeking clarity and a dignified resolution to his case.
Last Seen: Oct 01, 2009
