IMPD confirmed that a missing father and ex-husband, who was last heard from in May 2023, has been located safe.
An IMPD official verified that the detective assigned to Derrick Sanders’ case had safely located Sanders overnight on Tuesday, March 18.
Sanders was discovered in Indianapolis, according to the detective, but the particular area was not specified. His ex-wife, Ashley Sanders, wrote on social media that “while we haven’t yet been able to speak with Derrek directly, we are hopeful for a reunion soon.” Please continue to keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this next chapter.”
Ashley was married to Derrick for three years, after having been together for a decade. Even after the divorce, they maintained touch with their three children.
Ashley became anxious when she didn’t hear from Derrick around the holidays in 2022, and months passed.
Ashley stated that she remained in contact with Derrick’s relatives, who were also not hearing from him.
“He’s close to his mom, so (he’s) never not communicated with somebody for that amount of time,” she said.
According to Ashley, the last time anyone heard from Derrick was in May 2023 at a home on Pershing Avenue, near West Morris Street and South Belmont Avenue, on Indianapolis’ near southwest side.
“I had somebody pull his name, and that’s when I noticed that he had been in an altercation, and we still hadn’t heard from him at that point, so we put the missing persons report in,” Ashley said.
Ashley stated that she is frustrated and wants answers.
“The fact that the last known location anywhere was an altercation scares me,” Ashley said.
On March 18, 2025, IMPD confirmed that Sanders had been found safe in Indianapolis.
