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in: Texas, 2001, Disappearances,
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Sharon Eugenia Davis

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Real Name: Sharon Eugenia Davis
Nicknames: Sharon Wade (maiden name)
Location: Dallas, Texas
Date: June 13, 2001

Bio[]

Occupation: Elementary School Teacher
Date of Birth: March 17, 1950
Height: 5'1"-5'2"
Weight: 118-130 lbs.
Marital Status: Married
Characteristics: Black female with black hair and brown eyes. She wears eyeglasses or contact lenses. Her ears are pierced. She was last seen wearing an emerald green pajama-style shirt or nightgown, and sweatpants. Her hair was in curlers.

Case[]

Details: Fifty one year old Sharon Davis was an elementary school teacher who lived in Dallas, Texas, with her husband of twenty one years, Ron, and their two children, Ronnie and Autumn. Both children attended the University of Texas at Arlington; Ronnie lived on campus while Autumn was still living at home.
Sharon was originally from Alabama, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles, California. She earned her master's degree in public administration from California State University. The couple initially met in Los Angeles in 1980. Shortly after they married, they moved to Dallas; no one knows why, as they did not know anyone in the area and did not have any employment lined up. Ron had previously worked as a lawyer. However, when they moved to Dallas, he got a job as a code enforcement officer with the city.
After moving to Dallas, Sharon became a counselor for local inmates, before moving on to teaching. In 1985, after the couple experienced marital problems, Sharon left Dallas with their children. She planned to return to Los Angeles and file for divorce. Before her departure, she withdrew funds from the couple's joint checking account. However, she later reconsidered her decision and decided to return to Ron.
In 1992, Ron claimed he was mugged outside of his office and filed a disability suit against the city, stating he was "psychologically impaired" as a result of the attack. This incident occurred just six weeks after he was denied a promotion. The city's psychiatrist could not find anything wrong with him. In 1997, the city's attorneys stopped filing motions in regard to his suit and awarded him five years' back pay.
After Ron left his code enforcement job, he became a community activist and was elected to the executive board of Dallas' NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). However, he was later suspended after the organization received complaints regarding irregularities in local elections. He later created a new NAACP chapter out of his home. The couple's children were not sure what his actual employment was after he left his code enforcement job. He claimed he worked as a day trader.
The children, however, did not think Ron had traditional employment. He owned "Dallas Economic Development Corporation", a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that supposedly provided shelter and other services to low-income residents. Several family members, including Sharon, were named as officials of the organization.
Sharon's loved ones describe her as warm, sensitive, shy, quiet, and thoughtful. Her relatives said she was also nervous and lacked confidence and self-esteem. The couple's children said Ron was controlling, ill-tempered, and dismissive of her, telling her that she could not do stuff that she could easily do. They said he normally belittled her, intimidated her, verbally and mentally abused her, and insinuated that she was mentally ill. Other relatives and friends also said he did not treat her well.
Ron reportedly demanded that Sharon pay half of their household expenses from her own earnings, which he made her keep in a separate account. He also allegedly demanded that she hand over her retirement account (worth $30,000), but she refused to do so. Her relatives believe she stayed with him for the sake of the children. At one point, the couple began to sleep in separate bedrooms. And one night, while at dinner, he declared to the whole family that he no longer loved her.
The children said that Sharon had mentioned leaving Ron from time to time, but she seemed to be waiting until they finished college before she would make her move. In early June 2001, she decided to end the marriage. On June 6, she told her neighbor that she found papers which indicated that Ron was trying to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital. She said to the neighbor, "I can't live like this anymore." On June 7, she met with lawyer Fred McDaniel about filing for divorce. Her loved ones said she appeared serious about the decision.
On June 11, McDaniel filed the divorce papers. He also obtained a temporary restraining order that barred any movement in the couple's assets. A hearing was set for the following week. Sharon planned to request sole possession of their home and make Ron move out. She claimed that he was responsible for the breakup of their marriage. She also alleged that he committed "fraud on the community" and asked for control of more than half of the family's assets.
Sharon reportedly warned Ron that a summons was "on the way." She contacted numerous relatives after the divorce filing. She claimed that after telling Ron that she had filed for divorce, he threatened her; she said she was afraid of him and asked them to check in with her frequently to make sure she was safe. According to her sister, Ron said to Sharon that "something might happen to her," and that "their children would get over it because people get over the loss of a parent." A few days later, Sharon called her sister, asking again for her to check on her every day. She also said that Ron had called her a "sneaky bitch."
