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

[Nut44x4]

Remains May Offer Lead in Missing Persons Case
Bones found less than 10 miles from where John Spira worked

Wed, Apr 14, 2010
The family of a man missing for more than three years said Wednesday that human remains found a day earlier is giving them their first good lead into the disappearance.

John Spira's family said the bones found Tuesday in the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve near unincorporated Wheaton are being tested for identification.

Tom Spira said the remains were found about nine miles from where his brother worked and about three miles from the home of the person they suspect killed him.

A spokesman for the Lake County Coroner's Office said Tuesday that the bones had been in the preserve for a long time.

John Spira, a businessman and blues musician from St. Charles, went missing February 23, 2007.   His office at West Chicago Universal Cable Construction inexplicably burned to the ground seven months later.

His disappearance was profiled on the television program America's Most Wanted.

Police have not named a suspect or a person-of-interest in the case, nor have they classified his disappearance as a homicide.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/wheaton-remains-90870139.html

[Nut44x4]

Looks like it isn't Johnny....they are asking for help w/ ID

Police Seek Help To ID Remains In Forest Preserve
Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying the human remains found Tuesday afternoon in a west suburban forest preserve.

The DuPage County Sheriff's office is investigating the remains, found at the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve off Butterfield Road in an unincorporated area near Wheaton, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

The victim has missing teeth in the front, and was possibly wearing a grey Hanes sweatshirt, size extra large, with a logo on the left front saying "Little Nicky."

The age, race and gender of the victim have not been determined, the release said. The cause of death is still under investigation.

A person walking through the forest preserve found the remains Tuesday afternoon.

Anyone with information should call the sheriff's office at (630) 407-2400.
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/forest.preserve.id.2.1635413.html

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I was looking at this case back in the early days of Stacy Peterson.  I've got some old info on this, see if I can find it now.

[doubledecker]

I found part of it... I was looking at it because I always wondered if this case had any connection to stacy Peterson case or the other cases there in the area.  Several men were missing aroun dthat area.

John Spira, Chicago Johnny




$10,000.00 REWARD
For any information directly leading to the whereabouts of John Spira


John Michael Spira - 45 years old
5'8"
165 pounds
 brown hair
 brown eyes

Missing - Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:00 pm
From West Chicago, Illinois.
Resident of St. Charles, Illinois

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

Last seen at 7:00 pm at his workplace on County Farm Road near North Avenue in unincorporated West Chicago, Illinois.

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

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keep in mind this is info I had back in early 2008, so things might have changed now. 


Owner of Universal Cable Construction in West Chicago, Illinois.

Active in community affairs.

U.S. Army veteran

Tank driver stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado

An electronics and machinery aficionado

A race car builder and driver

A private pilot

About to launch a promising aviation venture with Marchetti and warbird training.

John was an accomplished guitar and slide-guitar player with the Rabble Rousers Band

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POINTS of INTEREST:

John placed a cell phone call to a friend at 7:09pm confirming that he would meet for a dinner date in Oak Brook, IL. at 8:30pm, but he was never to arrive.

While no further communication was received from John Spira, his cell phone did continue to 'ping' off of two (2) local service towers until 11:00pm that night.

John's friend, Renata Bielskis, reported that she had contacted the St. Charles Police Department shortly after his uncharacteristic disappearance on the evening of February 23rd. The St. Charles P. D. failed to recognize Miss Bielskis' concerns for reason that she was not qualified to file a report.

John and his estranged wife, Suzanne, had agreed on the final details of their divorce settlement on the morning of February 23rd. She was finally coaxed into filing an official missing person's report with the St. Charles Police Department at 5:30am of the following Sunday, February 25th, 2007. The couple's divorce was to be official on March the 8th.

Although this case was originally filed with the St. Charles, IL. Police Department, it is now categorized under the jurisdiction of the Du Page County Sheriff's Office for reason that Spira disappeared in an unincorporated area within the parameters of Du Page County.

Some of John's employees at Universal Cable have officially reported a large roll of plastic wrap material to have been missing from the premises, but the Du Page County Police Department's position remains that they believe John to have simply walked away from his family and his life, stating that there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

WE STRONGLY DISAGREE AND SUBMIT THAT JOHN WAS MURDERED BY SOMEONE THAT HE KNEW!

John's Business was burned to the ground Sunday, September 16, 2007. The (now) gutted building that was once home to former Du Page County "Business of the year" nominee, Universal Cable Construction Inc., is co-owned by John's estranged wife and the wife of John's business partner, David W. Stubben.

http://www.johnspira.com/

[doubledecker]

I have several old articles I'll post... I'm sure these are no longer around

acutally I have stuff back from 2007 I guess.

__________________


Family worried about St. Charles resident

Monday, February 26, 2007
By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (No comments posted.)
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/2007/02/26/news/local/doc45e2b66a95463964032164.txt

_________________________

Search For Missing Blues Guitarist Continues

Feb 27, 2007 9:49 am US/Central

ST. CHARLES (CBS) ¯ Authorities were searching for a St. Charles blues guitarist who hasn't been seen since Friday.

John Spira's family said his unexplained disappearance is unusual, as he is rarely out of touch. Spira, 45, missed a scheduled performance with his blues band "Rabble Rousers" on Saturday at Jason's Steakhouse in Montgomery.

