Johnny and Shelly Markley married young. Shelly was just 16 years old in 1979.
Their marriage was strong, however, and they went on to have five children together. Johnny worked as a truck driver, and Shelly was a stay-at-home mom. They lived in rural Bristolville, Ohio.
Beginning in 1992, the couple would experience some hardships and tough times. In 1992, Johnny’s twin sister Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Johnny was devastated- of course- and even worked hard to fundraise $15,000 to send her to Mexico for experimental treatments.
In 1993, the home that the Markleys lived in burned to the ground. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
In 1994, Johnny’s father passed away, another devastating blow to this hardworking family man.
Then tragically, in December of 1995, Johnny’s sister succumbed to her breast cancer.
Johnny was devastated.
On the morning of December 15, 1995, Shelly and Johnny got the children off to school together. This was a normal occurrence for the Markley’s, and the youngest child, just age 8 at the time, was put on the bus around 8:30 a.m.
When the children arrived home later that afternoon, they found their parent's personal belongings, including their mother’s purse and cigarettes, and their father’s wristwatch which he never took off, sitting on the kitchen counter. Their parents, however, were nowhere to be found.
They also found the home in a bit of disarray, with the contents of a safe (just important papers) strewn about the floor.
There would be a few strange clues, and the pickup truck would be found shortly after the disappearance, but nothing that led to Johnny or Shelly’s whereabouts.
It was all quite bizarre, and everyone feared the worst. To date, the couple is still missing.
Johnny Markley was born on July 8, 1959. He had a close-knit family, which included a twin sister named Bonnie.
Shelly Applequist was born on November 16, 1963, also growing up in rural Ohio.
Johnny and Shelly met as teenagers and would marry on November 30, 1979. They were young, but they were becoming parents and were devoted to each other and starting a family.
They would live in rural Bristoville, Ohio, a small country town in northeast Ohio, and would go on to have five children. Johnny worked as a truck driver, and Shelly was a stay-at-home mom.
Everyone who knew the Markley’s, commented that they were a good family. They were good people and wonderful parents.
Sadly, in the early 90’s, the Markley’s would suffer a series of tragedies.
First, in 1992, Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Johnny was devastated. Not only was John close to Bonnie, but they were twins, which made their bond even stronger than many other siblings.
Johnny was determined to do what he could to help her, and although I can’t say how the fundraising took place, he did raise $15,000 for her. He wanted her to go to Mexico to receive experimental treatments.
While they were still fighting that battle for Bonnie, in 1993, the house that Johnny and Shelly lived in burned to the ground.
I can’t speak about the fire, there is no information on the fire in media archives, but I do know the family all made it out okay.
The house was a total loss.
The very next year, 1994, Johnny’s father passed away. Another devastating blow to the Markley family. Later that same year, Johnny’s nephew took his own life, adding yet another tragic funeral for the Markley family.
The next year 1995, would bring more tragedy.
On December 13, 1995, Bonnie succumbed to cancer and passed away.
The first day after her death, Johnny was angry and extremely upset. He was angry and everyone around him, and he was angry at God.
The next day, December 14, Johnny seemed better and helped his family in planning the memorial service, which would be held the next day, December 15, at 5:30 p.m.
THE DISAPPEARANCE.
December 15 was a Friday, and they decided all the children would go to school and then after school, they would attend the memorial together.
Around 8:30 a.m., Johnny and Shelley put their youngest child on the bus.
That afternoon, just after 3:00 p.m., the kids came home from school but found that their parents weren’t home. The front door to the home was unlocked, which was unusual, and when they went inside, they smelled something burning.
That burning smell turned out to be a coffee pot that had been left on.
It all seemed strange and they would all eventually walk down the street to an aunt and uncle's house to wait for their parents.
Their father’s pickup truck was missing, so they figured they would be home soon.
Later, when they didn’t show up for the memorial that evening, the family went back to the house. They noticed some strange clues.
First, Shelly’s purse and cigarettes were on the kitchen counter next to her purse. Shelly would never leave the house without either of them.
Second, Johnny’s wristwatch was on the counter as well. He always put his watch on before he left the house. Always.
It seemed as if they left in a hurry, especially when the children said the door had been unlocked and the coffee pot left on.
But the real concern came when they entered the couple’s bedroom.
Papers were strewn all over the bedroom and the door to the small bedroom safe was left open. Papers such as birch certificates and other important documents were scattered about as if someone was looking for something.
