Case File 1777DMIL
Michael Mansfield
Missing since December 31, 1975 from Lincoln, Illinios.
Classification: Involuntary
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Disappearance
Investigators
Lincoln Police Department
NCIC Number:
Source Information:
Michael Mansfield, a Lincoln College student, was last seen on December 31, 1975. Around 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve 1975, he received a phone call, put on his coat and walked out the door, telling his parents he was visiting a friend in nearby Arlington Heights. This was six days before he was to testify against Russell Smrekar, a former Lincoln College student, who was convicted of murdering Robin and Jay Fry and is serving 200 to 600 years at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. Jay Fry was a clerk who saw Smrekar steal two steaks from a local grocery store, and he was prepared to testify at Smrekar’s shoplifting trial. Smrekar is also believed to be responsible for the disappearance of Ruth Martin who was to be a minor witness in the trial, and of Michael Mansfield. Both Martin and Mansfield are presumed to have been killed by Smrekar, although their bodies were never found.
In 2004, a book titled "Process Of Elimination: A Midwestern Murder Mystery" was released by author Bonnie J. Thompson. In it, she writes about the unsolved disappearances of Mansfield and Martin.
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Process of Elimination
Daily Herald