Never give up!

Published 10:24 am Thursday, March 22, 2012

JACKSON — Where is Daniel McCoy Moses?

It’s the question constantly on the mind of Daniel’s sister, Shelia Moses, and other family members.

On Monday, as the award-winning children’s author read to an audience of gleeful and enthusiastic school children from Central Elementary at the Northampton County Memorial Library, even then Daniel and the mystery that surrounds his disappearance was not far from her mind.

“It’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night and it’s the first thing I think about in the morning,” Moses said. “There’s no way around it. My ultimate goal is to find my brother. That’s the priority at all times.”

Daniel, 59, was last seen the morning of June 16, 2011 at his home located 1903 W.J. Duke Service Road near the small community of Rehoboth, off NC 305 between Jackson and Rich Square.

Moses is a black male with a mustache and black hair with shades of gray cut in a box style. He is 6-foot, three inches tall and weighs 200 pounds.

Oddly enough the same day Daniel went missing a fire destroyed his home, which Moses said belonged to their grandfather. According to investigators, Daniel was not found inside of the home or on the property, yet his vehicles remained parked in the driveway.

A $10,000 reward is being offered in the case.

Northampton County Sheriff Wardie P. Vincent said the case is being actively investigated by Chief Detective Capt. Darryl Harmon.

“We are still looking at information coming in through different sources,” he said. “We have different avenues we’re exploring.”

Vincent said his office has interviewed a number of people and is working on the case with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

As for the fire, Vincent said at the time it was deemed suspicious because it occurred the same day Daniel went missing. However, an SBI arson investigator came to the conclusion that faulty wiring in the air conditioning unit was the cause.

Moses describes the fire as “a hell of a coincidence.”

“I think they (law enforcement) are doing a good job considering the circumstances, but it’s a needle in a haystack and I think we’re going to have to dig under that haystack to find out what happened to my brother,” she said. “Grown, 200 pound men that have been doing karate since they were 20 years old don’t disappear; he’s not the guy you pick a fight with.”

Moses described her brother as a man who enjoyed the simple things in life following his retirement.

“He had a really simple life,” she said. “He had a bad back so he couldn’t do a lot, but he fished and caught turtles, a little hunting now and then. …To our knowledge he had no enemies.”

Moses said it’s the unknown that causes so much anguish for her and her family. But Moses vows she will never give up on the search for Daniel.

“What they underestimate is that I’m never going to stop looking for my brother,” she said. “I owe it to him and I owe it to my mother, and I owe it to my ancestors to make sure no one with Jones (Moses’ mother’s family) blood running through their veins be taken away. I think who ever did this really underestimates what family and love means.”

She continued, “This is not a family that is going to go away, we’re going to keep looking, we’re going to keep questioning, we’re going to find out what happened to Daniel Moses.”

Those with information about Daniel McCoy Moses whereabouts are urged to call the NCSO at (252) 534-2611 or the Northampton County Crime Stoppers Line at (252) 534-1110. The SBI can also be contacted at (800) 334-3000. All information will be kept confidential.