John Spira (Chicago Johnny) 45, missing 2/24/07 West Chicago, IL

[Sleeks]

I was just saying yesterday how some cases are not as publicized as others, unfortunately family members are hurting because of that.

http://www.johnspira.com/

[pdh3]

Do they have any idea what may have happened to him?

[Sleeks]

Unfortunately pdh3 - it doesn't really sound like they do have any ideas as to what happened.  I am also interested to know who had seen him last and where was he planning on going (and or doing).  That in and of itself should at least explain much more.  I mean, was he depressed - happy, busy - what???  

I guess once again we just have to wait to see if the local LE is getting any information - Unfortunately however, he has been missing since Feb. and we all know here how important time is.

[Nut44x4]

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=140725
Published: 2/23/2008 12:27 AM
Family hasn't given up search for missing St. Charles man


Stephanie McNeil can accept the possibility her brother might be dead. It's not knowing why or how that keeps her grief in limbo.

"There's no ending in sight, no moving on," she said. "How can you move on when you don't know what you're moving on from? It just eats you alive."

It was one year ago today anyone saw or heard from McNeil's brother, John Spira of St. Charles. Then 45 years old, the area business owner and regionally known blues guitarist, who went by the name Chicago Johnny, vanished one Friday after work.

Relatives have maintained Spira wouldn't simply have left town without a word to anyone or taken his own life.

And a series of mysterious events following his disappearance have only fueled the family's speculation Spira was murdered.

"I have my theories on who did this but unfortunately a theory doesn't allow you to go and arrest somebody," McNeil said from her home in Phoenix.

Among the unanswered questions is whether arson was behind a fire that destroyed Spira's business outside West Chicago, Universal Cable, on Sept. 17, more than six months after he was reported missing. A day before the fire, relatives discovered a 10-by-10-foot banner with Spira's photo and reward information had been vandalized.

Randy Simpson, commander of the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force, said Friday the fire remains "an open investigation," but provided no other details.

DuPage County Sheriff's Commander of Criminal Investigations Mark Edwalds said police continue to investigate the disappearance.

"We don't have any evidence that points us in any direction as far as a theory," he said.

Last year, police explored the possibility Spira, a licensed pilot, rented a plane to leave the area. But the theory was ruled out when they found his flight gear and no records of him flying.

Spira's home since has been foreclosed and his personal belongings sold by the wife he was divorcing at the time of his disappearance, McNeil said. A partner operates Universal Cable from a trailer behind the old office.

Relatives conducted numerous searches over the last year in forest preserves near Spira's home and business. McNeil also plans to use sonar equipment to check several bodies of water in the same areas.

"The searches we've done really aren't the kind you can say, 'OK, you can cross this place off the list,'" she said. "We're not professionals."

Spira is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 145 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen in a turtleneck, blue jeans and a green aviator-style jacket.

His family seeks volunteers to join search parties or post missing person fliers -- available at www.johnspira.com -- in their communities. They also are throwing a private party today at Spira's favorite blues club, Kingston Mines in Chicago, "to honor John and thank people who have done so much for us this past year," McNeil said

"We're not quite ready for a memorial," she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comment at the site>>
The circumstances surrounding Johnny's disaperance.... sounds MOB related. They are notorious for burning businesses when owners will not pay them money...or give them a cut of the action. Additionally the fact that he was getting divorced and this ocurred is puzzling and can not be over looked also. I can't see the ex-soon to be wife wanting the business burned. She would probally want all the money she could get out of a divorce settlement....
posted by lady72 on Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:44 PM

[Nut44x4]

Arizona woman vows to continue search for brother

Fri Oct 17, 2008
West Chicago, IL -

For the first time since her brother disappeared 20 months ago, Stephanie McNeil can say she knows where her brother is not.

Last weekend, McNeil teamed with friends and family of missing Bolingbrook women Stacy Peterson and Lisa Stebic, and with several professional search teams to try to find clues to the whereabouts her brother, John Spira of St. Charles. After three days of water and ground searches, the group covered more than 1,000 acres in the West Chicago area.

“We’ve done a couple of good searches, but I’ve never felt like we’ve done a search well enough where we could definitely cross it off our list and we did get that done this time,” McNeil said.

Spira, an accomplished blues musician and an aviation and racing enthusiast, was last seen at about 7 p.m. Feb. 23, 2007, at his business, Universal Cable Construction, in unincorporated DuPage County near West Chicago. Around that time, he called a friend to confirm their 8:30 p.m. dinner in Oak Brook.

Spira never arrived to the dinner, nor did he make it to a gig the next night with his blues band, the Rabble Rousers. His family said he hadn’t missed a gig in more than 25 years.

Months passed and the case went cold. Then in September 2007, Spira’s business mysteriously went up in flames. While investigating the fire, McNeil learned someone also had dismantled and removed a large missing person billboard that friends had hung up across the street from the business just days before the fire.

