The “Mysterious Disappearance” of Ray Gricar
Posted on April 17, 2015 by keepthesearchalive
Mysterious Disappearances CHAPTER II:
Still shocked over the last outcome, I knew it was time to move on. On to the disappearance of PA DA Frank Ray Gricar.
Frank “Ray” Gricar was DA of Centre County Pennsylvania when he went missing on April 15, 2005. The story of his disappearance re-appeared during the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the county in 2011. When I first began to blog about the case it was clear. Most people seemed to think Gricar was a homicide victim. The word on the street was that Gricar was done in by any number of enemies. There was the possibility he was murdered to cover up a future Sandusky indictment. The possibility a heroin ring busted could have gotten revenge. Strange rumors about a motorcycle gang killing him. Maybe he was killed for the information on his lap top computer? There was no shortage of theories pointing to disappearance as the result of a criminal act. But would there be evidence to support those theories?
I would be looking at three different scenarios here. Disappearance as the result of a criminal act. Disappearance as the result of a suicide. A disappearance planned by Gricar of his own doing.
Who was Ray Gricar? That is first question I had on my mind. What was his behavior like? What kind of person is he? What skeletons if any does he have in his closet? People connected to Gricar who spoke to me said that he was a consummate professional. He was a ladies man type of figure. He did not do drugs. He did not gamble. A person who worked with Gricar did blog at length about how he was a very private person. He did knock off work for the day every once in a while. Not one person I spoke to indicated ANY type of inappropriateness in his conduct. He was very proud of his Slovenian heritage. His heritage was a very important thing to him. It certainly did not seem that Gricar was center stage in the Centre County nightlife either. No one reports seeing him out much in social scenes. He had a law school education with a minor in Russian history. No one reports any sign of mental illness or depression. As I looked into whether or not Gricar would be the type of guy to look the other way over certain bad behaviors the answer became a resounding “NO!” In various press outlets, girlfriend Patty Fornicola reports Ray seemed to be sleeping frequently prior to him disappearing. Sleeping could be a sign of stress. What would Gricar be so stressed over? He was about to retire.
So what do I write on the big white board so far?
***Ray Gricar was a very private man who was the consummate professional at work. He did not have any real bad habits. He didn’t gamble or do drugs. He graduated law school with a minor in Russian history. He was proud of his Slovenian heritage.
Next it’s time to find out what were Gricar’s actions on the day he disappeared.
On the day Gricar disappears, he calls off work. He changes plans he had to go to work to instead stay home. Ok this is important. Anyone planning to murder Gricar with premeditation has just been thrown a major curveball. How would they know where Ray Gricar is going to be?
***Ray Gricar called off work the day he disappeared.
Ray leaves his place of residence in a newer red Mini Cooper. As many articles show a picture of Ray with that Mini it is extremely important to note that the Mini is not owned by Gricar. It is actually owned by Ray’s girlfriend Patricia Fornicola.
***The vehicle Ray leaves in- a red Mini Cooper is not actually “his”.
From the time Gricar leaves his residence until his car is found in Lewisburg, PA. we are left to fill in some major blanks. There is a sighting of Gricar in the shop near where the Mini was parked with a “dark haired woman”. Gricar did not make any emergency calls on his cell phone nor did he call anyone that would lead authorities to believe he was meeting someone last-minute. Who was this mysterious “dark haired” woman?
A Former AD would claim to see Ray driving a different car that day.
A source would come forward to me that she believes she saw Gricar with a woman in Lewisburg the day of his disappearance at a hotel.
No source has ever come forward to say they witnessed a crime.
No calls to 911 in Lewisburg or other nearby cities exist claiming a person witnessing Gricar walking away from the area where the Mini was found or jumping from the near by bridge.
A search of the river yielded no body or any pieces to a homicide case.
Gricar’s cell phone would be locked in the car where it would be found. Much later, his laptop computer and subsequently it’s hard drive would both be found in the Susquehanna River close to where the Mini was parked. Reports from LE would confirm that Gricar’s home desktop computer would have searches on it dealing with “frying a laptop hard drive in water”.
*** Ray Gricar’s laptop computer and hard drive were found in Susquehanna River. Searches on his computer reveal internet searches about destroying that lap top hard drive in “water”.
Given Ray called off work that day, who else but Gricar could have possibly destroyed it in that particular manner? How would they know information on that computer was exclusive to only -that- computer? How would they knew he’d have it on his day off? It is clear to me that because the computer is found in the matter it is that only Gricar is responsible for destroying it. At some point before he disappears he removes the hard drive to his laptop computer and throws it and the computer in the river exactly as his internet search suggested. But why? He had several months of work to go before “retiring”! How does this coincidently happen at the time Gricar goes missing? What could be on that laptop that no one could see at that particular time?
The chance of it being a mere coincidence I would place at hitting a six digit lottery ticket.
