John Daniel DeMarino, a 51-year-old father of two, has been missing since the night of January 30, 2019. At the time of his disappearance, he had been living with his mother in Spencer, West Virginia, for about five months following a divorce. Friends and family describe him as a devoted father who was in constant contact with his two children, a daughter in college and a son in high school, making his sudden silence deeply uncharacteristic.
He had even made future plans, having recently bought tickets to attend a basketball game with his son, which family members believe indicates he did not intend to leave.
On the evening he was last seen, between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m., DeMarino left his mother's residence in Spencer, driving her silver 2015 Ford Escape. His destination was Uncle Mike's Bar and Grill on Seventh Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia, approximately an hour away. He arrived at the bar sometime before midnight, sat down, and ordered a beer. About thirty minutes later, after drinking only half of his beer, he got up from his seat. An employee thought he was just going to the restroom, but DeMarino never came back to finish his drink and was never seen or heard from again. He had his wallet, car keys, and an iPhone X with him at the time he vanished.
The investigation into his disappearance took a perplexing turn when, on February 8, 2019, the Ford Escape he had been driving was discovered. The vehicle was found abandoned at a Love's Truck Stop in Conneaut, Ohio, a city on the border with Pennsylvania and about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Parkersburg. According to staff, the car had been parked across two spaces for three to four days before it was reported. The car was unlocked, but there was no sign of John DeMarino. Inside the vehicle were a phone charger, an empty bag of chips, and a cup full of change, but his personal belongings like his wallet and phone were missing.
Authorities from the Roane County Sheriff's Office and the Spencer Police Department are handling the investigation. The last known activity from his cell phone was a ping from a tower near Elizabeth, West Virginia, on the same day he went missing. Investigators have considered the possibility of foul play and have questioned if the car was intentionally left in Ohio to divert attention from the Parkersburg area. DeMarino is described as being 6 feet 2 to 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighing between 165 and 175 pounds, with very dark brown, almost black eyes. He is bald but may have had short, graying hair on the sides of his head and has a distinct scar on the back of his head. He also has several tattoos, including the Roman numeral XIII on his upper right arm. He was last seen wearing a red hoodie under a green winter jacket, tan khaki pants, brown work boots, and a black beanie hat.Last Seen: Jan 30, 2019
