Penny4YourThoughts
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IL IL - John Spira, 45, DuPage County, 23 Feb 2007
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Cubby
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Let's not forget employees reported a missing roll of plastic from the business John and his business partner owned. That limits the pool of poi's.
Iirc the snow wasn't bad at the exact time of John's disappearance. It was that weekend that the snow piled up. I will find the weather info and link it shortly.
Iirc the snow wasn't bad at the exact time of John's disappearance. It was that weekend that the snow piled up. I will find the weather info and link it shortly.
Cubby
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It didn't start snowing until 4:59 pm Saturday February 24th.
Hourly weather is at the bottom of the following link.
Weather History for Chicago DuPage, IL | Weather Underground
It was the snow from Saturday evening into Sunday that covered any ground evidence related to John's Friday disappearance.
Hourly weather is at the bottom of the following link.
Weather History for Chicago DuPage, IL | Weather Underground
It was the snow from Saturday evening into Sunday that covered any ground evidence related to John's Friday disappearance.
somequestions
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I realized the fact about the weather after I wrote my last post about this case, but could not edit it. I think you only have an hour to edit a post. The snowstorm did not start until the next evening February 24, 2007, as his girlfriend became concerned about his whereabouts after not hearing from him.
During the Disappeared show it looks like there was no snow underneath his truck so it was parked before 4:59 pm on February 24th. I just remember during that episode his girlfriend describing looking for him during the snowstorm. It was one of the sadder missing person's cases I have seen on that show.
anniejanet
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They are all sad. Disappeared really gets to me.
Cubby
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No worries. I just didn't want any readers to get confused about the timing of the snow.
Iirc the company buried cable so they likely had the machinery to dig, even frozen ground.
Cubby
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Detective David Chiesa told us Thursday he is looking into the St. Charles man's financial dealings, including whether he may have borrowed money from less than reputable sources.
13 years after businessman's disappearance, DuPage detective gives case a fresh look
The article also mentions John's case is being treated as a presumed homicide and that there is no evidence his business partner was involved in his disappearance.
My apologies if this article was linked upthread, somehow I missed it back in March.
13 years after businessman's disappearance, DuPage detective gives case a fresh look
The article also mentions John's case is being treated as a presumed homicide and that there is no evidence his business partner was involved in his disappearance.
My apologies if this article was linked upthread, somehow I missed it back in March.
My dad was an acquaintance of John's- they played music together in the Chicagoland area a few times. It's really too bad that he still has not been found. I find it suspicious that he went missing at the exact time that he and his wife were splitting up and heading for an apparently contentious divorce. Unfortunately, she is no longer alive to help with the investigation.
somequestions
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On Friday, February 23rd, 2007, John Spira disappeared from his business, Universal Cable Construction, located in West Chicago, IL at approximately a little after 7 pm. This is the last time anyone saw John Spira, although there is debate whether or not it was a vendor at the business or his business partner, Dave, who was the last one to see him alive. Either way, John Spira has not been seen or heard from since that night. When "Chicago Johnnie" did not show up the following night, February 24th to play with his band, The Rabble Rousers, everyone was convinced there was something seriously wrong.
On the day of his disappearance he had finally come to settlement terms regarding a divorce from his wife Suzanne. After court he ended up going to work at Universal Cable Construction in time for the office barbeque. He parked his Ford Excursion in the front lot like usual. His last cell phone call was a little after 7 pm to set up a meeting for dinner with a friend at 8:30 pm in Oak Brook, IL. He never arrived. I have not read any information about who the person was he was planning on meeting at 8:30pm.
The show, Disappeared, did an episode called, When the Music Stopped, featuring this case. One detail I remembered was that John had originally wanted to meet his girlfriend, Renatta, for dinner, but she had something else going on and John got a little irritated by her not wanting to meet up for dinner. I am guessing the person he was meeting for dinner at 8:30 pm was not Renatta. I could have my information mixed up though.
If you want more details about this case, I will link the first part of a CrimeWatch Daily special done about the case below. One other interesting aspect of the case is a suspicious fire that burned the Universal Cable Construction business to the ground in September 2007, not long after a missing John Spira sign placed across the street from the business was stolen.
The case has a main person of interest in the business partner, Dave, believed to be the last person to see John Spira alive. Dave claims a vendor inside the business was the last person to see John Spira alive while the vendor claims when he left Dave was the last one inside the business with John.
Three main important details about the case include:
1. John Spira's Ford Excursion had been moved to the back gated lot of Universal Cable after he had disappeared. No one knows how it got moved there.
2. John Spira's cell phone signal never left the vicinity of the nearest cell phone tower closest to Universal Cable Construction. At around 11 pm it stopped pinging.
