What Happened To John Spira?: Cops, Family Search For Answers 10 Years After Local Musician Disappeared

Authorities in DuPage County and the family of a missing St. Charles man, who disappeared 10 years ago, are asking for the public’s help to provide any new information in the case. Authorities say John Spira went missing under “suspicious circumstances."

Spira, known by many locals as “Chicago Johnny,” was last seen on Feb. 23, 2007 at a business he co-owned, Universal Cable Construction in unincorporated West Chicago. He made plans with a friend at 7:10 p.m. to meet for an 8:30 p.m. dinner that same night but never showed up.

Spira, a talented guitarist, was also scheduled to play a gig with his band, the Rabble Rousers Band, on Feb. 24 but never showed, which was a first for Spira, said Sgt. Bob Harris, a public information officer for the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, in a Thursday news release. With Thursday marking the ten-year anniversary of Spira’s disappearance, authorities are hoping some renewed attention may turn up some clues.

Spira's family also continues to search for answers.

This past week, two new billboards, which were donated by Lamar Advertising were put up in the Chicago area with the hopes someone will see them and share information in Spira's disappearance. The family believes Spira was killed, according to the Find John Spira blog, which is updated by Spira's brother.

Questions Remain: The Night Spira Went Missing

Authorities have said Spira was one of only two or three people alone at Universal Cable the night of his disappearance. He cell phone was active all evening and utilized the same towers as it had earlier in the day

Authorities also found his vehicle on the business’s property.

Spira’s business partner, David Stubben, 48, was among the last people seen with Spira, according to DuPage County Sheriff’s Office police reports obtained through a Freedom of Information Act by Patch back in 2011 revealed. They were reportedly together in the Universal Cable office the evening of Feb. 23, 2007.
Stubben reportedly told the police he saw Spira “talking to a vendor, Daniel Bernadec, in his office” when he left for the night about 7 p.m.

But Bernadec claimed he left before Spira and Stubben, police said. Another vendor, Anthony Distefano, reportedly said “Dave and John were the only two individuals left at the business” when he departed.

Spira’s family believes Stubben was the last person to see Spira alive, according to a blog the family maintains to provide updates and keep interest alive on the case. A link to this blog, www.johnspira.com, was also shared by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday as a resource for media outlets seeking additional information on the case.

Stubben and Spira were having serious financial issues at the time of Spira’s disappearance, according to family’s blog. The family also points out that “whatever happened to John” could have only happened in the very short time of 7:10 and 7:45 p.m.

They also said that when John’s employees were interviewed by police during the early morning hours of Feb. 25, they reported a large piece of plastic sheeting material missing from the premises. Stubben, the family said, also refused a lie detector test. These facts, and more, came from police reports obtained through a FOIA request by the family, Spira’s brother writes.

Stubben, when questioned by police, painted a much different picture of why Spira may have gone missing. He accused Spira of racking up “massive debt” in “excess of $1 million,” and speculated that this prompted him to skip town, according to police reports obtained by Patch in 2011.

• Missing Man's Biz Partner Told Stories of Million-Dollar Debt, 'Mysterious Life'

Stubben also theorized that Spira “might have been taking money from the business” and “would not rule out” that the missing man had something to do with a suspicious fire that gutted the company building nine months after he vanished, the reports said.

Following Spira’s disappearance, Stubben did not cooperate with friends and family concerned with finding Spira, Stephanie McNeil of Phoenix, Arizona, told Patch back in October 2011.

When told of the allegations made by Stubben, McNeil lashed back, saying, “That’s something a person with some involvement would want the police to believe.”

“In my opinion, he’s got something to hide,” McNeil said of Stubben. “That’s the actions that you take.”

Seven months after Spira went missing, Universal Cable burned down. Spira’s family thinks the fire could be linked to his disappearance.

A 'Hellish' Divorce

At the time of his disappearance, John and Suzanne Spira were in the midst of an acrimonious divorce, McNeil told Patch in 2011. The couple lived in the same house throughout their divorce proceedings, and the domestic arrangement was "hellish," McNeil said.

In an interview conducted just months before her death, Suzanne Spira denied that her relationship with the husband who wanted to leave her had turned toxic. But McNeil insists it was terrible and says she is certain Suzanne Spira knew what befell her brother.

Whether she was right or not, McNeil will never find out. Spira's wife was found dead in her Orchard Park, New York, apartment on Oct. 30, 2010.

• Missing St. Charles Man John Spira's Wife Dead For More Than Six Months
  

Spira’s family said Suzanne and John agreed on the final details of their divorce settlement on the morning Spira went missing, according to the Help Find John Spira blog. Suzanne later denied a settlement was reached that morning.

Spira’s family said the divorce was supposed to be official on March 8.

In the weeks following his death, Suzanne tried to have John’s amplifiers appraised at a local music store, according to the family’s blog. An employee refused and reported the incident to police.

By September 2007, Suzanne had sold all of the couple’s belongings and moved to New York, according to Spira’s family. The family also theorizes Suzanne could have collected a large sum of money from a life insurance policy if Spira was declared dead. And she also refused to take a lie detector test, according to the family’s blog.

The family is also calling attention to the fact that a large missing person banner, that had two large pictures of Spira, and was put up across from Elgin Community College on Sept. 14, 2017, was removed. The family said it's unclear what happened to that billboard and a second billboard that was erected a short time later, according to the Help Find John Spira blog.

The Search Continues

But, the family has not stopped their search for answers as to what happened to the talented guitarist who his family says was an active, fun-loving guy with a straightforward approach to life and who was loved, respected, and admired by all.

This past week, two new billboards were erected in the Chicago area marking the 10th anniversary of Spira’s disappearance and calling on the public to share any information regarding the disappearance.

The sheriff’s office renewed calls for the public's assistance in providing new information on the case that may turn up some answers. In a press release Wednesday, Harris pointed to the fact that Spira had his pilot’s license and flew out of DuPage Airport in West Chicago. He was involved in a business venture named Flight Matrix, which operated out of DuPage Airport.

Spira’s family, in the Find John Spira blog, also encourages residents to check private properties in areas where Spira’s cell phone was pinged following his disappearance. They shared this map on the Find John Spira blog:

Anyone with information regarding Spira’s disappearance can contact the sheriff’s office at 630-407- 2323.

“It’s likely someone has information to provide and we offer the option of remaining anonymous,” Harris said.

More information via the Help Find John Spira blog

Photo via the DuPage County Sheriff's Office