AL AL - Olen 'Guy' Kirby, 45, Shelby, 13 March 1975

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Guy Kirby was last seen in March of 1975. He left his residence to sell shoes and hasn't been seen since then. Investigators believe that he was the victim of a homicide but no one has ever been charged.

I couldn't find much information online on this case. It's unclear if there is any kind of timeline to his disappearance or if they believe the perpetrator is local or was someone passing through town.

Unsolved Shelby County Crime

Guy Kirby was last seen in the vicinity of the town of Shelby on March 13, 1975. Kirby is a white male and at the time of his disappearance was 48 years old, approximately 240 lbs with black hair. Kirby sold shoes in the Shelby County area and often hitchhiked around the county. Anyone with information relating to this case should contact the Shelby County Sheriff's Office at 205-669-4181, the Secret Witness Line at (205) 669-9116, or by clicking the "report form" tab at the top of this page

Shelby County Cold Case: Looking for answers 40 years later

Kirby lived just off Highway 119 with his father. As a child, he contracted polio and had a limp, but he still walked or hitchhiked everywhere he traveled.

He was well-known and liked, but on March 13, 1975, Kirby left home to sell shoes. He was never seen again.

Days passed, even weeks. Rewards were offered and polygraphs were taken.

There simply wasn’t enough evidence to make an arrest.

“Someone knows something. And that’s how it is with cold cases. Someone knows something,” said deputy investigator Ray White.

Three years after his disappearance, a poem by the family ran in the local paper. The end of the poem read, “…then we who loved him could put our minds at ease. If you know anything, would you help us, please?”

248524-ed182.jpg
 
So sad. I found this on youtube, but like you said, there's not much out there. :(

[video=youtube;WLs6IPbGE0k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLs6IPbGE0k[/video]
 
I sent an inquiry to the Shelby County Sheriff office through their tip line about a potential match to the UP 15196
 
There is just something so heartbreaking about that gravestone...here's hoping he is a match for that JD. He's gone way too long without an identity.
 
I'm wondering if a truck driver picked him up and harmed him, hence the ball cap found with the remains. I think there is a thread for that JD where the cap is discussed. It rings a bell. I will try to find it.
 
Here is another slight possibility, but the age and weight are off a bit. Since there is no foul play suspected, the JD was found resting under a tree, maybe Guy got lost and had a heart attack?
Also, I couldn't find him in NamUS. I believe those are his siblings in the video? I hope LE has strongly encouraged them the give DNA samples for his brother for too much more time gets away.
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/24umal.html
 
Kirby was last seen in the area of Alabama 25 near Calera during the evening. Right before sunset, he had been spotted in Shelby in a truck with a group of people, according to investigators. All of the members of that group are now deceased.

“At this point, we feel they may have knowledge, but were maybe not directly involved in his disappearance,” White said.
He was also reportedly seen in Alabaster, close to where America’s Thrift Store now stands. His niece, Mary Ruth Furline, said he had planned on visiting a revival that had come to the area that night.
After the news of Kirby’s disappearance broke, searches were conducted, flyers were distributed, polygraph tests were given and members of the community expressed a deep concern.

As a door-to-door salesman, Kirby would often walk to different areas and accept rides when offered. According to investigators and family members, Kirby had no known enemies.

“Anybody who knew Guy knew he was a good person,” Furline said. “He worked hard and he didn’t try to offend or hurt anybody.”

Because he often carried significant amounts of cash on him, it could have been a motive if Kirby was killed.

“There’s the possibility that they tried to rob him and it got out of hand,” White said.

“Safety and security wasn’t something he would have been worried about,” Wheat said.

Furline said she believes several members of one family may have had something to do with his disappearance. On the weekend after Kirby vanished, Furline said the family took a trip out of town. Mitchell said members of that family took polygraph tests and passed.
During his childhood, Kirby contracted polio and walked with a slight limp. He may have also had a slight mental handicap.

“It wasn’t so bad of a mental handicap that he couldn’t keep track of all that stuff like accounts and orders,” said investigator Larry Strayer.

“He was very strong, and in fairly good physical shape, other than his walk and his speech,” White said.

Kirby was one of the youngest of 14 brothers and sisters. He was living in Siluria, which is now considered a part of Alabaster, at the time of his disappearance. He was single and did not have any children.

Despite the fact that he was never legally pronounced dead, Kirby’s family members placed a grave marker on his family’s plot at the Elliottsville Cemetery in Alabaster to memorialize him. Furline said his disappearance has plagued the family for generations.
Read more: https://www.shelbycountyreporter.co...-answers-sought-in-43-year-old-disappearance/
 

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