On March 7, 1981, Charles Franklin Gibson, 45, disappeared from Hallandale, Florida, along with his girlfriend, Gertrude Menacher, her daughter, Angela DeLawder, and DeLawder's boyfriend, Ivan Gutierrez. The four were last seen after a dinner engagement. Prior to their disappearance, on March 4, Menacher had informed her other daughter, Robin Patton, of her intention to leave and that she would send travel arrangements. On March 6, Patton received letters from her mother and sister containing $100.
A week after the group was last seen, on March 14, Gibson's Cadillac was discovered abandoned in a parking lot at Miami International Airport, its location revealed to investigators by a police informant. It was noted that Menacher did not own a vehicle. Investigations revealed that Gibson had cleared out his apartment in Miami Shores before he vanished. Gibson had a criminal history of robbery and was on lifetime parole at the time of his disappearance. He was known to associate with gang members and is believed to have worked as an enforcer for drug syndicates.
The four individuals were all known to be heavily involved in the drug scene. Menacher resided in Miami, and shortly after her disappearance, a neighbor witnessed a woman and two men emptying her apartment into a U-Haul. The woman reportedly told the neighbor that the occupants of the apartment had been killed on an expressway in northern Florida.
Authorities had active warrants for the arrest of Gibson and Menacher in 1981 for aiding a prison escapee, Harvey Michael McElroy, who was a known drug enforcer. McElroy was found murdered in January 1981; he had been shot, and his body was burned on a trash heap. Investigators suspect Gibson and Menacher may have been involved in the disposal of his body and sought them for questioning in his murder. Police had also warned DeLawder that her mother could be in danger due to her knowledge of McElroy's death. One theory is that Gibson and Menacher were killed because of what they knew about the murder, and DeLawder and Gutierrez were unfortunate bystanders. Another possibility that has been considered is that the group went into hiding, potentially in Germany or Colombia. As of today, there has been no indication of the whereabouts of Charles Franklin Gibson, Gertrude Menacher, Angela DeLawder, or Ivan Gutierrez since their disappearance in March 1981.
Last Seen: Mar 7, 1981
