IL IL - John Spira, 45, DuPage County, 23 Feb 2007

[gidget641]

Directly from the website run by his family

• John had attended a formal meeting with his estranged wife, Suzanne, on the morning of February 23rd for the purpose of detailing their divorce settlement. 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.
  
  
  
• This is no ordinary guy; as hundreds of friends and relatives will attest. Everyone has something wonderful to say about John Spira who has been missing since Friday, February 23, 2007; last seen at 7:00 pm at his workplace on County Farm Road near North Avenue in unincorporated West Chicago, Illinois.
  

 

[Dena]

Directly from the website run by his family

• John had attended a formal meeting with his estranged wife, Suzanne, on the morning of February 23rd for the purpose of detailing their divorce settlement. 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.
• This is no ordinary guy; as hundreds of friends and relatives will attest. Everyone has something wonderful to say about John Spira who has been missing since Friday, February 23, 2007; last seen at 7:00 pm at his workplace on County Farm Road near North Avenue in unincorporated West Chicago, Illinois.

Thank you for the clarification. I still think that there is a large possibility the estranged wife is involved.
This is someone who is in this area and following the case. For them to know that there was a banner up, have the time and means to tear it down and start a fire the next day - someone who lived far may not have a 2 day span to accomplish this.

For anyone in the area - John's sister Stephanie e-mailed me back and she said the best way to help right now is to put up flyers.

SNIP from her e-mail:
"If you would like to help we could use some more flyers being posted in the area-now would
be a great time to put them up. If you go on John's
website-www.johnspira.com and scroll down-you'll see either something that says flyers
or else click on Texas Equusearch and the flyer should come up. We'd be
so grateful even if you could put up a couple. Let us know and Dena
thanks so much for your concern and offer of help. It means alot to us!
Stephanie McNeil"

 

[gidget641]

Thank you for the clarification. I still think that there is a large possibility the estranged wife is involved.
This is someone who is in this area and following the case. For them to know that there was a banner up, have the time and means to tear it down and start a fire the next day - someone who lived far may not have a 2 day span to accomplish this.

My thoughts exactly. Also, there seems to be less cases where grown adults just walk away from their lives than cases where they have been victims of foul play. In my mind that stacks the odds in the favor of something bad happening to him.

I am not saying that people don't just get up and walk away. They do. I am just saying it seems to happen less often.

 

[docwho3]

My thoughts exactly. Also, there seems to be less cases where grown adults just walk away from their lives than cases where they have been victims of foul play. In my mind that stacks the odds in the favor of something bad happening to him.

I am not saying that people don't just get up and walk away. They do. I am just saying it seems to happen less often.

Actually statistics say the vast majority of missing persons are not foul play and most are found. I got that from actual L.E. websites. I posted a link to such info in a different case quite some time back but you should also be able to find it using a search engine. If not I should be able to post it again.

I am not making a determination in this particular case as I have not read the case info yet but I did happen to see the post about foul play vs. runaway odds and wanted to pass along the info on the subject.

 

[Dena]

I don't think John Spira walked away. He had a very successful business, he was playing music which he loved to do, nothing of value is missing. He would've walked away with himself and his wallet.

To assume John walked away - and to assume the fire is related - means that he would have gotten angry that his family is looking for him and took down the banner. Then come back the next day and burn down his own office. If that's the case, someone else has to be involved since returning twice would have been far too risky for him. So if the person who is not being helpful, his estranged wife, is in on the runaway plot, then why?
The runaway story makes no sense, IMO.

There are a lot of runaways, but adult runaways, who walk away from a good life? With these strange coincidences?

 

[docwho3]

I don't think John Spira walked away. He had a very successful business, he was playing music which he loved to do, nothing of value is missing. He would've walked away with himself and his wallet. . .

Again I have not read the case particulars here but just to respond to a few points in your post (and not to argue against anything but only to be helpful.) :

Adults can and do walk away from from a good life and they often leave behind some or all of the following: wallets, money, ID, Cell phone and even their car as if shedding their old life like shedding a skin.

Adult runaways (and suicides) can and do leave behind children, spouse, other family members. Often there will be no contact or even any bank transactions or hits on their S.S. number. Adult runaways can and do stay missing for years in some cases.

