Although African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, we account for 33 percent of the missing in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s database. Cases involving African Americans also tend to receive less media coverage than missing Whites, with missing men of color getting even less attention.
NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.
To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing.
—————————————
Daniel McCoy Moses
Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: July 5, 1951
Missing Date: June 16, 2011
Age Now: 62
Missing City: Rich Square
Missing State: North Carolina
Case Number: 11-0834
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Dark
Height: 6-3
Weight: 200
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Short
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No
Location Last Seen: Last seen at his home: 1905 Duke Service Road, Rich Square, North Carolina.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Daniel was last seen at his home by a farm worker. Moses’ house, once owned by his grandfather, was burned to the ground the same day he went missing. Police originally thought there was a connection but now believe faulty air conditioning wire to be at fault for the blaze.
SEE ALSO: Detroit Draws First Map To Get Out Of Bankruptcy
That has left Moses’ family even more angry. The family believes the fire may have been part of some sort of cover-up
Shelia P. Moses (pictured below left) says one of “because we don’t leave home without telling our mother or another sibling,” Shelia P. Moses, who wrote Dick Gregory’s memoir Callus on My Soul and has been named as a National Book Award finalist, told NewsOne in an interview.
Instead, the family believes that someone harmed her brother.
“What we know for sure is that he did not leave on his own. He’s not missing, he was taken. My brother would not leave us. If he’s alive someone is holding him, but I believe someone killed my brother and they had enough time to cover their tracks. Daniel Moses did not leave,” said Shelia P. Moses.
The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that helps solve the case and are desperate for someone who can tell them anything about the case to come forward.
Capt. Chuck Hasty from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office told NewsOne in an interview that the case remains open.
“We are just following up on all the leads we can. He is still a missing person and the case is still active,” said Hasty who said he was in the process of re-interviewing everyone involved in the case. “I’m going over everything.”
Shelia P. Moses has no plans to stop searching until she finds out what happened to her brother. She spends time each day reading the news, looking for clues that might lead to her brother. She travels to North Carolina once a month from her home in Georgia.
“If I talk to you 10 years from now I’ll be here looking with the same passion,” she said.
Rich Square, which has been the setting for some of Shelia P. Moses’ novels, is a small town in a small county. That’s why the family is petitioning the FBI to get involved in the case. Besides the case of her brother, Sheila P. Moses says she’s also concerned about two other recent cases where black men have gone missing in the small county.
Among the six active missing cases in the county two, Shawn Alston and Jamal Briggs, occurred in October 2012. A famous case of a young girl who disappeared from her front yard 50 years ago also remains unsolved.
“If two white men were missing in a county this small the FBI would have been called. Three black men go missing in 18 months within 20 miles of each other and the FBI doesn’t consider it a federal case. They don’t look for black folks and I’m outraged at the way they have looked for my brother,” she said. “Where is my dear brother? Who will speak for the other people that are missing?”
Sheila P. Moses said her brother was a simple man who had worked hard to buy his grandfather’s home. After hurting his back, he began selling his famous barbecued meats to dedicated clients. The family was waiting for Daniel Moses to show up at a barbecue to showcase his skills when they found out what had happened.
Sheila P. Moses says her family will continue to fight until they get answers.
“If we stop pressuring them as family, they will stop looking,” said Shelia P. Moses. “That will never happen. I’ll be old and gray but I will see this through until the end of time.”
Last Seen Wearing: Jeans.. Hat with Red front
Identifying Marks or Characteristics: May walk with a limp because of a bad back.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts or circumstances of disappearance for Daniel McCoy Moses may contact the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 534-2611 or the Northampton County Crime Stoppers Line at (252) 534-1110. The State Bureau of Investigation may also be contacted at (800) 334-3000. All calls are confidential. Information may also be provided to the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.
SEE ALSO: NFL Considering 15-Yard Penalties For N-Word Use On Playing Field