3. A mysterious roll of plastic sheeting was missing from Universal Cable Construction after John Spira went missing.
During the course of the investigation it was learned John was seeing a few women, one of whom was married. While the business partner appears like the most likely suspect, it could also be one of those people who may have had a grudge with John.
Most of the suspicion seems to center around John's business partner, Dave. It is thought that he alone or with help from John's ex-wife, Suzanne, are responsible for his disappearance. But thinking something is not the same as having proof a crime was committed. And that is where the case stands currently. Suzanne is no longer alive. She died a few years after John Spira's disappearance.
The police seemed to try to do everything they could to find John Spira, but without cooperation from his business partner and no solid leads, the case seems frozen. And even though it appears unlikely, it has to be considered that maybe John Spira disappeared himself. It is hard to believe he would disappear if he was setting up a time to meet for dinner the same night.
Most likely this case some sort of foul play. But if John Spira is dead, where is his body? If he had his cell phone on him at the time of his murder and the cell phone was still pinging off the same tower near his business, it stands to reason his body is probably somewhere near the business. But what about the missing sheet of plastic? Maybe John's body was transported in his own vehicle to another location? This could also explain why his vehicle was moved. But would his cell phone be left behind while his body was moved?
After all these years I can understand why this is such a difficult case to solve. There is a lot of suspicion, but without more information, it is difficult to even theorize about what happened the night of February 23, 2007. There have been numerous ground searches near his business, but nothing has ever been found. Still the case remains open with the hope that someday someone can help find John Spira. This is the type of case where you hope that someday there is some sort of closure for the family and they can finally figure out what happened to John Spira.
On the day of his disappearance he had finally come to settlement terms regarding a divorce from his wife Suzanne. After court he ended up going to work at Universal Cable Construction in time for the office barbeque. He parked his Ford Excursion in the front lot like usual. His last cell phone call was a little after 7 pm to set up a meeting for dinner with a friend at 8:30 pm in Oak Brook, IL. He never arrived. I have not read any information about who the person was he was planning on meeting at 8:30pm.
The show, Disappeared, did an episode called, When the Music Stopped, featuring this case. One detail I remembered was that John had originally wanted to meet his girlfriend, Renatta, for dinner, but she had something else going on and John got a little irritated by her not wanting to meet up for dinner. I am guessing the person he was meeting for dinner at 8:30 pm was not Renatta. I could have my information mixed up though.
If you want more details about this case, I will link the first part of a CrimeWatch Daily special done about the case below. One other interesting aspect of the case is a suspicious fire that burned the Universal Cable Construction business to the ground in September 2007, not long after a missing John Spira sign placed across the street from the business was stolen.
The case has a main person of interest in the business partner, Dave, believed to be the last person to see John Spira alive. Dave claims a vendor inside the business was the last person to see John Spira alive while the vendor claims when he left Dave was the last one inside the business with John.
Three main important details about the case include:
1. John Spira's Ford Excursion had been moved to the back gated lot of Universal Cable after he had disappeared. No one knows how it got moved there.
2. John Spira's cell phone signal never left the vicinity of the nearest cell phone tower closest to Universal Cable Construction. At around 11 pm it stopped pinging.
3. A mysterious roll of plastic sheeting was missing from Universal Cable Construction after John Spira went missing.
During the course of the investigation it was learned John was seeing a few women, one of whom was married. While the business partner appears like the most likely suspect, it could also be one of those people who may have had a grudge with John.
Most of the suspicion seems to center around John's business partner, Dave. It is thought that he alone or with help from John's ex-wife, Suzanne, are responsible for his disappearance. But thinking something is not the same as having proof a crime was committed. And that is where the case stands currently. Suzanne is no longer alive. She died a few years after John Spira's disappearance.
The police seemed to try to do everything they could to find John Spira, but without cooperation from his business partner and no solid leads, the case seems frozen. And even though it appears unlikely, it has to be considered that maybe John Spira disappeared himself. It is hard to believe he would disappear if he was setting up a time to meet for dinner the same night.
Most likely this case some sort of foul play. But if John Spira is dead, where is his body? If he had his cell phone on him at the time of his murder and the cell phone was still pinging off the same tower near his business, it stands to reason his body is probably somewhere near the business. But what about the missing sheet of plastic? Maybe John's body was transported in his own vehicle to another location? This could also explain why his vehicle was moved. But would his cell phone be left behind while his body was moved?
After all these years I can understand why this is such a difficult case to solve. There is a lot of suspicion, but without more information, it is difficult to even theorize about what happened the night of February 23, 2007. There have been numerous ground searches near his business, but nothing has ever been found. Still the case remains open with the hope that someday someone can help find John Spira. This is the type of case where you hope that someday there is some sort of closure for the family and they can finally figure out what happened to John Spira.
