A missing 28 year old's remains are found in a heavily wooded area In the summer of 1980, the life of 28-year-old Stephen D. Forbes, a resident of Baldwinsville, New York, came to a mysterious and violent end. Forbes was a young man with business ambitions, co-owning the 'Novel-T Shirt Store' in Phoenix, New York. His sudden disappearance on July 8, 1980, after leaving a friend's home in Liverpool, sparked concern among his family, who reported him missing three days later. At the time he went missing, he was driving his blue 1977 Dodge pickup truck.
The initial search for Forbes yielded a significant clue when his truck was discovered abandoned in the long-term parking lot of Hancock International Airport in Syracuse. Investigators believe the vehicle was left there shortly after 3 p.m. on the day he was last seen. Despite this discovery, Forbes's whereabouts remained unknown for over a month, deepening the mystery surrounding his case.
The grim answer to his disappearance came on August 19, 1980.
His body was found in a remote, heavily wooded area off a small dirt road near Route 20 in the town of Lafayette, Onondaga County. The location where he was found was also an area where construction debris and other trash had been discarded.
Decades have passed since Stephen D. Forbes's death, yet the case remains an unsolved homicide. Law enforcement has made public appeals for information over the years, expressing their belief that someone holds the key to resolving the long-standing mystery. A reward has been offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death. To date, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified, leaving a lingering sense of injustice for a life cut short.
