NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man who came to Nashville to follow his dream of becoming a songwriter disappeared, and more than 30 years later his daughter is still hoping to find out what happened to him.
Pat Guild first moved to Nashville from Arizona around 1986, however, the struggling songwriter quickly fell on hard times. He was living in a homeless camp under the I-24/I-40 overpass which was known as "Tent City."
He previously 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.
"He was pretty much living off the grid," said Detective Matthew Filter with the Metro Nashville Police Department. "There were no utilities in his name. He did have a drivers license, but other than that there is very little as far as records of his existence."
Metro police say Pat was last seen on December 1, 1991. He was about 6'1'' tall, with a skinny build and brown hair, as well as some kind of facial hair. Detectives currently have no evidence to confirm if he is dead or alive.
His biological daughter, Shannon Cacopardo, last saw her father when she was two years old and had no relationship with him growing up. However, as an adult, she attempted to track him down.
"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," said Cacopardo, who currently lives in Connecticut.
She officially filed a Missing Persons report in 2018, and continued scouring the internet for any sign of her dad. All she was able to confirm was that he lived in Nashville sometime between the mid 1980s to 1991.
"I'm trying to search for something that's 30 years old," said Cacopardo. "It's like a needle in a haystack."
Cacopardo said finding out what happened to her dad would provide closure she has waited years for.
"It's definitely emotional for me," said Cacopardo. "At the end of the day, all I really want is an answer."
"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," said Detective Filter.
If you have any information on where Pat could be, please call the Metro Police Cold Case Unit at 615-862-7329, or Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.