McNeil and her family had hoped the fire would provide clues about her brother’s disappearance. But the fire failed to produce leads in the investigation, led by the DuPage County sheriff’s department. Arson investigators have not determined the cause of the fire.

The only option left, McNeil said, is to try to find her brother.

“It’s really hard for me to be living my life in Phoenix, thinking no one is looking and nothing is getting done,” McNeil said. “I feel the need to come out and look. He deserves that, he deserves to be looked for and he definitely deserves to get some justice.”

And from now on, volunteers are working to make sure McNeil will have support whenever she organizes a search. Stacy Peterson search leader Roy Taylor, Lisa Stebic’s family and Aerial Image Inc. founder Sean Henady all volunteered last weekend. Henady hopes the group can continue compiling technology to assist in future searches.

“We’re trying to come together with as many tools as possible,” Henady said. “So, even when there’s resolution in John’s case or Lisa’s case or Stacy’s case, the tools will still be available in the next effort for the next family.”

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/warrenville/news/x1261523891/Arizona-woman-vows-to-continue-search-for-brother-last-seen-near-West-Chicago
Photo and video at the site.... although I did not find a video .. ?

[Nut44x4]

Keeping his memory alive

Monday, February 23, 2009
WEST CHICAGO – The last time Renata Bielskis spoke to John Spira, they talked about going out to eat.

They didn’t get to go to dinner. She was still finishing up at work and wasn’t able to get away.

That was Feb. 23, 2007, and no one has seen or heard from the St. Charles resident since that day.

On Monday, the two-year anniversary of his disappearance, Bielskis was in front of Spira’s burned out business on County Farm Road in unincorporated West Chicago, handing out fliers to motorists in hopes of keeping his disappearance in the spotlight.

“I am hopeful he is still alive,” Bielskis said. “You need to keep it in the public eye.”

Bielskis had been dating Spira at the time of his disappearance. He and his wife, Suzanne Spira, were going through a divorce.

Suzanne Spira wasn’t at Monday’s event but said she hoped that it would bring more clues into her husband’s disappearance.

“I hope and pray for my husband’s safe appearance,” said Suzanne Spira, who now lives in Buffalo, N.Y.

The couple’s house in St. Charles recently went into foreclosure.

She is just as puzzled as to what happened to him as anyone.

“I have no idea what could have happened,” Suzanne Spira said. “What occurred on that day was atypical of John’s routine.”

Spira, 45, of St. Charles, last was seen Feb. 23, 2007, at Universal Cable Construction near West Chicago, which Spira co-owned. A fire in September 2007 totaled the business.

The business now operates in a trailer behind the building.

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case.

“He is still considered a missing person,” spokesman Dawn Domrose said.

John Spira’s sister, Stephanie McNeil, has led several searches for him since his disappearance. She wasn’t able to attend Monday’s event, but recently was in the area filming footage for the TV show “Investigation Discovery.”

She is surprised that two years later, her brother’s whereabouts are still a mystery.

“I thought we would have some answers by now,” she said.

Chris Arnold and his girlfriend, Jurate Zubinas, used to watch Spira play with his band, Rabble Rousers.

“He was a fun guy. He was great to hang out with,” Arnold said.

Arnold on Monday tried to catch the attention of passing motorists with his sign, “It’s been 2 years. Now what?”

He doesn’t know what happened to Spira.

“How do you disappear without a trace?” Arnold said. “I hope he is still alive. Is there that one person out there who knows something?”
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2009/02/23/97976223/index.xml

Friends of John Spira including Donna Brownstone gathered Monday at Spira's former business Universal Cable Construction at 2N255 North County Farm Road in West Chicago. The building burned following Spira's disappearance. Monday marked the second anniversary of the St. Charles resident's disappearance.

[Nut44x4]

Nice photo of John. I have spent countless hours searching for a match in unidentified human remains files all over the USA. I do believe this man is dead and I sure do wish someone would come forward with answers. Someone knows......

[Porchlight]

Some older articles
Search for missing man continues


By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (0)
ST. CHARLES – City police and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the disappearance of a St. Charles man.

John M. Spira, 45, of the 3000 block of King Richard Circle, last was seen about 7 p.m. Friday at his business, Universal Cable Construction, on County Farm Road in unincorporated West Chicago.

Family members Sunday filed a missing-person’s report with St. Charles police.

Police said Spira’s two vehicles were both accounted for and that there were no signs of foul play at his home or his business. Except for a description of Spira, police did not release many details.

Spira is described as being 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with brown eyes with brown hair. He last was seen wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a green-colored aviator jacket.

His sister, Stephanie McNeil, who lives in Phoenix, said she feared for his safety. McNeil said Spira was supposed to play with his band, Rabble Rousers, on Saturday at Jason’s Steakhouse in Montgomery.

“He wouldn’t have just left; this is not like him,” McNeil said.

