PA PA - Ray Gricar, 59, Bellefonte, 15 April 2005 - #16

[J. J. in Phila]

A body was found in the Susquehanna River near Williamport. It was not RFG, but I'm posting it to show how bodies are found: Fishermen find human remains found along Susquehanna River

Bodies tend to turn up.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I designed a timeline of things in RFG's life that are either life events or are referred to in relation to his disappearance. This may or may not be relevant.

1979 - Gricars move to Centre County

Between 1979 and 1986 – possible involvement with a woman named Sims. Romantic? Unknown.

7/1985 – Mel Wiley disappears in Ohio

1985 – Barbara Gricar (1st wife) gets tenure. She starts using her maiden name, even though her PH D is under “Gricar.”

1/1986 – Gricar tries to convince the Commissioners to make the DA’s position full time (his salary was $40K and would nearly double). This would be an ongoing issue until 1997.

1986 or 1987 Mark Smith becomes 1st assistant DA

3/1987 – Gricar comments on the (still unsolved) Dana Bailey murder case, saying “I think we’ve given residents everything they need to know and it should be obvious what they should do.” Regarded as condescending, creates very bad press.

1988 – J Karen Arnold hired away from the public defender’s office and become an ADA.

1989 – Judge O’Kicki scandal breaks in Cambria County

11/89 – Gricar wins reelection. Main issue in the campaign was the opponent was only planning to stay one term and lacked prosecutorial experience.

1990 – Steve Sloan hired as an ADA, almost immediately laid off due to budget cuts.

1990 – Divorces Barbara Gray.

1990 – Gets copy of 20/20 Vision (after July).

5/1991 – Steve Sloane hired, and laid off due to budget issues within several months. He returns in early 1993?

1992 – Joseph O’Kicki flees to Slovenia. One place where he was spotted was State College and is believed to have left from the State College Airport. His wife, then a graduate student at PSU, was already in Slovenia.

8/1992 – Chris Gricar, nephew, enrolls at PSU; he completes his degree in 1997

1993 – Dawn Birnbaum murder; resulted in a conviction of a possible serial killer. Story covered Barbara Petito; this is the time that they met. Possible romantic relationship.

1993- Tony DeBoef hired as an ADA. Possible leaving date is 1997-8

1993 – Re-elected against James Bryan. Issue was the call to make the office full time.

1995 – Petito relocates to Harrisburg, working for the AG

8/1995 – Lara Gricar, daughter, enrolls at PSU; she drops out in 1997 and takes a job on the West Coast.

4-5/1996 – Roy Gricar, Gricar’s brother, commits suicide in the Miami River in Ohio. Had bi-polar disorder.

6/1996 – Gricar marries Emma Lang in Virginia.

9/1996 – Jillian Robbins, the “Penn State Sniper,” goes on a shooting spree near HUB.

10/1996 – Douglas Grove arrested for the murder of Kitu Sampson

1997 – DA position made full time. Beginning in 1998, the position paid in excess of $100 K (gross)

3/1997 – Grove acquitted. (Amendola)

11/1997 – Gricar re-elected, unopposed.

1997-98 – Nathan Boob and Lance Marshall hired as ADA

5/1998 – Sandusky case sent to DA’s Office. Gricar does not prosecute.

6/1998 – Robbins takes a plea deal. (Lux)

6/2000 – the latest possible time for Gricar’s trip to see the Indian’s at a double hitter in Cleveland.

3/2001 – Gricar files for divorce, finalized in July

5/2001 – Gricar defeats Robert Bascom in the Republican Primary; it is just over a 60-40 split.

2003 – Gricar moves in with Patty Fornicola

4/2003 – Gricar sanctioned by judge, remove from the Jonathan Street rape case. Street acquitted. (Fleming)

2003 – Very anti-Gricar website, “GricarMustGo.com” appears.

1/2004 - Gricar announces that he will not run in 2005

2004 – Gricar asks about removing the data on the hard drive. Buys software to do it.

