On September 18, 1984, 35-year-old Gary F. Lansaw, a resident of Terre Haute, Indiana, disappeared under circumstances that continue to trouble investigators and his community. On that day, Lansaw, along with his associate Ronald L. Gilbert of Riley, embarked on a trip that took them back and forth between Terre Haute and the area of Paris, Illinois. They were last seen returning to Terre Haute at approximately 7:00 p.m.
The purpose of their travel was reportedly to collect a debt owed to Lansaw. After that evening, neither Lansaw nor Gilbert were ever seen or heard from again, marking the beginning of a long and perplexing missing persons case.
The investigation into the disappearance of Lansaw and Gilbert soon pointed towards the likelihood of foul play, with suspicions arising that they were victims of a violent crime connected to a drug deal. The focus of the investigation centered on their intended destination in Paris, Illinois, where they were allegedly going to collect a $2,800 debt from a man named Jerome E. Board. For years, the case remained cold, with no sign of the two missing men and no bodies ever discovered. The absence of physical evidence created a significant challenge for law enforcement, leaving the families of both men in a painful state of uncertainty.
A significant development in the case came years later when Jerome Board and his brother, Herbert Board Jr., were charged and tried for the murders of Lansaw and Gilbert in 2000. During the trial, prosecutors put forth a chilling theory: the Board brothers, along with another individual named Dale Peterson, had planned to murder Lansaw and Gilbert to avoid repaying the debt. The prosecution's key witness was Jerome's ex-wife, Debra Board, who testified that the brothers had ambushed Lansaw and Gilbert, shooting them on their father's property. She provided a gruesome account, stating that after the murders, their bodies were dismembered and burned. By the time of the trial, Dale Peterson had taken his own life. Despite this testimony, the lack of physical evidence to corroborate the story proved to be a critical issue. Ultimately, the Board brothers were acquitted of all charges in December 2000. The case of Gary Lansaw's disappearance remains an open and unresolved investigation, officially classified as an endangered missing person case where foul play is strongly suspected. Without the recovery of his remains, a definitive conclusion to this decades-old mystery remains elusive, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew him.Last Seen: Sep 18, 1984