Jim Emma, who owns Nova Communications on First Street in Geneva, said Spira left his store about 3 p.m. Friday.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Emma said.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...3b681816045.txt

Local blues guitarist is missing

Tribune staff report
Published February 26, 2007, 5:44 PM CST


Police are searching for a St. Charles musician who was last seen Friday afternoon at his day job.

The family of John Spira, 45, of the 3000 block of King Richard Circle, said the unexplained disappearance is out of character.


"He is never out of touch," said his brother, Tom Spira of Chicago.

John Spira is a blues guitarist who goes by the stage name Chicago Johnny and who plays in the Rabble Rousers. Relatives said Spira missed a scheduled performance Saturday night in Montgomery.

"My brother has been playing for 30-plus years. He has never missed a gig," Tom Spira said.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said St. Charles and the DuPage County Sheriff's Department are investigating the case. The DuPage County Sheriff's Department is involved because Spira was last seen at a business he co-owns in unincorporated DuPage County near West Chicago.

"There are no signs of foul play at the home or the business," McCurtain said.

According to the family, Spira was last seen at his office at 5:30 p.m. He was supposed to meet a friend for dinner at 8:30 p.m. in Oak Brook, but did not show up.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...ll=chi-news-hed
Family worried about St. Charles resident


By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (0)
ST. CHARLES – The sister of a St. Charles man missing since Friday fears for his safety.

John Spira, 45, has been missing since Friday afternoon, said his sister, Stephanie McNeil, who lives in Phoenix.

“Something’s up,” McNeil said Sunday. “He wouldn’t have just left. This is not like him.”

Spira last was seen at 5:30 p.m. Friday, when he took his truck to a shop to be detailed. McNeil said she did not know where her brother took the truck.

“He had just made plans to have dinner with someone,” McNeil said. “I have no idea where he might be.”

Spira owns Universal Cable Construction, on County Farm Road in unincorporated West Chicago.

He also is lead guitarist in the band Rabble Rousers, and was supposed to play with the group Saturday at Jason’s Steakhouse in Montgomery.

“He would never have missed playing with his band,” McNeil said.

St. Charles Police and the DuPage County sheriff’s office were working on the case, she said. St. Charles police could not be reached for comment, and DuPage County sheriff’s office had no information to release.

A spokeswoman at Universal Cable Construction offered no comment, other than to say Spira’s disappearance was being investigated.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...63964032164.txt

[Porchlight]

some older articles
Family, friends search for missing man


By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (0)
ST. CHARLES – John M. Spira’s family and friends found no clues into the St. Charles man’s disappearance

after a Thursday search near his West Chicago business.

“I have no idea where he might be,” said his sister, Stephanie McNeil. “Everybody who knew my brother liked him a lot. There’s a lot of concern.”

Checks of his credit card and banking accounts revealed no recent transactions, McNeil said.

Spira, 45, of the 3000 block of King Richard Circle, last was seen about 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at his business, Universal Cable Construction, on County Farm Road in unincorporated West Chicago.

Friends and family searched fields and a forest preserve near his business. St. Charles police also searched near his business on Thursday.

McNeil said family and friends plan another search of the area at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“We want all the people who can help to come out,” McNeil said.

They are also distributing fliers in downtown St. Charles and elsewhere.

Spira is also a musician was supposed to play with his band, Rabble Rousers, on Feb. 24 at Jason’s Steakhouse in Montgomery. The next day, family members filed a missing-person’s report with St. Charles police.

Police have said Spira’s two vehicles were both accounted for and that there were no signs of foul play at his home or his business. Except for a description of Spira, police have not released many details.

Spira is described as being 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with brown eyes with brown hair. He last was seen wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a green-colored aviator jacket.

Anybody with information about the disappearance of John Spira is urged to call St. Charles Police Det. Troy Peacock at (630) 377-4435 or DuPage County Sheriff’s Investigation Commander Mark Edwards at (630) 407-2321.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...75952681855.txt

Vigil tonight for missing musician
'There's no way he would voluntarily leave'

March 10, 2007
By DAVID GARBE Staff Writer
The family of a business owner and locally known blues musician who disappeared two weeks ago are organizing a candlelight vigil tonight in West Chicago.

Family and friends said the vigil -- set for 6 p.m. at Brian's Charhouse restaurant at 27W371 North Ave. -- is meant to remind people to keep looking and hoping for John Spira, a 45-year-old St. Charles man who vanished on Feb. 23.

» Click to enlarge image

John Spira was last seen on Feb. 23.

"We don't want people to forget," said his sister, Stephanie McNeil. "We don't want people to stop caring."

Spira was last seen by the employees at his company, Universal Cable Construction, a utility cable company he founded in 1991 in West Chicago.

The night he disappeared, a Friday, he had arranged to meet a friend later for dinner but never showed up.