. . .To assume John walked away - and to assume the fire is related - means that he would have gotten angry that his family is looking for him and took down the banner. Then come back the next day and burn down his own office. . .

This is possible to have happened but from studying many many solved adult runaway cases in the located section of W.S. I can tell you that it is not something I have read of happening in the many adult runaway cases in that section. To me this is one part of your case that is not consistent with other runaway cases that I have read. Since that stands out to me I thought I would pass it along in hopes that it helps.

 

[Gina_M]

For anyone in the area - John's sister Stephanie e-mailed me back and she said the best way to help right now is to put up flyers.

SNIP from her e-mail:
"If you would like to help we could use some more flyers being posted in the area-now would
be a great time to put them up. If you go on John's
website-www.johnspira.com and scroll down-you'll see either something that says flyers
or else click on Texas Equusearch and the flyer should come up. We'd be
so grateful even if you could put up a couple. Let us know and Dena
thanks so much for your concern and offer of help. It means alot to us!
Stephanie McNeil"

I have family in the area - I can ask them to put up flyers. I also hope that they update the flyer to include the info about the fire. That is way too suspicious and must be connected to his disappearance.

 

[Cubby]

Dena,
I am just east.

This is just speculation, but........ IF John were to have walked away, is it possible he flew out of here under an alias. The DuPage Airport is close, so is the Schaumburg airport as well as several private runways in towns like Naperville, North Barrington, Hinsdale, maybe Plainfield. I'm sure there are more. Suppose he is still in contact with his former business partner, the building was set on fire to collect the insurance money. He gets some cash from the business partner to continue his new life elsewhere.

Plus I read on the family blog, his business partners wife and his wife owned the building which houses the business. Depending on the details of the divorce perhaps he would not have a clean break from her if she still owned the building.

Regarding the banner, I can't recall what is directly across the street from the business, some kind of motorcycle shop? Was it on private property the owners may have taken it down if no one had their permission? - or is there some kind of county owned property. ( or is that closer to St. Charles Rd.) I don't drive that way too often.

Will take a drive by again tomorrow and see what is happening.

I don't have access to a printer for flyers. But I guess if his sister can mail some, I can put them up.


I guess we'll see when the cause of the fire is determined.

 

[Dena]

Dena,
I am just east.

This is just speculation, but........ IF John were to have walked away, is it possible he flew out of here under an alias. The DuPage Airport is close, so is the Schaumburg airport as well as several private runways in towns like Naperville, North Barrington, Hinsdale, maybe Plainfield. I'm sure there are more. Suppose he is still in contact with his former business partner, the building was set on fire to collect the insurance money. He gets some cash from the business partner to continue his new life elsewhere.

Plus I read on the family blog, his business partners wife and his wife owned the building which houses the business. Depending on the details of the divorce perhaps he would not have a clean break from her if she still owned the building.

Regarding the banner, I can't recall what is directly across the street from the business, some kind of motorcycle shop? Was it on private property the owners may have taken it down if no one had their permission? - or is there some kind of county owned property. ( or is that closer to St. Charles Rd.) I don't drive that way too often.

Will take a drive by again tomorrow and see what is happening.

I don't have access to a printer for flyers. But I guess if his sister can mail some, I can put them up.


I guess we'll see when the cause of the fire is determined.

I haven't driven by the business yet, I wanted to last night, I probably will tonight. I am certain that I have driven by it countless times and never paid notice.
Is it right on the corner of County Farm and North? I know there is a bike shop (Kawasaki dealer?) on one side and a gas station on the other. I'll drive that way after work today.

The article said the banner was "destroyed". I don't know if that means someone tore it apart or if it was just taken down. I would assume that in part of any investigation (by family or LE) that they would've asked the business where it was up if they were the ones to take it down. I will try to find out today.
Cubby, if you want to PM me your address I can mail you out some flyers today. I just did black and white, there isn't much necessary color in them anyway.
I was also thinking about where I should put them up at. The Jewel here used to have a walkway as you're going into the store where people up ads and for sale notices, but since it's been remodeled, that area doesn't exist anymore.

Burning down the office for insurance does make sense, I am going to check into reasons why it wouldn't.
I am still shocked that LE doesn't think his disappearance and this fire are related.