The family continued to look around for Shelly and Johnny.
The last clue the family would uncover was found outside in the garage. Johnny had a 1978 Corvette that he kept covered with two tarps.
Those tarps were missing. Johnny never left his Corvette uncovered, yet here it was, fully exposed and the tarps were nowhere to be found.
All of these signs caused the family to panic. Something was very wrong here.
Just after midnight, Johnny and Shelly were reported missing, along with their pickup truck.
THE SEARCH AND INVESTIGATION.
When authorities showed up at the Markley home, they were baffled. This was a small town, and crime was usually limited to petty small-town issues- drugs, maybe a domestic call here and there- but nothing major.
Initially, it was thought that maybe the Markley’s left town due to the stress they have been under. And it was the same day as his twin sister’s memorial.
The Markley’s had always been a good family. Johnny, nor Shelly, had any criminal background whatsoever. They weren’t known to be involved in anything nefarious.
Johnny just worked hard, and Shelly took care of the home and the family.
Of particular interest to the detectives on their case was the contents of that bedroom safe. It wasn’t believed that they had any money in there, just some of their important family paperwork, and nothing really seemed to be missing- at least that anyone could tell.
But it did look like someone had been looking for something.
The two tarps that were missing were also concerning, but nothing was making any sense as to where Johnny and Shelly could have gone.
A clue came in when a local bank teller came forward to say that she saw Johnny and Shelly that morning.
In fact, bank records show that they came through the drive-through at 10:36 a.m. and Shelly was cashing a check from their checking account that she had written out to CASH. For those of you who don’t recall pre-ATM days, this was a common way to withdraw money before ATMs were commonplace.
This bank teller knew Shelly and Johnny and said she saw them in the pickup truck and that there was a third man with them, but she didn’t recognize him and she couldn't even really recall what he looked like.
The check she cashed was for $1,000 and would leave just over $800 in the Markley’s account.
This would be the last known sighting of Johnny and Shelly, but the man who was with them that morning has never been identified.
Investigators caught another potential break when authorities found the Markley’s missing pickup truck. It was discovered in a parking lot off Elm Road in Warren, Ohio, just about 10 miles from their home. It had been abandoned there.
The truck looked as if someone had just parked it there and left it, but they did find a couple of interesting clues.
First, the truck was muddy. This was odd to everyone because Johnny was known to keep his truck neat and clean.
Second, the couple’s cell phone was found in the truck. Now, this was in early days of cell phones, they were big and bulky and usually left in vehicles anyways.
Third, the missing tarps from Johnny’s garage were found in the back of the truck, seemingly just as they had been at the house. Meaning, nothing was alarming on those tarps- no blood, etc.
Law enforcement had now completely changed their tune. They no longer believed that Johnny and Shelly had left of their own accord. They now feared that the couple had met with foul play.
But why? Who would target the Markley’s?
Detectives could find no evidence of any disputes with anyone, and they had never been in any kind of legal trouble before.
They didn’t have a large amount of money. There wasn’t anything that anyone stood to gain from their demise, plus, this theory always baffles me in missing person cases. Just because someone goes missing, it still takes years for them to become declared legally deceased. There wouldn’t be anything to gain, monetarily speaking, for quite some time.
No one who knew the Markley’s would believe the theory that they left town. Yes, they had been under a lot of stress lately, but they would never abandon or leave behind their five children.
So where were they?
Hundreds of people came together to search the land around their home on Greenville Road in Bristolville. Air searches were conducted and divers searched local ponds and waterways.
Nothing was found.
Shortly after the Markley’s disappearance, and after some local media attention on the case, a man by the name of Steven Durst came forward with a ransom claim. Steven was a former coworker of Johnny’s and he was currently out of work. He said he had the couple and was holding them hostage and would return them for $100,000.
Was this a break in the case?
It was not, as authorities very quickly determined that he was an opportunist trying to cash out on their disappearance.
While he was said to be ruled out as a person of interest in their case, there are many who believe Steven Durst does actually have the answers.
Rumors began to swirl that before the Markley’s disappeared, Steven told some friends that Johnny owed him $1000. With him being out of work, he desperately needed the money.
With the knowledge that there was a third man in the truck with the Markley’s, and they cashed a check for exactly $1000, it sure seems suspicious.
These reports were never verified publicly, however, so we can’t say for certain that it isn’t more than just a small-town rumor.
