What Happened to the Markleys? The 1995 Mystery That Shook Ohio | Forensic Files

Hi Crime Junkies. The story I have for you today is so twisty, so unbelievable that you would swear it was straight out
of a movie and somehow it's all real. Even though this case has barely been reported on outside of Ohio, but when
our reporter started digging in, sources started coming forward with secrets that
they have kept for decades, tips that they have never told police and information that totally reshaped this
story. And that's the story of John and Shelly Markley. December 15th, 1995 is a cold Friday in
Bristolville, Ohio around the time schools are letting out for winter break. But when 15-year-old Ruth Markley
steps off the bus just after 3:00 p.m., she isn't having a happy start to her holidays. You see, one of her dad's
sisters just passed a couple of days ago and the service is tonight. So, being the eldest of five, Ruth's probably
planning to do everything she can to make this day a little easier on her parents, John and Shelly Markley.
Except, when she gets home, her parents aren't there, which never happens. I mean, even if they're 15 minutes late,
they call one of John's sisters who lives nearby to come over and wait for the school bus. And as she looks around,
other things feel a little off as well. Like now she's realizing that the door was unlocked when she came home. She
realizes that her dad's truck was gone. Her mom's purse is still there on top of
the fridge and normally she wouldn't leave home without it or her cigarettes and lighter, which are laying on the
counter. And honestly, more than even the purse, like that is a huge red flag for Ruth. Her mom smokes a pack a day,
she is never without her cigarettes. So, Ruth goes to check her parents' bedroom
and when she gets there, she finds that their clothes for the funeral service have been laid out on the bed. And then
she spots it, the thing that actually sends chills running down her spine. Her dad's gun cabinet is unlocked and
open. And in all her years, Ruth has never seen him open it. So, Ruth calls her aunt, one of John's
sisters, asking if she has seen her parents. Her aunt says no, but she tells her don't freak out just yet because
yesterday your dad mentioned that he wanted to buy a new suit for the funeral. So, you know, him and your mom
probably just went to the mall together. So, she tells Ruth, "Listen, close the door to the gun cabinet and the bedroom
so the other kids can't get up there and call me back if your parents aren't home
soon." So, Ruth hangs up and then she waits, trying to keep herself distracted with cleaning or cooking for her
siblings as they start coming home one by one. But their parents don't come home and
hours pass with no sign of John or Shelly. So, around 5:30 p.m., when everyone has
to leave for the funeral home, Ruth's aunt drives over to pick up the kids. They go to the service, it starts, it
ends and John and Shelly never show. And while we know there is cause for concern
now that you're hearing about it on a Crime Junkie episode, the family actually reasons away their absence.
John particularly had been devastated by his sister's death. I mean, they were twins and he said he felt like he lost
half of himself when she died. So, they think maybe a final goodbye was just too
much for him and he and Shelly went somewhere to clear their heads. So, in the meantime, the whole family
decides to go to John's house to stay with the kids until their parents come home.
But again, they don't come home. When midnight passes, no one can make excuses anymore. John and Shelly were dedicated
parents and they would never leave their kids for this long. So, around 12:30 a.m., Ruth's aunt
reports them missing. About 10 minutes later, police show up to the house to take statements from the family. They
want to know as much as they can about the couple and like the time leading up to their absence.
They learn that John is a long-haul trucker who owns a company, has a couple of employees and Shelly is a
stay-at-home mom. They've been married for 16 years. They have a solid relationship. I mean, at first like
Shelly's parents didn't approve of her marrying John so young, but the families get along like these days. So, Shelly's
dad even works for John now. So, kind of like how you didn't approve when Justin
and I got married at 20, but now you two are besties. Listen, it took me a minute.
I was probably more critical than your parents. But yes, yes, but it all worked out in
the end for me and Justin and you and for the Markleys. Yes. it. And listen, like John and Shelly,
they're normal. They have their arguments like any other couple, but there is nothing salacious to discuss
like within their home, their marriage, whatever. Neither one of them has a criminal record. The house is paid off,
though the original structure, worth noting, burnt down in 1993, but it doesn't seem like that was ever
investigated as like a crime or anything. And look, the family admits that John's made maybe a few enemies
over the years, especially running his own business. His brother told us John didn't start fights, but he would finish
them. Like he knew how to stand up for himself, especially when it came to his business or his money. So, he had had
some disputes with his employees and and even some recently, but even in that there was nothing that they can think of
that was worth hurting him and Shelly over. So, we've talked about this before. I used to work in the
transportation industry and I had to like remember all these trainings that I used to go to about
like trucking can be a really convenient cover for like a lot of shady activity,
especially things like drug trafficking. And we had to like learn how to spot it,
what to do about it, stuff like that. Like my mind instantly goes there when I hear about his company.
And he's missing, right? Listen, the team looked into the route that he drove. So, it was Ohio to Florida and
back and that's apparently a common route for trafficking by truck. And John's sister even brought up like the
drug theory to us. The family didn't consider it at the time, but in the years since, I mean, they've at least
talked about it. Like could John and Shelly have been involved in something shady like that that maybe led to their
disappearance? But ultimately, no, they don't believe John or Shelly were ever involved with
drugs as users, as traffickers and there is no mention in any court records or reporting that we looked at of any kind
of drug connection. Okay. Now, that said, I don't know if police ever like really vetted this and
checked this out. Like our FOIA request to the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office was denied, so we couldn't get access to
their case files and then we never got a response like to multiple requests for an interview that we put in. So, if they
ever fully vetted that or not, I don't know, but it doesn't seem like anyone's ever made a connection to that.
Mhm. Now, leading up to that afternoon, Ruth tells police that she and the other
kids woke up that morning and immediately begged Shelly to let them stay home from school before the
service. But Shelly wasn't having it and she even made a point to tell one of the younger
kids who had a habit of like going to the nurse midday and saying she was sick so her mom would pick her up, like today
is not the day. Like Shelly was super clear, she didn't want to get any calls from anyone or see anyone back home
before school was out. So, Emma mom, have a mom. This feels very much like a don't make me pull this car over
statement. Like I'm already a busy person, this is already a busy day. Don't go rogue.
