Smoke: The Disappearance of Damien Sharp

02/14/2025

Been a minute, because I have nothing to report. And that makes me wanna scream my head off. But then I’m standing in the jail lobby and look who’s looking back at me. Still flyers out. Three years later. And that’s awesome. This is not going away, no matter how quiet it gets around here.

05/25/2024

If you’re out in the woods this weekend, don’t forget that Damien may be too. Keep your eyes open, and report all weird s**t to the City of Warren police at 814-723-2700.

Ask for Det. Tiffany Post. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled I asked you to report “all weird s**t.” But you know what I mean. Don’t waste her time, but don’t you dare keep any potentially Damien-related information to yourself. Ever. But especially not this weekend.

All any of us want is resolution. An answer. And any remains there might be returned to his family. Who have waited a hell of a lot longer than long enough.

Be safe out there this weekend, kids. And make good choices.

Love, two moms.

09/16/2023

Not stopped over here, but been quiet. Been moving. Been rearranging my life a lot.

But for sure not stopped. Celebrated getting all moved in by taking Viper out to Jake’s Rocks today.

If you listen through the end of the second season, you’ll understand my thinking in the Jakes Rocks/Devils Elbow area.

This time, we took Viper along the left side of Devils Elbow, and then headed up to the top, to that tank at the bottom of the service road from Jakes.

No indications today, but that’s actually kind of what I was going for. We stuck to other areas of the overall space, areas that would not reinforce the idea that scent traveled to Devils through runoff, with source being higher, like up top.

So when we got to Seneca trail from that water tank, we turned left rather than right. I wanted to make sure that there were no indications in areas where runoff could not have caused scent at the left of Devils Elbow back then.

Last time we were there, we turned right from the tank. Anything to the right of that tank is going to run down to the left side of devils elbow. We did wind up taping off a tree that time, after Viper’s interest picked up there.

Today, we really wanted to narrow down that there was nothing contaminating that interest in any other direction. Next time we will be back to the right of the tank headed down Devils Drop.

If my recreationalist friends are out there soaking up the last of this glorious fall, please keep your eyes as far off trail as possible and your mind as open as can be.

I don’t care how stupid it sounds. If you see something weird please tell me. I’m getting quite familiar with these trails by now. If you describe where you’re seeing it and take me some pictures I can go check and maybe Viper can come with me.

Winter, I’ll be reaching out to some new folks and catching back up on some threads left open at the end of last season.

Still working over here.

Tell your friends.

07/04/2023

Almost ready to start this glorious stroll down Pennsylvania Ave. Camped out and waiting for our turn right in front of 19 Cedar St. I’m sure y’all know who used to live there. Let’s find him this year.

Watch out for flying chickens, my people!! Here we come! 🖤🖤

06/30/2023

If anybody wants to walk with us in the parade this year we have some rubber chickens to walk and some to sling into the crowd! Message me.

06/09/2023

So okay.

I’ve heard plenty o’ campfire tales and more than my fair share of what are almost certainly exaggerations of the truth re: the remains found in Freehold Twp. earlier this week.

Based on what I’ve heard - which is neither verifiable nor officially confirmed information as of right now - I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE REMAINS FOUND ARE DAMIEN’S.

Based solely on the stories I have heard, both the context and the clothing accompanying those remains are a strong mismatch for our guy. I don’t factually know any of these things. But based on what I have heard, it is unlikely. Unconfirmed details aren’t mine to share, but that’s my strong opinion.

What I do factually know is this:

1. Skeletal remains, which police believe are human, were found in a shed on Kidder Road in Freehold Township on Tuesday.

2. The shed hasn’t been used in at least one year, but possibly more. I’ve not spoken directly with the homeowner, though I have reached out and tried. No. I will not tell you their name or address. Not for me to take it upon myself to release. Lo siento.

3. The remains are most likely human, but police are not going to tell the media that until they’re damn ready. Sometimes it be that way with la policia. Total bummer, but wait we must.

But also, for my friends in the media, follow up we absolutely must as well. 😉👍

4. The reason you read in one or more stories that they were investigating whether or not more remains were present is because…wait for it…they don’t know yet. And need to investigate the area surrounding the remains they did find. One adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones. Some of them are under 5 mm in size. It actually does take a minute, you guys. Hang in there.

5. Laboratory examination and DNA testing of suspected human remains are not the same thing. Lab examination involves just what I was talking about above: the laying out and arranging of all bones recovered, to see the skeleton in as complete a form as possible. First of all, is it just one individual? More? Is it complete? Incomplete?