I did find a report from the Tribune Chronicle, a local newspaper, stating that Steven Durst did fail a lie detector test.
He was charged with extortion and was sentenced to 4-10 years in prison.
The disappearance of the Markley’s was a complete mystery to everyone in the small Ohio town.
An hour east of Cleveland sits the small, rural town of Bristolville. Bristolville sits on the edge of Ohio’s second-largest Amish community. In 1990, the old order amish population in that area was 8,000. Today, that population is over 18,000.
If this paints a picture for you of green rolling hills, corn fields, horses and buggies- that’s exactly what Bristolville is.
As for businesses, in 1995, there wasn’t much right there. Of course, we know that there was a bank because we know that Shelly and Johnny went there, but there weren’t any stores.
Generally, one would have to travel about 10 miles to the Warren, Ohio area to do any really shopping or errands.
And this is where Johnny’s pickup truck would be found, left in a parking lot.
The truck was also found covered in mud. Where could it have traveled in the area to become so muddy?
It was mid-December, and unless the ground was completely frozen, the land has a tendency to become muddy. Anywhere in Northeast Ohio could have been muddy at that time.
About five miles from the center of Bristolville is Mosquito Lake Reservoir. This lake covers over 7,000 acres of surface area and is a very popular place for all things lake-related. There are campgrounds, boat ramps, a beach, and lots of wooded areas.
Bristolville and Mosquito Lake ResovirPhoto byGoogle Maps
Now, again it was mid-December, so people were not likely at the beach. But, from what I’ve heard, the lake is still visited during the winter months.
However, it is very close to where the Markley's lived.
I also tried to find an exact date and time in which the truck was located in Warren because that can tell us a lot. From most sources, it seems the truck was found a few days after the disappearance.
If that’s the case, if someone took the truck somewhere, they had almost 72 hours to get there and back.
Only about an hour to the north, you’ll find Lake Erie, and Bristolville is also less than an hour to the Pennsylvania border, where you’ll find a lot more rural areas, parks, lakes, rivers, etc.
THEORIES AND POSSIBILITIES.
What are the theories and the possibilities here?
Well first, authorities believe Johnny and Shelly likely met with foul play, based on the clues they have.
The state of the house and their bedroom, the removal of the two tarps off of the Corvette, and the finding of the pickup truck in a parking lot abandoned.
This didn’t look good.
And friends and family will reiterate that the two would never walk away from their five children.
So something must have happened. To date, however, there haven’t been any motives or clues as to who or what.
Was Steven Durst involved?
Another curious thought has to do with the $15,000 raised for Bonnie’s trip to Mexico.
Did Johnny do something illegal, or was he involved in something off-the-record, to raise that money?
This question has come up a few times, and I think it is a curious thought. It seems that money was raised a couple of years prior though, so it’s hard to say that it has any connection at all and of course, there is no evidence to say that it does.
Were Johnny and/or Shelly into something that no one else was aware of? Something that could have brought them trouble or harm?
Or, is it possible that the stress was too much for Johnny and Shelly and they did run off? The two of them disappear two days after his sister’s death, and the day of her memorial service is quite a coincidence. Or is it?
But how does that explain the possible third person in the truck? And, if they abandoned their own truck, why didn’t they take all of their cash with them if they were leaving town?
There are so many questions about this small town's disappearance. And too few answers.
In 2015 investigators came forward to say they had some new leads, although they didn’t disclose what those were. They also conducted three additional interviews, but nothing was made public about them.
It seemed after that, the case went cold again.
I'm curious to know your thoughts on the disappearances of Johnny Markley and Shelly Markley.
Johnny is described as a Caucasian male, standing 5’10 and weighing around 170 pounds when he was last seen in December 1995. Johnny has dark hair and green eyes. He also has a mole and a scar on his back and a scar on his right forearm. Reports list him as ‘Johnny’ or ‘John’.
Johnny was 36 years old then, and would today be 65.
Shelly Markley is described as a Caucasian female standing 5’4” and weighing around 120 pounds when she was last seen, also December 1995.
She has brown hair and blue eyes and has freckles.
Shelly was 31 years old then, and would today be 60.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Johnny and Shelly Markley is asked to contact the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department at 330-675-2540.
He got involved with drugs and the wrong people it happens more often then people like to think they just don’t think these drug people would be so brutal and unforgiving. I am not saying he was dealing but he had information that was enough to make this couple disappear.
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