I’ve been so caught up in the mindset that if he was at Prospect Park somebody must have driven him there - but now I’m wondering if that’s even necessarily true. There’s a network of trails in the area, big nicely paved trails. I’ve never seen these trails in the winter, no idea if they’re used at all. But right now, if you wanted to get from Prospect Park to the north bank (across the river), you could follow the trail up river and cross that bridge, then follow the trail downriver on the other side. Google Maps shows walking time from the mall to that bridge at just over an hour. Maybe not out of the question at all.
This statement by the police makes me wonder what condition the body was in which leads to a few more questions.
Was the body in good enough condition that they were able to make that determination? Looking at the temperature record for the river at 2nd Ave on the date he disappeared the temp of the water was near freezing but since the end of February has steadily risen to about 60° as of today. I know that in cold water it takes years for a body to decompose but with the rising water temperature, how accelerated would that process become? Has the body been in the water the entire time?
The next question is, was there water found in the lungs? Did he drown or was his body placed in the water after he was already dead?
This reminds of a number of cases in the Midwest where a young man has been missing only to be found in water some time later and the condition of the body doesn't jive with how long they've been missing and they couldn't determine the cause of death
I don’t think those trails would’ve been passable at all. Remember, that day there was a major snowstorm, bad enough that schools were canceled and a ton of businesses closed early
SBM
I feel confident in saying that there’s no way the trails (and many side streets) were cleared for at least a couple of days.
He must have planned on doing something that he only expected to last a few hours. Wherever he was headed, he needed time to get back to Target. Unless his story was bogus and he had no intention of returning to Target.
Around 5 p.m., Abdi Sharif posted on Snapchat using the geotag for the Target store mentioning some “bad, bad news,” his sister said. He later texted his mother asking her to pick him up from work at 9:30 p.m., but when she arrived, texts and calls to him went unanswered.
A lot of young team members hang around when they aren’t scheduled: to visit with friends that are working, to see if they can pick up hours, or sadly, to escape a home situation or to just connect and get attention from someone/anyone because they don’t have other strong social ties.
<snipped by me>
Did Abdi lie to his mom about being called into work because he didn’t feel safe at home?
I’m truly hoping that it’s not the case! I do think he was dearly loved. The medical examiner will be able to answer a lot of our questions in time. I’m lighting a candle for him tonight.
Stay safe, y’all!
About the weather:I don’t think those trails would’ve been passable at all. Remember, that day there was a major snowstorm, bad enough that schools were canceled and a ton of businesses closed early (I remember that because my husband works at a credit union and they closed early - which is rare, especially on a Friday. And then we were out of food and he tried to go to Subway, Jimmy Johns and Hy-Vee to get dinner and they had all closed already!) I feel confident in saying that there’s no way the trails (and many side streets) were cleared for at least a couple of days.
Welcome to websleuths. A first post like that makes me think you had a good reason to want to say what you did. When I read statements from family about an 18 year old man like "Abdi only was ever three places : Home, work and school" that's obviously either untrue or in the unlikely event it is true, he would almost certainly be a very frustrated young man.Hello, new friends! Very sad news today. I used to work in leadership at Target and think Abdi would have been a great person to have on my team. A lot of young team members hang around when they aren’t scheduled: to visit with friends that are working, to see if they can pick up hours, or sadly, to escape a home situation or to just connect and get attention from someone/anyone because they don’t have other strong social ties. Target shifts in Iowa are typically 4 or 4.5 hours or 8 hours, for break law purposes; it’s not always worth it to keep someone and have them have to take a lunch or risk hitting meal compliance. My guess is that he showed up and asked to work. It was said that he helped support his family with his Target earnings, so it makes sense that he would try to get more hours in. As a leader, I would never call a high school student outside of their availability. His leaders probably agreed to let him stay and clock in during typical peak hours (1-4 pm) to support the floor or give someone else the opportunity to go to lunch if there were a lot of call-outs, but might not have necessarily needed him for essential business functions. It sounds like he was a cafe team member? Am I wrong? (“Krusty Krab” reference). Doesn’t always look good to the big bosses to spend payroll on the cafe work center during a snow storm.
Abdi would have had a paid 15 minute break for a shift of 4 hours. You aren’t really supposed to have your phone on the floor while you’re working. He may have taken his break just before 5 pm. There have been times when a break gets pushed back towards the end of a shift, especially if it’s not a scheduled shift. Something might have blown up/escalated at this time and prompted the “bad bad news” post. Or maybe someone asked to meet up. He then called his mom to schedule a ride for later that night.
I know some have said that there have been inconsistencies in statements from the family. I don’t know much about the subject... but I keep thinking about stories of “Honor Killings” in some Muslim communities. Does anyone else know much about this?
It’s probably nothing, I could be crazy, but is it possible that in an attempt to fit in with his peers or to individuate from his family, Abdi engaged in activities that could be seen as shameful? And could someone have taken it upon themselves to deal with him in order to restore honor to the family/community?
Did Abdi lie to his mom about being called into work because he didn’t feel safe at home?
I’m truly hoping that it’s not the case! I do think he was dearly loved. The medical examiner will be able to answer a lot of our questions in time. I’m lighting a candle for him tonight.
Stay safe, y’all!
Such sad news...