Sharon told her neighbor to call the police if she heard her house alarm going off and tell them "what she knew." She told a friend about Ron's threats and said that he called her crazy. She also said she found a journal on his desk, which listed what time she came and left their home, and the things she did throughout the day. Sharon told Autumn that Ron had threatened her and that she was afraid of him. She said she did not want to be home alone with him. Autumn agreed to stay close to her until the divorce was finalized. McDaniel advised her to remain in their home, since she was seeking sole possession of the property.
During the evening of June 12, Sharon asked Autumn to move one of their family's vehicles. Sharon said that Ron had an early meeting scheduled for the following morning. Autumn said that it was uncharacteristic of him to conduct business in the early mornings. When she woke up at 6:30am on June 13, she noticed that Ron was already gone.
At around 7:30am, Sharon dropped off Autumn at the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Park and Ride station. It was located less than two miles from their home. Sharon was scheduled to attend a training session later that morning at Stemmons Elementary School. She had previously taught third grade and was planning to teach sixth grade the following school year. She told Autumn that she planned to go home and get ready for the session.
Sharon never arrived at the school and was never seen again. It had been just two days since she filed for divorce. When she did not return home that evening, Autumn became concerned. She and Ronnie claimed that Sharon was usually prompt and methodical; she would always let them know where she would be. Autumn called Ronnie, who was at college, and told him that Sharon had not come home. Since Sharon was taking a class at the same college, Ronnie searched the campus and then drove back home along the route Sharon normally took. However, he could not find her or her vehicle.
When Ronnie arrived home, he urged Ron to call the police and report Sharon missing. Ron declined to do so until the following morning, claiming that police would not take a missing person's report within the first twenty-four hours. When he did report her missing, he told police he thought she had just "gone off", possibly to Lake Tahoe. However, police found no trace of her there. Since then, he has been generally uncooperative with the police and has discouraged members of the media from following the case.
On June 18, five days after Sharon's disappearance, police found her green 1998 Mercury Villager van parked in the Bally Total Fitness parking lot near the Southwest Center Mall, just one mile from her home. The van had been wiped clean of fingerprints and one of its windows was broken. Employees at the gym had first noticed it in the lot after midnight on June 14. Sharon was a member of the gym, but records showed she had not visited it since the first week of June.
Ron hired a lawyer and refused to discuss Sharon's case with police until July 3, three weeks after her disappearance. One of the first things he said to them was, "Am I a suspect?" He refused to say where and with whom he had his early meeting on the day of her disappearance. Their children said that he provided several different versions of her whereabouts afterwards. He allegedly claimed that she left voluntarily, experienced a psychotic episode, or ran into drug dealers or "other dangerous people" she knew.
Ron suggested to authorities that Sharon may have checked herself into a mental institution. He also suggested that she had not contacted their children because she had not been taking her "daily medication." Other than his statements, there is no evidence she was mentally ill or taking daily medications. Relatives said she had gone to a psychiatric counselor but had not been prescribed any medications for that in years.
Ron also told authorities that Sharon took between $10,000 and $25,000 from their home before she disappeared. However, he refused to allow police to inspect the location where the money had been hidden, saying it was "none of [their] business." Constables attempted to serve the divorce papers the day after Sharon's disappearance, but Ron was apparently not home. They tried several times in the following months, but he apparently avoided all of their attempts. The divorce case has since stalled.
The couple's children said that the marriage had been "troubled" for several years. Autumn told authorities that she never heard Ron threaten Sharon, but she and Ronnie believed Ron was capable of harming Sharon and may have caused her disappearance. Ronnie told authorities that in September 2001, he went to Ron's home to confront him about Sharon's disappearance.
Immediately after letting Ronnie in, Ron demanded to know whether he was wearing a wire for the detective assigned to the case. Ronnie showed him that he was not, and then began asking him questions. Ron answered by saying she "just left" and "went away." Ronnie did not believe him. Then, Ron said that he had documentation that she was in a mental hospital. When Ronnie asked for proof, Ron offered none.
Ronnie says he then tried to "egg" Ron on, to see if he would say anything else. As they went into another room, Ronnie saw Ron reaching for his pistol. Ron said, "You talk a good game. You're not afraid to die." When Ronnie heard the gun cock, he ran out to his car. Realizing he had forgotten his cell phone, he went back to the house and asked Ron to put the gun down. Ron then threatened him again and Ronnie left again.
In Spring 2002, a grand jury declined to indict Ron on a felony assault charge in relation to the incident. The couple's children are no longer speaking to him. Ron has stated he thinks Sharon left of her own accord and is alive and well. He claims he has worked "diligently" to find her and has even hired a private detective. Police and her loved ones believe foul play was involved. They do not believe she would have left without telling her children.