The next night, Spira also missed a gig that his band was scheduled to play at Jason's Steakhouse in Montgomery.

That was unprecedented for Spira, who as the lead guitarist for The Rabble Rousers blues band plays throughout the Chicago area.

The next morning, his family filed missing-person reports with St. Charles police and the DuPage County sheriff, saying it was completely out of character for Spira to go missing without contacting anyone.

Her brother had never dropped out of touch before, McNeil said, and she could see no reason why he would now.

"He had too many good things going on in his life," she said, from his thriving company to musical gigs scheduled often several times a week. His mother had also just begun to recover from a serious surgery.

"There's just no way he would voluntarily leave all that," his sister said.

The police investigation found no signs of foul play -- indeed, no evidence of anything. His home, office and vehicles all showed no sign of criminal activity, said St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain.

Police found nothing during a search of the area of Spira's business on County Farm Road. Dozens of Spira's friends and family also have searched for him in a variety of Fox Valley locations.

"The family and all the agencies involved are doing all they can," McCurtain said.

Although they suspect something bad has happened, the family said the uncertainty is torture.

"We're trying to keep busy looking for him rather than thinking about what happened to him," said McNeil, who left her own family in Phoenix the past two weeks to help with the search.

"My absolute worst fear is that we're not going to find him ever," she said, begging anyone who knows anything about Spira's whereabouts to contact police.

Anonymous tips can be left with St. Charles police at (866) 378-4267.

Tips can also be directed to St. Charles Detective Troy Peacock at (630) 377-4435 or DuPage County Sheriff's Investigation Cmdr. Mark Edwards at (630) 407-2321.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconn...IGIL_S1.article

April 24th, 2007
Clear Channel Advertising has graciously agreed to donate a billboard, in addtion to the one Lamar Advertising already donated, for 5 months with John’s picture. This one will go up around May 14th on Ogden near 355. We are so very grateful to Clear Channel and Lamar Advertising for their generosity and tremendous help. Again, please reply to these blogs if you see the billboards or for any reason at all. Thanks
http://www.johnspira.com/b2/

[Porchlight]

More older articles
http://www.nbc5.com/news/11148937/detail.html

Family In Agony Over Blues Guitarist's Disappearance
Loved Ones Plan To Search For John Spira This Saturday

POSTED: 7:05 pm CST March 1, 2007
UPDATED: 7:28 pm CST March 1, 2007

ST. CHARLES, Ill. -- St. Charles police are searching for a local blues guitarist who has been missing for days.

John Spira, 45, was last seen Friday, and now, police and Spira's family are asking for the public's help.

Spira's brother, Tom and his wife, sister, and friends have been searching in snowy fields for their loved one.

"It's been agonizing," Tom Spira said. "It's hard to concentrate at work and it's tough on the family."

A local char house owner gets teary eyed when he talked about Spira's mysterious disappearance.

"He's very outgoing," Brian Toska said. "He never exchanged any bad words."

The well known blues musician had gig last Saturday, but he never showed up. That concerned his band mates and family.

"It's one thing if he missed dinner, but a live performance he has never missed in all the years he's been playing," Spira's brother said.

Spira was last seen at his business Friday evening. He has been going through a divorce, but his family said he wouldn't just leave -- especially considering Spira's mother just got out of the hospital Saturday.

The family plans to search for Spira his Saturday at 10 a.m. at County Farm Road and North Avenue. They offer a reward leading up to Spira's safe return.



http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/g...amp;newsLang=en

March 09, 2007 07:33 PM Eastern Time

John Spira/Chicago Johnny Candlelight Vigil Announced
Saturday, March 10 at 6:00 PM in West Chicago, IL.

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The media and the public are invited to attend a candlelight vigil on behalf of John Spira, a successful businessman, local blues guitarist (Chicago Johnny) and U.S. Army veteran who has been missing since February 23, 2007. Detailed information and photos on John are available at http://www.johnspira.com and his Weblog site at http://www.johnspira.com/b2/

When: March 10, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Brian's Charhouse located at 27W371 North Ave., West Chicago, IL. PHONE: (630) 876-2000 http://brians-charhouse.com/

Why: In an effort to bring together all those who love and care about John, there will be a candlelight vigil on March 10th at 6:00 p.m.

Background:

John Michael Spira, 45 years old, 5'8", 165 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. He has been missing since Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:00 pm. from West Chicago, Illinois.

Last seen wearing blue jeans, black turtleneck sweater, black shoes, olive green aviator jacket.

About John:

St. Charles, Illinois, resident and homeowner in the Kingswood subdivision, active in community matters.

Successful business owner of a utility construction firm, Universal Cable Construction, Inc. in West Chicago, Illinois.
Private pilot.

U.S. Army veteran, he was a tank driver stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, 1979-early 1980’s.
Champion cross-country ski racer and pole vaulted in his school days.

Builder, electronics and machinery aficionado, racecar builder and driver.