He was last seen leaving his day job Friday evening at Universal Cable Construction in unincorporated DuPage County near West Chicago. He was supposed to meet a friend for dinner at 8:30 p.m. in Oak Brook, but did not show up.

St. Charles police and the DuPage County Sheriff's Department are investigating the case. Spira was still missing as of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.



http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/John.Spira.st.2.335564.html

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Police search for missing St. Charles man

By Meghan C. Smith
St. Charles Republican

Wed Feb 28, 2007, 03:09 PM CST

St. Charles, IL -
Police said John M. Spira, 45, was last seen at about 7 p.m. Feb. 23, at his business, Universal Cable Construction Inc., 2N255 County Farm Road, near West Chicago. A missing person report was filed with the St. Charles police Feb. 25 by his wife, said St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain.

Police said there are no signs of foul play at his home in the 3000 block of King Richard Court or at his business. And, none of his vehicles are missing, reports state.

His sister, Stephanie McNeil, of Phoenix, said she is worried. She said it is not like him to just disappear.

“The last person who saw him was at 5:30 p.m. (Friday) and that person said he seemed fine,” said McNeil.

She said Spira was planning to visit her and her parents in Arizona Feb. 28. She said their mother was just released from a hospital and he was planning on paying her a visit as well as celebrating McNeil’s birthday.

“My feeling is something really bad has happened,” she said.

McNeil said the last call he made on his cellular telephone was to a friend at about 7:15 p.m. Feb. 23. She said he made dinner plans for 8:30 p.m. that night in Oak Brook.

He never showed for the dinner, McNeil said. Police would not confirm this call.
Spira also is the lead guitarist for blues band the Rabble Rousers. McNeil said the group had a gig Saturday night. Spira did not show up for the performance.

“He didn’t show up for that, and my mom got out of the hospital on Saturday and he never called to see how she was doing,” said McNeil. “He would have absolutely called.”

Police say Spira is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen Feb. 23 near West Chicago wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans and a green colored aviator jacket.
Anyone with information regarding Spira is urged to call St. Charles Police Detective Troy Peacock at (630) 377-4435, or DuPage County Sheriff’s Investigation Cmdr. Mark Edwards at (630) 407-2321.

http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/stcharles/news/x1119049955

________________________

Family, friends search for missing man

Friday, March 02, 2007

By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (No comments posted.)
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/2007/03/02/news/local/doc45e8022479f75952681855.txt

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Police Search For Local Guitarist

Posted on March 8th, 2007 in Weekly, News by IE

Rabble Rousers Guitarist Missing


Local musician John M. Spira disappeared on February 23rd, last seen at the business he co-owns, Universal Cable Construction in West Chicago. Spira, of St. Charles, is a guitarist for blues band Rabble Rousers and has practically vanished: No signs of disturbance were seen at his office, nor have his automobiles, credit cards, and bank accounts been used.

Read more: Police Search For Local Guitarist

Police have conducted a number of searches, and friends and family blanketed local fields and forests for clues. He was last seen at 5:30 on February 23rd, didn’t make a restaurant to meet a friend three hours later, and missed Rabble Rousers’ show at Jason’s Steakhouse in Montgomery on February 24th.

Spira is about 5-feet, 7-inches tall, weighs approximately 140 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans, and a green aviator jacket, and frequently dons either a mustache or goatee.

Anyone with information is urged to call St. Charles Police Detective Troy Pea (630) 377-4435 or DuPage County Sheriff’s Investigation Commander Mark Edwards (630) 407-2321.

Friends Of Johnny said,


on March 8th, 2007 at 10:15 pm

To those who know Johnny and those concerned: A candlelight vigil will be held this Saturday March 10th at 6pm at Brian’s Charhouse in West Chicago. Please help show support for Johnny’s family, band members and friends.

on May 19th, 2007 at 10:10 pm

Hi,
I went to high school with john and stephanie. I pray to god that he will be found ok. My prayers are with the family.
Candy Garland
New Trier grad-1982


http://illinoisentertainer.com/2007/03/08/police-search-for-local-guitarist/#comments

____________________________

Search still on for man

Saturday, March 10, 2007
By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (No comments posted.)
ST. CHARLES – Two weeks after John Spira’s disappearance, Stephanie McNeil still has no idea where her brother is.

However, she is convinced that someone took the St. Charles man against his will.

“Somebody must have taken him somewhere,” McNeil said. “His car was still at his office.”

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain would not say whether police had any leads in the case, which began when Spira was last seen Feb. 23.

“It’s an ongoing investigation,” McCurtain said.

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

Today, McNeil and Spira’s friends will pray for his safe return during a candlelight vigil at Brian’s Charhouse, 27W371 North Ave., West Chicago. The vigil will start at 6 p.m.

The restaurant is located near Spira’s business, Universal Cable Construction, on County Farm Road in unincorporated West Chicago.

The 45-year-old was last seen about 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at his business.

Spira and his band, Rabble Rousers, also regularly performed at Brian’s Charhouse.

“We want to keep people thinking about John and finding him,” McNeil said.

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

Friends and family have searched fields and a forest preserve near his business for any clues into his disappearance.

So far, they have come up empty, as did a flyover of his business conducted last week by St. Charles and state police.

Those who know Spira also have distributed fliers in downtown St. Charles and elsewhere.

