Here are some answers from the CentreDaily.com forum maintained by reporter Pete Bosak:
"Experts tell me, including the Lewisburg police chief, that if Ray threw himself into the nearby Susquehanna River, his body would have turned up by now."
"As for interviewing Ray's closest friends, co-workers or neighbors, police did not do so in depth. As I reported several weeks ago, Assistant District Attorney Steve Sloane said he never was interviewed by lead investigator and Bellefonte Police Officer Darrel Zaccagni, nor was his other dear friend, Ed Walker. As for their direct neighbors, I'll find out for sure. Courthouse employees also complained to me they never were interviewed by police, all the while relating stories to me about "strange" behavior by Ray in the week's leading up to his disappearance.
Pete Bosak 6/06/06"
"But you are right, Ray took Thursday, April 14, 2005 off during the afternoon. But security cameras found Ray entering the courthouse later that evening wearing his blue jacket, blue jeans and tennis shoes. Those are the same things he was reported to be wearing the Friday he disappeared too. As to why he took that Thursday afternoon off, that was never explained to me in detail. I'm not sure he even told Patty, other to say he was "playing hooky." I'll see what else I can find out.
Pete Bosak 6/05/06"
"The river was rather low at the time of year Gricar disappeared. Parts of it can reach as deep as 15 to 20, or so I'm told by Lewisburg police. But during the spring and, especially the summer, you can walk across it in some places. The river was searched literally for perhaps a 100 miles. Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from Pennsylvania State Police went up and down the river looking for a body. But Lewisburg Police Chief Yost has told me the river is heavily used for recreation and by fisherman. If a body was in that river, Yost said, it would have been found by now. As to Gricar's cell phone, it was in the car. And no unusual calls were found on the phone.
Pete Bosak 5/22/06"
"But the hard drive, found separately from the laptop itself, was too badly damanged to retrieve any data from it. Zaccagni also said the hard drive was taken from the computer by "a clean pull," meaning it was not broken or pried from the computer itself. It was intentionally taken out of the computer. Both hard drive and laptop were then found at different points of the Susquehanna River."
"I'm not computer expert, but I'm told it's fairly easy to remove the hard drive from the machine. Investigators can't discount the theory that the hard drive popped out on its own before, during or after it was found in the Susquehanna River. They also can't discount that the hard drive was removed from the machine on purpose. Since experts can't access information on the hard drive found in the banks of the Susquehanna several months ago, the mystery of what was on the hard drive (and whether it was even the one that belonged to Gricar's county-issued laptop) remains."
"After the car was found by a passing state trooper, police dogs were brought to the parking lot but lost the scent very close to the car. According to Bellefonte police Officer Darrel Zaccagni, one of the K-9 handlers said that could mean Gricar got into another car. "
The above have answered almost all of my questions. Here is my theory:
Ray took off for a new life.
Ray met up with someone, probably a woman (2 prior marriages, current live-in relationship, several former girlfriends) got out of his car and got into another car. (Dogs lost scent close to car) Ray led his life in a manner which would allow him to "just disappear" some day if he felt like it. No real estate to tie him down, sufficient funds in a joint account to take care of his daughter - and set up in a manner that she would have no trouble getting the money.
Above average salary for years not reflected in bank accounts - the man accumulated cash, as evidenced by purchasing a fairly expensive vehicle for cash. (Know how unusual this is? Very!) No house payment. Nothing in his name. Gave the girlfriend a monthly sum to help out?
No body ever turns up in a river that is not all that deep (or wide).
Ray knew the computer would "add to the mystery". He threw it out of the car window as he and the new girlfriend drove across the bridge on their way out of town. The divers missed it during their search.
The daughter lives in California. She rarely ever calls the police to inquire about the case. She "gets her information from Patty", the girlfriend.
Ray was already through two divorces. The second divorce "may have cost him a pretty penny" according to the friend and co-worker listed above who was never inteviewed by investigators.
After being burned twice, he wanted his life to be organized in such a way that if he wanted out, he could get out at any time.
An interesting case!
