Missing Since: 2010-03-22 Location: Nokesville, Virginia
Donahue was last seen leaving his parents’ residence in the 14000 block of Aden Road in Nokesville, Virginia at 3:45 p.m. on March 22, 2010. He and a friend, Timothy Sean Hickerson, left in a Hickerson Brothers Electric box truck. They were supposed to be going to Donahue’s own home in the 12000 block of Aden Road. He has never been heard from again. On the day he went missing, Donahue had been paid $5,000 for some work he’d done. He paid Hickerson $1,000 for helping him with the work. The two men were in frequent contact in the weeks before Donahue’s disappearance, calling each other as many as twenty times a day. Donahue had sold the prescription painkiller Oxycontin to Hickerson, and Hickerson owed him money. Hickerson was subsequently sent to prison for four years for burglarizing into two local gun stores. He was the last person known to have been with Donahue, and he admitted to the police that he burglarized Donahue’s home just days before Donahue went missing and stole pills. In September 2024, Hickerson was charged with first-degree murder in Donahue’s case. In May 2025, he was additionally charged with concealment of a dead body. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. He was tried in November 2025. After three days of trial, at the request of the defense, a judge acquitted Hickerson without sending the case to a jury. One of Hickerson’s defense attorneys said the case against him was weak. Donahue has ties to northern Virginia (particularly Fauquier County), Washington D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland. He didn’t have access to a vehicle at the time of his disappearance and frequently got rides from friends to get places. His cellular phone has been turned off since the day of his disappearance. Foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved. Investigating Agency Prince William County Police Department 763-792-7279 Source Information NamUs Dale City Patch Help Find Shane Donahue Inside Nova Facebook Page for Shane Donahue Prince William County Police Department The Prince William Times WUSA 9 NBC Washington Updated 6 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 22, 2025; details of disappearance updated.