John Spira

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Chicago Police Department (IL)

Missing From:

West Chicago, Illinois

Summary:

John Michael 'Chicago Johnny' Spira, a 45-year-old blues guitarist and businessman, disappeared on February 23, 2007 from his office at Universal Cable Construction in West Chicago, Illinois. He was last seen at approximately 7:00 p.m. and never arrived for a dinner appointment. The case remains unsolved, with his family and authorities suspecting foul play.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On February 23, 2007, John Spira met with his estranged wife, Suzanne, in the morning to discuss divorce settlement terms. Later that day, he attended a company cookout at Universal Cable Construction in West Chicago, located near North Avenue and County Farm Road. At approximately 7:00 p.m., while at his office, Spira made a cellular phone call at 7:09 p.m. to confirm a dinner date with a friend in nearby Oak Brook, Illinois, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. His call indicated he would meet his friend as planned. Spira never arrived at the restaurant. His cellular phone remained active, pinging cell towers until approximately 11:00 p.m., utilizing the same towers it had accessed earlier in the day. His vehicle was located in the parking lot, having been moved from his usual parking spot in the front to the back lot by the time authorities began their investigation. Both of his cars remained at the location. Spira left behind his flight gear, wallet, cell phone, and a black binder containing important documents. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black turtleneck sweater, black shoes, an olive-green aviator jacket, and a Rolex watch.

Additional Details:

Spira's girlfriend, Renata, attempted to file a missing persons report the evening of his disappearance, but police refused to accept it because she was not a relative. His estranged wife, Suzanne Spira, filed the official missing persons report on February 25, 2007. The couple had agreed to divorce terms on the morning of his disappearance; the divorce was finalized on March 8, 2007. Spira had been married to Suzanne for more than a decade and they had maintained a good working relationship during divorce negotiations, which lasted two years. Authorities conducted initial searches of Spira's business and home in the 3000 block of King Richard Court, finding no signs of foul play. However, employees reported that a large roll of plastic wrap went missing from the company's property around the time of his disappearance. Spira was one of only two or three people at Universal Cable the night he vanished; his business partner, David Stubben, was among the last to be seen with him. Witness accounts conflicted regarding who was the last person present: Stubben claimed vendor Daniel Bernadec was still there when Stubben left around 7:00 p.m., but Bernadec said he left before both men. Another vendor, Anthony Distefano, reported that only Stubben and Spira remained when he departed. Since disappearing, none of Spira's credit cards, bank accounts, or financial resources have been used. His case has been described by investigators as 'presumed to be a homicide' despite remaining officially classified as a missing person case. On September 14, 2007, six months after Spira's disappearance, his sister Stephanie McNeil erected a 20-foot missing person billboard across from his place of business. The following night, the billboard was vandalized and removed. On September 15, 2007, Universal Cable Construction was destroyed by fire, causing $750,000 in damage. The fire was ruled incendiary by investigators, though authorities stated they found nothing suspicious about it. However, Spira's family believes the fire was intentionally set and related to his disappearance. After the fire, an insurance settlement of approximately $700,000 was paid to Dave Stubben, who rebuilt the facility on the same site, though the rebuilt structure has remained empty and unused since. Stubben and Spira had been in business together for 17 years but were experiencing serious financial difficulties at the time of the disappearance. In police interviews, Stubben initially reported a good relationship with Spira with no financial problems, but later accused Spira of racking up 'massive debt' in 'excess of $1 million' and speculated that Spira might have skipped town or even been involved in setting the fire himself. Stubben also stated that Spira had sanitized his office and shredded paperwork prior to disappearing. When asked to take a polygraph test, Stubben obtained legal representation and refused. He also refused to consent to a search of a 110-acre property in Missouri he co-owned with Dan Maupin, Universal Cable's general manager. Suzanne Spira moved to Buffalo, New York after John's disappearance and died of natural causes in October 2010; family members believe she had knowledge about John's disappearance. The DuPage County Sheriff's Office has kept its investigation file largely confidential, citing grand jury findings. In 2010, human remains were discovered in the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve near Wheaton, approximately nine miles from where Spira worked and three miles from a person of interest's home, but DNA testing showed the remains did not belong to John Spira. The case was featured on the television program America's Most Wanted, the Investigation Discovery show 'Disappeared' (Season 1, Episode 11: 'When the Music Stopped') in 2010, and on the Unsolved Mysteries website. Spira's sister Stephanie McNeil has maintained extensive search efforts and a family Facebook page titled 'Missing John Spira' to keep the case in public awareness. Detective David Chiesa of the DuPage County Sheriff's Office was assigned to the case in 2019 and has been actively investigating financial records and interviewing persons associated with the case. The Sheriff's Office has also sought to contact individuals who may have invested money with Spira for business opportunities and startup companies at the time of his disappearance.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 15, 2026