Sage Smith, 19: Trans Woman Disappears After Meeting Up With Date In 2012
Erik McFadden would later leave town and in 2019, he was reported missing, as well. In 2025, police tracked him down in Los Angeles.
The dating scene in a social media-driven culture has changed how people develop relationships. Sage Smith was one of many teens who took a chance on love with someone she met online, and her efforts proved successful.
On November 20, 2012, Sage told her roommate, Aubrey Carson, that she had plans to meet up with someone. It was around 6:30 p.m. that evening that Sage was spotted on West Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia, but the 19-year-old has been missing ever since.
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Sage’s Background, Upbringing, & Transitioning
Sage Smith didn’t grow up like many of her peers did, as she was born Dashad Smith. She lived in the foster care system until she aged out, and at 18, she was living on her own. Her grandmother, Lolita Smith, described Sage as someone who always had a smile on her face, and she was proud to see that, at 19, Sage’s life was moving in the right direction.
In November 2012, the month she went missing, Sage took to social media to share that she was a trans woman and would be living her life as such. She embraced who she was and told her friends on social media to “Respect It.” Lolita was looking forward to what would unfold for Sage. Sadly, she instead spent years waiting for news about her granddaughter.
“I miss my Sage so much,” Lolita told Dateline years ago. “I would give anything for my baby to walk through the door.”
Sage’s Last Known Movements Before Disappearing
When Sage didn’t return home from her date, her roommate became concerned and called Lolita, who in turn told Aubrey to contact the authorities. An investigation would uncover that Sage had been texting with a man named Erik McFadden, and when detectives looked into the 28-year-old, they discovered that McFadden had told friends he planned to meet someone on West Main Street on November 20.
Repeated calls to Sage’s cell phone went unanswered, and while she was known to keep her phone on and charged, it was later turned off. In the days after Sage disappeared, investigators wanted to speak to McFadden, and on November 24, his girlfriend reported him as a missing person. It seems he never showed up to work and disappeared without telling anyone.
McFadden Finally Contacts Police, But Things Become More Complicated
On November 27, McFadden reportedly called the police and informed them he was in New York. When asked about Sage, he claimed they never met because she simply stood him up. According to McFadden, he didn’t know Sage’s whereabouts and hung up on the authorities when they suggested he return to Virginia.
Two days after the call, McFadden’s girlfriend reportedly alerted authorities that he was making his way back to Charlottesville, and he was prepared for the police to meet him. However, he never arrived, and the girlfriend said McFadden decided not to return.
He offered up an explanation about Sage when he emailed his girlfriend the following day to say that the teen was blackmailing him with threats that he would tell her that they had sexual intercourse. He admitted to meeting Sage on the evening of November 20 but denied knowing what happened to her.
McFadden Goes Missing As Well
“This is a loss that is different from other losses because there is no closure. It’s like you can’t finish grieving; it’s a continuance untied feeling that hits me,” said LaTasha Dennis, Sage’s mother. Sage’s sister, Eanna Langston, added, “With every milestone I reach, I wish he was able to be there getting my license, graduation, scholarship ceremonies, or college move-in day, but he is not.”
Then, McFadden, too, became a missing person in 2019. He was uncooperative with the police and, like Sage, vanished. It was his mother who reported him as an official missing person after learning that his father had not already done so.
CBS19 has reported that McFadden has connections to “Baltimore, Maryland; Joppa, Maryland; Lake City, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; New York City, New York; or Rochester, New York, along with other places on the West Coast.”
Then, in 2025, WMRA reported that police finally located McFadden in Los Angeles, California. “Charlottesville detectives traveled to Los Angeles just last month and located him while in the process of attempting to change his name,” the outlet stated. It was also shared that McFadden agreed to an hourlong interview with police. There is a detective assigned to the case. Authorities are asking for the public’s help and have requested that anyone who had contact with McFadden in the last 14 years come forward.
Sage Smith’s case was classified as a homicide in 2016. It is unclear if McFadden was detained, arrested, or if there are plans to charge him with any crime connected to Sage’s disappearance.
Charlottesville Police are reportedly offering a $10,000 reward in this case, and the city is matching that $10,000 for any information leading to an arrest.
Sage Smith: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Sage Smith stood 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed approximately 130 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair (may wear a red wig) and brown eyes. Her ears and nipples are pierced. Sage was last seen wearing a black jacket, dark gray sweatpants, a black scarf, and gray boots.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Sgt. Ron Stayments at (434) 970-3939, Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000, or their local authorities.
Please share this story about Sage Smith to help resolve this case and bring her home. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Case Number: 201207351
Agency: Sgt. Ron Stayments
Phone: (434) 970-3939
Email:
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