“We have a huge e-mail chain,” McNeil said. “At least one person knows something about this.”

Spira is described as being 5 feet, 8 inches, 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.

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/03/10/news/local/doc45f2888f8ed7b504429442.txt

[doubledecker]

May 19, 2007 5:53 pm US/Central

Search For John Spira Continues


West Chicago Businessman Has Been Missing for 3 Months

by Rafael Romo
CHICAGO (CBS) ¯ Lisa Stebic is not the only person that family and loved ones are searching for this weekend.

Forty-five-year-old John Spira has been missing for three months, but early Saturday morning family and friends assembled at a parking lot in West Chicago to continue the search, as CBS 2's Rafael Romo reports.

Spira was last seen the night of February 23 at his business in West Chicago.

"He was last seen around 7:15 and made his last cell phone at 7:09," said Aspira's sister Stephanie McNeil. "He was going to meet somebody at 8:30 in Oakbrook and never made it, but his truck was still at work."

John Spira's cell phone remained active for several hours the night of his disappearance. It was pinpointed to a wooded area between two cell phone towers and that's why search parties started looking here Saturday.

"They have some maps showing the general area that they believe where his cell phone may still be, so basically we're looking for a cell phone," said Anne Bilby of RachelFind.com.

The families of two other missing men joined in the search.

Bradley Olsen went out with a couple of friends on the evening of January 19. After dinner they went to a bar and he stayed behind.

"He was going to get a ride home with someone else. So he was last seen at Bar-1 in DeKalb on that evening and the last we know is that he was looking for a ride home," said Olsen's mother Susan.

Thirty-eight-year-old Scott Arcaro from Lisle has been missing for almost three months.

"There are no leads so this is really all we can do," said McNeil. "I don't know what else to do besides just go out and look."

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them immediately

http://cbs2chicago.com/westsuburbanbureau/john.spira.west.2.337098.html

______________________

Sep 17, 2007 11:56 pm US/Central

Family Of Missing Man Says Fire Proves Foul Play

by Katie McCall
WEST CHICAGO, Ill. (CBS) ¯ There are new developments Monday night in the search for a missing man.

John Spira was last seen in February, but Sunday night his business was burned to the ground.

As CBS 2's Katie McCall reports, the man known as "Chicago Johnny" was last seen at his business and his family says this fire proves he was the victim of foul play.

Tom Spira hasn't seen or heard from his brother John, a 45-year-old St. Charles resident and blues guitarist, since late February.

"I have good days and bad days," Tom Spira said. "I'll hear a song that I want to talk to my brother about and I can't pick up the phone and call him."

The investigation into John Spira's disappearance that began seven months ago with searches had all but stopped when Tom Spira got a call Sunday night saying the cable business John Spira co-owned was destroyed in a fire.

"It's clear now I hope to everybody that it wasn't just a coincidence," Tom Spira said. "We're hoping now what it does is re-spark the investigation."

Arson investigators with the DuPage County Sheriffs Department are now assigned to the fire at the building near West Chicago. The agency is also handling the missing persons case, but says so far there is no specific evidence of a suspicious fire.

Tom Spira says he has his own suspicions.

"There might be a motive because someone somewhere is going to get that money so maybe that will prompt the police to take a look at somebody," he said. "They've never brought anyone in for formal questioning."

He's hoping the fire investigation will reveal more about what really happened to John, who he believes was murdered, and that it will push whoever is responsible to come forward.

"Something happened in the heat of the moment and they're getting a lot of pressure on right now," Tom Spira said.

The family says they had put a sign up across the street about their missing brother. That sign was torn down Sunday morning and they believe whoever set the fire may have also taken it down.
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/John.Spira.Chicago.2.339960.html

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Blaze adds to mystery
Missing man's West Chicago business destroyed by fire

By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald Staff
Contact writer

Published: 9/18/2007 1:06

Firefighters and arson investigators are probing a fire near West Chicago that destroyed a cable construction business co-owned by missing St. Charles resident John M. Spira.

No one was injured in the blaze that broke out just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Universal Cable Construction Inc, 2N255 County Farm Road. Carol Stream Fire Chief Michael Kanzia estimated the damage at $750,000 and said a cause had not yet been determined late Monday.

"It was a big one, so I imagine it's going to take some time to clear a lot of the debris out of there," he said.

DuPage County sheriff spokeswoman Carol Roegner confirmed the office's arson task force was investigating.

"Our investigators are on the scene but have not found reason to label the fire as suspicious," she said.

Family members of Spira, who was last seen at the business the night of Feb. 23 by business partner David Stubben, disagree and hope the investigation shines more light on the search for Spira, also a blues musician known as Chicago Johnny.

Calls placed to Stubben and the business were not returned Monday.

"I don't know how investigators can take a serious look at this fire and not think it's suspicious," said John Spira's youngest brother, Tom.

On Friday afternoon, Tom Spira said, he and other family members hung a 10-by-10-foot banner with John's picture and reward information across the street from the business.

"By Saturday morning, the banner was torn down and just destroyed, and Sunday the building burns," he said. "That's not a coincidence, and no one that's seriously looking deep into this can dismiss this as nothing fishy going on."

When Spira was first reported missing in February, his sister-in-law, Christina Hoffman of Chicago, said the licensed pilot was going through a divorce with his wife of more than a decade and had an ill mother.

