Still no sign of missing St. Charles man after three years
Robyn Repeta, of Hoffman Estates, a friend of John Spira holds up a sign for passing traffic on County Farm Road, north of St. Charles Road, in front of Spira's West Chicago business. A missing person flyer with Spira's picture is fastened to the back of her sign. The event on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 marks the second anniversary of his disappearance.
Bill Ackerman
Jurate Zubinas, of Willowbrook, a friend of John Spira passes out flyers to passing traffic on County Farm Road, north of St. Charles Road, in front of Spira's West Chicago business. The event on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 marks the second anniversary of his disappearance.
Bill Ackerman
Donna Brownstone of Wilmette, a friend of John Spira holds up sign for passing northboud traffic on County Farm Road, south of North Avenue, in front of Spira's West Chicago business. The event on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 marks the second anniversary of his disappearance. Sign says, "Where is John Spira? ...Someone Knows! and you know who you are!!"
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By Hal Conick, hconick@mysuburbanlife.com
St. Charles Republican
Posted Feb 23, 2010 @ 01:58 PM
St. Charles, IL — A lot can happen over the course of three years. In the missing person case of St. Charles resident John Spira, not nearly enough has happened, according to his family.

Tuesday marks the three-year anniversary of Spira’s disappearance.

Spira last was seen at Universal Cable Construction, a business he ran with Dave Stubben for more than a decade. Stubben and other employees of the company said they last saw Spira at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 23, 2007. His sister, Stephanie McNeil, of Phoenix, said 2010 will be the first year since Spira went missing that a public event won’t be held Feb. 23 to acknowledge his absence.

“It’s really difficult,” McNeil said. “Trust me, I’d love to do something publicly, (but) it’s going to be a hard day for me.”

Last year, friends of Spira held a gathering outside of Universal at the intersection of County Farm and St. Charles roads. A banner still hangs cater-corner from the business, letting passers-by know that Spira remains missing.

While no event will be held to commemorate the three-year anniversary of Spira’s disappearance, McNeil said they still are trying to move the case along. McNeil has hired “no-body” murder case specialist Tad DiBiase to see if he can find anything DuPage County investigators didn’t.

The Spira case also will be featured on Investigation Discovery television series “Disappeared” Monday, March 15.

“This is, in fact, a murder case,” McNeil said. “It’s not a missing-persons case, it’s a murder case. No doubt about it. I’ve been saying that from day one.”

Spira, 46, had made arrangements to meet a friend at an Oak Brook restaurant for dinner at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23, 2007, but he never arrived. Friends’ suspicions grew when he didn’t show up the next day at a Montgomery restaurant for a gig with his blues band, the Rabble Rousers.

The St. Charles resident was in the middle of a messy divorce at the time of his disappearance.

His estranged wife filed a missing-person report with the St. Charles Police Department two days after he was last seen.

A fire broke out at Spira’s business in September 2007, almost destroying the building. A 20-foot-by-5-foot banner about Spira that friends and family hung across the street from the business two days before the fire also disappeared.

McNeil said there is “no way” that Spira would have left home without a trace voluntarily.

“It’s not even a remote possibility. We had plans. ... Our family is close,” McNeil said. “My brothers and I are best friends.”

Mark Edwalds, DuPage County Sheriff’s Office investigative commander, said the case still is being looked at as a missing-persons case and not much has changed over the past year.

“I think there’s always hope (for solving the case),” Edwalds said. “It’s just coming across the right piece of evidence.”

McNeil informed the Sheriff’s Office she hired DiBiase, but Edwalds said he has yet to hear from the outside investigator.

McNeil said she isn’t sure what to expect from DiBiase, but hopes he brings some movement to the case. She said she has tried to keep in close contact with the Sheriff’s Office, but isn’t happy with the status of her brother’s case.

“I beg them all the time, ‘Please just call it what it is. Please say there was foul play,’” McNeil said. “I think if we had never gotten any media on this, they would have quit.”

TIMELINE

2007
Feb. 23 John Spira last seen at Universal Cable Construction
Feb. 24 Spira doesn’t show for gig at Montgomery restaurant
Feb. 25 Estranged wife files missing person report
Sept. 14 Supporters put up sign across from business
Sept. 16 Fire at business and sign discovered missing
Dec. 8 Family meets with relatives of Stacy Peterson and Lisa Stebic to organize search

2008
Feb. 23 First anniversary marked with event at Kingston Mines

2009
Feb. 23 Supporters mark second anniversary

2010
Feb. 23 Three-year anniversary of Spira’s disappearance date
March 15 Spira’s story to air on “Disappeared”

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Posted by Thomas A. (Tad) DiBiase, No Body Guy