Ex-Brookfield Man Missing In Florida

BROOKFIELD, IL – Barry Schmalbach, a 56-year-old former Brookfield resident, has been reported missing in Florida. And authorities said they suspect foul play.

Cape Coral police said late last week they have a person of interest in Schmalbach's disappearance. They did not identify the person.

Schmalbach was last seen on July 19. His boyfriend, Christopher Davis, 35, was arrested and jailed Aug. 1 on a 2018 South Carolina warrant, Florida media reported. He has not been charged in connection with Schmalbach's disappearance.

In a news conference Friday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore said Schmalbach's boyfriend called July 22 to report the disappearance. One of Schmalbach's friends called about it shortly afterward.

"(The boyfriend) didn't give any indication it was unusual. In fact, he tried to alleviate any fears that there was anything suspicious," the chief said. "Very early on, because of the suspicious nature and the willful deceptive nature of the initial call, foul play was suspected."

"The fact that in 2023, that somebody would leave willfully, peacefully absent any cognitive impairment or any substance impairment without their vehicle, without their person effects is a little suspicious in and of itself," Sizemore said.

Schmalbach once lived in the 3600 block of Arthur Avenue in Brookfield.