Fayetteville police investigate three missing persons cases

On Thursday, police found an abandoned dark-green, 1998 Chevrolet Malibu along the side of Rim Road near the bridge toward Fork Road. They determined that the car belongs to William Edward Whitehead, 22, who was reported missing by his family on July 8 after he didn't show up for work July 7, police said.

Whitehead is a black man with short, black dreadlocked hair, brown eyes, the words "William Whitehead" tattooed on his neck and "Deandrew" tattooed on his chest. He is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds.

Anyone with information on his disappearance is asked to call police at 910-433-1856 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-TIPS.

Police also renewed pleas for information on the whereabouts of Shasta Gacnik, 34, and Shawn Short, 34, who disappeared in 2010. Police do not believe there's any connection between the cases.

Gacnik is a white woman of Russian descent with long, straight, light blonde hair, green eyes and three tattoos – the word "Spice" on her neck, a jaybird on her back and a smiley face with horns above her navel. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds.

She was last seen leaving Sparkey's nightclub on Dec. 12. She might be in Georgia or Colorado, police said.

Short is a black woman with black hair, green eyes, the word "TRAMP" tattooed on her lower back, "Pussycat" on her abdomen, "Patrick" on her right thigh and "Beverly Jean" on her left shoulder. She is 5-foot-3 and weighs about 110 pounds.

She was last seen leaving work at B&B Bowling Lanes on Fort Bragg Road on Aug. 20. She had been staying with various family members at the time she went missing.

Anyone with information of the whereabouts of Gacnik or Short is asked to call police at 910-433-1529 or 1530, or call Crime Stoppers.