58-year-old Robert Baron vanished from Old Forge, Pennsylvania, on a quiet evening in late January 2017. Robert Baron was going about his usual routine at his restaurant when something happened. The story goes that he dropped his son off for the evening, and it's believed that he went back to the restaurant to spend the night in the apartment above so that he could be there first thing in the morning for a dough delivery. But by the following morning, Robert was gone. There was an abundance of physical evidence left behind, leading investigators to believe that a violent struggle had taken place inside Ghigiarelli's Restaurant.
Last week we brought you the first installment in Robert Baron's story. You learned about who Robert Baron was and how his loved ones discovered that he was missing. We left off at the end of Part 1 with the discovery of some crucial physical evidence, including blood and a tooth. Both the blood and the tooth were determined to be Robert's. This was no longer a case where you could say, "well, maybe he walked away from his life." The question now was, who would do this and why?
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Robert Baron, please contact the Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office at (570) 963-6717.
UPDATE- Like many of you, we have been following the developments in the Robert Baron case this week. Robert Baron's remains were discovered just days ago, and Justin Schuback was arrested earlier today for the murder of Robert Baron. We covered Robert's story back in January of this year in episodes 379 and 380. In those episodes, Robert's family detailed their suspicions regarding Mr. Schuback's possible involvement. At the time, he had not been publicly named a person of interest, so we decided to bleep his name. To clear up any confusion, Mr. Shuback had been a friend of the younger Robert "Bobby" Baron, which was confirmed today in the district attorney's press conference. The family had discussed Schuback at length throughout the series and believed that he knew the inner workings of the restaurant due to the time he had spent there during his friendship with Robert's son, Bobby. You may also recall that Bobby spoke about having some alleged "altercation" with Schuback earlier in the day before his father's disappearance. It is important to remember that Mr. Schuback is innocent until proven guilty, as are any other individuals who may be involved.
We are always both profoundly saddened and relieved to hear that someone has been found. In Robert's case, the end has just begun for his family, who must now face the challenges of navigating the justice system. We continue to hold out a candle of hope that justice is served and Robert's family is able to heal, as we do for all of the families we are honored to work with to share their stories with you each week. We appreciate all of the messages and will continue to keep you updated as we receive new developments.
UPDATE: On May 15, 2024, Justin Schuback was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, and robbery.