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Does anyone know what Suzanne would have gained from not going through with the divorce and John disappearing? It was said she wasn’t happy but agreed to the terms. Also, what would his business partner have gained with his death? Did they have a falling out at some point? I watched Disappeared tonight and they didn’t really say.
Sonny Crockett
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Recently started watching the Disappeared series for the first time. Excellent show. This John Spira mystery is especially odd; this is the first time I've heard about the case. I don't believe JS dropped everything & skipped town without telling his gf/family/friends what he was doing - he definitely didn't seem the type. And, if he had I doubt he would have left his vehicle behind - which was found in the parking lot of his business.
It seems evident that foul play is behind why he disappeared. He was going through a bad divorce ATT, and it's also unclear what was going on with his cable company. The missing plastic wrapping from his business (around the same time he vanished) is also suspicious & possibly connected to his disappearance.
Also very suspicious are that the "missing" posters that his family put up about 7 months after he disappeared were torn down/destroyed - twice. And, someone tried to destroy his business right around the times the signs were torn down. Very suspicious. It's as if a person/persons didn't want anyone to be investigating his disappearance. And/or this was possibly a warning that no one should be looking into this?!
So, if I had to guess - I would say the disappearance (and probable death, unfortunately) was probably due to the divorce....or was business-related.
It seems evident that foul play is behind why he disappeared. He was going through a bad divorce ATT, and it's also unclear what was going on with his cable company. The missing plastic wrapping from his business (around the same time he vanished) is also suspicious & possibly connected to his disappearance.
Also very suspicious are that the "missing" posters that his family put up about 7 months after he disappeared were torn down/destroyed - twice. And, someone tried to destroy his business right around the times the signs were torn down. Very suspicious. It's as if a person/persons didn't want anyone to be investigating his disappearance. And/or this was possibly a warning that no one should be looking into this?!
So, if I had to guess - I would say the disappearance (and probable death, unfortunately) was probably due to the divorce....or was business-related.
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Sonny Crockett
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Double-post. Please delete.
TheArtfulDetective
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Anniversary of disappearance today.
During this interview, Stubben reportedly told detectives he was “originally unconcerned because John had disappeared before” and that Spira “lives a mysterious life.”
He also told detectives that Spira “sanitized his office area and threw out several boxes of ‘stuff.’ He also shredded two big bags of paperwork” shortly before disappearing, police said.
How very... odd (is one word for it).
I'm glad to read the new information and timeline. It helps clear up about the Cadillac - it was returned to John, he took it to be detailed and returned to the business.
They said they checked the car for fingerprints but did they check it for anything else? Had evidently been moved by someone who wasn't John.
Regarding all the posts on frozen ground, this company has equipment including boring machines and diggers, things that dig through concrete I would imagine, I don't think frozen ground is any factor in anything and besides it was not snowing that day as far as I can tell. There was a snowstorm the next day.
Someone on this thread asked what, hypothetically, Suzanne would've had to gain - well, she didn't want the divorce and she didn't want to lose the house etc but I personally don't think that's the main issue here.
So John left the business at about 7pm, on the phone with someone. Two men say they had left and that DS was the only person there with John. John never arrives at his dinner that evening.
Interesting that they convened a grand jury.
The sheeting makes me feel unwell.
They don't need dogs, I think they need GPR - the business, the entire grounds.
I just think it's so hard though - all of those vehicles, all of those locations. Serious equipment. Can they follow a mobile phone ping data? Might be revealing and I don't mean John's. Back then, a lot less was known about that, people weren't as aware.
So sorry.
He also told detectives that Spira “sanitized his office area and threw out several boxes of ‘stuff.’ He also shredded two big bags of paperwork” shortly before disappearing, police said.
How very... odd (is one word for it).
I'm glad to read the new information and timeline. It helps clear up about the Cadillac - it was returned to John, he took it to be detailed and returned to the business.
They said they checked the car for fingerprints but did they check it for anything else? Had evidently been moved by someone who wasn't John.
Regarding all the posts on frozen ground, this company has equipment including boring machines and diggers, things that dig through concrete I would imagine, I don't think frozen ground is any factor in anything and besides it was not snowing that day as far as I can tell. There was a snowstorm the next day.
Someone on this thread asked what, hypothetically, Suzanne would've had to gain - well, she didn't want the divorce and she didn't want to lose the house etc but I personally don't think that's the main issue here.
So John left the business at about 7pm, on the phone with someone. Two men say they had left and that DS was the only person there with John. John never arrives at his dinner that evening.
Interesting that they convened a grand jury.
The sheeting makes me feel unwell.
They don't need dogs, I think they need GPR - the business, the entire grounds.
I just think it's so hard though - all of those vehicles, all of those locations. Serious equipment. Can they follow a mobile phone ping data? Might be revealing and I don't mean John's. Back then, a lot less was known about that, people weren't as aware.
So sorry.