Yeah. Just help me out here. Right. But I also have to like now that we're talking about this, like
did she know something else? Like was it more than like it's just please don't bother me. Was it like you can't you you
cannot be at the house today. Like something is going on. You need to stay in school. Well, Ruth said that it
seemed normal. Like not like something was up. Like just normal like don't go rogue.
Yeah, like we've just got a lot going on today. So, after getting their marching
orders, one of the kids went to John and Shelly's bedroom to kiss John goodbye. Then Shelly puts all five kids on their
buses and then they went off and they had a normal, uneventful school day all the way up until Ruth came home. And no
one else in the family has anything more to offer. Everyone else says that they didn't see or hear from the couple that
day. So, police have to move on to searching the house, starting with John and Shelly's bedroom.
There, they see what Ruth saw, clothes on the bed, but they also notice that the suit on the bed is new. So,
we they made it to the mall. Like that was the plan. They had already gone and come
back by the time they went missing. Right, but they don't know if that was that day or it could have even been the
day before. I mean, it's not like the aunt knew that they were going to pick the suit up that that morning, you know
what I mean? She was just like grasping for straws. wanted this, that maybe that's where
they went. Yeah, maybe that's why they're MIA. And I kind of think it happened before
that morning, but I'll get to that in a second just based on timeline stuff. Police note the gun cabinet in the room,
too, and then they see a small safe that John and Shelly usually kept in the closet is now lying open on the bathroom
counter. John and Shelly's important papers like their marriage license, kids' birth certificate, they're kind of
scattered across the sink. And police aren't sure what all of that means, but they ask Ruth if anything is
missing from the gun cabinet. Now, Ruth and other family members aren't sure. Like I mean, like I said, Ruth had never
even seen it Right. Just the oldest. Right. John never unlocks it, especially around the kids. But Ruth does think
that her dad had three guns and that two of them, a gun and a rifle, might be missing. And can't police figure out
what's missing through like registration records? So, Ohio doesn't have statewide
gun registration laws in 1995. In fact, they still don't now. We were sent some loan documents that
showed John owned at least three shotguns, but I don't know if those were all he
had or if any of those were the ones that were potentially missing from the cabinet. Right. And but there's also
this safe and all these papers spread out from it. Do we know if any of the like the documents or anything is
missing from there or even money? Well, John's sister mentioned he kept something like $2,400 in there, but
there is no cash when police find the safe, so maybe that was taken. But that's pretty much like all they see in
the room. So then Ruth takes police into the kitchen and shows them the personal
cigarettes that her mom left behind. And then she mentions the two coffee mugs that she found, but those are gone now
because the kids were trying to be helpful before the funeral, so they were like tidying up so their parents could
like come home to a clean house, just get going. So, you know, great kids, but downside is any evidence like
fingerprints or whatever that they could have gotten from those mugs are now probably long gone.
Well, and at this point the whole family's been in the house for like hours. I mean, this
if this was a crime scene, the investigation's already been like compromised. Completely contaminated, right. There's
honestly a good chance both of those cups were used just by John and Shelly. I think the key stuff in the house isn't
what was there, but the stuff that was missing. Like tarps that normally cover John's apple red Corvette in the garage.
John always was meticulous about his cars, especially this one. Like it is his pride and joy, it is his baby. He
would never leave it exposed like that. At least not voluntarily. And also still
missing is John's truck. But once police put an APB out on it, they get a hit almost immediately. Around 5:00 a.m. an
officer working the night shift stops for coffee at a restaurant about 20 minutes away from the Markley house.
And he finds John and Shelly's 1990 red Chevy Silverado sitting in this parking lot. Now it might not have stood out if
not for that APB because it's not like broken into or anything. The doors are locked, nothing about it is strange, but
he notifies other authorities and when police arrive, they see tarps like the ones used to cover John's Corvette
laying in the truck's bed. And when they get inside without the keys by the way cuz the keys
aren't there, they search the cab and they find a cell phone. A family advocate who spoke to us on behalf of
one of the Markley's children told us that the phone actually was Shelly's phone. And this hasn't been reported on
as far as I know, but the advocate said that police also found used cigarette butts and potentially other physical
evidence, though he couldn't speak to exactly what, but it was all found. Something was found in the truck. And
are the cigarettes the brand that Shelly smoked? That is a great question. I would love to know, but I actually
don't. So we did try and like check this, right? I mean, we couldn't get files or like interviews with people
actively working this, but we did get in touch with a former sheriff, a guy named
Tom Altier. And we actually got a completely different story from him. He told us
that there was no physical evidence found, not even fingerprints. So, who is right? Who's wrong? Hard to say. I mean,
police might not want to like play their hand yet or it's possible all these years later someone is mistaken. I mean,
I've seen law enforcement speak incorrectly about their own cases before, especially if it's been a long
time since they've been in it. So I don't know. Or maybe they had stuff but no longer do. The one thing I will
say is like it seems like there is some confusion and it seems to me like something law enforcement should clear
up with the family who deserves some real clarity around this like very important topic.
And it's worth noting, I mean, the family advocate is also hearing this second hand from the family, but I get
the impression that the family might actually know a lot because some of them showed up at that lot where the truck is
right after police did. They had actually figured out where it might be because a niece who wasn't as keyed in
to what was going on told them that she had seen it in that area, but she hadn't
said anything earlier because she hadn't gone back to the Markley house after the
funeral. And remember until then everyone thought that John was so distraught over his sister's death that
he just chose not to go. So she didn't even know anything was wrong with like the first time she saw the truck until
like hours after. And so then she raises the alarm bells when she learns that John and Shelly were officially
considered missing. And at that point the family starts going out in the last area she saw it looking for the truck.
But John's family told us that when they found it with police in the lot, police
let one of them go inside before processing it, which is to me wild. Yeah. And when I talk about like is
there was there evidence, was there not, the family isn't even sure that police ever even dusted for fingerprints. So if
that's true, sure you didn't find anything, but like you also didn't look. Right. And I don't know why you wouldn't
dust for fingerprints because they could tell someone's hands had been all over that truck as soon as they found it.
I am popping on to start a conversation about a case I cannot get it out of my head. A true mind bender. A huge twister
way. You got check all your assumptions. Cuz this is a case that starts like so many before.