Music is his passion; John is an accomplished guitar and slide-guitar player who for 30 years has been mesmerizing listeners with his hard-driving, soulful blues. (For the last 4 years with the Rabble Rousers Band, (http://www.rabblerousersband.com/)

To report information call St. Charles Police Det. Troy Peacock at (630) 377-4435 or DuPage County Sheriff’s Investigation Commander Mark Edwards at (630) 407-2321.

Family offers a reward leading up to Spira's safe return.

If the public would like to contribute to our search efforts please make a donation via the paypal from the http://www.johnspira.com website or mail a check to the -John Spira Search Fund- at any Chase Bank or mail a check to: Chase Bank, IL1-2520 c/o -John Spira Search Fund- 1825 West Lawrence Ave. Chicago, IL 60640.

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...b6829799072.txt

Living in ‘limbo’

By KATE THAYER - kthayer@kcchronicle.com

Hope can be a powerful emotion, but it also can fade. Either way, it’s present in the minds of the families searching for missing loved ones.

In the first three months of 2007, two Kane County men have joined the more than 50,000 active missing-persons cases across the nation, according to the National Center for Missing Adults.

The families of John Spira and Bradley Olsen continue to publicize their stories and actively search for them. While fearing the worst, they continue to hope that their loved ones will safely return.

For an Aurora mother, those feelings have continued for nearly four years.

Mental-health professionals say a family’s feelings of hope might conflict with reality when coping with a disappearance.

Head vs. heart

Stephanie McNeil has spent the past four weeks wondering where her brother is. John Spira, 45, of St. Charles last was seen Feb. 23 at his office in West Chicago.

Spira’s family has conducted searches, posted fliers, and contacted media outlets.

When McNeil heard that her brother was missing, she said, she immediately thought that foul play must be involved. Still, McNeil said, she clung to some hope that he might be OK.

“I knew in my head, but in my heart somewhere there’s a tinge of hope,” she said.

For now, McNeil and her family continue to search for her brother, and any information about his disappearance.

“The biggest thing is to keep the word out there and ... to keep people searching and to not forget,” she said. “That’s all I know to do.”

After coming home to help the rest of her family look for her brother, McNeil had to return home to Phoenix.

“I can’t be out walking around,” she said. “That’s killing me.”

McNeil continues to stay active in the search by working with national online databases and staying in contact with police.

Keeping busy is key.

“I have to keep busy and keep proactive,” McNeil said. “We all deal with it the best way we know how.”

Seeking closure

Sue Olsen of Maple Park said she was searching for closure as much as she was searching for son, Bradley Olsen. He’s been missing since Jan. 19 when he last was seen at a DeKalb bar.

The family has directed two searches, using a helicopter and all-terrain vehicles. They searched through forest preserves, in ditches and remote areas.

Sue Olsen said she knows her son has been harmed.

“We were never out of contact for more than a 48-hour period,” she said.

Sue Olsen also knows that finding him could be difficult, but she needs to keep searching.

“If I find him, I’ll have closure,” she said. “We’re preparing ourselves for the worst.”

At the same time, she understands how some families might believe their missing loved one might return safely.

“I’ll always be looking. We’re looking wherever we go,” she said.

Holding onto hope

Lorna Smith can hear doubt in the voices of those that talk to her about her daughter, Tyesha Bell. The 22-year-old went missing from her Aurora home in May 2003.

While others might doubt Bell is alive, Smith said she hasn’t let go of the hope that she’ll talk with her daughter again.

“I’m holding onto hope until they prove me different,” she said.

Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said investigators have identified someone who might be involved in Bell’s disappearance, but no charges have been filed.

“What keeps me together is prayer,” Smith said.

Smith has appeared on national news programs and posted fliers around Aurora.

She keeps one of the fliers posted in the back of her truck.

It’s faded and has to be reattached sometimes, she said, but it will stay there until Smith knows her daughter’s fate.

“I think about her all the time,” she said.

Emotional limbo

Tom Dewese a licensed clinical social worker at TriCity Family Services in Geneva, said every family reacts differently in missing person situations.

In most cases, though, family members have a sense of hope, Dewese said.

“There’s always a little bit of hope,” he said.

A friend or relative gone missing “creates a lot of uncertainty,” Dewese said. “There’s a sense of limbo. They always hope they can find [the missing person], but they’re accepting the fact that they might not see their loved one alive.”

Dewese said families in such situations should “stay in the here and now, so as not to get carried away in the speculating.”

Eventually, it helps to get on with the daily routines of life, he said.

However, he said “there is no time frame; for some people it takes time.”


http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...7b973499871.txt

Missing man’s kin cries out

By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com

ST. CHARLES – Stephanie McNeil just wants to know what happened to her brother.

“Every day, I wake up and hope today is the day,” McNeil said.

Her brother, John Spira, 45, of St. Charles, last was seen Feb. 23 at his office in unincorporated West Chicago.

