OH OH - Florence Shoemaker, 76, Ravenna, 3 Feb 2003

[Gardener1850]

RAVENNA, Ohio - The wife of Melvin Shoemaker— a millionaire who went missing 25 years ago— also went missing more than 15 years ago. Authorities searched the home of their son last week in connection with Melvin Shoemaker's disappearance.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office said Florence Shoemaker, who was 76 when she went missing, was last seen in Ravenna on Feb. 3, 2003.

Neither Melvin Shoemaker nor Florence Shoemaker have been found, according to authorities. No arrests have been made and no warrants have been issued in connection to the search for Melvin and Florence Shoemaker.

On Sept. 5., BCI, along with sheriff's deputies from both Geauga and Portage counties, started looking into the disappearance of Melvin Shoemaker.

They searched the home belonging to Melvin Shoemaker's son, Glenn Shoemaker.

Read more: Wife of missing millionaire in Portage County has been missing since 2003

 

[Gardener1850]

Melvin's thread: OH - OH - Melvin Shoemaker, 71, Parkman, 11 Apr 1994

 

[BrownBear]

The Charley Project and Ohio Attorney General's website links

Florence Roberta Shoemaker – The Charley Project

Missing Person - Florence Shoemaker

 

[victoriarobinson642]

 

[dotr]

June 12 '24

Detectives team up to solve cold case disappearances of divorced couple

What happened to Melvin and Florence Shoemaker? 19 Investigates uncovers new information in their missing persons cases.

www.cleveland19.com

''What happened to Melvin and Florence Shoemaker?
Now detectives believe they have a new chance to crack open these cold cases.
Next week, cold case experts from across the country will get fresh eyes on their cases.
The Vidocq Society based in Philadelphia is a “not-so-secret society” you may never have heard about.
Dozens of cold case experts volunteer their time, drumming up new leads for local detectives.
They include prosecutors, forensic scientists, psychologists and detectives.''

 

[mlhenn]

Florence Roberta Shoemaker – The Charley Project

Updated July 15, 2024

Details of Disappearance​

Florence was last seen in Ravenna, Ohio on February 3, 2003. She has never been heard from again.

Her former husband, Melvin, had disappeared from his Parkman, Ohio home on April 11, 1994, at the age of 70, leaving behind his vehicles but taking his wallet and keys. He has never been found.

Melvin had had a poor relationship with the couple's son, Glenn Roger Shoemaker, prior to his disappearance. He had nearly been fired from his manufacturing job in 1978, after he missed work because his son and wife locked him in the house. He was tied up and chained in the basement multiple times that month. At one point he escaped, but Glenn caught up with him in the driveway, sprayed him in the face with mace, and threatened to kill him and hide his body where no one would ever find it.

Melvin and Florence divorced in 1978 and she lived with Glenn in Hiram Township, Ohio. There were reports that Melvin had abused her. Although Florence and Glenn were said to be close, he did not report her missing. Police did not realize she was missing until 2005, when they tried to reach her for help in the investigation in Melvin's case.

By the time of her disappearance, Florence's health was failing; she was unkempt and needed help getting around. She had worked as a home health aide and Glenn explained her absence by saying she was out of town taking care of a patient.

Several months after Melvin disappeared, police searched Glenn's home looking for evidence in his father's disappearance. They found eleven guns and a large amount of ammunition, but nothing indicating Melvin's whereabouts.

It's unclear whether the Shoemakers' cases are related, but in September 2018, police searched Glenn's farm on Winchell Road in Hiram Township looking for evidence in both cases. He had gotten most of his father's $700,000 in assets after Melvin disappeared, but when police searched his home in 2018 he was living with no running water, no electricity or telephone, and with dirt floors.

He has not been charged or named as a suspect in either of his parents' cases. Their disappearances remain unsolved.