Smoke: The Disappearance of Damien Sharp

You would think a confession would be the end of the whole story. Unfortunately, it's only the end of this chapter. And this chapter is the end of this era. 

Hear all about that in this final episode of Damien's story. 

#letsfinddamien

Barb Ruhlman has been training dogs to sniff out everything, from bombs to cadavers, for 50 years. Listen in, as Barb gives us the scoop on the interpersonal drama of the k-9 world, the science of how cadaver dogs work their magic, and her memories (as well as some speculation and commentary) about Damien's case, and the searches for him that she participated in. 

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MILLER'S MOBILE NOTARY

This episode focuses on documentation that led John Herzog to the areas of Jakes Rocks and Devil's Elbow, going so far as to reboot a 2002 canine search of several areas of the ANF at Devil's Elbow. For both those searches, in 2002 and 2003, Barb Ruhlman, of Cornplanter K-9 Team, was present. Barb sat down with me last Friday, and gave me a little more information on those early searches, and describes being pulled from the search for Damien to prove that her dogs weren't alerting to dead dear carcasses in the search area. 

Barb also heard a rumor, all the way back in 2003, that got me to Jake's Rocks and Devil's Elbow, thanks to the City of Warren Police Department's cooperation and the efforts of Northwest Pennsylvania K-9 Search and Rescue, last Memorial Day. For the third dog search of that area so far. 

I'm gonna tell you that rumor, at the end of this episode. 

Also, stay tuned at the end of this episode for a special announcement about Two Moms Media's next project. It's pretty wicked. 

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MILLER'S MOBILE NOTARY

Spring of 2003, in Warren Pa., and I hear a division bell ringing - a call to choose sides. Inside the police department, it was a changeover of the officers leading Damien's investigation. Outside, it was Damien's family, picketing the police department. Winter had passed, but the ice was getting thicker.  This Weeks Sponsor: Miller’s Mobile Notary in Warren. 

John Herzog talked to Damien's best friend since high school, Dave. I talked to Dave too, but I also talked with someone who was willing to give me an interview on tape last year. Her name is Danica, and she met Damien when she moved to Warren from Girard, Pa., in fifth grade. 

Listen in on what Dave told Herzog back in Oct. 2002, and hear Danica add some highlights in her interview. 

#letsfinddamien 

We've got Herzog's notes.  And a lot of what I found in there ticked me off you guys. 

Let's talk about it. 

This episode is a catch up, of everything we didn't know when press time came on the last episode.  You remember when your mom used to get mad? Like really, actually, mad mad, and you knew it was time for the nonsense to end?  Time for the nonsense to end, kids.  All of it.  Everyone is on my nerves this week, and I'm going to tell you why.  

I swear to God it's going to be a bunch of fed up moms that find Damien, you guys. We're all just gonna have had enough by the end of this.  #letsfinddamien 

Links: 

FBI CDR Document 

Vice Article

Private Investigator John Herzog was hired by Damien's mom, Janeane Shanahan, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002 to investigate Damien's disappearance. 

Family has spoken at length about the multitude of feelings regarding the investigation done by law enforcement, and it's changed and flexed over the years to accommodate both their own personal growth and the growth of resources, technology, and opportunities to work toward its resolution. Today, their feelings remain largely within the realm of disappointment, and the dissatisfaction does remain. It's refined now, with a bit of empathy in places, but overall, the family remains unaware of what that PI they hired ever actually found out. 

Here's what we know about the day he was hired, and our main question is this: 

How did Damien's family's PI wind up interviewing Damien's family members alongside police? 

That's this week. 

Janeane's Video

We're recapping the highlights of Damien's story in this episode, reading through his DD214 to debunk the theory that Damien was a specialized soldier who disappeared into a secret military life (it's important to debunk everything you can, and to get documentation...two birds one stone, babies), and talking to his aunts Anziette and Dana about a report they commissioned from PI John Herzog in 2002. 

Season Two begins here. 

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