McNeil said she believed that state laws hampered how police were investigating the case, so she was writing to state and national legislators in an attempt to get the laws changed.

“While the police have assured me they are doing everything they can to find John, they are limited in their investigative abilities because an adult has the right to disappear,” McNeil states in the letter. “These cases must be investigated with the necessary sense of urgency they require without forcing the families to have to convince [sometimes to no avail] the police that their loved ones did not voluntarily disappear.”

She said that missing-persons cases should “immediately” be investigated as a crime.

“If this were so, perhaps the police would have more power to take the necessary steps to investigate,” McNeil said.

McNeil also suggested setting up an Amber Alert for missing adults, similar to what is in place for missing children.

“I feel that something needs to change in the way adult missing investigative cases are handled,” McNeil said.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain defended the department’s handling of the case.

“Police have done as much as we can to this point, and we will continue to do as much as we can until he is located,” McCurtain said, declining to say whether police had any leads in the case.

He said the department is limited in its subpoena powers because there is no indication a crime took place, but the investigation is ongoing.

“It is not closed by any means,” McCurtain said.

Police have said that Spira’s two vehicles were accounted for and that there were no signs of foul play at his home or business.

Checks of his credit card and banking accounts revealed no recent transactions, McNeil said.

Spira is described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 165 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

He last was seen wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a green-colored aviator jacket.

[Porchlight]

Search still on for men

By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com

The families of two missing area men continue to voice frustration with no new leads into their respective disappearances.

John Spira, 45, of St. Charles last was seen Feb. 23 at his office in unincorporated West Chicago. Bradley Olsen, 26, of Maple Park has been missing since Jan. 19, when he last was seen at Bar One in DeKalb.

“It’s getting harder as time has gone by,” said his mother, Sue Olsen of Maple Park. “He has a daughter who is 6 who needs to be taken care of.”

The family has organized two searches for Olsen, but no new searches are planned.

“Friends and family are out on their own looking,” she said.

DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes said there were no leads into his disappearance.

“It’s still a big mystery,” Kayes said. “I can’t believe there is no one who has any knowledge of what happened to him.”

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office on Friday took over the Spira investigation from St. Charles police.

“At this point, we have to review the case again and see where we have to go from here,” Detective Joe DelGiudice said.

DelGiudice said billboards could help bring attention to the case.

“We are looking for help,” he said.

Spira’s sister, Stephanie McNeil, is frustrated by the lack of answers. McNeil, who lives in Phoenix, has organized several searches and is planning another May 19 when she returns to the area.

“He is a gentle human being,” McNeil said. “I can’t believe someone would have a reason to hurt him.”

The search will begin at 10 a.m. May 19 at Brian’s Charhouse, near the corner of County Farm Road and North Avenue in West Chicago.

To help in the search for Spira, a billboard recently was placed at Interstate 294 and Ninth Street, and another billboard will be put up next month on Ogden Avenue, near Interstate 355.

In addition to the Spira billboard, there are three billboards along Route 38 seeking help in finding Olsen.

Have any information?

Contact DuPage County Sheriff Detective Joe DelGiudice at (630) 407-2326 with any information about John Spira or DeKalb police Lt. Jim Kayes at (815) 748-8400 with information about Bradley Olsen.

A Web page for Spira also has been set up, www.johnspira.com, as well as a MySpace page for Olsen.

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/0...f7076165677.txt

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervi...hweb_s1.article

Families search for missing men

May 18, 2007
By Eva McKendrick Staff Writer

Scott Arcaro of Lisle, John Spira of St. Charles and Bradley Olsen of Maple Park have never met each other. But since all three went missing earlier this year, their families have an unfortunate connection.

“Our son has been missing since Jan. 19 and John has been missing since Feb. 23,” Olsen’s mother, Sue, said. “We’ve known about (John’s story) all along.”

On Saturday, members of all three families are coming together to search for Spira, who was last seen in West Chicago. Olsen said participating in the search is a way of showing solidarity.

Arcaro, 38, was last seen on Feb. 22 and his girlfriend, Downers Grove resident Nicole Goyette, reported him missing the next day, Lisle Police Sgt. Ron Wilke said.

Goyette said the two, who had been dating for four years, were planning a life for themselves. After Goyette finished nursing school at the College of DuPage, the two were going to get married. Arcaro has been missing since Feb. 22.

Goyette has since taken a break from school.

“I just couldn’t concentrate,” she said.

Arcaro’s twin sister, Sherri Arcaro, was living in Los Angeles and recently returned to the area to answer questions from police and participate in the search.

“I didn’t hear about his appearance until two months after the fact, in April,” Sherri Arcaro said.

The twins celebrate their 38th birthday today .

Wilke said there is no indication of foul play, but the Lisle police are not ruling it out. He also said there is no new information in the case.

