In the summer of 1985, the quiet community of Hinckley Township, Ohio, was unsettled by the unusual disappearance of its own police chief, Melvin 'Mel' Wiley. At 47 years old, Wiley was a man of diverse experiences, having worked as a fingerprint technician for the FBI, a background investigator for the Department of Defense, and an Army intelligence officer before joining the Hinckley Township Police Department in 1978 and becoming its chief in 1982.
The last known sighting of Wiley was on July 28, 1985. Two days later, his tan 1980 Toyota station wagon was discovered at Lakefront State Park on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland. The vehicle was locked, and inside, authorities found his clothing, wallet containing $15, police identification, and badge, creating a perplexing scene that offered few immediate answers.
Investigators were initially confronted with several possibilities, including drowning or foul play, but as they delved deeper into Wiley's life, the circumstances grew more complex. A friend reported that Wiley had mentioned plans to go swimming with an out-of-town visitor, yet it was well-known that he was not a swimmer and disliked the sun due to a skin condition. Further investigation revealed that he had not purchased a swimsuit as he had claimed he would. The state of his apartment also provided curious clues; it was found to be very neat, with provisions of food and water left for his two cats. Significantly, a number of his personal belongings were missing, including most of his long-sleeved shirts, his music collection, and his address book. Perhaps most tellingly, the manuscript for a mystery novel he was writing, along with a book of his poetry, had also vanished.
The theory that Wiley may have orchestrated his own disappearance gained traction as more details emerged. In the weeks leading up to his vanishing, friends and colleagues had noted a change in his demeanor; he seemed moody and was leaving work early, which was out of character. He had expressed a desire to retire from law enforcement at age 50 to pursue writing full-time. A pivotal discovery was made when investigators examined the ribbon on his office typewriter, which revealed a letter he had written to a female friend. In the letter, he expressed being tired of his life and his intention to disappear, stating he would be 2,500 miles away by the time she received it, though the letter was never sent. Adding to this theory, a bus and cab schedule were found in the pocket of his uniform at the dry cleaners, and the top drawer of his desk at the police station, usually full, was completely empty except for his apartment key. Despite these signs pointing to a planned departure, Wiley made no significant withdrawals from his bank accounts and left behind his pension fund. He was legally declared dead in 1993, but the case of the police chief who seemingly wrote his own vanishing act remains unsolved.Last Seen: Jul 28, 1985
