From loss to purpose: Blue Island daughter writes book after father’s disappearance and death

Helping other families of missing people with a new book

It’s been just over a month since the body of a missing Blue Island father was found after a nationwide search. Now, his daughter is turning that painful experience into something she hopes can help others - going through the same thing. Leslie Moreno is live in Marionette Park with her story.

MERRIONETTE PARK, Ill. - It’s been just over a month since the body of a missing Blue Island father was found following a nationwide search.

Now, his daughter is turning that painful experience into something she hopes can help others facing the same uncertainty.

What we know:

Wendy Davis says the project is not about money, but about honoring her father and helping others.

"I want to call it ‘Finding Dan Davis,’ I think," she said.

For months, people across the country followed the search for 59-year-old Dan Davis, who vanished last November. His body was found in March near a drainage ditch at 127th Street and Kedzie Avenue after nearly three months.

Now, just weeks later, his daughter is finding purpose in the pain.

"I do want to make a comprehensive ‘here’s what worked, here’s what didn’t,’" she said. "I’m going to lay out every single detail we did."

Davis says the book will go beyond her father’s story, offering a roadmap for families navigating a missing loved one case.

"The thing that helped me while my dad was missing was hearing about other people’s stories," she said. "Comparing it to what we were doing and going through the checklist of, ‘OK, they did this, we did that too, we’re on the right track.’"

She hopes to create that same sense of connection for others.

"Kind of like a scrapbook-style … telling the timeline of events from my point of view. The practical steps of the search but also including quotes from my dad’s closest friends and coworkers," she said.

Davis worked with multiple agencies during the search, something she believes gives her a unique perspective.

"I feel like that’s the most useful thing we can do so other people can refer to what we did and check off things they’ve done that we’ve done," she said.

A project she believes her father would be proud of.

"I think he would be so incredibly proud of all of us, me and everyone who helped," she said.

The book is still in its early stages, but Davis hopes to have it available in bookstores soon.