PA Pa - Mary Rose Mikulak, 90's, Luzerne County, 2011

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Investigators also are trying to determine what happened to Mary Rose Mikulak, an elderly relative who reportedly lived with the D’Onofrios and has not been seen in several years.

Mikulak, who has been described in search warrants as Linasheri D’Onofrio’s mother or grandmother, is presumed dead, investigators say.

Mikulak, who would be about 100 now, has not been seen by relatives in many years. Family members from New Jersey hired a private investigator in 2011 to find her, but with no success.

Investigators have not been able to locate death records for Mikulak’s or any human remains.

Investigators say Mikulak may have been introduced to neighbors as Mary Genovese or Mary D’Onofrio, while Linasheri D’Onofrio also used several names, including Layla McCool and Layla Genovese.

Plains remains identified as disabled man, 24; elderly relative still missing, presumed dead | Times Leader

DNA testing was done on those remains discovered during a shed fire in Plains Township at the East Mountain Ridge mobile home park back in February.

They have been identified as those of Shain D’Onofrio, 24.

Shain, who had some disabilities, is the missing son of Linasheri D’Onofrio who lives in a trailer next to where the remains were found.

The investigation also revealed Mary Mikulak, the grandmother of Linasheri D’Onofrio, has been missing since 2011.

Officials believe her to be deceased and are actively searching for her remains.

So far, no arrest has been made in either of the cases but Linasheri Donofrio, who was mentioned in a search warrant, is scheduled to be in court Friday for unrelated charges in Luzerne County.

Remains Found in Plains Township Shed Identified

 

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Theft case

Linasheri D’Onofrio allegedly was house sitting for trailer park neighbor Ronald Heck while he was in a nursing home in 2014.

When Heck returned to his house trailer, he allegedly told investigators his credit union statement showed six personal checks totaling $2,980 had been written out to Mikulak and deposited into a Wells Fargo account owned by Mikulak and Linasheri D’Onofrio, according to court papers.

Investigators were not able to locate Mikulak at that time, noting she would have been about 96 years old.

Linasheri D’Onofrio was arrested April 4 of this year on charges of theft and forgery in connection with the alleged check thefts from Heck.

She is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $300,000, and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in county central court on Friday.

Investigators are asking any previous tenants of the East Mountain Ridge Mobile Home Park, formerly known as Pocono Trailer Park, who had contact with Mikulak and Linasheri D’Onofrio or knows her by the two other names to contact state police at Wyoming at 570-697-2000 and reference Mary Mikulak missing person investigation.

Plains remains identified as disabled man, 24; elderly relative still missing, presumed dead | Times Leader

 

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Mary Rose Mikulak NamUs page The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Height 5' 5" - 5' 10" (65 - 70 Inches)
Weight 150 - 160 lbs
Hair Color Brown

Circumstances of Disappearance Circumstances are unknown


Mary Rose Mikulak – The Charley Project

 

[Pennysmom2]

Mary Rose Mikulak – The Charley Project

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Mikulak in the 1980s (more recent photos are unavailable); Linasheri D'Onofrio, circa 2017

• Missing Since 09/01/2007
• Missing From Plains Township, Pennsylvania
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 89 years old
• Height and Weight 5'5 - 5'10, 150 - 160 pounds
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• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair. Mikulak may use the last names Genovese and/or D'Onofrio.

Details of Disappearance​

Mikulak was last seen in Plains Township, Pennsylvania sometime after September 2007. She lived with Linasheri D'Onofrio, who was her granddaughter, and Linasheri's disabled son, Shain Cori-Jesi D'Onofrio. Shain had cerebral palsy and could not walk; he used a wheelchair or motorized scooter to get around.

A photo of Linasheri is posted with this case summary. She also uses the names Layla Marie Genovese and Layla McCool. Her ex-husband helped her, Shain and Mikulak move from New Jersey to the East Mountain Ridge Mobile Home Park off Jumper Road in Plains Township in 2007.

Mikulak dropped out of sight sometime afterward and has never been heard from again. In 2011, her New Jersey relatives hired a private detective to find her, without result.

Linasheri house-sat for a neighbor in 2014, while the man was in a nursing home. When he returned home, he discovered six personal checks for a total of $2,980 had been stolen from him, written out to Mikulak, and deposited in a bank account jointly owned by Mikulak and Linasheri. The man complained to the police, who were unable to find Mikulak.

In February 2018, a shed behind Linasheri's trailer caught fire in what was later determined to be arson. Authorities discovered human remains inside it, wearing sweatpants, a stained shirt and a toddler's diaper and wrapped in a blanket. They were initially thought to be female, but later determined to be male, and were not identified for three months.

Neighbors told investigators that Linasheri lived near the shed with her disabled son. When questioned, Linasheri said the disabled male was not her son but her brother, that his name was David Genovese, and that he was living with their mother in New Jersey. She refused to provide an address for them, claiming they were in the witness protection program.

It wasn't until May that police were able to determine the body in the burned shed was Shain's. He was 24 years old when he died. The neighbors hadn't seen him for awhile prior to his death, but Linasheri had appeared with him at an eviction hearing in September 2017. Police found Shain's New Jersey birth certificate identifying him as Linasheri's son. The father named on the certificate said he was not Shain's biological father and hadn't seen him in almost a decade.

In mid-April 2018, Linasheri was arrested on forgery and theft charges stemming from the check thefts at her neighbor's house. She remains in jail and has not been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with the shed fire, Shain's death or Mikulak's disappearance. It wasn't until after the shed fire that investigators realized Mikulak was missing.

Authorities are not certain what happened to Mikulak, who would now be approximately 100 years old. They are trying to locate anyone in the local area who may have had contact with her at any point. They can find no death records for her, and no human remains have been discovered either, but they believe she is deceased.

Investigating Agency​

• Pennsylvania State Police 570-697-2000

Source Information​

• NamUs
• The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
• WNEP 16
• Fox 56 WOLF
• The Citizens Voice

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 7, 2018; casefile added.