the district attorney who disappeared

by Maymie Emmerich 5 min read

Ray Frank Gricar

Who ran for district attorney in 1985?

Mar 15, 2021 · The District Attorney Who Disappeared: Where Is Ray Gricar? A scenic drive turned into a perpetual nightmare for his family and friends. Ray Gricar (Photo provided by PennLive.com) April 15, 2005...

What is a district attorney called in the US?

Ray was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and went on to become a district attorney in Pennsylvania from 1985 until 2005. Interestingly, he announced that he would not run again the same year he went...

What kind of cases does a district attorney prosecute?

May 15, 2006 · Missing district attorney Pennsylvania DA takes a day off work, and is never seen again. Sara James reports. May 15, 2006, 12:14 AM PDT By Sara James When Ray Gricar vanished near the quaint town...

What is a district attorney investigator?

Jul 31, 2011 · Six years later, district attorney's disappearance is still a mystery. On Monday, a judge reached a conclusion about Ray Gricar, the longtime Centre County district attorney who vanished in 2005. Ray Gricar was eight months from retirement in April 2005 when he told his longtime girlfriend that he planned to go shopping for antiques 50 miles away.

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Who is Ray Gricar?

Ray was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and went on to become a district attorney in Pennsylvania from 1985 until 2005. Interestingly, he announced that he would not run again the same year he went missing, when he was 60 years old. Ray was involved in several high-profile cases, but the most well known was that of Jerry Sandusky.

What happened to Ray Gricar?

On April 15, 2005, Ray left his office in his red Mini Cooper. He called up his girlfriend to let her know that he was driving through the Brush Valley area that’s located northeast of Centre Hall. Later that night, Patty called the police to report that Ray never made it home.

Is Ray Gricar alive?

Ray’s daughter Lara petitioned the court to rule him legally dead six years after he went missing, which was granted. However, Ray’s dead body was never found, so there’s no way to confirm that he is truly dead, and police have not given up on finding him. As a matter of fact, many people think they have spotted him since his disappearance.

What happened to Roy Gricer?

Ray’s brother Roy too his own life in 1996. He, too, drove his car to a nearby river, and his body washed up a week later in Ohio’s Great Miami River. Roy’s death was ruled a suicide, and many speculate that Ray may have done the same.

What TV show was the disappearance of Gricar?

Gricar's disappearance was the subject of television documentary programs, including episodes of Haunting Evidence on Court TV in June 2006, Disappeared on Investigation Discovery in February 2011, news magazine Dateline NBC in December 2011, and an episode of Crime Junkie podcast in January 2020. An episode of the drama Without a Trace on CBS referred to the case.

What happened to Gricar?

The primary theory is he committed suicide just as his brother had done, something supported by the similarities between the two cases. Police working on the case believed this theory to be most likely, although his family did not believe this. Although Gricar was a poor swimmer, he had no medical history of depression or of suicidal thoughts. He was also reportedly looking forward to his upcoming retirement.

When did Gricar call Fornicola?

At 11:30 a.m. ( EDT) on April 15, 2005, Gricar called Fornicola to inform her that he was driving through the Brush Valley area northeast of Centre Hall. Gricar failed to return home, and late that evening, Fornicola reported him missing.

Where did Gricar live?

He was living with Fornicola in her childhood home in Bellefonte at the time of his disappearance. Gricar's older brother Roy disappeared from his West Chester, Ohio, home in May 1996.

Who is Ray Gricar?

Born in Cleveland, Ohio Ray Gricar had served as the Pennsylvania Centre Court District Attorney from 1985 to 2005. The twice divorced father of one was set to retire in a few months, just in time for his sixtieth birthday. During his tenure, Gricar had specialized in cases of homicide.

Is Gricar still alive?

While his body has not been found, Gricar was declared legally dead on July 25, 2011. However, the Pennsylvania State Police consider the case to be open and active. “These type of cases are unique and you have to think outside of the box,” Sunbury Police Chief Miller said in January of 2017.

Who is Ray Gricar's girlfriend?

The prosecutor, Ray Gricar, had awoken on Friday, April 15 and told his girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, that he would be skipping work that day to enjoy a drive down to Lewisburg. It was one of the first warm days of the year, and Gricar told Fornicola he was hoping to enjoy the weather.

Where was the Mini Cooper found?

By early the next day, his Red Mini Cooper was found by a state trooper in the parking lot of the Street of Shops, about 50 miles from his home in Bellefonte, Pa. Many witnesses reported seeing or speaking to Gricar on Market Street. His phone, turned off, was found within the car.

Who was Gricar's girlfriend when he disappeared?

Gricar had been married twice before his disappearance, and at the time of his disappearance he was living with his longtime girlfriend, Patty Fornicola. Late in the evening of April 15, 2005, he called Fornicola to tell her he was driving through the Brush Valley area and would be home shortly. However, he failed to return from his road trip that evening. Fornicola promptly told the authorities that he was missing. Given his career as a district attorney, she feared that Gricar could be in danger.

