In the spring of 1965, a young man named Ronald Joe Cole, aged 19, moved from San Diego to the small city of Fillmore in Ventura County, California, with hopes of finding work. He was staying with his older half-brother, David LaFever, at a family residence in the 400 block of Foothill Drive. Ronald was last seen on approximately May 1, 1965, after which he seemed to vanish without a trace, and all contact with his relatives ceased. His disappearance, however, would not be officially reported to the police for nearly two decades, shrouding the circumstances of what happened to the young man in a long and troubling silence.
For 18 years, Ronald Cole's absence was not an official police matter. It wasn't until October 25, 1983, that he was formally reported as a missing person to the Fillmore Police Department.
Family members expressed that they believed his disappearance was under suspicious circumstances and pointed toward his half-brother, David LaFever, as potentially being responsible. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation in August 1984 due to the suspicious nature of the case. Investigators learned that LaFever had allegedly told family members he had killed Cole. LaFever was named the prime suspect, but a lack of physical evidence or a crime scene meant that no charges could be filed at the time. The investigation also uncovered a darker side to LaFever, who was a suspect in the murder of his brother-in-law, Jon Skaggs, whose body was found buried at a former LaFever residence, and he was also linked to other violent crimes. LaFever passed away in Alaska in 2007, never having been charged in connection with his half-brother's disappearance.
Unbeknownst to investigators in California, a partial answer to Ronald Cole's fate had surfaced a year after he vanished. On October 27, 1966, a postman discovered a human skull in a branch of Cat Creek near Geneseo, Illinois. An examination revealed the cause of death was a gunshot to the base of the skull, ruling it a homicide. For decades, these remains were known only as "Geneseo John Doe," and the identity of the victim remained a complete mystery. The case went cold for nearly 60 years until 2024, when the Henry County Sheriff's Office enlisted the help of the DNA Doe Project. Using advanced forensic genetic genealogy, the non-profit organization was able to build a family tree for the unidentified man. In January 2026, it was officially announced that the remains found in Illinois almost sixty years prior were those of Ronald Joe Cole. This breakthrough brought an end to the long-standing missing person case, finally providing answers to his family about where he was, and officially reclassifying his disappearance as a homicide investigation.Last Seen: May 1, 1965
