On April 26, 1987, 15-year-old Alicia Bernice Markovich, a female from Windber, Pennsylvania, disappeared after visiting her father in Blairsville, a town about 45 minutes away. That Sunday morning, her father, John Markovich, picked her up for a day visit. Alicia had reportedly been hesitant to go, as her parents were in a dispute over an increase in child support payments. Later that day, her father claimed they argued about her grades, friends, and the child support issue. According to his account, Alicia abruptly walked out of his Dunn Avenue residence. He said he called after her, telling her to be back by 8:00 p.m., assuming she was heading to a friend's house. Alicia was never seen or heard from again. She was last seen wearing a white crop top with red, yellow, and blue stripes, jeans, and white tennis shoes, and was carrying a pair of purple sunglasses.
Initially, Alicia's case was classified as a runaway, a theory her mother, Marcie, immediately rejected.
She insisted that her daughter had no history of running away, lacked street smarts, and would not have been able to survive on her own. Marcie described Alicia as a good student at Windber High School, where she was a freshman on the track team. For three years, little progress was made on the case until 1990, when the Pennsylvania State Police reclassified her disappearance as a suspected homicide. This change in perspective was due to the complete lack of contact from Alicia and the absence of any activity on her bank account or Social Security number since she vanished. Police believe she was likely murdered on the same day she went missing.
Over the decades, the investigation has faced numerous challenges, including a lack of physical evidence or a crime scene. In October 2000, a significant but ultimately cruel twist occurred when Alicia's father received a two-page anonymous letter postmarked from New Hampshire. The letter claimed Alicia had been killed and detailed where her body was buried near the Conemaugh River. An extensive search of the area, including the use of cadaver dogs, yielded no evidence, and authorities ultimately deemed the letter a hoax. The author was never identified. A year after her disappearance, her father's car was reported stolen and found destroyed by fire in a neighboring town. Despite ongoing efforts by law enforcement, including a fresh look at the case in 2011, no suspects have ever been officially named. The case of Alicia Markovich remains an unsolved and painful mystery for her family and friends, who continue to seek answers and justice.Last Seen: Apr 26, 1987