2004 – Gricar buys Mini Cooper sometime before July

12/2004 – Gricar prosecutes the Rosengrants brothers, relating to death when they removed a drunken student from the Ratskeller; they were acquitted. This was his last major case he argued. (Muir)

12/2004 – 1/2005 Gricar buys home computer.

 

[minazoe]

sounds like he was in a bit of a professional decline, deciding not to run, anti-sentiment against him , acquittals on his final case. these things can cause depression.

also the purchase of a red sports car ( even a mini) is considered classic mid-life crisis car.

I find it odd he did not have personal computer until 2004..wow...wonder if he was trying to write something. Wonder if he was trying to do something with it that somehow didn't pan out or he felt it was a failure, or not good and wanted to erase it.

his brother was bi-polar but it doesn't sound like Ray had any mental disease. it's very common for bi polar men to end their lives.

it does however seem as though he should have had a lot more money than he did.

it's just so weird. mOO

 

[J. J. in Phila]

RFG's prior car was a red Mitsubishi Spider convertible. If anything, it would be flashier than the Mini.

RFG did have an office computer prior to 2004.

When he made his retirement announcement, RFG said that he had been planning this since 2001. I don't know what all went into his mind, obviously, but the election result showed weakness. In PA, it is very unusual for a Republican to be challenged in a primary. It is very unusual for it to be as close as it was. He might have thought, **I might be having some election problems in the future. Maybe I should end it on a high note.**

On top of that, you have that very anti-Gricar website and a very public sanction that came up in 2003. If his decision was not firm, by 2003, it would be clear that his re-election would be problematic.

Correction, Sloane was hired in 1991.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

This is just the record, but the "Waybackmachine" archive site does have the "Gricar must go" website. Information

 

[J. J. in Phila]

A few, very few, of the details are off, but this is an excellent summary: 072 - The Disappearance of Ray Gricar — Trace Evidence

 

[Daisy1980]

A few, very few, of the details are off, but this is an excellent summary: 072 - The Disappearance of Ray Gricar — Trace Evidence

what details do you think are off?

also, this mentions PF was covering for a receptionist who was out that day - which makes me wonder, who else called off that day? probably nothing related, but curious.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

what details do you think are off?

also, this mentions PF was covering for a receptionist who was out that day - which makes me wonder, who else called off that day? probably nothing related, but curious.

Asking about erasing the data and getting the cleaning program. He gave the impression that it happened in 2005. It happened in 2004 and at least one person was not on his staff; it was a defense attorney. I wish I luxury of saying who, as that would throw more light on the subject.

He didn't know about Petito's identity. That was published; she gave an interview to PennLive.

He indicated that there was only one witness who saw RFG in the parking and, possibly said that there was just one that saw him with the Mystery Woman. There were at least two to each.

I don't think he realized that the drive was probably tossed from the park where RFG was seen (across from the Packwood House).

The really critical one was the data destruction. It had been something RFG had been thinking about 9-15 months prior to his disappearance. It indicates that it was not a spur of the moment thing, or something that he though of just a few weeks before. It might have nothing to do with his disappearance, but it was something he had been thinking about.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

As to who wasn't there on 4/15/05:

RFG, obviously.
Mark Smith (MS) the first assistant ADA, next in the chain of command. He was camping with his wife and another couple in Ohio.
Steve Sloane (SPS), he was recovering, at home, from an automobile accident.

IIRC, the other clerical person was there, but went to the restroom. That could be another minor error.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

One other thing. There was no forensic audit of RFG's accounts.

 

[Daisy1980]

Is it possible they looked into his accounts but didn't share that info with the public?

 

[Daisy1980]

It also makes it sound like they released the searches (both directions and the searches for destroying hard drive) on the home computer right away. That wasn't shared with public until later, though my memory fails on the exact time that was shared.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

First, you are correct on the computer. It was released publicly on 4/15/2009. LE did not discover it until 2006 after (or as a result of) a State Police review (PSP-CIA).

Is it possible they looked into his accounts but didn't share that info with the public?

Not according to the PSP; they complained about no forensic audit when they received the case in 2014.

