Rodney Darnell Woodard Missing Person Case

Jan 28, 2026

Jan 28, 2026

Rodney

Darnell Woodard

53

24

6'0 inches

165 lbs

Black

Male

In the late afternoon of March 27, 1997, a 24-year-old man named Rodney Darnell Woodard was dropped off by his girlfriend at a car wash located at Trinity Lane and Dickerson Road in Nashville, Tennessee. It was around 3:00 p.m. on what was described as a cold day. At the time of his disappearance, Rodney, an aspiring rap artist, resided in the 1000 block of Zophi Street in Nashville. He was last seen wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and Dickie pants. He also wore a pair of gold earrings with a dolphin design in his pierced left ear. Rodney was described as a Black male, standing at 6'0" and weighing around 165 pounds, with black hair that he sometimes wore in dreadlocks and brown eyes. Concern began to mount for Rodney's girlfriend shortly after she left him at the car wash. The fact that it was a cold day and he did not have his jacket with him was unsettling to her. This concern prompted her to report him as a missing person that very same day. As days turned into weeks and then years, there was no sign of Rodney. In September 2001, a glimmer of hope for answers emerged when skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area near Cheron Street and Briarville Road in Nashville. Authorities initially believed the remains could be those of the missing man, but DNA testing ultimately did not result in a match, leaving the investigation back at square one. The disappearance of Rodney Darnell Woodard remains an unsolved case, and authorities have stated that they suspect foul play was involved. This suspicion is based on his criminal history from the 1990s, which included arrests for assault, weapons, and drug-related charges, as well as the company he was known to keep. The overview of this case is that a young man vanished after being dropped off by his girlfriend at a local car wash. Despite the immediate concern and a subsequent lead involving discovered remains, no definitive answers have been found. His family and community have been left without knowing what happened to him on that cold March day, and his case continues to be an open investigation with the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Mar 27, 1997

Nashville

Tennessee

Nashville

Metro Nashville Police Department

06/17/2026