But Goyette and Sherri say Arcaro would never just up and leave. They say he had a nice house in Green Trails in Lisle, and that he was excited to get married.

“I know he’s probably not alive,” Goyette said. She believes he was murdered. “I think it’s someone he knew that wanted something from him.”

Anyone with information on Arcaro is asked to contact with Lisle police at 630-271-4200.

Contact Eva McKendrick at emckendrick@scn1.com or call 630-416-5103.

If you go
What: Search for missing St. Charles man, John Spira

When: 10 a.m. on May 19

Where: Brian’s Charhouse, 27W371 North Ave. in West Chicago, near the corner of North Avenue and County Farm Rd.

On the Web: www.johnspira.com


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldn...SING_S1.article

POWER PLAY
Families have sizable impact on the media

May 20, 2007
By JANET LUNDQUIST Staff Writer

Several days after Lisa Stebic disappeared, her story made national headlines.

Seemingly vanishing without a trace, she was last seen at her Plainfield home April 30.

Eventually, news of the search for Lisa went international, with help from a highly-publicized family Web site.

The attention was largely the result of a campaign that began soon after Lisa was reported missing. Her cousin, Melanie Greenberg, got the ball rolling with help from a friend in the news industry.

Leigh Harris, a former television producer working for KPHO CBS 5 in Phoenix, immediately set to work creating a plan to get Lisa's face and information in front of cameras and on the front pages of newspapers.

Harris had Greenberg set up the site www.findlisastebic.com, which Harris ensured used colors and a layout that would photograph well. She also told the family to hold a press conference, gave them scripts to work from and tips to maximize their time on camera.

It worked. Every television news crew in Chicago and print and radio reporters showed up for the family's first press conference, held near the Stebics' house.

"I could never have done any of this without her," Greenberg said. "Everybody else was frozen and paralyzed. She was like the cavalry coming in, saying, 'This is what you have to do.'"

Greenberg and her husband, Mark, Lisa's first cousin, have become family spokespeople and have appeared on numerous national and local news programs.

A missing person's family has a lot to do with the level of media attention their case receives.

Missing people such as Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old from Alabama who disappeared in 2005 in Aruba, and Laci Peterson, a pregnant California woman who disappeared in 2002 whose husband was later convicted of her murder, become household names in part because they have family members willing to speak out about their disappearances, Harris said.

"It is a family member that opens their heart to the public, through the national media," she said. "That's really the key."

Missing adults an epidemic
While it plays a significant role, family involvement may not be the only key.
As of Jan. 31, there were 2,960 active missing person cases in Illinois -- 1,798 are children, said Kelly Bennett, a case manager for the National Center for Missing Adults. Nationally, there are more than 50,000 missing adults listed in the National Crime Information Center database.

A person's gender, race and socioeconomic status could also have something to do with the attention his or her case receives. Missing men, for example, don't receive a lot of camera time, she said.

"A lot of the cases that are seen on TV are the ones that are a pretty girl. Not too many that are of males," Bennett said. "They're all still missing, regardless of what the circumstances are."

Missing adults, she said, are an epidemic.

"We get 150-200 calls a week for missing adults, if not more. And that's only the people that know about us," she said. "It happens all the time and people do not see it because it's not media-worthy."

Scott Arcaro, of Lisle, would have celebrated his 38th birthday Friday. He was reported missing Feb. 27 by his fiancee.

John Spira, 46, of St. Charles, disappeared Feb. 23. He was last seen by employees at his construction company.

Bradley Olsen, 26, of Maple Park, has been missing since Jan. 19. His cell phone and bank account remain untouched, and a massive ground search by 140 people in February yielded no clues.

The men's friends and families say it's out of character for them to leave without telling anyone.

Their cases have been covered by local news outlets, but have not garnered the level of focus Lisa Stebic's case has received.

On Saturday, Spira's family and friends organized a search in West Chicago. The group plans to post a video of the event on youtube.com. Scott Arcaro's twin sister, Sherri Arcaro, joined the search -- to help look for Spira and to raise awareness of Scott's case. Olsen's family also planned to attend.

"You feel so alone when you hear about (a missing family member)," Arcaro said. "There are a lot of transient males. That's the assumption. A male, he's got his credit cards and could just leave. (Missing) women and children get priority."

Influencing media coverage
Missing children are an obvious news story. Missing adults are harder to figure out.

"I think anytime you have a missing person it is a very difficult circumstance," said Paula Simpson, a producer with the television show "America's Most Wanted." "A missing adult can leave under their own volition at any time. It's hard to sift through who is a Chandra Levy and a Laci Peterson and who is a person who wants to escape their life."

Lisa Stebic's case likely touches people because she is described as a devoted mother who would never leave her children, Simpson said.

Even if the story is compelling, it takes constant work to attract and hold the public's attention.

"It's definitely an uphill battle, and the family of Lisa and the Stebic family is doing a very good job of keeping it in the thoughts and minds of both the media and the public," she said.