PRESS UPDATE:
On 02 May 2020, at approximately 3:10 p.m., Des Moines Police Department patrol officers responded to the Prospect Park Des Moines River banks to investigate a report of a body in the river.
Responding officers arrived and observed what appeared to be a body submerged in the river near the north bank.
Des Moines Fire Department water rescue personnel responded to assist, and did recover a body from the water. Additional assistance was provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The body has been transported to the Polk County Medical Examiners Office. Cause and manner of death, as well as identification, will be determined following an autopsy.
Additional information will be shared as it becomes available for release. The next scheduled update will be at 2:00 p.m., 04 May 2020.
UPDATE: 2:30 p.m., 04 May 2020
The Polk County Medical Examiners Office has identified the body recovered from the river as 18 year old Des Moines resident Abdullahi “Abdi” Sharif. Sharif was last seen on 17 January 2020 at a local Target store.
There were no indications of traumatic injury observed at autopsy. Cause of death will be determined following complete examination of autopsy findings.
Des Moines Police Department detectives continue their investigation. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available for release.
Sgt. Paul Parizek
Hello, new friends! Very sad news today. I used to work in leadership at Target and think Abdi would have been a great person to have on my team. A lot of young team members hang around when they aren’t scheduled: to visit with friends that are working, to see if they can pick up hours, or sadly, to escape a home situation or to just connect and get attention from someone/anyone because they don’t have other strong social ties. Target shifts in Iowa are typically 4 or 4.5 hours or 8 hours, for break law purposes; it’s not always worth it to keep someone and have them have to take a lunch or risk hitting meal compliance. My guess is that he showed up and asked to work. It was said that he helped support his family with his Target earnings, so it makes sense that he would try to get more hours in. As a leader, I would never call a high school student outside of their availability. His leaders probably agreed to let him stay and clock in during typical peak hours (1-4 pm) to support the floor or give someone else the opportunity to go to lunch if there were a lot of call-outs, but might not have necessarily needed him for essential business functions. It sounds like he was a cafe team member? Am I wrong? (“Krusty Krab” reference). Doesn’t always look good to the big bosses to spend payroll on the cafe work center during a snow storm.
Abdi would have had a paid 15 minute break for a shift of 4 hours. You aren’t really supposed to have your phone on the floor while you’re working. He may have taken his break just before 5 pm. There have been times when a break gets pushed back towards the end of a shift, especially if it’s not a scheduled shift. Something might have blown up/escalated at this time and prompted the “bad bad news” post. Or maybe someone asked to meet up. He then called his mom to schedule a ride for later that night.
I know some have said that there have been inconsistencies in statements from the family. I don’t know much about the subject... but I keep thinking about stories of “Honor Killings” in some Muslim communities. Does anyone else know much about this?
It’s probably nothing, I could be crazy, but is it possible that in an attempt to fit in with his peers or to individuate from his family, Abdi engaged in activities that could be seen as shameful? And could someone have taken it upon themselves to deal with him in order to restore honor to the family/community?
Did Abdi lie to his mom about being called into work because he didn’t feel safe at home?
I’m truly hoping that it’s not the case! I do think he was dearly loved. The medical examiner will be able to answer a lot of our questions in time. I’m lighting a candle for him tonight.
Stay safe, y’all!
A family may not call police to report a missing person in a very timely manner for a variety of innocent reasons.
He left a Snapchat before vanishing that said he got "some bad bad bad news". We have basically no information whatsoever about anything that was going on in his life so your guess as to what could have been so bad is as good as anyone's@evilwise I'm just wondering what you mean by "nearly anything could have been 'bad bad news.'"
I just saw "Found Deceased" - I really hoped for a different outcome here.
I want to say this as sensitively as possible, but it is a thought I have had since the beginning. It would account for the car ride to the park, being in the park (maybe the intent was not to leave the car) and his thought he would only be gone for a few hours - so his mom could pick him up. I do believe he had to get a ride given the weather. Could he have been meeting another man/young man on a hook-up app and it was a predator?
I have a daughter around the same age and all my kids have lots of friends whose parents are immigrants because of where we live. Being gay is very taboo in some of the parents' cultures but Abdi is at an age where he could have figured out how to meet people online. And predators sense when someone is vulnerable. It is often the first thought when 17/18 year old girls go missing in similar circumstances.
This does not account for the "bad news" texts, but it would explain the sister stated she "didn't know all his secrets." Maybe she sensed something but does not want to come out and say it. I also would not rule out suicide but how did he get to the park?
Welcome! Thank you for your insights into Target "culture." It does sound like he felt at home and had friends/peers among his co-workers. I also feel like his family loved him very much - they were so dogged getting a PI and searching. I do believe that there may have been cultural reasons that he lied to his mom, though not "honor killing" - more teen/US values vs. other cultural and generational values. They must be heartbroken.
Re waiting to call police and not going in to Target to check- there could be any number of reasons. Language barriers, a belief that you have to wait a certain amount of time before reporting a missing person, a fear of law enforcement possibly due to prior experiences in a home or host country. Due to my childhood experiences I'm very hesitant to contact law enforcement and it's rarely the first thing that comes to my mind in situations when others would immediately call police. So I'm not viewing the family's actions in delayed reporting as suspicious. Moo
Is he still restricted by a curfew if age 18?
Honestly just wondering, not trying to express an opinion.