On September 18, 1984, 28-year-old Ronald L. Gilbert and his associate, Gary F. Lansaw, disappeared from Terre Haute, Indiana. The two men were last seen that day as they were reportedly traveling between Terre Haute and the area of Paris, Illinois. It is believed that their trip was for the purpose of collecting a $2,800 drug-related debt from a man named Jerome E. Board. Lansaw, who was known to be a drug dealer, and Gilbert were never seen or heard from again after they supposedly returned to Terre Haute around 7:00 p.m. that evening. The circumstances surrounding their disappearance immediately suggested that they had met with foul play. The case has been under investigation by the Vigo County Sheriff's Office since it was reported on September 21, 1984.
Years later, the investigation into the disappearances of Ronald Gilbert and Gary Lansaw led to a murder trial. In 2000, Jerome E. Board and his brother, Herbert Board Jr., were charged with the murders of the two men. Prosecutors alleged that the Board brothers, along with another individual named Dale Peterson, had planned to kill Gilbert and Lansaw on their father's property to avoid repaying the debt. A key witness for the prosecution was Jerome Board's ex-wife, Debra, who testified that Herbert Board and Dale Peterson were waiting in ambush to shoot the men when they arrived at the property in Paris, Illinois. According to her testimony, the bodies were subsequently dismembered and burned. By the time of the trial, Dale Peterson had died by suicide.
Despite the testimony from Debra Board, who had been granted immunity for her role in the alleged crimes, the prosecution's case was hampered by a lack of physical evidence to corroborate her story. After a trial in December 2000, both Jerome and Herbert Board were acquitted of all charges related to the disappearances and presumed murders of Ronald Gilbert and Gary Lansaw. The bodies of the two men have never been recovered, leaving their families without answers. The case officially remains an open and active investigation, with law enforcement still considering the disappearances to be the result of violent foul play. The daughter of Ronald Gilbert continues to hold out hope that her father's remains will one day be found. The disappearance of Ronald Gilbert and Gary Lansaw is a long-standing cold case that highlights the challenges of prosecuting a murder case without the recovery of the victims' bodies. The acquittal of the primary suspects has left the case in a state of legal and emotional limbo for the families involved, who are still seeking closure decades after their loved ones vanished.
Last Seen: Sep 18, 1984