High-profile cases are often built by the missing person's family, said private investigator Thomas Lauth. Lauth, who is recommended by the National Center for Missing Adults, has 20 years of experience searching for missing people in North America.

But he echoed the opinion that race, gender and socioeconomic status also influence media coverage.

"Typically in the media you'll see the higher profile cases will be Caucasian females, such as the Natalee Holloway case," he said. "You'll see less minorities receive higher profile status. Rarely do you see that."

The media has a huge influence on missing person investigations, he said. News coverage can help the search for a missing person, and it can pressure police to make an arrest. Once an arrest is made, the pressure continues to show if the suspect is guilty.

"It's just unfortunate that there are so many families out there with missing loved ones that just don't get the attention," Lauth said. "How (does Lisa Stebic) compare to Laci Peterson? To me that's every other adult case out there."

Support system
Lisa's family wants to keep her story in the news as long as possible, holding events to help the search and to provide an outlet for the community to help.

"Once people are able to bond in a crisis, it allows them to start healing and start making sense of something," Harris said. "It is a circular support system between the community and between the family."

She has jumped at the chance to help on the "other side" of a missing person case.

"I'm not in the Chicago market, I don't have to worry about being on the side of the press," Harris said. "I'm in another market, but I have the expertise. It has been tremendously therapeutic for me to be able to do something."

[Porchlight]

still more here
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=19366

[klaasend]

Thanks Porchlight

[Porchlight]

Thanks Porchlight

You are most welcome!

[dejasade]

How does one just disappear??  In to thin air??  Makes no sense....

so sad for him and his family...i hope they get answers soon.

[Nut44x4]

Remains still not identified

DNA results show that skeletal remains found along the Des Plaines River in Will County were not of missing St. Charles man John Spira.

“DNA has ruled it is not John Spira,” said Dawn Domrose, public information officer with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, on Thursday.
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/05/28/65084988/index.xml

[Nut44x4]

Very little info so far.......

Human skeletal remains found in St. Charles
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2010/03/09/78301499/index.xml

[Nut44x4]

apx. 11 miles distance between where the remains were found and where he was last seen
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=2N255%20COUNTY%20FARM%20RD%2C%20WEST%20CHICAGO%2C%20IL.%20to%20Remington%20Drive%2C%20St.%20Charles%2C%20IL&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

[Nut44x4]

Remains ID'd as John Selman-homeless man from St. Charles
http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=7334.new#new

[Nut44x4]

Chicago Daily Herald
April 14, 2010 Wednesday

Human remains found in woods

A Wheaton man gathering mushrooms Tuesday in a DuPage County Forest Preserve stumbled upon human skeletal remains in a scene he said was "straight out of C.S.I."

Jerry Moretti of Wheaton was walking through the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve off Butterfield Road near Wheaton hoping to get an early start on the hunt for morels — a hard-to-find but popular delicacy — when he noticed some shoes and clothes about 20 to 30 yards into the wooded area.

"The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of shoes and a shirt, and I thought, ‘Well, someone’s having fun out here,’ then I saw the skull and immediately noticed the teeth and said that’s a human skull — there’s no way that’s some kind of animal," he said.

Moretti called 911, who patched him through to forest preserve police, who confirmed that the remains are human.

Hours after the discovery, deputies with the sheriff’s forensic unit continued meticulously combing for clues inside the forest preserve.

"It was apparent that it was there a very long time; the skull was completely bleached white, no matter, nothing on it, so it’s been out there a very long time," Moretti said. "I found out from talking to deputies after that they did find the remainder of the remains scattered around the area as well."

After the initial crime-scene investigation is complete, the bones will be taken Wednesday to the coroner’s office in an attempt to learn an identity. Authorities confirmed that the skeletal remains are severely decomposed and absent human tissue.

"There’s not a whole lot to go on at this point," Coroner Pete Siekmann said. "The remains will be examined, X-rayed, and we’ll have a forensic dentist look at the teeth and go from there."

Although some weathered clothing was recovered, the scene revealed few obvious clues about the person’s gender, identity or how he or she died, officials said. DuPage State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett said it may take days before more is known. There are unsolved reports of local missing persons but, Birkett said, it’s not uncommon if foul play was involved for a body to be dumped far from where the crime occurred.

"You treat it as a crime scene until proven otherwise," Birkett said.

Stephanie McNeil, the sister of John Michael Spira, a St. Charles man who was last seen in February 2007, believes his disappearance is a homicide case and is hopeful that the remains found Tuesday are her brother’s.

"Just learned someone found a body in DuPage County, Lake Herrick Forest Preserve. That was one we hadn’t searched and it’s not far from John’s office. I’m hoping so much that it’s my brother this time and we can move onto the justice phase of this whole nightmare," she wrote in a post on johnspira.com Tuesday night.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:1164640130&start=1