Hi Crime Junkies. John's sister told us that when that niece initially saw John's truck, she
was at a Walmart across the street from where the truck was later found. And that's where she first saw it in that
parking lot, Walmart parking lot. Again, didn't stick out to her at first. Now when she saw it, the truck was covered
in a film of dirt, just like really, really muddy. So knowing how John was about his cars,
this niece wrote a message. Like you know how you like draw on the back of the car, it was like "Hi Uncle John."
She was trying to kind of rile him up thinking that he and Shelly were probably inside shopping. And when she
ended up leaving the store, the truck was gone. So again, she like just assumed they went home, everything was
fine. But now it's gone as in someone moved it. Right. And probably just across the
street to the lot where it's eventually found. And John's brother-in-law said that he thinks whoever moved the truck
is involved in John and Shelly's disappearance and that it was moved because that person got scared when they
saw the message that John's niece wrote. Like they didn't think someone would clock the truck as John and Shelly's so
soon. And because it's still only been a day since they were last seen, John's brother-in-law gets on police to check
surveillance footage from the Walmart. Yeah. I mean, like this person is probably on there.
But by the time they do, the tape has been recorded over. A restaurant and a hardware store by the other lot had
their cameras turned off that day, so nothing is on there either. So with the truck leading to nothing but dead ends,
police have to switch gears. They look into John and Shelly's finances to see if there has been any activity. They
learn that on December 14th, the day before John and Shelly went missing, they took out a loan. Not from their
bank, but from a consumer lending company. And it's not a huge amount, a little over $1,600,
but they put down a lot of collateral, like lots of furniture, three of John's shotguns that we mentioned, a lawnmower,
a TV and its accessories. And interestingly, just two and a half months earlier John took out a loan from
the same company, though he didn't put down nearly as much collateral at the time. According to a local Ohio paper
called The Morning Journal, a detective said that the first loan was taken to buy new tires for John's semi. We were
told that John was recovering from a back injury that made it hard for him to work. But John and Shelly seemed to be
keeping up with the payments on his treatments. They always paid off their credit cards on time. And according to
another Ohio newspaper, The Plain Dealer, John also sold their above ground pool recently to help pay for his
sister's holistic medical treatments in Mexico before she died. But even that seemed to be paid off, too. So police
aren't finding any eye-popping debts. But this second loan, no one can figure out why John and Shelly took that one
out or where the money went. Cuz from what we were told when police go through recent transactions in John and Shelly's
checking account at local bank, there are no big deposits that we know of after they get that loan. But there is
an interesting withdrawal. At 10:36 a.m. on the day they went missing, a $1,000 check was cashed from
their account leaving $1,800 in the checking. John's sister said that the check was made out to self, like a
personal check to them that was cashed. So it had to have been one of them who was on the account who cashed that. But
the weird thing was is it wasn't cashed at the branch that they normally go to, which was only like 3 minutes away from
their house. The branch where it gets cashed is about 10 minutes away, which isn't far or anything.
goes missing, even the smallest things that are out of the norm become yeah, become like super suspicious. Yes. So
when police go to this branch and they talk to the teller who cashed the check, they find that she actually knows John
because she works at both locations. And she tells them that that morning John drove up through the drive-thru teller's
window in his pickup. Shelly was sitting next to him. And she signed the check before handing
it to John to put in the carrier. Which for people who are too young to have like used anything other than
mobile banking, that's like a little bucket thing that you It like literally didn't even cross my mind that we had to
explain what that is. Do people not know that you have to like use the tube? I don't I I think that's the thing that we
need to explain. There's like a little tube that goes shh. Anyways. Carriers, you got it. So, anyways, they
send this check and as the teller took it, she looked into John's truck and she saw
that Shelly was sitting between John, who's in the driver's side, and another person, a man, on the passenger side.
And she couldn't see this other guy super well. Just said that he was slim with dark hair, but she said,
"You know, John was acting kind of weird." Like when she handed John the envelope full of cash, he just looked
straight ahead as he drove off. And normally, he would be super friendly to her. Like they would maybe joke around,
but he didn't even say goodbye before he drove off, which to her was odd. And this checkbook, like that they wrote the
check out of, was back at the house or was it found in the truck? Neither. John's sister said the checkbook is
still missing to this day, as is John's wallet. Wait. I know this is the '90s, but banks are
like the one place that has had security cameras since the Stone Age, like forever. And they
usually like pretty good systems for that. This other dude, he has to be on camera, right?
Well, no. So, former Sheriff Altier told us there was surveillance footage from the
bank, but it wasn't clear enough to identify whoever this mystery man is. And so, this this, you know, witness
account from the teller is the last time that John and Shelly Markley are ever seen alive. And where their truck went
after this is unknown. But, John's brother told us that he's got a theory. After news of this sighting spreads,
another relative, John's brother-in-law, realizes that he actually saw John's pickup pass his house a little after
John and Shelly cashed that check. And this brother-in-law lives near a dirt road, which when he hears this, makes
John's brother think about how dirty that truck was when it was found. Dirtier than John would have ever let it
get. So, maybe that is where the pickup truck was driven before his niece spotted it.
So, John's brother drives out to that dirt road. This is about 20 minutes from where the truck was found. And he thinks
the mud that he finds there matches the mud covering the truck. The road's also surrounded by a remote wildlife reserve
area. So, I mean, is this where John and Shelly wound up? Did someone take advantage of
the winter weather to dispose of them when there weren't many people around? If it sounds like by now, the Markleys
are starting to go a bit rogue and like taking the investigation into their own hands,
well, that's because they are. They haven't been impressed with the investigation so far. Yes, police have
pulled some banking records. Yes, they've talked to some neighbors, put out an APB on the truck, but there still
hasn't been a real ground search for John and Shelly yet. And they feel like police don't view John or Shelly,
blue-collar parents, as important enough to search for. So, they start organizing searches of
that area themselves. And not just that area, local lakes, forests, parks. They're doing it all on their own. But
despite all their suspicions about that dirt road, about that remote area, nothing is found in that area or
anywhere else. And Christmas comes and goes without new developments, good or bad. Though,
after Christmas, there is a strange development. It's around 8:00 a.m. the morning after Christmas Day, and John's
brother-in-law, Gene, wakes up to John and Shelly's home phone ringing. He and his wife, another of John's sisters,
have been staying at their house taking care of the kids. That's why they're there that morning. So, Gene's still
half asleep when he picks up the phone, but he hears a man with a muffled, raspy
voice on the other end asking to talk to Ruth. And he tells this guy like, "No, Ruth is asleep." And so then the man
asks for John's sister. Gene obviously assumes this man is talking about like his wife, but she's asleep, too. So, he
offers to pass along a message. Like, "I'll just tell her when she wakes up." But the man threatens to hang up if Gene
doesn't wake up either his wife or Ruth. And in that moment, Gene is like, "Okay, whatever, dude." And he hangs up
before falling back asleep thinking like, "Yes, what happened was weird, but like nothing more."