Police initially investigated whether Spira rented an airplane. They quickly found his flight gear but never found any records of him flying.

Tom Spira said Monday that he hoped the fire will prompt resumption of the search for his brother.

"If anything good can come from this fire, we hope it kick-starts a renewed search for John and puts more pressure on the police to solve the case."

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=39940&src=2 

___________________________

Missing Musician's Sister Tries To Raise Awareness About Case


CHICAGO (WBBM) -- The sister of a missing musician from St. Charles is frustrated by the lack of attention her brother's case has received - so she's coming to Chicago from Arizona to try to re-adjust the public's focus.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports.
For More information: www.johnspira.com

Why is it, Stephanie McNeil wants to know. Why is it that her brother's disappearance has received so little media attention, compared to the case of the missing Plainfield woman Lisa Stebic.

Stephanie McNeil is the sister of guitarist John Spira, who disappeared February 23, last seen by his coworkers at Universal Cable Construction in DuPage County.

"I think somebody he knew did this. I think somebody he knew took his life," she says.

"Every time I see news coverage with them covering the story of Lisa Stebic, I just think 'why not John? Why not John's story?' We love John as much as they love Lisa."

Not to take anything away from the people who are trying to find Lisa Stebic, she says.

She just wants more help in finding her brother.

So Stephanie McNeil is leaving her Arizona home to come to the Chicago area Thursday, and on Friday, she plans to hang a giant banner with photographs of John Spira.


http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/688599.php?contentType=4&contentId=695034

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Fliers handed out for searches

Sunday, December 09, 2007
By PAUL DAILING - pdailing@kcchronicle.com

WEST CHICAGO – Family and friends of four missing suburban residents gathered to hand out fliers informing people of their missing loved ones.

Originally, the families of Stacy Peterson, Lisa Stebic, Bradley Olsen and John Spira planned to search for any trace of Spira.

He last was seen near North Avenue and Country Farm Road in West Chicago on Feb. 23.

However, the recent snow canceled the search.

“I have a lot of hope that we’ll find him,” Spira’s sister Stephanie McNeil said. “I don’t have a lot of hope that we’ll find him alive.”

Instead, families and friends of the four pamphleted the area with information about the four and other missing people.

Melanie Greenberg is the cousin of Lisa Stebic, who was last seen April 30, said national news media gave more attention to cases such as Stebic’s and Stacy Peterson, who last was seen Oct. 27.

“Unfortunately, it does seem to be that the young, attractive females get more media attention,” Greenberg said.

Stacy Peterson’s stepsister Kerry Simmons said her family wanted to use the national coverage given to Stacy’s disappearance to help others.

The group planned to take their case to Bolingbrook on Saturday night, getting the attention of the TV news cameras parked in front of the Peterson house.

“We’ve had so many people help us,” Simmons said. “Why not help someone else in the mean time?”

In addition to talking about their own missing family members, the group also brought attention to lesser-known cases, such as Bolingbrook resident Esmeralda Anacleto, 17, who last was seen Aug. 22, and Chicago residents Diamond and Tionda Bradley, who last were seen July 6, 2001, and now would be 10 and 16, respectively.

Bradley Olsen’s mother, Susan, said it helps to talk to other people going through similar experiences. Her son last was seen at Bar One in DeKalb on Jan. 19.

“We talk about the police. We talk about things we’re doing,” she said.

Stebic’s cousin Don Zimmerman said he and his family were committed to helping others in similar situations even after some resolution was found in Stebic’s case.

“When we do bring her home and lay her to rest properly, that will not be the end of our journey,” he said.

– Bradley Olsen, 26, male, white

Missing since: Jan. 19, 2007 at Bar One in DeKalb

With information: Call DeKalb Police at 815-748-8400 or DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office at 815-895-2155 ($50,000 reward)

– John Spira, 45, male, white

Missing since: Feb. 23, 2007 near North Avenue and Country Farm Road in West Chicago

With information: Call St. Charles Police at 630-443-3731 or DuPage County Sheriff’s Office at 630-417-2326 or visit www.JohnSpira.com

– Lisa Stebic, 38, female, white

Missing since: April 30 at her home in Plainfield

With information: Call Plainfield Police at 815-267-7217 or visit www.FindLisaStebic.com ($73,000 reward)

– Stacy Peterson, 23, female, white

Missing since: Oct. 27 in Bolingbrook

With information: Call 866-847-5143 or visit www.FindStacyPeterson.com ($23,000 reward)

– Esmeralda Anacleto, 17, female, Hispanic

Missing since: Aug. 22 in Bolingbrook

With information: Call Bolingbrook Police at 630-226-8670 or the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children at 1-800-843-5678

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/12/09/news/local/doc475bc68e2718f502075231.txt

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Family holds out hope for missing business owner

Friday, December 07, 2007
By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Comments (No comments posted.)
ST. CHARLES – Stephanie McNeil hopes a search this weekend will reveal some clues about what happened to her brother, John Spira.

“We are looking for his cell phone, his clothing, the black notebook he had with him, any signs of him,” McNeil said.

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

He had placed a cell phone call to a friend at 7:09 p.m. confirming that he would meet for a dinner date in Oak Brook at 8:30 p.m., but he never arrived.

His cell phone continued to “ping” off of two local cell towers until 11 p.m., McNeil said. The search Saturday and Sunday will concentrate on an area around the cell towers.

