District Attorney Ray Gricar Went Missing And So Did His Brother Years Before.

Ray Frank Gricar

Ray enjoyed antiques, traveling, and outdoor activities. He kept a low profile at his job despite its public nature.  He was an intelligent man. Ray was a hardworking and dedicated lawyer. He had a deep-seated empathy for victims and could spend hours listening to their families.

Ray was born on October 9th, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio. He acquired his law degree at Case Western Reserve University in that city. He moved to Pennsylvania in the early 1980's where his wife, Barbara, had taken a job at Pennsylvania State University. For awhile he decided to be a stay-at-home dad to their adopted daughter, Lara.

In 1985, ran and won the Pennsylvania Center County District Attorney position, which he held until 2005. 

Ray and Barbara divorced in 1991.

In Dayton, Ohio, in May 1996, Ray's brother, Roy, told his wife he was going out to buy mulch and never returned. Later, his body was pulled from the Great Miami River. It was said that Roy suffered from depression and his drowning was ruled a suicide.

Ray married again in 1996.

During his tenure as district attorney, Ray prosecuted many notable cases. One of which included the perpetrator of the Hetzel Union Building shooting in which a woman opened fire with a rifle at Penn State in 1996, killing one student and wounding another.

In 1998, Ray declined to press charges against longtime Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky following allegations of child sexual abuse; Sandusky was charged and convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse thirteen years later. people again questioned why Ray let Jerry off scott-free.

Ray divorced again in 2001.

In 2002 or 2003, Ray moved in with his girlfriend Patty Fornicola, an employee of the Center County District Attorney's office.

In 2004, Ray announced he would not run for re-election, and would retire from practicing law altogether in December 2005, shortly after his 60th birthday.

On the morning of Friday April 15th, 2005, at 11:30 a.m., Ray called Patty to tell her that he was driving on scenic Route 192 and was going to take the rest of the day off. They both ended the call saying, "I love you," like they always did.

Later, Patty returned home from her job at the Centre County Courthouse. There was no note anything sign of Ray. Patty then went to the gym. She returned again and finds Ray is still not home. By about 11:30 p.m., after not being able to reach him, Patty called the police.

The police immediately send out notice to other departments to be on the lookout for Ray's red Mini Cooper.

The next day, police launch air and ground searches along Route 192. 

By 5:00 p.m., Ray’s Mini Cooper was found roughly 50 miles from his home parked across from an antique mall in Lewisburg called the “Street of Shops”. The car was locked. Inside was his county-issued cell phone, which was turned off, but not his keys, or wallet. A water bottle was also found in the car with Ray's DNA on it. Ash, apparently from a cigarette, was found on the passenger's side and the car reeked of cigarette smoke. Ray did not smoke and reportedly disliked the habit. However, there were no signs of foul play in or around the vehicle.

Police and family members noted that the location of the vehicle, adjacent to two bridges over the Susquehanna River, bore some similarities to the location of the vehicle of Ray's older brother when he committed suicide in 1996.

Ray never believed his brother committed suicide. The most important reason was that he thought his brother would never orphan his two sons.

Some of Ray’s friends and colleagues thought he was acting emotionally distant in the time leading up to his disappearance. His  loved ones reported that he felt overworked and fatigued before he went missing. He was so exhausted that Patty suggested he see a doctor, but he apparently did not so. Despite all of this, it was evident that Ray was planning for his future. His calendar was full of events that he was going to attend. He also planned on visiting his daughter after retirement.

Just a couple weeks before his disappearance, Ray had announced the shutdown of the largest heroin operation that Centre County had ever seen.

Authorities searched the river and its banks but found no sign of Ray. Police also noted that a sniffer dog's behavior around where Ray's car was found suggested that he might have gotten into another vehicle with someone else.

An antiques store was close by, and its proprietor thought Ray might have been in his shop that day, but this has not been confirmed. The store owner said the man he saw appeared to be waiting for someone. Ray is interested in antiques and had been to the store before. There was also multiple witnesses that allegedly saw a brown haired woman with the man that resembled Ray. And that Ray was also seen in his car at a nearby park.

None of Ray's luggage, clothing or other belongings were found to be missing from the home, but his county-issued laptop computer and sunglasses disappeared with him. The laptop's case and power source were left behind.

Three days after Ray disappeared, Lara, who was visually emotional, issued a plea for her father at a news conference.

“I want more than anything to hear your voice and for you to hug me. Maybe we can go for a hike – go hike up a mountain and sit and talk. Please call.” She also addressed the public, “to everyone else out there, if you have seen my father, please contact police.”

The FBI analyzed Ray's bank accounts, credit card records, and cell phone records, but found no clues as to where he may have been.

On July 30th, 2005, two men fishing in the Susquehanna River in discovered Ray's missing laptop. However, the hard drive was not found. Two months later, a woman stumbled upon the hard drive on the banks of the Susquehanna River. It was within walking distance of where Ray’s Mini Cooper had been located. No information could be retrieved from the badly damaged and waterlogged hard drive.

Within months of Ray's disappearance, police announced that Patty and Lara had both passed polygraph tests. 

Many early media reports linked Ray's disappearance with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Luna, a drug investigator who was found dead in a Lancaster County creek in December 2003. His case remains unsolved.

In April 2009, it was revealed that before Ray's disappearance, someone had used the home computer at the house to perform internet searches on topics such as "how to wreck a hard drive", "how to fry a hard drive" and "water damage to a notebook computer".

Police tracked down a report that Ray may have been in the audience of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In 2010, a task force was formed to search for Ray. The task force meets monthly and, reportedly, is still involved in the investigation today.

In July 2011, authorities in Utah circulate the photo of a John Doe prisoner who bore a striking resemblance Ray. Ultimately he was identified as a 61-year-old New Mexico man.

Also in July, Ray was declared legally dead.

In 2013, A former member of the Hell's Angel motorcycle club told authorities that Ray was killed in reprisal for a prison sentence handed down to another member. Authorities have declined to comment.

The last known image of Ray was taken from a surveillance camera on the night before he disappeared. He was leaving work with Patty.

At the time of his disappearance Ray was 6'0" tall, 172 pounds with graying brown hair and green eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue fleece jacket, blue jeans and sneakers.

His case remains unsolved. 

If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Bellefonte Police Department 814-353-2320