And nothing else happens the rest of that day. Like he probably doesn't even think about it a ton. But 3 days later,
on December 29th, around the same time, like 8:00 a.m., Gene gets another call at the Markley house from what sounds
like this same man. This call is short. This guy doesn't ask for Ruth or his wife again, but he tells Gene that John
and Shelly are alive and being held in Toronto, and he can bring them home for $10,000.
So, This guy who's now called twice, he's saying that these pretty normal parents from a small town
in Ohio are being held for ransom in Canada. Another country, yeah. Like I'm not I'm
not buying that. I don't know if Gene knows what to believe, but like this is over his head. So, when this guy says
he's going to call back with more information and hangs up, Gene immediately calls 911.
Police tell Gene that they'll get him a recording device to tape any future calls. And basically like, you know, if
anything happens between now and then, just like write everything down. And almost as soon as Gene hangs up with the
police, two more calls come in from this same man. On the first call, the man tells Gene to sell John's Corvette,
which is still in the garage, to raise the money, or John and Shelly are going to be moved to another location the next
day, and he won't keep them safe. Then on the second call, the man claims that on New Year's Eve, John and Shelly
are going to be sacrificed by a cult. Ooh, this escalated. Like Canada, cults, we're everywhere. Yeah,
so what? I know. And I don't know like the details of this or like what exactly he
says about said satanic cult because these calls aren't recorded. But it does seem like this is the first time a cult
comes up, like comes straight out of nowhere. But I bet it freaks him out. And like I think he's really trying to
figure out how he could come up with this money because the next day when the man calls again, Gene tells him,
"Listen, I can't sell John's Corvette. I am not the owner. I don't have the title." But he says,
"Listen, I do have the money. You're going to get it. Like it'll be no problem." Like and I guess the guy is
okay with that. I mean, it doesn't matter I guess how you get the money as long as you do.
And so, this guy calls again the next morning. This is now New Year's Eve. And at this point, police have dropped off a
recording device. So, all of this is on tape. And this guy is asking if Gene has
the money. Now, Gene doesn't actually have the money, but he bluffs. He says yes, and
the man gives him instructions for how, where, when to deliver it. Now, we don't
have the tape of this call, but we do have transcripts of the call that, Brit, I'm going to have you read for us.
Caller. Hello. You have 1 hour to make it to Rally's in front of the Eastwood Mall.
In the coin return, there will be a note. You will follow that note to a T. If I
see anyone following you or see any law, or if there's anything else, the deal will be done and that's it. Cuz at 8:00
tonight, it's all over. Gene. Well, what about John and Shelly? Caller. They will be You will be
inaudible within an hour after you start this. I'm going to run you around a little
bit. Make sure you ain't being followed. After that, you will have them. I got them away from the people last
night. They're in an abandoned house not far from you. Follow me to the T. You will have no
problems. In the coin return, there's a note. Follow the note to the T. You will have
exactly 1 minute from the time you pick up the note to, as you read it, to the time you make the first point.
After that, you will have 2 minutes to the next point. And you will follow it to a T.
inaudible I walk away. I go away. inaudible This is your last chance. You understand?
I know. So, was this like we know this was being recorded. We don't have that, but do we
know if this guy was using any sort of like voice changer or anything when he called?
No, it's not what you would like probably imagine where it's like the Like the woo woo woo woo.
Yeah, no. Um besides like muffling himself, he didn't have anything else as far as I know. And I'm assuming that
Gene didn't like recognize this guy's voice at all. He didn't, no. And according to court
records, there is another family member who at one point thought it could have been a former employee of John. So, like
obviously they're letting everyone hear this. But like long story short, we were
told that that guy was in the hospital when John and Shelly went missing, so he couldn't have been involved.
So, police do try and trace this call, but they can't pinpoint an exact location. All they know is that the call
is made from a town about a half an hour away from John and Shelly's house. So, their best bet at this point is to catch
this guy in the act at the money drop on New Year's Eve. Police get a team ready
to go help Gene in what is probably the wildest sting operation any Ohio PD's ever planned. Gene meets up with police
at a restaurant near the mall that they've decided on as a meeting point. And an officer goes and gets that note
from the change return. Why doesn't Gene get it? Well, I think police want to make sure
this is all legit. Like I don't know if they have questions about Gene at this point, but they want to make sure Gene's
not like hiding the note in his hand or something. Right, like Gene doesn't like find the note because
he had it the whole time. Exactly. I mean, you got to remember, too, this is like a small town sheriff's department.
All of this is probably sounding so unbelievable for them. Like you got to rule out sometimes like the most like
simple things. But they have an officer do it and sure enough the note is there just like the
caller said it would be. According to the Plain Dealer this note is written on ruled notebook paper in like block
letter handwriting and it's full of misspellings. But it gives the next steps which again
I'll have you read for us. Go to Kaufman's entrance next to mall entrance. Park in front next to sidewalk.
Once inside door, go left to sweatshirts with penguin bird on them. Put package between shirts and leave by
same door. Then drive to back of JCPenney entrance. Go into telephone next to restrooms.