What were the people being interviewed for television programs saying about the story?
One television program I respect the most that deals with missing person’s cases would break out all the stops investigating this case. DATELINE NBC would premier an episode about the Gricar story. They even hired a consultant as CSI Yolanda McClary would be there to discuss her findings. Lester Holt would tell McClary that if Gricar left of his own free will that there would have to have been money moved. She would agree. But behind the scenes authorities insisted that “There is nothing in Gricar’s financials that point to anything.” But was this statement true? In many homicide cases Law Enforcement does not give the press every single detail to keep with the integrity of the investigation. McClary would make one more statement. The statement she would make I would agree with 100%. “Whatever happened here. It was very well planned.”
*** No crime scene. Nothing but the faint smell of tobacco in the Mini. No fingerprints or any type of evidence at the scene the Mini was left.
***A very well planned event.
In reaching out to McClary recently with some of my findings, she would tell me “I couldn’t get away from the thought he vanished on his own.”
The DATELINE special included interviews with girlfriend Patricia Fornicola. In one interview she uses the words “soul mates” to describe her relationship with Ray. She explains that Ray planned to retire and they were going to drive across the country.
I would think it would be a little uncomfortable in the Mini. Sounds like a pipe dream!
Ok well, what exactly were Gricar’s financials at the time of his disappearance?
Here is where the story takes a turn for the interesting:
Public filings by Gricar’s family lawyer say that Gricar had under $25k in assets at the time he disappeared. Ray Gricar made over $120k a year as a district attorney. To me it seems odd. Where was all this guys assets? Why was the car he drove in his girlfriend’s name?
“And now the REST OF THE STORY…”
A phrase coined by the great Paul Harvey.
Let’s take a look at what we have so far:
***Ray Gricar was a very private man who was the consummate professional at work. He did not have any real bad habits. He didn’t gamble or do drugs. He graduated law school with a minor in Russian history. He was proud of his Slovenian heritage.
***Ray Gricar called off work the day he disappeared.
***The vehicle Ray leaves in a red Mini Cooper is not actually “his”.
*** Ray Gricar’s laptop computer and hard drive were found in Susquehanna River. Searches on his desktop computer reveal internet searches about destroying that lap top hard drive in “water”.
*** No crime scene. Nothing but the faint smell of tobacco in the Mini. No fingerprints or any type of evidence at the scene the Mini was left.
***A very well planned event.
***Ray Gricar had under $25k in assets the time he disappeared.
Much more at author @actorbrett's site:
Posted on April 17, 2015 by keepthesearchalive
Mysterious Disappearances CHAPTER II:
Still shocked over the last outcome, I knew it was time to move on. On to the disappearance of PA DA Frank Ray Gricar.
Frank “Ray” Gricar was DA of Centre County Pennsylvania when he went missing on April 15, 2005. The story of his disappearance re-appeared during the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the county in 2011. When I first began to blog about the case it was clear. Most people seemed to think Gricar was a homicide victim. The word on the street was that Gricar was done in by any number of enemies. There was the possibility he was murdered to cover up a future Sandusky indictment. The possibility a heroin ring busted could have gotten revenge. Strange rumors about a motorcycle gang killing him. Maybe he was killed for the information on his lap top computer? There was no shortage of theories pointing to disappearance as the result of a criminal act. But would there be evidence to support those theories?
I would be looking at three different scenarios here. Disappearance as the result of a criminal act. Disappearance as the result of a suicide. A disappearance planned by Gricar of his own doing.
Who was Ray Gricar? That is first question I had on my mind. What was his behavior like? What kind of person is he? What skeletons if any does he have in his closet? People connected to Gricar who spoke to me said that he was a consummate professional. He was a ladies man type of figure. He did not do drugs. He did not gamble. A person who worked with Gricar did blog at length about how he was a very private person. He did knock off work for the day every once in a while. Not one person I spoke to indicated ANY type of inappropriateness in his conduct. He was very proud of his Slovenian heritage. His heritage was a very important thing to him. It certainly did not seem that Gricar was center stage in the Centre County nightlife either. No one reports seeing him out much in social scenes. He had a law school education with a minor in Russian history. No one reports any sign of mental illness or depression. As I looked into whether or not Gricar would be the type of guy to look the other way over certain bad behaviors the answer became a resounding “NO!” In various press outlets, girlfriend Patty Fornicola reports Ray seemed to be sleeping frequently prior to him disappearing. Sleeping could be a sign of stress. What would Gricar be so stressed over? He was about to retire.
So what do I write on the big white board so far?
***Ray Gricar was a very private man who was the consummate professional at work. He did not have any real bad habits. He didn’t gamble or do drugs. He graduated law school with a minor in Russian history. He was proud of his Slovenian heritage.
Next it’s time to find out what were Gricar’s actions on the day he disappeared.