The FBI did check his credit cards for activity in 4/2005. I don't think they were actually monitoring that after that point, as LG was suppose to call the BPD if the credit cards was used. They may have also been cancelled.

 

[Daisy1980]

interesting. thanks!

 

[J. J. in Phila]

interesting. thanks!

We do know some things about RFG's finances, because TrackerGD got the public estate information and I have his financial disclosure statements. They have been posted.

We know:

1. His assets were held jointly with his daughter.

2. His estate was worth less than $25,000 (but with daughter on the accounts, it could double that amount).

3. The only income he had from a single source that was more than $1400 was from his job. (That kind of precludes large investments earning interests).

From the reports that I've heard, his assets were between just over $80 K to just over $100 K (or legally half of that, as his daughter's name was on the accounts). The former is more likely.

 

[Trackergd]

"2003 – Very anti-Gricar website, “GricarMustGo.com” appears."

As you so clearly detailed in "Not Everybody Loves Raymond"

That was a rather interesting read.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

"2003 – Very anti-Gricar website, “GricarMustGo.com” appears."

As you so clearly detailed in "Not Everybody Loves Raymond"

That was a rather interesting read.

Good to see you back.

Much of that was slanted to the point of being false.

The supposed racial bias was based on a claim in one case that RFG was harder on African American drivers. RFG got the actual statistics together and showed that there was no difference based on race. The judge saw the statistics and reversed.

On race, I compared Gricar to the fictional "Atticus Finch" from To Kill a Mocking Bird, especially in the Grove case. That is certainly not pejorative.

That said, from the primary in 2001, through his announcement, there was a lot of rocky spots for him, both politically and professionally. In that primary, he had 54.83% of the vote, including the undervote. For a 16 year incumbent in a Republican primary, against one opponent, who had never been a prosecutor, that was not good. Couple that with someone actively attacking him, and the sanction in the Street case (which might gotten him suspended today), and, politically, he would have problems in 2005 with re-election.

While RFG may have been thinking, in 2001, about retiring at the end of his term, these things would have certainly reinforced that idea.

 

[Trackergd]

I can see where they would reinforce his leaning towards retiring, but not serious enough to lead to depression, at least in my opinion.

I liked the timeline you posted. I may print that out and go back over some earlier details in the case as time permits.

I had expected that my last two years of employment would be a slide into retirement, however it seems when you become a subject matter expert in a number of technology and special processes fields, you are in even more demand. <insert loud sigh here> That coupled with my research work in forensic metal detecting has my spare time rather limited.

 

[Trackergd]

Here is another one of the definite case; again, please play Devil's Advocate.
First, we know that RFG used his computer to find a route to Lewisburg (even though he knew the route).

I feel this is significant. Like the book being left open to a specific page on replacing a DA, the computer search for frying a hard drive, etc, this may have been a "breadcrumb". I beginning to think RFG left breadcrumbs of which we know some, but have not discovered them all. Some may have been inadvertently destroyed or misplaced/filed during the investigation. Who would RFG have been leaving breadcrumbs for? Who would have been interested enough to "connect the dots"? If it had been for LE, I suspect he would have made it more obvious.

What things do we know that could be considered "breadcrumbs"?

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Yes, you can print it out, of course. Please correct the Sloane entry.

I feel this is significant. Like the book being left open to a specific page on replacing a DA, the computer search for frying a hard drive, etc, this may have been a "breadcrumb". I beginning to think RFG left breadcrumbs of which we know some, but have not discovered them all. Some may have been inadvertently destroyed or misplaced/filed during the investigation. Who would RFG have been leaving breadcrumbs for? Who would have been interested enough to "connect the dots"? If it had been for LE, I suspect he would have made it more obvious.

What things do we know that could be considered "breadcrumbs"?

The book, the County Code, was not left open to the page. When the opened the book, it fell open to that page.

The book 20/20 Vision could have been a breadcrumb. It could have been for someone in his family or office. The book came out in 1990, so it would be someone who knew he had read it. Two ADA's were there, MS and JKA in 1990. His then wife and daughter, of course. The PSP Trooper who he borrowed it from. Even the author, West, didn't know if he ever read it.