Wait 15 minutes. If no law is seen, a boy will give you a note with the address. If any law or anything doesn't
look right, go back and get package because no deal. One I can like close my eyes and see this mall and see the
JCPenney entrance and the and the telephone and everything, but I also love that penguin sweatshirts are the
landmark here. I know. So wait, it sounds out of nowhere, but they're actually a mascot
for a local university. But yeah, still it's it's this everything about this is odd. This is what we're saying. So
police tell Jean to do as the note says. So he walks into the store, leaves this
brown bag full of not money, but dish rags in the middle of a display of penguin sweatshirts. And police staking
out the place watch and wait. A few people come like a teenage girl and they stop and look at the bag, but
no one picks it up. So somehow police make contact with Jean and they tell him to get the bag and
just try this whole drop again. But again, nobody comes to get it. But that's when
police get a call on their car phone from Jean's wife. Apparently, the man just called her and
he's pissed. He knows that Jean brought police, but he's willing to give Jean another
chance to follow his instructions. He wants Jean to leave the bag in the bathroom of a nearby gas station now
instead. So police regroup with Jean and they move the operation over to this gas
station. I'm sorry, this guy's mad because Jean is working with the police. Like are the police even trying to make
it like I don't know what it sounds like out of nowhere, but they're actually a mascot for a local university. But yeah,
still it's it's this everything about this is odd. This is what we're saying. So police tell Jean to do as the note
It feels like they're like about to drive Jean to this gas station. Like he's very very clearly working directly
directly with them and and like it feels obvious because they're like they're like hey, try dropping it again. I don't
know how like covert they're being. But at least in this like when they're headed to this gas station, they do try
and coordinate surveillance and make sure the officers and the cars, especially the one that the caller might
have seen in the mall a lot aren't parked anywhere near the gas station. You know, like
stakeout 101. Super secret, got it. They are somehow watching though, so they're
not that far away. And they're watching as Jean pulls up in front of the bathroom's door,
goes inside with the bag, comes back out and drives away. And they wait. And just a few minutes later, a white
car pulls up with two people inside. The passenger gets out, goes in the bathroom, but police can't see what they
look like because they have a hood pulled over their head. Now when they come back out, they're empty-handed.
This time though at least with the hood down. And what they notice is it's a teenage girl. Except it's the teenage
girl that police saw earlier stopping to look at the bag by the penguin sweatshirts.
Wait, what? Yeah, and they are sure this is the same girl because like the girl at the mall, she is very pregnant. And
when the white car pulls around to pick her up, police recognize the driver too.
They saw him at the same store with the girl when she came back a second time to
look at the bag. And this was less than a half an hour ago. So the girl gets into this man's car, then police
surround it to arrest them both. They identify their suspects as 45-year-old Steven Durst and his 18-year-old
daughter Deanna. It turns out Steven has a history with the Markley family and it isn't pretty.
Police learn that Steven was one of John's employees at the trucking company. He and two of his younger kids
actually lived with John and Shelly for a few months while he was going through a divorce. Per a court order, if the
Markleys hadn't taken them in, Steven would have lost custody of his kids because he was on the road so much. But
he ends up getting kicked out and fired after this money dispute. John may have like withheld some of his last paycheck
because he suspected Steven of selling off some fuel on a truck route which Steven denies. He claims he left the
house on his own when he got another job. And how recently did all this go down? So Steven lived with the Markleys
from October of 1993 to June of 1994. And police learned from the family that Steven had come back to the house a few
times asking for either his job back or for the money that he thought John owed him. And John's sister told us that one
of those times the argument spilled from the house to the garage and Steven threatened to beat John with a 2x4 that
he found there in the garage. So when like hearing all this, police probably feel like they have a clear
motive when they charge Steven with extortion. And does Steven's voice match the mystery caller's voice?
If you ask one of John's brothers, yes. And does he happen to look like the guy that the bank teller saw in the truck
with John and Shelly the morning they went missing? because I don't think they ever get
around to showing her a photo. What? Yeah, so this is like a kind of side thing, but remember how I said that some
of the Markleys started going like kind of rogue during their investigation? Yeah.
Well, some of the family told us that one of their like brothers-in-law paid that bank teller a visit and implied
that she knew more than she was saying which like freaked her out. So then she stopped speaking to police and then a
few months later she moved out of state. And so I don't think police ever followed up with her and we tried to
reach out to her, but like we haven't heard back from her yet. So everything is still suspicious like
teller ID or not. And it feels like they have a strong case against him for extortion,
but do they have him on abduction? TBD. Big your question mark. Police question Deanna who tells them
that she didn't know anything about being involved in an extortion plan. She just did as she was told by her dad.
Police seem to believe her because they end up releasing her and focusing their case on Steven. On January 3rd, 1996, he
pleads innocent to his extortion charge and he gets out on bond. And he agrees to take a polygraph for police
ostensibly to try and clear his name. Okay, but like what's his story? Like he just happened to be in both places? Yes,
basically, yeah. Steven says that he takes his kid to the mall every weekend and New Year's Eve was no different and
then after that Deanna had to use the bathroom, so he pulled over at the gas station where they ended up getting
arrested. So yeah, him being there is just one big weird coincidence. Got it. And if I were police, I wouldn't buy
that. Like if Steven's lying about the extortion, then like what else is he lying about? So they're probably hoping
that this polygraph, the one he agreed to, will solve John and Shelly's case. So here's what they asked. I actually
have like the questions and answers. I put it in your folder. Okay. He was asked, were you involved in
John and Shelly Markley's disappearance in any way? He says, nope. Did you see John and Shelly Markley
after they were reported missing? Nope again. Do you know where John and Shelly are
now? No. Did you know in advance that John and Shelly Markley had disappeared? Last answer, no. Okay. And
Drum roll, please. Steven fails miserably. The polygraph indicates deception on each answer. Oh, so not like
Oh, no, no, no. In like he answered no, but like question marks on if it was deceptive.
Each one. A clear sign to police that he's likely a liar, but still not enough to charge him with
the abductions. And even by the time the extortion case goes to trial, police still haven't
found any solid evidence connecting him to John and Shelly's disappearance. They
also still haven't found any sign of Shelly or John. Even by the time Steven's convicted of extortion on
August 29th, 1996. And he gets sentenced to four to 10 years in prison. Steven has always maintained his
innocence in John and Shelly's disappearance and on all charges including extortion. He still claims
that he just happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong time. But this is where things get a little spicy. A
source sent us recent audio of a man. This source claims that man is Steven, but we have not been able to confirm.
And in this audio, this man seems to be admitting to extortion. On the recording, this guy says that he got
four to 10 years because he threatened a couple for money he claims they owed him.
