Naman Shrestha
When Chicago resident John Spira went missing after leaving work in 2007, it caused the family of the 45-year-old man a great amount of distress. They turned to the authorities for help, and an intense search was launched to look for John. A team of competent detectives led the investigation with the help of the loved ones of the individual and state-of-the-art equipment. In the episode titled ‘When the Music Stopped’ of ‘Disappeared,’ we get a detailed account of the entire case and how the search for the missing man was carried out.
John Spira Went Missing From His Workplace
Born in the early 1960s, John Spira, known as “Chicago Johnny” amongst his loved ones, was raised in a seemingly loving house with his parents and sister Stephanie McNeil. His loved ones describe him as a kindhearted person who always lends a helping hand to the ones in need. Due to his straightforward approach to life, John is loved and respected by everyone around him. Apart from being a US Army veteran stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, he was also a well-known guitarist and played area blues clubs with the Rabble Rousers band, which was quite popular in the local area.
On the professional front, not only was John a licensed pilot, but he also owned a utility cable company called Universal Cable Construction in West Chicago. He used to fly out of the DuPage Airport regularly and was a part of Flight Matrix. Besides that, his hobbies also included machinery, electronics, building, and driving race cars. As for his personal life, he got married to Suzanne Spira. However, at the time of his disappearance, the couple was in the middle of their divorce proceedings.
Despite that, they used to live in the same house while having a toxic domestic arrangement, as per the claims of his sister, Stephanie McNeil. However, Suzanne defended her relationship, denying the claims that their marriage had turned toxic. On February 23, 2007, John Spira left the office of Universal Cable Construction on County Farm Road near North Avenue in an unincorporated area near West Chicago around 7 pm, and that was the last time anyone ever saw him again. Reports suggest that he was heading to meet a friend for a dinner date in Oak Brook, Illinois, but he didn’t make it, as his truck was found in the vicinity of his workplace.
The same day, John’s then-girlfriend went to the police to file a missing persons report as she got worried when she couldn’t get in touch with him. However, the authorities did not accept it because she was not one of his relatives. The following night, his band, The Rabble Rousers, was supposed to perform, but he did not show up to that as well. Then, on February 25, 2007, two days after his disappearance, John’s wife, Suzanne, reported him missing to the police. They didn’t waste any time and delved deep into the case to discover that his cell phone was active that night near his office until approximately 11 pm.
Suzanne was one of the last persons who had met him on the morning of February 23, as they had met to discuss their divorce settlement. Finally, after getting married for more than a decade, their divorce was finalized in a few weeks’ time, on March 8, 2007. According to Suzanne, there was no bad blood between the two, and the divorce was an amicable one. However, Stephanie was of the opinion that their marriage was terrible and that Suzanne knew more about her brother’s disappearance than she let on. Stephanie also fought with the authorities for more than four years after her brother vanished over their refusal to treat the case as a possible homicide.
Several months after the disappearance, John’s family decided to place a missing persons billboard right across the street from his office, where he was last seen. On September 15, 2007, the billboard was missing and his office building was burned down, resulting in damages worth $750,000. Upon investigation, the police reported that the fire was caused by arson, which led the family to suspect that the fire was set intentionally and was related to John’s disappearance. However, since John’s credit cards or bank accounts had been inactive and there weren’t any indications of foul play at his house, office, or vehicle, the authorities were not able to list any suspects.
John Spira’s Family is Still Hopeful For His Safe Return
John Spira’s sister, Stephanie, suspects that his former wife, Suzanne, was somehow involved in the vanishing of the 45-year-old. But just a few years after his disappearance, in October 2010, Suzanne was found dead at her home in New York. Though seventeen years have passed since she last saw her beloved brother, Stephanie is still holding onto hope of reuniting with her brother again. In 2017, marking a decade since John’s disappearance, she spoke with CBS, urging people to be on the lookout for information and not hesitate to come forward if they know anything about John Spira, whom they lovingly referred to as Chicago Johnny.
Stephanie stated, “There are people out there who know. I feel like more than one person knows. And I really wish they would come forward, even anonymously.” In March 2020, the detectives of DuPage County confirmed that they are still looking for new leads in the missing case. It has been reported that though the authorities feel that John might have voluntarily embarked upon starting a new life and seemingly prefers to stay under the radar, that’s not what his loved ones think. Since John isn’t a person who’d take wing and make a sudden departure from the lives of his family and friends, they are worried for his safety but are optimistic about his return. As of writing, the case of John Spira remains unsolved.
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