In the autumn of 2012, a family's life was forever altered by a sudden and unexplained disappearance. On November 5th, 76-year-old John Antic was at a local mall in Burlington, Ontario, where he had a conversation with his wife around 11:00 a.m. This would be the last time she would speak with him directly. John, a man of slender build, with brown eyes and grey hair, was appropriately dressed for the November weather in a black jacket, blue pants, a grey sweater, and a black flat-topped
hat. Known to wear dentures and hearing aids, there was nothing initially to suggest that this day would be unlike any other.
Later that evening, a glimmer of contact surfaced, only to deepen the mystery. At approximately 7:30 p.m., John's wife received a peculiar phone call. A woman was on the line, calling on behalf of John to say he was okay. In the background, his wife could hear him, confirming he was having dinner at a restaurant in Niagara Falls. Police later verified that an employee at the restaurant had indeed made the call for him, marking the last confirmed sighting of John Antic. He was believed to be on foot and was known to be comfortable with using public transportation. An avid cyclist, his silver-coloured mountain bike was also missing, though it is not believed he cycled the approximately 70-kilometre distance to Niagara Falls.
The days turned into weeks, and then years, with no further contact from John. His bank accounts remained untouched, and his family received no further communication. While there were some indications that John had occasionally left home for short periods in the past, his wife disputed the idea that this was a common occurrence, stating a previous trip to Oshawa had been brief and he had called to let her know when he would return. John and his wife, both originally from Croatia, had met and married in Australia before moving to Canada in 1973 to seek medical care for their son. The disappearance of John Antic remains an open case, a quiet departure from a Burlington mall that led to a last known trace in a Niagara Falls restaurant, leaving his loved ones with unanswered questions and an enduring sense of loss.Last Seen: Nov 5, 2012
