On March 7, 1981, 19-year-old Ivan Gutierrez, his live-in girlfriend Angela DeLawder, 20, her mother Gertrude Menacher, 37, and Menacher's boyfriend, Charles Gibson, 39, vanished from Hallandale, Florida. The four were last seen after a dinner engagement. Gutierrez and DeLawder resided together in the 200 block of southeast Ninth Court in Hallandale. Just days before the disappearance, on March 4, Menacher had a telephone conversation with her other daughter, Robin Patton, informing her that she was leaving and would be in touch with plane tickets and further instructions. On March 6, Patton received a letter containing $100 from her mother and sister.
A week after the group was last seen, on March 14, Charles Gibson's Cadillac was discovered abandoned in a parking lot at Miami International Airport, following a tip from a police informant. Investigators found that Gibson had cleared out his apartment located in the 8900 block of northeast Fourth Avenue in Miami Shores before he disappeared. Gibson was known to have a criminal history that included robbery and was on lifetime parole. Authorities believed he had connections to gang members and worked as an enforcer for drug syndicates.
The investigation into the disappearances uncovered a web of criminal activity. All four individuals were reportedly heavily involved in the drug trade. Patton, who had extricated herself from that world, had encouraged her mother and sister to do the same. At the time of their disappearance, both Gibson and Menacher had outstanding warrants for their arrest. They were wanted for assisting a prison escapee named Harvey Michael McElroy, a known drug enforcer. McElroy had been found murdered in January 1981; his body was shot, dumped on a trash heap, and set on fire. Police believe Gibson and Menacher may have been involved in the disposal of his body and were being sought for questioning in connection to his death. Law enforcement had even warned DeLawder that her mother could be in danger due to her knowledge of the McElroy murder.
A significant lead in the case came from one of Menacher's neighbors. Shortly after the four disappeared, the neighbor witnessed a woman and two men emptying Menacher's apartment in the 500 block of northwest 214th Street in Miami with a U-Haul truck. The woman allegedly told the neighbor that the residents of the apartment had been killed on an expressway in northern Florida, which the neighbor interpreted as a fatal car accident.
Police have considered several theories regarding the fate of Gutierrez and the others. One prominent theory is that Menacher and Gibson were murdered because of what they knew about the McElroy case, and that DeLawder and Gutierrez were simply innocent victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another possibility is that the group went into hiding, with potential destinations being Germany or Colombia. Patton has denied having any knowledge of their whereabouts. Despite the various leads and theories, there has been no sign of Ivan Gutierrez, Angela DeLawder, Gertrude Menacher, or Charles Gibson since that day in March 1981.
Last Seen: Mar 7, 1981
