Missing Songwriter's Daughter Searching for Answers 31 Years After His Disappearance

07/07/2022 04:05 pm EDT

A daughter continues to search for answers to the disappearance of her father. Pat Guild, an aspiring songwriter, who went missing in Tenessee more than 30 years ago. He'd moved to Nashville to pursue his musical aspirations. His daughter, Shannon Cacopardo, wants answers and has been on a long desperate search to uncover the truth. After his move to the city, he quickly fell on hard times. News Channel 5 reports that he ended up in a homeless camp under the I-24/I-40 overpass which was known as "Tent City." Prior to his disappearance, he'd worked as a pipe fitter, and built a house under the overpass that was featured in an article in The Tennessean on November 15, 1989. The case remains active.

"He was pretty much living off the grid," Det. Matthew Filter with the Metro Nashville Police Department told the media outlet. "There were no utilities in his name. He did have a driver's license, but other than that there is very little as far as records of his existence." Guild was last seen on Dec. 1, 1991. He is described as being 6'1" tall, with a skinny build and brown hair, as well as some kind of facial hair. As of now, whether he is dead or alive remains unknown.

Cacopardo last saw her father when she was 2 years old and had no relationship with him growing up. Despite such, she has attempted to find him. "I went down the line through all his siblings, and reached out to everyone on social media, but just hit dead end after dead end," she said. She currently lives in Connecticut. 

Cacopardo officially filed a missing persons report in 2018. She also searches online for his whereabouts, hopeful that it'll lead her somewhere. However, all she has been able to confirm is that he lived in Nashville sometime between the mid-1980s to 1991. But she refuses to give up.

"I'm trying to search for something that's 30 years old," she said. "It's like a needle in a haystack…It's definitely emotional for me. At the end of the day, all I really want is an answer."

Det. Filter also wants closure. "I think anytime you can give a family some answers, as far as what happened to their loved one, that at least, closes a chapter of your life," he added. Police are urging anyone with information on the case to call the Metro Police Cold Case Unit at 615-862-7329, or Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.

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