Detectives from the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office will help in the search.

“We are actively working on this investigation,” DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba said through a spokeswoman. “We will be doing so until its resolution, as we do with all of our missing persons.”

McNeil, who lives in Arizona, hopes this weekend’s predicted snowy weather will not impair the search. Indiana-based Aerial Image Corp., which has helped in the search for Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson, hopes to do some water searches this weekend, McNeil said.

Volunteers helping in the search will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Brian’s Charhouse, 27W371 North Avenue, West Chicago.

Joining McNeil in the search will be Susan Olsen, mother of missing construction worker Bradley Olsen of Maple Park.

Olsen, 26, last was seen about 2 a.m. Jan. 20 at Bar One in DeKalb. DeKalb police have said he arrived at the bar with some friends late Jan. 19.

“We have kind of gotten to be friends,” McNeil said. “We keep in touch and try to stay on top of our cases.”

Susan Olsen said she planned to help in the search both days.

“We had such unbelievable support for the past searches we’ve had for Brad,” she said.

Want to help in search?

Volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Brian’s Charhouse, 27W371 North Avenue, West Chicago.


http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/12/07/news/local/doc475903cd4c41d388283417.txt

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Bill eases filing of missing person reports
Changes would allow quicker responses

June 1, 2007
By Eva McKendrick STAFF WRITER

Naperville resident Renata Bielskis knew her boyfriend, John Spira, was missing Feb. 23. He wasn't returning phone calls and didn't show up to meet his friends.

After searching for Spira with no luck, Bielskis contacted the police in St. Charles, where Spira lived. She said the police told her she could not file a missing person's report because she was not next of kin.

Paul McCurtain, spokesman for the St. Charles Police Department, said the report was finally signed at 5:30 a.m. Feb. 25, when Spira's estranged wife, Suzanne Spira, agreed to sign the paperwork. McCurtain said there was no mention in the report of Bielskis's attempt to file one.

"It was precious hours and minutes ticking away," Bielskis, 44, said.

More than three months later, Spira, 45, is still missing.

Although the case originally was taken on by the St. Charles police, it is now under investigation by the DuPage County sheriff's office, because Spira disappeared in an unincorporated area of DuPage County.

A new piece of legislation, House Bill 0194, would help prevent situations such as these. The legislation states: "... all law enforcement agencies shall accept without delay any report of a missing person," regardless of who files the report or how long the person has been missing.

"I absolutely think it would've been different (if Bielskis's report had been accepted)," said Stephanie McNeil, Spira's sister from Phoenix. "Over 48 hours passed between him (going) missing and the police arriving at his office," where Spira was last seen.

The Senate and the House passed the bill May 22. It needs a signature from Gov. Rod Blagojevich to become a state law.

Rep. Joe Dunn, R-Naperville, said he voted in favor of the bill to eliminate delays.

Reps. Patricia Bellock of the 47th District and Sandy Pihos of the 42nd District are sponsors of the bill. Pihos said she knows the legislation comes at an extra cost to police stations, but she feels a law like this is necessary.

"If you suspect someone is missing, they should start the search right away," Pihos said.

Without the law, each police department can make its own policy when it comes to handling missing persons reports, said Lt. Dave Hoffman, public information officer for the Naperville Police Department.

In Naperville, Hoffman said a person may be declared missing if his or her whereabouts are unknown and the person reporting has some kind of relationship with the victim.

The Lisle Police Department will accept a missing person's report whenever circumstances warrant police investigation, said Lisle Police spokesperson Lt. Ron Wilke.

"Reports should be made by a relative or some other guardian, but we will waive that," Wilke said.

McCurtain said St. Charles has a similar policy, so it is unclear why Bielskis had a difficult time.

When Scott Arcaro of Lisle went missing Feb. 22, his boss, Sam Lento, said he had no problem filing a missing person's report with the Lisle Police Department.

Arcaro, 38, also still is missing.

Missing Plainfield mom Lisa Stebic, whose 38th birthday was May 19, was reported missing May 1 by a neighbor to the Plainfield police. Stebic, 38, was last seen on April 30.

Bradley Olsen, 26, of Maple Park was last seen Jan. 19.

Olsen's parents, Sue and Bill, were out of town at the time and reported him missing to DeKalb police when they returned home Jan. 24, Sue said. She said police officers were cooperative when she filed the missing person's report.

TIP LINE
If you have information about the whereabouts of these missing area residents, contact the following authorities:

John Spira: DuPage County sheriff's office at 630-407-2400.

Lisa Stebic: Plainfield Police Department at 815-267-7217 or Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734.

Scott Arcaro: Lisle Police Department at 630-271-4200.

Bradley Olsen: DeKalb Police Department at 815-748-8400.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervi...PIRA_S1.article

________________________

John placed a cell phone call to a friend at 7:09 pm confirming that he would meet for a dinner date in Oak Brook, IL. at 8:30pm, but he was never to arrive.

While no further communication was received from John Spira, his cell phone did continue to 'ping' off of two (2) local service towers until 11:00pm that night.

John's friend, Renata Bielskis, reported that she had contacted the St. Charles Police Department shortly after his uncharacteristic disappearance on the evening of February 23rd. The St. Charles P. D. failed to recognize Miss Bielskis' concerns for reason that she was not qualified to file a report.