How long was Ray Gricar in Pennsylvania?

Ray Gricar served as the District Attorney for Center County, Pennsylvania for twenty years, from 1985 to 2005. The end of his time in that office did not come as the result of retirement or a change of career, however; Ray Gricar disappeared under mysterious circumstances on April 15, 2005.

Is Ray Gricar still alive?

Gricar was declared legally dead in 2011, six years after his disappearance. If he is alive, he has made no effort to contact his family. If he was the victim of foul play, it is unclear if the perpetrators will ever be brought to justice. And, if he took his own life, the reasons for the destruction of his hard drive and his reasoning for ending his life shortly before his retirement will never be known. The disappearance of Ray Gricar remains a compelling, if frustrating, mystery for the ages.

Story highlights

Ten years ago, a prosecutor in Centre County, Pennsylvania, took a day off work and vanished.

Awash with theories

From the start, investigators have considered three possibilities: Gricar committed suicide, fell victim to foul play or deliberately walked away.

Damaged beyond repair?

The case has gotten significant attention on the national level, appearing on several true-crime television shows, including HLN’s “Nancy Grace.” So it was strange to many in Pennsylvania that for years a case with such a high profile would be handled by the tiny Bellefonte Police Department, where one investigator was assigned to juggle Gricar’s case along with several more..

When did Ray Gricar disappear?

It was a warm spring day on April 15, 2005, when Gricar, of Bellefonte, told his live-in girlfriend he was taking off work and going for a drive. Gricar headed down Route 192 to Lewisburg. That was the last time anyone heard from him.

Where was the laptop found in the Susquehanna River?

It could not be located at his home or office. In July 2005, the laptop was found in the Susquehanna River near the bridge off Route 45 in Lewisburg.

What is a district attorney?

In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.

What is an assistant district attorney?

The assistant district attorney (assistant DA, ADA) (or state prosecutor or assistant state's attorney) is a law enforcement official who represents the state government on behalf of the district attorney in investigating and prosecuting individuals alleged to have committed a crime. In carrying out their duties to enforce state and local laws, ...

What does a county attorney do?

For example, in Arizona, Missouri, Montana, and Minnesota a county attorney represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all felonies occurring within the county, and prosecutes misdemeanors occurring within unincorporated areas of the county.

What is a DA?

In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.

Is the salary of an ADA lower than the salary of an elected DA?

The salary of an ADA will be lower than the elected DA. The non-monetary benefits of the job induce many to work as an ADA; these include the opportunity to amass trial experience, perform a public service, and network professionally.

What is the role of a prosecutor?

In carrying out their duties, prosecutors have the authority to investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals, and plea bargain with defendants. A district attorney leads a staff of prosecutors, who are most commonly known as deputy district attorneys (DDAs).

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Overview

Personal life

Gricar met Barbara Gray during his undergraduate study at UD. She moved to Cleveland with him after graduation and they married in 1969. They adopted a baby girl, Lara, in 1978. Ray and Barbara Gricar divorced in 1991; Ray married again in 1996, but divorced in 2001. In 2002 or 2003, Gricar moved in with his girlfriend Patty Fornicola, an employee of the Centre County District Attorney's office. He was living with Fornicola in her childhood home in Bellefonteat the time of h…

Early life and career

Ray Gricar was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in the city's Collinwood neighborhood. He attended high school at the Gilmour Academy, a prestigious Catholic school in Gates Mills, and enrolled at the University of Dayton (UD), where he became interested in studying law after working as an intern for the prosecutor's office. After graduating, Gricar moved back to Cleveland to study law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He obtained his Juris Doctorand subsequ…

Disappearance

At 11:30 a.m. (EDT) on April 15, 2005, Gricar called Fornicola to inform her that he was driving through the Brush Valley area northeast of Centre Hall. Gricar failed to return home, and late that evening, Fornicola reported him missing.
The following day, investigators identified Gricar's red Mini Cooper in the parking lot of an antique store in Lewisburg. The car contained his county-issued cell phonebut not his laptop computer, k…

Theories

There are three main theories as to what happened to Gricar. The primary theory is he committed suicide just as his brother had done, something supported by the similarities between the two cases. Police working on the case believed this theory to be most likely, although his family did not believe this. Although Gricar was a poor swimmer, he had no medical history of depression or of suicidal thoughts. He was also reportedly looking forward to his upcoming retirement.

In popular culture

Gricar's disappearance was the subject of television documentary programs, including episodes of Haunting Evidence on Court TV in June 2006, Disappeared on Investigation Discovery in February 2011, news magazine Dateline NBC in December 2011, and an episode of Crime Junkie podcast in January 2020. An episode of the drama Without a Trace on CBS referred to the case.

See also

• List of people who disappeared

External links

• FBI Missing Persons Listing
• Missing Persons: Ray F. Gricar at America's Most Wanted
• Ray Gricar special section at Centre Daily Times
• Ray Gricar mystery