At this point also, microscopy and other relatively surface-level (but still more specialized than straight “eyeballing it”) data are collected (and documented, copiously). This is when age and gender are estimated, and any hypotheses on manner of death are generated based on obvious or microscopic skeletal trauma. This is also a time for accounting: is everything (including teeth) present and accounted for? If not, why not? Again, this is hypothesis generation time.

6. Hypotheses are tested at the DNA level of the process, during which time a complete biological profile is generated for the individual, including confirmation of gender and other unique characteristics that may genetically prove identity based on “matches” for living relatives.

7. Depending on the complexity of any one of those steps, this entire process can take anywhere from weeks to months to years. In my opinion, this one may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months, but again that’s just an educated guess on my part.

One thing that could drastically speed up that process is whether or not any identification was found along with the remains. I don’t know if it was. But, if that’s the case, then you’re just waiting for authorities to notify next-of-kin, and satisfy their own questions regarding whether or not they have a crime to solve.

In my personal (not professional, I’m a professional at 0 things) opinion, they do not. But only time will tell. Stay tuned to YDL for more updates. Brian be the grownup reporter and stuff.

I’m just a crazy girl with a mic. Remember? 🖤

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, Pa. – State police are investigating after skeletal remains were found in an abandoned shed in Freehold Township on the western edge of Warren County Tuesday. In a release issued Wednesday, Corry-based Pennsylvania State Police said troopers had initiated a death investigation a...

05/28/2023

If you haven’t listened yet…now’s the weekend. Also, had a beautiful walk in the woods today.

S01E01: https://anchor.fm/letsfinddamien/episodes/1--Goth-Kid-e1j1bdn

05/25/2023

21 years ago tonight everything changed.

Damien visited his brother at Master Skater, a local indoor skatepark where his brother worked part time.

Damien visited friends, including Bryce Blackman, who drove him to the place he was last seen alive.

Bryce dropped Damien off at the apartment of James Sarver, 332 Prospect St., Warren. Sarver says that the two shot the s**t for an hour or so, both made a call, and they parted ways on the street outside, with plans to meet up later that evening at a party in Glade Township.

Listen to both seasons of the podcast again for so many details it’ll make your head spin. Link to the show is in the About section. But first, hear it from Damien’s mom, Janeane Shanahan, herself.

21 years is too many damn years, kids. Let’s find him.

Her 22 year old son left his apartment Memorial Weekend telling his friends he would be back shortly. Damien has been missing almost 10 years from Warren Pa...

05/25/2023

I’ve been keeping my mouth shut over here, mostly. Mostly, that’s because there’s nothing new to report. Still working on getting dogs out to Jake’s Rocks this summer, and I will update everyone on that, but without a badge getting a certified dog out - even just for a fun walk in the woods - is a task.

But it’s important to me that you guys know that no matter what other story I’m working on, no matter what else I’m doing to try to feed myself these days, I wake up thinking about Damien and I go to sleep thinking about Damien. And that will never stop.

21 fu***ng years. I swear to God, I am not a mean person, but I will spend my life trying to figure out who is responsible for 21 years of Damien’s family’s suffering. And I’m gonna tell the whole world when I find out. So if you think Janeane knows what it is to be haunted, friend, if you had jack and/or s**t to do with Damien’s disappearance? You’ve been haunted for two years and that’s just a drop in the bucket. I’m coming for you. Enjoy the next 21. 🖤

05/11/2023

A friend of Damien’s reached out last night with some photos and offered to tell me Damien stories today. Nothing to do with his disappearance, but stories about how he was nice to her when she was new here. Can’t wait to hear them. These are the photos she shared with me! 🖤

05/04/2023

It’s been a minute. I’ve been quiet.

Here’s what’s up:

1. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I shouldn’t be. The dog I wanted to get up to Jakes Rocks wasn’t able to make it, and I can feel the firey wrath of my night editor’s disapproval burning little laser hate holes into the back of my neck as we speak.

But here’s the deal: I cannot control what happens for and with other people. I can only facilitate people who are able and willing to go to Jake’s Rocks with me, with dogs.

There’s a little bit of divine timing involved as well. Sadly, I am a mere mortal.

While I reach out to more people who might be able to bring their dog to Jake’s Rocks,

2. Does anyone have any local work experience at Warren General Hospital in 2002? I need to know exactly what kind of crutches were sent home with patients from the Warren General Hospital ER in 2002. Specifically, in May of 2002.

I can put a finer point on that.

Could this make and model, so to speak, of aluminum crutch have been sent home with Damien in May of 2002 from the Warren General Hospital ER, where he was treated for his knee injury on or around May 18, 2002?

Riddle me this, Batmen and Batwomen.

If you know, let me know.

04/22/2023