Detroit 4/Facebook D'wan Sims (age 4) and Mike Cash (current)
The last time anyone last saw D’wan Sims, the 4-year-old boy who reportedly went missing while shopping with his mother, Dwanna Harris, at Wonderland Mall in Detroit, was on December 11, 1994. But earlier this week, 25 years to the day since Sims initially disappeared, a man who’s identified himself on Facebook as Mike Cash, has told the Livonia Police Department that he’s the young boy went missing.
Livonia Police Captain Ronald Taig, who was working at the department when the investigation into D’wans’ whereabouts first became national news, confirmed that “an individual came in on December 11, which just happened to be the 25th anniversary of D’Wan being missing. He came in and provided a DNA sample.” Taig told Local 4 News in Detroit. “I think we’re all shocked, absolutely.”
While Cash has submitted his DNA to the police for testing, Taig added that he found it a little strange that he posted about the investigation on Facebook. “I guess what’s odd is that he claimed that he didn’t want any of this information out in the media and from what I understand he has put this out on social media,” said Taig.
Cash has since deleted a few of the original posts he posted about the investigation on Facebook, but he left a message up on his timeline that read, “Just got off the phone with Livonia police and they just got my DNA sitting there and ain’t even set it off yet. I need a f***ing lawyer man.”
Mike Cash Facebook
Taig said D’Wan’s mother “did contact and talk to this person and ask him about some personal information that only her and D’Wan Sims would know, like birthmarks,” Taig stated. “He wasn’t able to answer those questions, along with the date of birth.” However sources also told Local 4 that Cash had previously reached out to Dewanna on Facebook, and that she blocked him.
Police Said It Will Be 3 to 4 Months Before DNA Results Arrive
The police department still has the DNA samples from D’Wan’s father and mother, and will now test Cash’s DNA for a match analysis. It is standard procedure for any high profile case for authorities to follow through with these kind of claims.
D’Wan now would be 29. He is still listed as missing on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website.
The Initial Investigation Into D’Wan’s Disappearance Focused On His Mother As A Suspect
In 1994, Dwanna Harris told reporters, “The only thing that I want the public to know, is that my only concern is finding my son. Whoever has my baby, I know he’s safe, and I know you´re taking good care of him … What I’m hoping is that someone may have ran across my child. We’ve got your Christmas ready, so, just come home.”
However, as investigators poured through surveillance video from Wonderland Mall, while it revealed that Harris was at the mall, D’wan was never seen on camera, which led them to believe her son may not have ever been at the mall in the first place. “We checked everything, and we never saw D’Wan with Ms. Sims,” Taig said.
Dwanna hired a criminal defense lawyer but no charges were ever filed. She changed her name and moved to North Carolina. Sergeant Shelley Holloway told the Detroit Free Press that the boy’s disappearance still bothered her in 2009.
“We’re pretty confident D’Wan never made it to Wonderland Mall,” Holloway said, revisiting the case 15 years later. “This time of year is always difficult. It’s so close to the time. We’re doing the best we can. It’s just not a whole lot to say.”
Cash Lives In Detroit & Is Raising A Daughter Of His Own
According to Cash’s Facebook page, he continued to live in Detroit after studying college at Central Michigan University. In addition to working for Heavy Load Entertainment, he’s also raising a daughter named Mahari.
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