 

[Cubby]

The business location is on the east side of County Farm just south of North Ave. I think it might be next to/behind the gas station. It's a small building and I never noticed it before. Nothing about it stands out.

I am going to guess until it is known whether or not it was arsen, and not faulty wires or something LE won't make the comment they are related.

I'm not sure myself where to put them, but thought about driving around the area and seeing what looks logical.

 

[Dena]

His sister says that they had full permission from the business to put the banner up. So someone else took it down who had no right to.

 

[Dena]

So I just drove by it on my way home. I do see how I never noticed it before. It's a small building. It's on County Farm Road between North and St. Charles roads. There is nothing directly across the street except trees, so I assume the banner was placed at the Yamaha (not Kawasaki like I said earlier) dealer.
It is the next building after the gas station.
The lot was empty except a white van and a demolition vehicle. Looks like most of the body of the building is in tact - assuming it was a one story building. All the windows and doors were boarded up.

The insurance aspect has been bothering me all day. I am curious who the insurance on the business would benefit in the case of a fire, and if that's even related. Either way, there could be a logical explanation. If John was still on the insurance, it could be they didn't take him for hopes he would come back, or they forgot.
Actually, I think I would probably think more of it if he was taken off the insurance. It's usually not the first thing you think to do when a person goes missing.

 

[mysteriew]

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

 

[Kelly]

John is now on Project Jason's 18 Wheel Angel campaign. A special poster has been made for him and can be downloaded and printed for placement. More information about the program, and the link for the poster can be found here:

http://projectjason.org/18wheel.shtml

In addition to the campaign, John is also featured in a national trucking publication, either Through the Gears or Independent Contractor. These free magazines are distributed in truck stops nationwide and have a circulation of about 150,000.

Through the Gears and Independent Contractor are two of Target Media Partner's many publications. In partnership with Project Jason, they each feature two missing persons each per month. You can pick up your free copies at a local truck stop, but if it's far from you, you may want to call and ask if they carry that magazine. These are NOT with the regular for purchase magazines.

You can also see the current campaign information on this Target Media Partners site: http://www.thetrucker.com/Features/Missing_Week_3.aspx

We hope this helps in the search for John. Please consider printing and placing a poster in businesses in your community.

Updates on Johns Case: http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=723.0

 

[chicoliving]

Three missing people. Saturday their families united in one mission: to figure out what happened to Stacy Peterson, Lisa Stebic and John Spira.

It has been exactly one year since John Spira disappeared without a trace. Soon after, his business went up in flames. His family fears foul play led to his unexplained absence.

Spira's family is working with the relatives of other missing people in the area in their search for answers. It is a unique bond these families share. Over the months they've had to learn to organize searches, master the media, and privately cope with the very real possibility that they may never find the answers they seek.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=5977213

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Bless them and their families. They are all dealing with basically the same situation just different Suspects or POIs.

It tells me that the laws are inadequate in dealing with situations where the spouse could be a suspect or a POI and all they have to do is shut up if they hid the body well enough and covered their tracks. (Not saying they did anything...just saying it is possible.)

However, we need to get a handle on Divorce By Murder. Until we can find a way to go after these types...we will sit by and watch it happen over and over.

 

[petra]

UPDATED WEBSITE:

http://www.johnspira.com/

Praying for answers.

 

[Cubby]

Bumping for John and his family.

 

[Dena]

Bump again.

John was on America's Most Wanted on Saturday. I forwarded through 40 minutes for there to be a 2 second picture of him up.

I have been speaking with John's brother and sister, and I started a new MySpace page for him today with their permission. The other one hadn't been maintained.
It's only a couple hours old, but hopefully it will generate some local interest. If you have a myspace page, please add him and bulletin it if you have time.

http://www.myspace.com/johnspira

 

[RR0004]

Bump again.

John was on America's Most Wanted on Saturday. I forwarded through 40 minutes for there to be a 2 second picture of him up.

I have been speaking with John's brother and sister, and I started a new MySpace page for him today with their permission. The other one hadn't been maintained.
It's only a couple hours old, but hopefully it will generate some local interest. If you have a myspace page, please add him and bulletin it if you have time.

http://www.myspace.com/johnspira

Thanks, Dena! I did, in fact, catch it on AMW. I'm not familiar with the case, but intend on going back and reading through the threads.