An Inside Out Sweatshirt and an Open Refrigerator Door. Why Family Thinks Missing Dad May Have Had a Stroke Before Disappearing

Nearly two months after a 59-year-old man disappeared following a car accident, his daughter is still searching — and working to keep his case in the public eye.

On the night of Monday, Nov. 24, Dan Davis was involved in a car crash and declined medical attention multiple times, according to his family. He vanished in Blue Island, a Chicago suburb, early the next day. While he was reportedly captured on a few doorbell cameras after being reported missing, the last known sighting was that Wednesday.

As the search continues, Davis’ family believes he may have suffered a stroke or another medical emergency that left him confused and wandering.

Wendy Davis, 27, said she’s “scared that we’ll never find him.” Still, she’s trying to stay hopeful — especially after hearing from other families whose loved ones were found months later.

“That has me hold out hope because we don’t know what we don’t know,” she said. “I can’t just be stuck on assuming the worst.”

Friends have told Wendy that their monthly father-daughter lunch dates were among Dan’s favorite moments. Otherwise, she said, he lived a steady, predictable life. If he wasn’t at his apartment, he was either with a friend or at work at the concert venue 115 Bourbon Street, where he has been the head lighting designer for nearly three decades.

“He’s never called in sick, never taken a vacation — none of that. He’s just super devoted to it,” Wendy said, adding that her father had no known medical conditions and no prior history of disappearing. “He’s not a huge adventurer.”

What authorities have said

Officials previously said sheriff’s police responded to an auto accident involving Daniel Davis III on Nov. 24, and that he was evaluated by paramedics but refused treatment. In a statement, authorities said they did not see observable signs of impairment or injury and later gave him a ride to his workplace because his vehicle was no longer drivable. A spokesperson also said the crash did not appear to be criminal in nature.

By about 1:15 a.m. the next morning, Dan was last seen leaving 115 Bourbon Street wearing a black baseball hat, black Harley Davidson jacket, red sweatshirt, and black jeans, according to a Nov. 27 alert from the Chicago Police Department. He was reported missing later that day.

Why the family believes something medical happened

Wendy said that by late December she obtained body camera footage from the officer who dropped her father off at work and shared it on the “Find Dan Davis” Facebook page. While the video doesn’t show anything dramatic, she believes it contains subtle signs that something was wrong.

“We’re watching that footage and we noticed some symptoms that are not normal to Dan,” she said, adding that his face appeared to droop, he stumbled over a curb, and he was wearing his sweatshirt inside out.

“These are things that were easily overlooked by the police, and I don’t blame them for it because they don’t know how he acts normally,” she said.

The family also says other details point to possible confusion before the crash. When police searched Dan’s apartment, they found the refrigerator door open and windows open despite the cold November weather, according to his family.

Wendy also said separate video footage appears to show Dan trying to enter neighbors’ homes in his apartment complex before the Nov. 24 crash — something she believes supports the idea he may have been disoriented earlier that night.

“The accident definitely didn’t make it better,” Wendy said. “He probably got a concussion in the accident, too. We don’t know for sure.”

Search efforts continue

In early January, Wendy said two professional search-and-rescue teams from Ohio arrived and worked with local law enforcement to coordinate searches of nearby woods and surrounding bodies of water.

“They brought their canines to go smell around,” she said, adding that the dogs also searched for human remains and any sign of Dan’s belongings. The searches were unsuccessful, but Wendy said she remains grateful for the time and effort the teams spent.

She said support from the community and strangers online has helped her and her family endure the uncertainty. Her mother, Jenn Masuka — who divorced Dan when Wendy was young — has also helped organize search efforts. Wendy said the “Find Dan Davis” Facebook page has grown to more than 42,000 members.

Now, she said, the family is taking things day by day. A GoFundMe to help cover expenses during the search had raised more than $24,000 as of Tuesday, Jan. 13.

For Wendy, the goal remains the same: to bring her “goofy and loving” dad home.

“I can’t be crumbling,” she said. “I have to stay focused.”