Wendy Davis said driving around for 12 hours and searching for her dad made for a Thanksgiving she will never forget.
Her father, Daniel Davis, 59, was last seen at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 25, leaving 115 Bourbon Street at 3359 W. 115th St. in Merrionette Park, according to police reports. Davis, a Chicago resident, was involved in a multivehicle accident the day before, where police said he may have suffered a head injury.
Wendy, along with a volunteer search party and Chicago police, narrowed their efforts on the Blue Island area this week after receiving camera footage of Davis at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 26, leaving St. Donatus Church on Union Street.
But a week has passed since that footage, and Wendy said the volunteer group needs more recent camera identification so the Chicago police can bring in a canine unit.
She urged Blue Island area residents and businesses to check any security footage they have, such as on Ring cameras. She also urged residents, especially those living near the church where he was last seen, to check their garages, sheds or anything that would qualify as shelter on their property.
“Keep sharing and telling your friends,” Wendy said. “We cannot do this without the help of the community and we are completely lost without documented sightings. The power of social media and kind neighbors is crucial at this moment.”
Chicago police said they are looking for a man wearing a limited edition, black Harvey-Davidson jacket, a red and black sweatshirt and black pants.
Davis also may be carrying identification on him, as his wallet was not found in his car, said Kenny Braasch, one of the search group leaders.
Davis refused medical treatment after the car crash Nov. 24, and a responding Cook County officer gave him a ride to Bourbon Street, his place of work, according to Chicago police.
Hours later, Davis was spotted on the bar’s cameras trying and failing to get into employees’ cars in the bar’s back parking lot then leaving on foot at about 1:15 a.m., according to Jenn Barber Masuka, the mother of Davis’ daughter and founder of a Facebook group devoted to the search.
Masuka said an off-duty community service officer allegedly drove past Davis staggering on a sidewalk later that morning and called Bourbon Street management, because the officer recognized Davis as an employee. She said Davis’ coworkers called the police and have been active in the search.
Masuka also said there is video footage of Davis falling on a sidewalk the morning of Nov. 25 and that he may need medical attention. She said she hopes Davis is carrying cash and has been able to find food and help, as she said there has not been any bank activity, including any transactions on his credit and debit cards.
She urged people living in the Blue Island area to keep an eye out for Davis throughout their day.
“We just need that one person to look up,” Masuka said. “We just need one clip.”
Since his disappearance, more than 95 volunteers joined Masuka, Braasch and Wendy in the search.
Wendy said the volunteer group, made up of close friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and strangers, has hung fliers around the Blue Island area, along with going door to door asking residents to check their cameras.
Volunteers have also checked alleyways, wooded areas and even nearby houses for sale, along with contacting hospitals, Metra, CTA, several local schools and businesses, mental health centers and shelters, Wendy and Masuka said.
“I don’t think there’s anything we haven’t tried yet,” Wendy said.
She said the number of people helping is a testament to how the community sees and cares for him. She said she doesn’t think her dad would ever believe her if she told him just how many people are out “fighting for him right now.”
“I have never met one person in my life that has ever had anything bad to say about him and this whole search is proof of just how much everybody loves him,” she said. “There’s people involved that we would never have expected to see. It’s overwhelming in the best way.”
Masuka and Wendy both said Davis’ disappearance is unlike him.
Masuka said Davis is an extremely talented artistic person and lighting designer, and said musicians who play Bourbon Street love him.
Wendy said her dad is a “huge goofball” and said her childhood is packed with memories of them laughing together, along with treasured traditions.
She said they would visit their favorite pasta restaurant, Pasta Palazzo, in Lincoln Park, and order the chicken alfredo every time, or grab lunch at Asuka Japanese restaurant in Bloomington and take a stroll around Indiana University’s campus.
“There’s never a time where I’m not laughing with him,” Wendy said. “He would drop the entire world for me, and I wish he could see everybody doing the same for him right now.”
A Chicago police official said Tuesday they learned of alleged sightings of Davis in the Joliet area, but could not confirm those reports.
Braasch, one of the search group leaders, said to call 911 if residents see Davis, as he would mostly likely need medical attention.
Braasch also said people can call Chicago police Area 2 Special Victims Unit at 312-747-8274 with information and text video footage or photos to him at 708-846-9565.
awright@chicagotribune.com