John and his estranged wife, Suzanne, had agreed on the final details of their divorce settlement on the morning of February 23rd. She was finally coaxed into filing an official missing person's report with the St. Charles Police Department at 5:30am of the following Sunday, February 25th, 2007. The couple's divorce was to be official on March the 8th.

Although this case was originally filed with the St. Charles, IL. Police Department, it is now categorized under the jurisdiction of the Du Page County Sheriff's Office for reason that Spira disappeared in an unincorporated area within the parameters of Du Page County.

Some of John's employees at Universal Cable have officially reported a large roll of plastic wrap material to have been missing from the premises, but the Du Page County Police Department's position remains that they believe John to have simply walked away from his family and his life, stating that there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

WE STRONGLY DISAGREE AND SUBMIT THAT JOHN WAS MURDERED BY SOMEONE THAT HE KNEW!

John's Business was burned to the ground Sunday, September 16, 2007. The (now) gutted building that was once home to former Du Page County "Business of the year" nominee, Universal Cable Construction Inc., is co-owned by John's estranged wife and the wife of John's business partner, David W. Stubben.

[doubledecker]

Family hasn't given up search for missing St. Charles man
By Josh Stockinger | Daily Herald StaffContact writer
Published: 2/23/2008 12:27 AMSend To:



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
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=140725&src=5

________________________

Families of missing join forces
STEBIC, PETERSON | 'We share the same pain'

December 11, 2007
BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter

Relatives of missing suburban moms Stacy Peterson and Lisa Stebic pledged Monday to work with other suburban families searching for missing loved ones.

Their joint efforts will help keep public interest and police investigations focused, even on missing persons cases that lack the high profile of the baffling disappearances of Peterson and Stebic, relatives said.

"We share this common bond, we share the same pain, the same desperation, to find our missing loved ones,'' said Melanie Greenberg, a cousin of Lisa Stebic, the Plainfield mother of two who disappeared April 30. "None of our families will rest until we find answers, until we solve these mysteries.''

The families agreed to work together to promote searches and publicity for all of their missing relatives.

"Together, we all will continue to look for our loved ones,'' said Susan Olsen, whose 26-year-old son, Bradley Olsen, vanished last Jan. 19 in DeKalb.

Along with Olsen, relatives of two other missing suburban men, John Spira and Scott Acaro, joined the effort, announced at a news conference outside the Bolingbrook home where 23-year-old Stacy Peterson was last seen on Oct. 28.

Spira, a 45-year-old businessman and Blues musician, vanished Feb. 23 while in suburban West Chicago. Scott Acaro, 38, disappeared Feb. 22 in west suburban Lisle.

While the disappearance of Stebic and Peterson have attracted intense media coverage and triggered exhaustive police investigations, the disappearances of Olsen, Acaro and Spira haven't drawn nearly as much attention — something relatives hope will change if all the families work together.

"Our hope is to keep their faces out there so that someone might be able to come forward and have some information that helps us find these people,'' said Kerry Simmons, Stacy Peterson's stepsister.

While the rally was held outside the home Stacy Peterson shared with her husband Drew, his lawyer said the relatives picked the wrong place to gather.

They should have demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Illinois State Police, the agency investigating Stacy Peterson's disappearance, to make their point, attorney Joel Brodsky said.

"I agree with them,'' said Brodsky. "I don't understand why Drew is getting all the attention- — I think there's many other cases that should get this type of attention."

Drew Peterson has been named a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, but he has denied any involvement in the case.


http://www.suntimes.com/news/peterson/6907...ngweb11.article

[doubledecker]

I have some reserach info I will add later today sometime

[Nut44x4]

Bones' mystery unsolved

June 9, 2010

CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP -- The bones that washed up on the banks of the Des Plaines River near Channahon last spring were found with some Gap blue jeans the same size John Spira wore.

In the pocket of these blue jeans was a pair of guitar picks which Spira, an accomplished blues guitarist, very well may have been carrying. Along with the guitar picks was Orajel toothache medicine. The St. Charles man happened to have had a tooth pulled just before he vanished in February 2007, and Orajel is something he would have on him.

After the remains were found in May 2009, the state police took over the death investigation due to early suspicions that they might be that of missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson.

But once tests determined the bones belonged to a man with a slight build -- Spira stood 5-foot-9 and weighed 160 pounds -- they connected the dots and determined there was a good chance that the remains were the St. Charles man.

Then DNA testing conducted at the state police crime lab proved the bones weren't Spira's, punching a hole in the once-promising theory.

Or then again, maybe it didn't.

Checking DNA results
Late last year, after the state police crime lab ruled out Spira as a possible match to the bones found on the shore of the Des Plaines, the remains were shipped to the University of North Texas Health Science Center's Center for Human Identification. So was a DNA sample provided by the DuPage County Sheriff's Department that the state police used to compare to DNA from the bones. At the time, a source explained the need for further testing by saying "there are enough similarities that they're double-checking their work."
DNA testing is supposed to be infallible, at least as far as excluding identity. So why would the law need to check their work at a university lab 1,000 miles away?

For one thing, Spira's sister, Stephanie McNeil, questions the validity of the sample the DuPage County Sheriff's Department supplied for the test.

