In the late spring of 2006, Shelva Jean Rafte, a 44-year-old mother of four from Pittston, Pennsylvania, seemed to vanish without a trace. Known to her loved ones as Shelly, she was last seen in the early morning hours of May 28, 2006. The last known sighting of her was in the vicinity of Market and River Streets in Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania, after she reportedly began walking home from her boyfriend's residence. At the time of her disappearance, Shelva was described as a petite woman, standing between 5'1' and 5'3' tall and weighing around 115 pounds, with distinctive thick, highlighted blonde hair and hazel eyes.
The evening before she went missing, on May 28, Shelva had been celebrating a joyous occasion—her daughter's college graduation party, which was held at her sister's home in Nicholson Borough. She attended the party with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, John Para.
Witnesses at the event later recalled seeing the couple arguing before they left together around 10:30 p.m. According to Para's account given to authorities, they returned to his home on Market Street in Pittston, where the argument continued. He stated that sometime after 1:00 a.m., Shelva left his residence to walk the roughly one-and-a-half-mile distance to her own apartment on Cleveland Street. She never made it home. When authorities later checked her apartment, they found a scene that was unsettlingly normal; the television was on, her car was parked outside, the doors were locked, and her tax refund check was untouched in the mailbox.
In the years since Shelva Rafte disappeared, her case has grown cold, leaving her family with unanswered questions. Her loved ones found it difficult to believe she would have walked home alone, as she was reportedly afraid of the dark. Adding to the family's distress was a chilling statement her sister said Shelva made to her shortly before she vanished: 'If anything happens to me, look at John. Because I know too much.' Despite this, her boyfriend has not been named a suspect in her case. Shelva was a waitress at a truck stop and knew many drivers, leading her daughter to speculate she might have accepted a ride from a trucker that night. The pink purse she was carrying, along with all her personal belongings, has never been located. The investigation into her disappearance remains open, and her case is considered to be surrounded by suspicious circumstances, though no definitive evidence of foul play has ever been uncovered.Last Seen: May 28, 2006