But he doesn't mention a ransom plot or actually say John and Shelly's names specifically. I have a feeling you can't
tell me this, but who sent us this audio? You're right, I can't. They only would talk to us on the condition of
anonymity. And they did give us the audio though, and it is wild to listen to. He may owe me $10,000.
And it went on for like 4 years and he didn't pay me. So, finally I got Then you know, I'm
going to get paid or I'm going to break his legs. So, about another 2 or 3 months went on
and I told him I was coming over. So, I came over and I told him again, "I'm going to
break his [ __ ] legs. I'm going to break his [ __ ] legs." And he recorded it. Okay.
That is wild, but I know. He never mentions the Markleys. I know. And And listen, that was just a clip of
it. The source actually asked about them specifically and the man being recorded
says, quote, "That's part of it." end quote. But then he goes on to claim that police
framed him for the ransom plot because they didn't have any leads or suspects. Now, it's interesting when our team
looked at at Steven and like who he was then and now because he has racked up a few criminal charges over the years.
Right. Now, to be fair, a lot of them are traffic citations, but three of the more serious charges occurred right
before John and Shelly disappeared. Rape, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Now, the rape charge seems to
have been dismissed the complainant failed to appear in court, but more recently in 2019, Steven faced a
domestic violence charge. We reached out to Steven and his family members for a response to these allegations. He ended
up serving just 4 years of his sentence, so he is a free man, but we haven't gotten a response from anyone and we
couldn't speak to DeAnna, who I had the most questions for because she passed away in 2022. But did police ever circle
back to her or talk to anyone else around him? Like, where was Steven the day that John and Shelly went missing?
What's his alibi? Was anyone willing to talk after he went to prison, like while
he was locked up? That's what I'm saying. I have all the questions for DeAnna, who we know was with him.
Yeah. At least on the day of the extortion. I know police definitely tried to talk to her over the years, but
without success. And because current investigators didn't speak with us or share the case files, we don't know what
their investigation into Steven looked like beyond that, besides that they ultimately weren't able to charge him
with anything except for extortion. So, just to be clear, none of this means Steven had anything to do with John and
Shelly's disappearance. And just because he was found guilty of one crime doesn't
mean he's guilty of another. But it tells you why John's family and many others are suspicious of him or at least
some family members are. Others actually think he's not the most likely culprit.
On December 3rd, 1998, Shelly's mom ends up writing a letter to Steven in prison
telling him that she believes he's innocent. Let me read it for you. To tell you the truth, I really believe
you have been made someone's scapegoat. I do not trust the Markleys at all and feel they are behind this whole mess. I
talked to the sheriff, she's talking about Altier, a few days ago and he said he feels I am 100%
correct. She goes on to say that the Markleys have done a lot to their side of the
family, like keeping them from seeing the kids. Cuz after Shelly and John disappeared, John and Shelly's families
sort of turn on one another. I think in large part because of the lack of answers in this case. I mean, they don't
know what happened to their loved ones and without answers to fill in the gaps, it leaves a lot of room for you to try
and fill them in yourselves. And I've seen this in more than one case where like when a couple goes missing, like
there just ends up being this huge divide. Now, when we asked former Sheriff Altier if he ever investigated
members of the Markley family, he told us that he checked out a few theories, but that nothing came of that, at least
while he was on the case. So, when Shelly's mom says that Steven is innocent, is she thinking like of
everything? In her mind, yes. And for the time, at least, John's family begins to suspect someone else entirely.
They begin to suspect that the person behind this all is Shelly. I'm sorry, what? I know. And they
suspect this after learning that her marriage to John may not have been as solid as they all thought.
John's brother told us that right before she and John went missing, Shelly came over needing to talk. And she confessed
that she wanted to leave John. She wasn't happy anymore, but she didn't feel like she could. John's sister said
that may have been because when Shelly told their mom the same thing, she warned Shelly that if she tried to leave
with the kids, John had enough money to fight her until she had nothing left. So, some Markley family members wonder
if Shelly worked with Steven to get rid of John so that she could start a new life. Okay, then where is Shelly?
Well, according to members of John's family at the time, potentially being hidden by other family members. His
brother-in-law told us Shelly's dad, I guess, drove down to Florida right around when she and John went missing
and that felt strange to him. Like, why wouldn't you want to be close as this investigation is unfolding kind of
thing? Mhm. But again, I think your mind is just looking for any kind of connection
and in that moment, even sometimes logic can go out the window when you're just like desperate for answers. But the
other thing that felt a little off to him, too, is John's brother told us that in 1999, he visited Shelly's brother's
condo. He lived out in Vegas at the time. And in '99, he's like trying to explore
this this theory, right? Like, did did her family help her disappear? So, this is the specific reason he goes.
Right, but like Vegas is iconically not Florida. No, he lives out west, but again, like,
did she go to her her parents and then go there? Like, looking for anything at this point.
he says when Shelly's brother let him in, he was surprised to see this bachelor's place spotless.
Which is kind of like old school thinking, like men can be clean, too. But he's thinking in his mind, like he
knows Shelly was super tidy and apparently her brother took 15 minutes to let him in. So, John's brother had
this feeling that Shelly's brother was hiding something. Or someone. Exactly. Now, we got to talk to Shelly's
brother. He remembers this visit, too, and he told us that theory is ridiculous. Of course, Shelly wasn't
there. And he's like, "I can clean a one-bedroom apartment perfectly fine on my own, thank you very much." And in the
years since, most of the Markleys have let that theory go. Mainly because they always knew Shelly to be the best mom.