McNeil said the DuPage County Sheriff's Department took DNA samples from her and her mother, Maggie Spira. McNeil said she was told the DuPage County cops also took samples from a toothbrush and hairbrush found in Spira's home.

Dawn Domrose, the spokeswoman for the DuPage County Sheriff's Department, said her agency obtained a sample from Spira's toothbrush and entered it in a national database. But McNeil fears her brother's DNA is not on that toothbrush.

Toothbrush sample
McNeil said her brother and his wife, Suzanne Spira, were in the midst of a contentious divorce but still living in the same house throughout the "tumultuous" time leading up to his disappearance.
After John Spira disappeared, his wife handed the toothbrush to the police. But McNeil suspects it might actually have been someone else's toothbrush.

"They need to redo it," McNeil said of the DNA comparison to the bones from the Des Plaines River.

"It's totally unreliable," she said of the sample off the toothbrush supplied by her brother's wife.

Even Suzanne Spira, who now lives in Orchard Park, N.Y., conceded the toothbrush might not belong to her missing husband.

"I can't say that for sure," she said when asked if she was certain she gave the police John Spira's toothbrush. "I don't know."

Suzanne Spira suggested the toothbrush may have belonged to John Spira's girlfriend, before enigmatically adding, "John traveled a lot."

Suzanne Spira also took issue with McNeil's characterization of her divorce as "tumultuous."

"That was not the case," she said.

In any divorce, "there's going to be some hot moments," she admitted, but added, "There was no fisticuffs."

McNeil wants the bones from the Des Plaines River to be compared to the DNA samples she and her mother provided. She also wants the samples she and her mother gave to be tested against the toothbrush to see if it actually contains her brother's DNA.

"That's the only way I can be completely satisfied that this is not John," McNeil said. "I have to know the right DNA sample was used."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/2371254,4_1_JO09_BODY_S1-100609.article

[Nut44x4]

Police rebuff expert in search for John Spira
Man offers his expertise to help in disappearance that contrasts sharply with Stacy Peterson case

June 29, 2010

JOLIET -- Former federal prosecutor Tad DiBiase has lent his expertise to nearly a dozen police departments across the country when they were struggling with homicide cases. DuPage County is not one of them.

"I'm not just frustrated -- I'm furious with it," Stephanie McNeil, the sister of missing St. Charles man John Spira, said of the sheriff's department's failure to respond to inquiries from DiBiase, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who has developed a specialty in reviewing homicide cases involving missing victims.

McNeil said she reached out to DiBiase and brokered a meeting between him and the DuPage County cops in February.

"He's the country's leading expert on no-body murder cases," McNeil said of DiBiase, noting that DuPage detectives initially seemed receptive to the idea of working with the famed homicide consultant.

"DuPage said, 'No problem. We just have to check his references,'" McNeil recalled.

DiBiase said he provided references but after nearly four months of trading e-mail and calls, the DuPage County police told him he could not have access to Spira's case file.

Instead of opening the file for him, DiBiase said, a DuPage County sergeant informed him he could submit a list of questions for investigators to review. That was when DiBiase had enough.

"That same day I told them that was impossible without knowing what was done, that was not the way I ordinarily worked and that my only question would be, 'Tell me everything you've done to investigate this case,'" DiBiase recalled.

Spira was 45 when he vanished in February 2007. He was last seen at his St. Charles cable construction company, where he left his parked car.

At the time of his disappearance, Spira was in the midst of a tumultuous divorce, McNeil said. He and his wife, Suzanne Spira, were living in the same home throughout their divorce proceedings and the domestic arrangement was hellish, she said.

Suzanne Spira, who has since moved to Orchard Park, N.Y., denied that her relationship with Spira was acrimonious but did concede that in any divorce, "there's going to be some hot moments."

'Call it a homicide'
The DuPage County police have classified the Spira investigation a missing persons case and have not identified any suspects, which McNeil finds infuriating.
"They know it's a homicide. Just call it a homicide. Just call it foul play," she said. "Why can they do it in Stacy Peterson's case? They don't have any more evidence in the Stacy Peterson case."

The state police announced that Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson was the victim of a "potential homicide" within two weeks of her October 2007 disappearance. They also identified her husband, former Bolingbrook cop Drew Peterson, as the sole suspect in their investigation.

Beyond both disappearing in 2007, Spira and Stacy Peterson share another distinction, as the state police at different points thought bones found on the banks of the Des Plaines River in May 2009 might be their remains.

The bones were quickly determined to be those of a man, eliminating Stacy. State police Capt. Carl Dobrich said DNA testing eventually ruled out Spira as well and that investigators are now focusing on another man missing from the Chicago suburbs as a potential match.

'No-body' cases
About nine months after the bones were found, and another clue as to what befell her brother apparently led to a dead end, McNeil said she learned of DiBiase and his accomplishments through Internet research.
"I was searching cases that had been prosecuted without a body," she said, remembering how she then requested his assistance.

"He said, 'Yeah sure, I'll help you out.'"

McNeil made a $500 contribution to DiBiase from the John Spira Search Fund after he agreed to take the case.

"All that money has probably been spent by Tad going back and forth (with the police) on 'Why haven't you sent me the documents?'" McNeil said, describing her feeling of betrayal.

"They've essentially misled us, in (claiming) that they want fresh eyes on this case," she said. "They don't want any eyes on this case, I think, because they're embarrassed."