On the day Gricar disappears, he calls off work. He changes plans he had to go to work to instead stay home. Ok this is important. Anyone planning to murder Gricar with premeditation has just been thrown a major curveball. How would they know where Ray Gricar is going to be?
***Ray Gricar called off work the day he disappeared.
Ray leaves his place of residence in a newer red Mini Cooper. As many articles show a picture of Ray with that Mini it is extremely important to note that the Mini is not owned by Gricar. It is actually owned by Ray’s girlfriend Patricia Fornicola.
***The vehicle Ray leaves in- a red Mini Cooper is not actually “his”.
From the time Gricar leaves his residence until his car is found in Lewisburg, PA. we are left to fill in some major blanks. There is a sighting of Gricar in the shop near where the Mini was parked with a “dark haired woman”. Gricar did not make any emergency calls on his cell phone nor did he call anyone that would lead authorities to believe he was meeting someone last-minute. Who was this mysterious “dark haired” woman?
A Former AD would claim to see Ray driving a different car that day.
A source would come forward to me that she believes she saw Gricar with a woman in Lewisburg the day of his disappearance at a hotel.
No source has ever come forward to say they witnessed a crime.
No calls to 911 in Lewisburg or other nearby cities exist claiming a person witnessing Gricar walking away from the area where the Mini was found or jumping from the near by bridge.
A search of the river yielded no body or any pieces to a homicide case.
Gricar’s cell phone would be locked in the car where it would be found. Much later, his laptop computer and subsequently it’s hard drive would both be found in the Susquehanna River close to where the Mini was parked. Reports from LE would confirm that Gricar’s home desktop computer would have searches on it dealing with “frying a laptop hard drive in water”.
*** Ray Gricar’s laptop computer and hard drive were found in Susquehanna River. Searches on his computer reveal internet searches about destroying that lap top hard drive in “water”.
Given Ray called off work that day, who else but Gricar could have possibly destroyed it in that particular manner? How would they know information on that computer was exclusive to only -that- computer? How would they knew he’d have it on his day off? It is clear to me that because the computer is found in the matter it is that only Gricar is responsible for destroying it. At some point before he disappears he removes the hard drive to his laptop computer and throws it and the computer in the river exactly as his internet search suggested. But why? He had several months of work to go before “retiring”! How does this coincidently happen at the time Gricar goes missing? What could be on that laptop that no one could see at that particular time?
The chance of it being a mere coincidence I would place at hitting a six digit lottery ticket.
What were the people being interviewed for television programs saying about the story?
One television program I respect the most that deals with missing person’s cases would break out all the stops investigating this case. DATELINE NBC would premier an episode about the Gricar story. They even hired a consultant as CSI Yolanda McClary would be there to discuss her findings. Lester Holt would tell McClary that if Gricar left of his own free will that there would have to have been money moved. She would agree. But behind the scenes authorities insisted that “There is nothing in Gricar’s financials that point to anything.” But was this statement true? In many homicide cases Law Enforcement does not give the press every single detail to keep with the integrity of the investigation. McClary would make one more statement. The statement she would make I would agree with 100%. “Whatever happened here. It was very well planned.”
*** No crime scene. Nothing but the faint smell of tobacco in the Mini. No fingerprints or any type of evidence at the scene the Mini was left.
***A very well planned event.
In reaching out to McClary recently with some of my findings, she would tell me “I couldn’t get away from the thought he vanished on his own.”
The DATELINE special included interviews with girlfriend Patricia Fornicola. In one interview she uses the words “soul mates” to describe her relationship with Ray. She explains that Ray planned to retire and they were going to drive across the country.
I would think it would be a little uncomfortable in the Mini. Sounds like a pipe dream!
Ok well, what exactly were Gricar’s financials at the time of his disappearance?
Here is where the story takes a turn for the interesting:
Public filings by Gricar’s family lawyer say that Gricar had under $25k in assets at the time he disappeared. Ray Gricar made over $120k a year as a district attorney. To me it seems odd. Where was all this guys assets? Why was the car he drove in his girlfriend’s name?
“And now the REST OF THE STORY…”
A phrase coined by the great Paul Harvey.
Let’s take a look at what we have so far:
***Ray Gricar was a very private man who was the consummate professional at work. He did not have any real bad habits. He didn’t gamble or do drugs. He graduated law school with a minor in Russian history. He was proud of his Slovenian heritage.
***Ray Gricar called off work the day he disappeared.
***The vehicle Ray leaves in a red Mini Cooper is not actually “his”.
*** Ray Gricar’s laptop computer and hard drive were found in Susquehanna River. Searches on his desktop computer reveal internet searches about destroying that lap top hard drive in “water”.
*** No crime scene. Nothing but the faint smell of tobacco in the Mini. No fingerprints or any type of evidence at the scene the Mini was left.
***A very well planned event.
***Ray Gricar had under $25k in assets the time he disappeared.
Much more at author @actorbrett's site:
