PA PA - District Attorney Ray Gricar Mysteriously Disappeared - Bellefonte 15 April 2005 #18

[J. J. in Phila]

so, this is the point where we careen down an unknown street..where a hard drive has to be disposed of, where it feels like a sudden flight off to who knows where..and so this one act of the hard drive I think has far more significance in my mind. First because it speaks to hiding something...wether he intended to make it home or not. wether he intended to go home or disappear he did find it necessary to take the laptop on that day and drive far away making a special stop to
dispose of it .

it was more than running an errand. they said he used it as a personal computer so what was on it? why did he do it on this day? why did he keep it in the closet?

Snipped for emphasis.

In early to mid 2004, RFG bought an erasure program for the laptop; they found the box, but not the CD. He also talked to people, including Lux, the PD, how to clean the computer.

While RFG had used it as a home computer, he got a desk top in 12/04. The laptop was stored in the closet and supposedly used just for conferences.

 

[minazoe]

"just used for conferences "and stored in a closet sounds a bit unusual, why put it in a closet? You can do so much with a laptop, you can do anything from anywhere. I find it odd in light of what we know happened to it before he disappeared.

they all gave up on trying to solve this rather easily. disposing of the hard drive is so important..and he decided never to return that laptop and to just destroy the States property. I am sure there is minimal risk of a problem with the state due to his position within. So okay he was destroying the computer..why even bother? just keep the damm thing...why
does he need to deep six it in a way he thinks it will never be found? what is happening in this moment?

Could Ray have been catfished? could this be something having to do with his money? could he have been following instructions with a burner phone?

I still go back to the bizarre death of John Wheeler who we can see on various cameras through his wanderings immediately preceding his death where he dies of blunt force trauma at someone's hand.

mOO

 

[Betty P]

"just used for conferences "and stored in a closet sounds a bit unusual, why put it in a closet? You can do so much with a laptop, you can do anything from anywhere. I find it odd in light of what we know happened to it before he disappeared.

they all gave up on trying to solve this rather easily. disposing of the hard drive is so important..and he decided never to return that laptop and to just destroy the States property. I am sure there is minimal risk of a problem with the state due to his position within. So okay he was destroying the computer..why even bother? just keep the damm thing...why
does he need to deep six it in a way he thinks it will never be found? what is happening in this moment?

Could Ray have been catfished? could this be something having to do with his money? could he have been following instructions with a burner phone?

I still go back to the bizarre death of John Wheeler who we can see on various cameras through his wanderings immediately preceding his death where he dies of blunt force trauma at someone's hand.

mOO

As JJ mentioned, Ray had purchased his own home computer for his personal use. He was only using the laptop for work because it was the property of his employer, the county.

He was planning to retire in a few months, so its assumed he was seeking a way to clean the laptop hard drive before returning it.

I followed the news stories of Jack Wheeler when he disappeared and was later found deceased. JMO, it seemed apparent Jack experienced some serious, chronic mental health issues for many years. He was losing his car, his belongings, having what sounded like some delusional behavior, etc. LE concluded that may have led to his bizarre behavior and death.

From all the news reports, etc. on Ray Gricar, he didn't seem to be experiencing any mental health issues at the time of his disappearance. He was working long hours, but accomplished a great deal at his job. His co-workers and girlfriend didn't report any strange behavior. JMO

 

[minazoe]

As JJ mentioned, Ray had purchased his own home computer for his personal use. He was only using the laptop for work because it was the property of his employer, the county.

He was planning to retire in a few months, so its assumed he was seeking a way to clean the laptop hard drive before returning it.

I followed the news stories of Jack Wheeler when he disappeared and was later found deceased. JMO, it seemed apparent Jack experienced some serious, chronic mental health issues for many years. He was losing his car, his belongings, having what sounded like some delusional behavior, etc. LE concluded that may have led to his bizarre behavior and death.

From all the news reports, etc. on Ray Gricar, he didn't seem to be experiencing any mental health issues at the time of his disappearance. He was working long hours, but accomplished a great deal at his job. His co-workers and girlfriend didn't report any strange behavior. JMO

not entirely correct, Betty, he did in fact appear preoccupied, moody, distant, slamming the door of his office..

 

[Betty P]

not entirely correct, Betty, he did in fact appear preoccupied, moody, distant, slamming the door of his office..

Yes, those seemed like unusual behaviors for Ray, but nothing as severe as Jack Wheeler's situation.

Ray still knew where his car was located, knew how to drive it wherever he wanted to go. He was functioning well at work and had actually been putting in some long hours. He didn't try to set his neighbor's house on fire or have a complete psych breakdown that resulted in him making a mess of his own home.

 

[CuriousCricket]

There are multiple possible reasons:

1. Worried about his safety.
2. Didn't want to be "the ex-DA", having to answer questions about old cases.
3. He wanted to travel and start a new life.
4. He wanted to prove how superior he was to everyone by pulling off a near perfect vanishing act.
5. He had hidden money overseas and realized after 9/11, he could not get it back into the country. He walked to it.
6. He did something illegal involving his job and realized that, if it was discovered, he (and his heirs) would lose his pension. If he was declared dead, they would get it.

Some, all, or none could be reasons.

As I once wrote, "That is the “motive problem.” In theory there could be a lot of reasons why Mr. Gricar could choose to walk away." I would note that RFG put it well when asked by a judge about the possible motive of a defendant, "Motive, your honor, is something we never have to prove."

There's no mention, I've seen, of him traveling on vacation. Is it known if he had a favorite area he went to frequently?

 

[J. J. in Phila]

There's no mention, I've seen, of him traveling on vacation. Is it known if he had a favorite area he went to frequently?

Vermont, but he had traveled to Slovenia at least twice.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

On the computers, plural, RFG had an office desktop as well as a home desktop. I do not see anything unusual about keeping it in its case in a closet when not in use.

As to tossing it, all that RFG had to do is reimburse the county. The laptop was about 2 years and was a discontinued model, I think in 2004. RFG would not have had to paid a lot for destroying an obsolete used laptop, if anything.

Had RFG returned, he could gone into the office Monday and said, "I was in Lewisburg and I had the laptop with me. I stumbled and it went flying. It landed in the river. There was nothing important on it." He then would pull out his check book and say, "Let me reimburse the county." That would settle it. There is no investigation, even if it is found by fishermen in July. Even if someone finds the drive, they will not even attempt to recover the data.

 

[CuriousCricket]

I'm assuming these reports from a co-worker that Ray was "distraught" came after he went missing.

Why would only that person report this, when his partner didn't see that in his behavior? How long after Ray's disappearance did these people report seeing him "distraught"? Days, a week, a month?

I also think the guy who thought he saw Ray driving to the courthouse when he'd recently been seen 2 hrs away in Lewisburg is just a mistake. No one can drive that quickly and it seems unlikely he knew anyone with a private jet.

Re Ray intentionally disappearing after going to Lewisburg: If that's the story, why did he sleep in that morning then suddenly leave for Lewisburg, driving very fast? Why would he then spend a couple of hours or more wandering around Lewisburg, in plain sight before making his "escape"?

I've been told Mini-Coopers are great fun to drive. Perhaps he knew it was his last time to put his fun car through its paces.

The person bringing the car appears to have been a hitch in the plan. Where did RFG spend the night of the 15th? Was it ever discovered?

And I love the symbolizm of disappearing on IRS tax day April 15.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I've been told Mini-Coopers are great fun to drive. Perhaps he knew it was his last time to put his fun car through its paces.

The person bringing the car appears to have been a hitch in the plan. Where did RFG spend the night of the 15th? Was it ever discovered?

And I love the symbolizm of disappearing on IRS tax day April 15.

4/15 is also the day that all the action happened in the book 20/20 Vision.

No, but my guess, if this was walk away, at the residence of the "helper."

 

[CuriousCricket]

Yes, it was processed by LE. It was said to have been completely wiped down inside, with only one clear fingerprint on a water bottle in the car. It was Ray's.

If Ray voluntarily disappeared or committed suicide, why would he bother to remove any trace of his fingerprints, etc. before abandoning his car?

Because his prints were not the only ones there.

 

[CuriousCricket]

How weird is it that she called her brother to ask him if it was normal for Ray to not answer his phone..??
wouldn't she know ? could she have called him for some other reason? I still have so many questions..
where did she go for lunch? who is the contractor? is he known to PF's family...? I just see small spaces where questions fit in..mOO

She didn't want to be making too much of a nothing. She knew it was weird. She was terrified, but was with it enough to wonder if she was over-reacting. Her brother's re-assurance that it was very unlike RFG gave her to courage to call for help.

 

[CuriousCricket]

J. J...What is your theory why LE would hold back that evidence?
IMO, I lean towards voluntary as well.
Taking a hooky day, driving around in your car one last time, maybe even lighting up a cig in your car to throw everyone off..as well as the computer search and account. I still wonder why you wouldn't wait until retirement and just move...unless you felt threatened (?)

I think it was a planned move. He seems to have had plenty of time to prepare -- no entanglements like real estate or wife; new I.D. and paperwork in place. at least one burner phone and strange bank account. The romance of life on the road is very much part of our generation. I still feel the pulls. I'm wondering if he had health issues. Apparently his girlfriend had suggested he see a doctor. Or the reason he was leaving -- say an old case that might rear its ugly head enough to be at least embarrassing an a nuisance -- was seeing some movement and he just moved up his disappearane timeline. Vermont probably means his money in Canada instead of the Caribbean. All he had to do was hole up a few days, grow a scruffy beard, which he darkened along with the hair, throw on a flannel shirt, jeans and a baseball cap and he just stepped into a new personna.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Because his prints were not the only ones there.

And, there were partial prints, some of the ridges were there, but not enough to match them. Had they been wiped, none should have remained.

 

[CuriousCricket]

If he were hiding assets offshore, that is exactly what he would do, if he could not get them back into the country.

And the legacy of the DA who disappeared might be lots better than it might have been otherwise -- IF something did rear its ugly head. We can't know for sure, but with his job, there were probably enemies and perhaps questionable calls that could have turned unpleasant. His health was questioned by his girlfriend and his change of temperment could indicate stress from movement in an area he had thought would wait until the end of the year. It was time for him to move on to a life he had planned for but which sped up and he was forced to leave in April instead of the end of December.

 

[Betty P]

I've been told Mini-Coopers are great fun to drive. Perhaps he knew it was his last time to put his fun car through its paces.

The person bringing the car appears to have been a hitch in the plan. Where did RFG spend the night of the 15th? Was it ever discovered?

And I love the symbolizm of disappearing on IRS tax day April 15.

I've read or heard that LE did and didn't canvass the hotels and motels within the radius of Lewisburg - the town where he was last seen.

I tend to think they probably did.

Here's a quote from Centre Daily Times quoting his daughter who said she and her mom searched and passed out flyers all around the area, including hotels. They usually saw LE at the same hotels, also canvassing.

Here's a link if you have a subscription to Newspapers.com. Its a lengthy article with several photos of Ray over the years.

Centre Daily Times 24 Jul 2005, page 9 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Centre Daily Times dated 24 Jul 2005, page 9.

www.newspapers.com

 

[Betty P]

In this article, from 2006, fellow county prosecutor Buehner states that police didn't canvass local hotels, but Ray's daughter saw them at some of the hotels.

It seems there was also a witness who claimed he saw Ray the next day, Saturday, April 16, at the antique shop. However, LE found Ray's car abandoned in the store parking lot that day.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

In this article, from 2006, fellow county prosecutor Buehner states that police didn't canvass local hotels, but Ray's daughter saw them at some of the hotels.

It seems there was also a witness who claimed he saw Ray the next day, Saturday, April 16, at the antique shop. However, LE found Ray's car abandoned in the store parking lot that day.

Snipped for brevity.

Three witnesses, Craig Bennett and two waitstaff at the Remember When cafe all reported seeing RFG between 11:00 - 11:30 AM on 4/16/05. They were all in the SoS.

I pointed that out to BB and never got a real response.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Snipped for brevity.

Three witnesses, Craig Bennett and two waitstaff at the Remember When cafe all reported seeing RFG between 11:00 - 11:30 AM on 4/16/05. They were all in the SoS.

I pointed that out to BB and never got a real response.

He certainly doesn't appear to have been a man fearing for his safety -- eating at a cafe, strolling through a mall of shops, sitting on a bench on the sidewalk.

I suppose he could have been a man unable to quite make up his mind about taking his life ...

Or he could have been a man waiting for the arrival of a vehicle so he could ride off into the sunset.

why play hooky two days early? Why be so casually out in public - hours after he was reported as a missing person?

Perhaps the extra time gave him the opportunity to take the computer apart and destroy whatever was on it. I can see that if he stepped into a different vehicle and his new ID at the same time, he would not want to have in his possession that computer or other evidence of who he was. The extra time meant he disposed of it in a way that might suggest he had committed sucide.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

RFG drove down 192 to get to Lewisburg. Much of the route has no inhabitants, no local police, and was outside of cell coverage. Same the day before. That is not consistent with someone worried about his safety.