McNeil said she asked DuPage County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mark Edwalds point blank why his department would not work with DiBiase on his terms.

"His response was, 'We can't discuss it with you.'"

Edwalds failed to respond to repeated calls inquiring into the situation with DiBiase and Spira.

DiBiase said he has worked with law enforcement on about 10 suspected homicide cases involving a missing victim. While he was an assistant U.S. attorney working in Washington, D.C., he specialized in domestic violence and forensic homicide cases. He is now in private practice but lends his services as a consultant.

DiBiase said the situation with DuPage County is the first negative experience he has had with a police department since he started consulting on missing person homicide cases, but that it would not deter him from assisting if they permitted.

"Absolutely," he said, noting he shares McNeil's opinion on what they feel is the misclassification of the Spira case.

"You always treat it like a homicide, because you can't go wrong if you treat it like a homicide and it's a missing person," he said. "But you can go very wrong if you treat it like a missing person and it turns out to be a homicide."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/foxvalleysun/news/2443220,4_1_JO29_NOBODY_S1-100629.article

[Nut44x4]

The bones that washed up on the banks of the Des Plaines River near Channahon last spring (May 2009) have now been ID'd....
NOT JOHNNY!

Cop talk identifies homicide victim

July 27, 2010

JOLIET -- Two retired cops talking shop at a party led to the identification of the bones found 14 months ago on the banks of the Des Plaines River.

DNA testing on the skeletal remains discovered outside Channahon in May 2009 showed they are all that is left of Scott Dudko, a Woodridge man who was last seen alive in December 2008.
Dudko's cause of death has yet to be determined, according to a statement released by Coroner Patrick K. O'Neil's office, but "the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body and the forensic examination of the remains have led authorities to conclude that Dudko died under suspicious circumstances and are treating it as a homicide."

The grisly find by workers clearing debris from the banks of the Des Plaines the spring before last touched off a national frenzy fueled by speculation that the bones might be those of missing Bolingbrook mom Stacy Peterson.

But testing showed that the remains were of a small man, ruling out Stacy and leaving the mystery unsolved for more than a year.

Earlier this year, at the retirement party for Woodridge Detective Terry Freeman, retired Will County Detective James Cardin got to talking with the man of honor. Cardin now works as an investigator for the coroner's office Cold Case Squad.

They compared notes on the bones by the river and the case of Dudko, who was 32 when he was reported missing in August 2009. The Dudko investigation was the last one Freeman worked before retiring.

DNA saved from an autopsy performed on Dudko's father, who last resided in Florida, was compared to the bones from the riverside and a positive identification was made.

"I formed the Cold Case Squad in 2008 to help detectives develop leads in complicated homicide cases in which human remains have not been identified as well as to bring closure to grieving families who are searching for missing loved ones," O'Neil said. "The break in this case was the result of communication and cooperation between dedicated law enforcement officials who share these goals."

The state police and detectives from the Woodridge department are now working together on the Dudko case.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/2536730,4_1_JO27_BODY_S1-100727.article

[Nut44x4]

http://plainfield.patch.com/articles/missing-mans-sister-shut-out-by-cops
Sister of Missing Man John Spira Says She's Being Shut Out By Cops

 

Stephanie McNeil just wants to know what's going on with the case of her missing brother, John Spira. The police won't tell her.
 
By Joseph Hosey | Email the author | 6:00am
::snipping2::


In the more than four years since her brother John Spira vanished, Stephanie McNeil's mounting frustration with the perceived lack of action by the DuPage County Sheriff's Office has prompted her to take matters into her own hands. Or at least try to.

Last year, McNeil enlisted the assistance of a former federal prosecutor who specializes in homicide cases with missing victims, only to have the DuPage County police refuse to let him in on the case.

Now the DuPage County Sheriff's Office has rejected McNeil's formal request to see what its detectives have been up to since her brother vanished in February 2007.

McNeil asked DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba for the investigative files relating to her brother's disappearance and the fire that consumed his St. Charles cable construction company office less than seven months later.

Richard Czupowski, the freedom of information officer for the DuPage County Sheriff's Department, denied the request.

 ::snipping2::
"It's just more of the same," said an exasperated McNeil. "I don't know how they can call it an open investigation, except they can."

 ::snipping2::


McNeil said she cannot remember the last time anyone from the DuPage County police spoke with her about her brother's case but believes it has been a "couple of years."

"I don't know who the current detective is," she said. "I don't know who's working on the case, if anybody."

Dawn Domrose, spokeswoman for the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, said the investigator heading up the Spira case would provide an update as to its status. Three days later, the unidentified investigator has yet to provide any information. Not that it apparently would have mattered.

"It's still ongoing," Czupowski said. "Even if you did talk to him, he probably can't tell you where it's at."

 ::snipping2::
McNeil said she has been at odds with investigators from the DuPage County Sheriff's Office over their refusal to consider her brother's case a homicide. She also took offense when they suggested her brother may have dropped out of circulation of his own accord.

"No way did he go missing on his own," she said. "It's outside the realm of possibility."

In her letter to the Sheriff's Office, McNeil wrote, "Anyone involved in this investigation knows he was murdered, yet this case continues to be called a 'missing persons' case ... "

Despite the Sheriff's Office refusing her request, McNeil said she is not done trying to get the investigative reports on her brother's case.

"I'm going to appeal the denial," she said.