And, you know, if that theory is what happened, like the whole goal would be that so she could be with the kids,
right? Like hasn't had any contact with the kids in how long? Like 30 years. They're like, "There's no
way she would ever ever do that." Especially if her goal in all of this was to get the kids.
get the kids. Right. Okay, so the family like isn't on the Shelly train anymore, but are they
still like back to side-eying Steven or do they think like a secret third option
is what happened? So, yes to side-eying Steven. Like, he is and always has been the Markleys' prime
suspect, even when their theories have gone a little off the rails. And like I said, now, I mean, apart from a few
outliers, most of them don't suspect Shelly any longer. Like Like I said, too much time has passed without us hearing
the kids or whatever. But just because they're not all pointing the finger at Shelly, that doesn't mean the family
finger-pointing has stopped. Because when we asked Shelly's brother what he thought happened, he gave us a
whole new theory. And like I We were really keen to ask him because like his family hasn't been in the press nearly
as much as John's side. And it was so interesting, this is where like this huge rabbit hole opened up because he
didn't point the finger at Steven. He didn't point the finger at the Markleys. Instead, his theory gave way to an
entirely new suspect. But for you to understand that, you have to get the history lesson on their
family that he gave us. So, tell me if if anything gets confusing cuz I'm about to like drop some like family
connections and names. Okay, got some lore coming up. Yes. So, when he and Shelly were kids, their
mom had an affair with I'm going to go slow here, their aunt's father-in-law. Okay.
the aunt's husband's dad. So, not Yeah. Not blood related in any way, Right. but very very messy. Oh, yeah.
So, back in the day, their mom is having this affair. Mom was planning on leaving
their dad to be with this guy. But on November 19th, 1977, said father-in-law, who she was having
an affair with, yeah, he is found dead inside his car parked on these railroad tracks, shotgun blast
to the head. Now, Shelly's dad gets convicted of the murder and their mom divorces him while he is like away
in prison. Except he might have been wrongly convicted. What? I know. Because Shelley's brother claims that this other
guy, father-in-law, right? Affair guy. His own son killed him. And he claims that he did this because
the son didn't want to lose his inheritance if his dad left like their family for Shelley's mom.
So he shot and killed his own father. Is is the claim. Wait, so how does he know this? Because
the Okay, so guy who allegedly killed his dad his son Grandson of Of affair guy.
Of affair guy. He told Shelley's brother in like this drunken confession. So this this
grandson or son, whatever, like the one who's telling brother, he claims that one night he was at home or whatever. He
heard what he thought were fireworks in the garage. But when he went to look, he
saw his grandfather's body sprawled out on a tarp. And he says basically his dad framed
Shelley's dad. Okay. And at the time when he first hears this drunken confession, Shelley's brother
thought it was drunken nonsense. But then years later, he says his mom got a hold of the court records.
And she claimed that they had been tampered with. Like any mention of affair guy's son had
been taken out. Shelly's brother doesn't know exactly how or why they had been changed, but he
remembers that his mom only like noticed this because she still had original documents to compare the new ones to.
So she could see that there had been like the documents had been like doctored or changed.
are discrepancies, yeah. And he said that made him go back to like thinking about that drunk confession. Like wait,
maybe that was real. So that's that's the family history. Shelley's brother believes that his mom may have shared
her theory about all of this with Shelley. And if she did, did John overhear? Did Shelley tell John?
Basically John could have caught wind of that and then maybe convinced Shelley to
extort the real who they're saying is the real killer. So I know. We thought that this very normal
Midwest couple, parents had originally been abducted and held for ransom by a cult in Canada.
In Canada. Forgot about that part. That's how wild it was. But now we think And like in the middle of that there's
also an an extortion plot. But now we think that John and Shelley were also extortionists? Oh yeah, I
didn't even like layer that on top of one another. Well I don't know if I don't know if we think it like There's
like extortion inception right now. Shelley's brother thinks it's a possibility. Okay.
Because he says here's the thing. So he says he remembers John as someone who would do anything to get ahead,
especially financially. And that Shelley kind of went along with anything he asked her to do. And he's not the only
one who thinks John wasn't totally above board. A source close to the family mentioned
that there has been speculation. Remember I mentioned that their like original house burned down like back in
the day? Yeah. So there's some speculation that that wasn't an accident, that maybe the
fire was set intentionally. Like insurance fraud. Yes. So to Shelley's brother this theory doesn't feel like a stretch,
especially after he alleges bank records showed a $30,000 withdraw from his uncle's account at some point. Okay.
Actually honestly this feels like a whole other episode. It feels like a limited series.
Like it I I am trying to make this as simple as possible, but nothing about this case is simple. And I'm sure a ton
of this might be able to be cleared up in the police records, but like We don't have them. We don't have police records.
We don't have I don't even have the bank records to verify anything that like that there were these big withdraws. And
the uncle and the cousin, so like son accused of killing his own dad. Mhm. And then his son who drunkenly like
opened up this can of worms, yeah. They're all gone. As are Shelley's parents. So I can't even talk to them to
try and like run this down. Okay, but I need you to break some of this down for me. Like if this
$30,000 withdraw happened, where did it go? Like it It's not like it went to John and
Shelley. They were taking out like these like consumer loans and like kind of frequently it seems.
The only thing like if I like the only thing I can think of is like because they weren't in a bad financial spot
like I don't know if police dug in enough to see like oh, I see you paid your credit card bill and I see that it
came out of your checking. Like were was everything paid off and they were in such a good spot because they
had an influx of money and then that was going away and they were like trying to
get more. I think but none of the theories really explain the loans. Well that's what I'm saying. Like the
only way the loans are explained to me is if like the $30,000 they'd run out of that.
And they needed to like get more money. So they're getting the loans. What if they went back, tried to extort for more
money and this person realized that like oh, this is never going to end. I mean this is all this is such like a
stretch. I'm just like trying to make sense because you're right. Like if you if you got $30,000, why are you taking
out a $1,600 like payday loan? After like a $1,000 Like there was another loan before that, too.
But I always come back to like what is the Occam's razor in this story? The most likely answer is probably the
truth. And yeah, we have we still have Steven, the guy who was convicted of extorting the family
with an abduction scheme after they were likely killed, at least in the minds of
their families. Because they lose hope of finding them alive. And on April 28th, 1999, John and
Shelley are declared legally dead. And while sporadic searches continue whenever a tip is called in, nothing
ever ends up panning out. Though I think a few of the tips are interesting, at least worth like talking about a little.
