Father Freed, No Word on Daughter

Odell Sheppard spent more than 10 years behind bars in Chicago, insisting he knew nothing about the whereabouts of his 2-year-old daughter. The girl’s mother had hoped jail would make Sheppard talk. But now that the mother is dead, Sheppard is a free man and the mystery remains. The case began in 1982, when Norell Sanders met Sheppard. They had a daughter, Deborah. On Sept. 29, 1984, weeks before the child’s second birthday, Sheppard abruptly took her to Memphis, Tenn. Sheppard, now 50, says he returned Deborah to her mother after a family funeral in Tennessee. But Sanders swore she never saw the girl again. Sheppard was convicted of child abduction. He was released in 1987 but soon landed back in jail for contempt.