CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — On the 13th anniversary of Dashad “Sage” Smith’s disappearance, Charlottesville police chief Michael Kochis revealed that detectives had found and interviewed Erik McFadden, a longtime person of interest in the case who had been missing since 2019, during a press conference on Thursday.

“This is an important step forward, but we have a lot of work that remains,” Kochis said, ” and we cannot do that alone.”

Smith was last seen on Nov. 2o, 2012 around 6 p.m. in the 500 block of West Main Street. Police had previously identified McFadden as a a critical person of interest in the case, as he was supposed to meet Smith that night and is the last known person to have contact with Smith. But on the morning McFadden was supposed to meet with detectives in-person, he did not show and reportedly left Charlottesville.

CPD reclassified Smith’s case from a missing person’s case to a homicide in Nov. 2016, and later filed a missing person’s report for McFadden in June 2019 at the request of his mother. Detectives previously believed McFadden have traveled to and lived in cities like Baltimore, Joppa, Md., Lake City, S.C., Columbia, S.C., Atlanta, Ga., New York City, Rochester, N.Y.

However, CPD ultimately tracked him down in Los Angeles, where Charlottesville detectives located him last month while in the process of attempting to change his name to “Shiloh Mathis,” one of many aliases police believed he may have used over the years. Once found, detectives were able to conduct an interview with him that lasted about an hour, and Kochis says they are now following up on the information gathered.

Kochis was unable to reveal any information from the interview, but said the detectives are currently gather more information in what he called “an active and fluid investigation.”

“When you go back and look in a case that has gone on for this long, you have to go back re-interview individuals, identify evidence, forensics, a lot of stuff that was looked at back then because there’s new technology that is out there now, new forensic techniques that are out there that weren’t, maybe 13 years,” he said, “and so we’re looking at all of that stuff.”

The department is also asking for the help of anyone who may have had contact with McFadden since 2012 to provide any information. Along with “Shiloh Mathis,” the department also identified “Frank Hargrave” and “Miles Bakari” as potential aliases.

“McFadden has been across this country,” Kochis said, “I’m sure he’s talked to people and engaged with other individuals, and so we want to hear from them. As little as it may be. As insignificant as they may think it is. It could be helpful to us.”

While detectives continue to gather further information in the wake of McFadden’s interview, Kochis said police they believe he is still in Los Angeles. If he is needed again for the investigation, Kochis expressed confidence that his detectives would be able to track him down if needed.

“We found him this time,” he said. “We’ll find him.”

Anyone with information on McFadden or the case as a whole is encouraged to contact Detective Cundiff at 434-996-5875 or submit a tip to cpdtips@charlottesville.gov.