Davis ron

Ron Davis

Suspects: Ron is considered a possible suspect in Sharon's disappearance. In 1985, she took their children and left, planning to divorce him. However, she eventually went back to him. He reportedly was controlling, ill-tempered, and dismissive of her, telling her that she could not do stuff that she could easily do. Her relatives said he normally belittled her, intimidated her, verbally and mentally abused her, and insinuated that she was mentally ill. He tried unsuccessfully to get her to give him her retirement money. He also told her that he no longer loved her.
A few days before Sharon disappeared, she filed for divorce. She found papers which indicated that Ron was trying to get her committed to a psychiatric hospital. She wanted control of more than half the family's assets, sole possession of their home, and for Ron to move out. She claimed he was responsible for the breakup of their marriage. She also claimed he committed "fraud on the community". After the divorce filing, she told several relatives that Ron had threatened her. She said she was afraid of him and asked them to check on her. She also told a friend that she found a journal on Ron's desk which listed her movements throughout the day.
After Sharon disappeared, Ron did not report her missing until the next day, despite the fact that their children asked him to do it that night. He refused to speak to police until three weeks later. Furthermore, he refused to say exactly where he was when she disappeared, other than that he was at an "early morning meeting." Autumn said it was uncharacteristic of him to do that. He told the children and police several different stories about what may have happened to her. He repeated his claim that she was mentally ill, although there was no evidence to support it. He claimed she took over $10,000 with her when she vanished, but there was no evidence to support this either. He also pulled out a gun and threatened Ronnie when Ronnie demanded to know more about Sharon's disappearance.
Extra Notes:

  • "Unsolved Mysteries" filmed a segment for this case. It was scheduled to be aired in Spring 2002. Ron declined an interview for it and sent the show's producers an "accusatory" letter, which prompted its cancellation.
  • It was featured on "The Trail Went Cold" podcast.
  • Some sources say Sharon dropped Autumn off at 7am and that she was last seen near Southwest Center Mall.

Results: Unsolved - In 2003, Ron sued his lawyer, Cheryl Wattley, claiming she owed him a refund of part of the $10,000 retainer he had paid her. She quit representing him in June 2002. Wattley's lawyer told the court that he believes Ron killed Sharon. Wattley described how she worked to make it appear like Ron was cooperating with authorities, when, in reality, he was not. For example, she agreed to the police's request that Ron be polygraphed but asked for the questions in advance.
Wattley also said that Ron told her that he was concerned that the investigation into Sharon's disappearance might spark other investigations into tax evasion and money laundering. At the trial, he claimed that he was not involved in money laundering. Wattley also claimed that Ron wanted her to "paint" Sharon as mentally ill or on mood-altering drugs. She claimed he wanted her to say negative things about Sharon; she refused to do that. The jury ended up ruling in Wattley's favor and awarded her $1,558.
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