According to FBI documents in April 2005, a quote reliable source calls law enforcement claiming that John and
Shelley were buried in a stretch of wildlife area. Interestingly, the same wildlife area
off that dirt road that John's brother checked out in those very early days. And on October 24th, 2006,
it says a source, could be the same one, but all the documents are like pretty heavily redacted. But a source gives
more detail on the burial. Though we I don't know what that detail is specifically. And in the days that
follow, FBI cadaver dogs scour the wildlife area leaving no stone unturned. And even though both dogs have a strong
reaction to some area in there they don't end up actually alerting on human remains. And because everything is
redacted, we have no idea who called in this tip. We don't. The family advocate we talked to has a guess though. They
think it could have been Diana because police seem to have spoken to this source multiple times. But again, so
much redaction, I don't know for sure. We did get some screenshots from a source who sent them on the condition of
anonymity. I'm like all this cloak and dagger is just like So much, I know. But we got some screenshots of messages with
a relative of Diana's from 2015. And this relative claimed to our source that Diana was having
like this crisis of conscience then. And she admitted that while she just did as
her dad asked initially with like that bag pick up, she realized after the extortion saga that he had done quote
something really bad. Something he had planned. Something he had premeditated. And she was so scared for her life and
her child's life that she kept quiet all these years. But then she called in this tip in 2005,
basically saying that she believed John and Shelley were buried somewhere in the
woods behind this cemetery. Now our source did make sure that this information got reported to police in
2015. And it seems like police looked into it because they said publicly that there were updates in the case that
year. And former Sheriff Altier confirmed that Diana came forward to police a few times with information they
investigated. Although he said he couldn't elaborate on what exactly. But she always ended up ghosting or
backtracking. And when we asked if that information was consistent with the suspicion that Steven was involved in
John and Shelley's disappearance Sheriff Altier said yes. Okay, but then where are they?
That is the question police are constantly chasing. It's like when one lead fizzles, another one will pop up.
Like in 2006, they get another tip that sends them to a rental property that belongs to one of John's sisters and her
husband. And the husband, who would be John's brother-in-law, he told us that a neighbor saw him like digging there
around at the time that John and Shelley went missing. And so she told her friend
who worked as a dispatcher at the sheriff's department. So then police came and like dug around their septic
tank. They didn't find anything. But they dug around the septic tank. Did they look inside the septic tank? No,
they didn't actually look inside the septic tank. I don't know why, but it stood out to other people because
recently in 2024 police went back to that property with the sister and the husband's permission to do just that.
Again, didn't find anything. And when we asked former Sheriff Altier if said brother-in-law was ever a suspect, he
told us that some names came up that police worked to eliminate, but that was all. Now, family members
told us that John had disputes with his brother-in-law, some involving land, which one sibling describes as like
not disputes, but they describe it as a feud. But they also said like in the same
breath that they don't believe the brother-in-law had anything to do with John and Shelly's disappearance. And
when we talked to him directly, John's brother-in-law told us that yeah, like him and John had their spats,
but overall they actually had a good relationship. And he swore to God on his life, on his kids, and his family that
he did not kill John. He claims that one of the officers gave him inside information during one of those searches
they were doing. He was told that they got a tip about Steven saying that a few years after John and Shelly went
missing, a family member came forward saying they drove Steven out to that wildlife area to move John and Shelly's
pickup truck, likely to the Walmart where that niece saw it. Wait, this is a family member of Steven's or family
member of John and Shelly helped move it? A family member of Steven's. Okay. And John's brother actually heard
something similar though, like he hadn't even reported it to police. About a year
ago, his ex-wife called him and said that she had started hearing rumors around town because
she actually lived in the town where Steven was from. And the rumor she was hearing was that
day John and Shelly went missing, Steven asked a friend for a ride home from somewhere. She didn't know exactly
where. And when the friend got there, Steven was covered in blood and said that he needed help moving the pickup.
So, the two of them moved it back to the parking lot where it was found. And whether he's friend or family, maybe
this guy could potentially also be the source of those tips that led to that 2006 search
of the wildlife area. Which is great if he is, don't know if it changes anything
if he isn't, but John and Shelly aren't in the wild wildlife area. I don't even I don't know if I I don't
know if you can say that with like as much certainty. No, they have not found them in their searches, but like so much
of rural Ohio, the area we're talking about is huge. Like it's like rural Indiana. We're
right next door. Like it can be really, really vast. Yeah, and they can't search all of it,
which is why what police are asking for, what they need, are tips to narrow down
a search area. And it's possible they already have something. From what we gathered from our FOIA denial, we were
told there are active updates on the case. I don't know what those are exactly, but the more information that
can be shared with law enforcement right now, the better. Cuz this December will
mark 30 years since John and Shelly went missing. And even though a lot of people
we've mentioned in this episode are gone, someone out there listening knows something. Something that could bring
closure to five kids who have been waiting way too long for their parents to come home.
Nothing is too small to share. Like even if you saw the red Chevy Silverado truck
that John and Shelly drove in the Warren, Ohio area on December 15th, 1995, or maybe you spotted something off near
their house in Bristolville, you could help solve this case by contacting the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office at
330-675-2540. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website
crimejunkiepodcast.com. You can also follow us on Instagram at crimejunkiepodcast. We'll be back next
week with a brand new episode.

Today, we dive into the chilling unsolved disappearance of John and Shelly Markley, a devoted couple who vanished from their Bristolville, Ohio, home on December 15, 1995, leaving behind their five children and a trail of baffling clues. With details from our own original investigative reporting, we dissect old and newly discovered clues, from an open gun cabinet and scattered papers to their abandoned 1990 Chevrolet Silverado found miles away. We explore the eerie details, like who was the mysterious third man seen with them at a bank drive-through? With no clear motive, conflicting leads, and a case that’s stumped investigators for nearly three decades, we unravel the theories surrounding this haunting mystery with the hopes that someone out there knows something.

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Brief Summary

John and Shelly Markley disappeared in 1995; their case remains unsolved amid family disputes and extortion claims.

Key points

Ruth's Chilling Discovery. Fifteen-year-old Ruth Markley comes home to find her parents missing and unsettling signs in their house.
The Search for Clues. Police investigate the Markley home and uncover strange evidence that raises more questions than answers.
The Found Truck. John and Shelly's truck is discovered in a parking lot, leading to more mysteries.
Financial Secrets. Police uncover a mysterious loan taken out by John and Shelly just before their disappearance.
Mysterious Phone Calls. Gene receives threatening calls claiming John and Shelly are alive and held for ransom.
The Sting Operation. Police set up a sting operation to catch the caller during a money drop.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You would swear it was straight out of a movie.

Describing the case's nature

0:07WatchJul 10, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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