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Timeline
Stacey’s Address: 1221 Waterford Dr. Apt A
Saturday, March 21st 1998: 8:00 pm
A Double Order of Papa John's Bread Sticks is delivered to Stacey at her Apartment. The Delivery Man stated Stacey appeared to be alone. This is the last time anyone has admitted to seeing Stacey.
Sunday, March 22, 1998: 4:00 am
Upstairs Neighbors Bruce M. Jones & Melanie Meckler-Jones, hear "screams" from Stacey's Apartment. One of the neighbors put their ear directly to the floor to listen. They also reported hearing loud banging noises like cabinets being closed. Presumably, This is the last known time Stacey was heard.
(There are conflicting reports as to the nature of the sounds heard by the two neighbors. When first questioned they apparently told the Officers who questioned them they heard “screams as if someone was in trouble”. Later on they likened the sounds to ones made in "passion".)
5:30 am
A person delivering the Columbus Dispatch Newspaper notices Stacey's Cat outside Stacey's Apartment Door.
Phone Calls from Family/Friends go Unanswered
(Calls take place throughout various times of the day)
2:00 pm
Upstairs neighbor Bruce Jones goes downstairs to knock on Stacey’s door. He gets no response. He notices Stacey’s Cat outside her door.
3:00 pm
Another Neighbor notices Stacey's Cat outside her door.
Monday March 23, 1998: 8:00 am
Stacey doesn't show up for work. Nothing is suspected by Co-Workers since Stacey's Supervisor is out and there was a possibility of Stacey going with the Supervisor Michele Kowalik to New York for a Conference with Company Executives.
(Supervisor goes on Vacation directly after the trip)
3:00 pm
Neighbor notices Stacey's cat still outside Stacey's door and takes her home.
Tuesday March 24, 1998: 8:00 am
Stacey doesn't show up for work. Co-Workers are concerned after finding out from Stacey's Supervisor Michele Kowalik that Stacey was not going to the New York Conference.
1:00 pm
Stacey's Co-Workers call Stacey’s Sister Danielle Nusbaum and leave a voicemail notifying her they have not heard from Stacey.
6:00 pm
Danielle arrives at Stacey's Apartment after work. She finds the Front Door ajar - not open enough to see in, but not pulled completely shut to the point of latching. Stacey's car was outside and parked in one of her usual spots. Upon entering the Apartment Danielle finds the Refrigerator Door was open, Stacey's Keys were on the Stove near the Pizza Box from the Delivery Saturday Night. Some Clothes were scattered about but nothing that would indicate a struggle had taken place. There is a strong smell of bleach in the air.
(The clothes being scattered was normal for Stacey. Her friends described her lovingly as "somewhat of a slob")
7:00 pm
Columbus Police arrive to take Missing Persons Report
I've transcribed the Missing Persons Report here and included it in the timeline.
The Missing Persons Report
(Transcribed)
Taken at 7:24 pm by Officers who arrived on scene.
Persons Referred To In Report:
Reporting Party: Danielle Nusbaum
Missing: Stacey Colbert
The Reporting Party states that she hasn't heard or gotten return phone calls from her Missing Sister in a week. On Tues. morning the Missing’s work called the Reporting Party and wanted to know why the Missing hasn't been to work all week and no phone calls? The Reporting Party then went over to the Missing’s Apartment to find that the door was closed, but unlocked. The Reporting Party found that all the Missing’s clothes, keys, car, credit cards were in the apartment except the cat. There was a box of bread sticks 95% uneaten w/a delivery time of SAT 3/21/98 5:58 P.M. Upon talking to neighbors, a Gary Sabel at Apt# B 536-0326 heard nothing, but saw the Missing’s cat running around outside. The neighbors directly above in Apt# C, Bruce Jones & Melaine Meckler 457-0384 state they were woken up Sun morning @ 4:00 AM by horrible screams coming from the Missing’s apt. Bruce Jones states he couldn't go back to sleep and heard more screams, like someone was in trouble. Bruce states he also heard alot of banging. That afternoon @ 2:00 pm Bruce knocked on the Missing’s door, got no answer and saw the Missing’s cat outside.
8:00 pm
Sexual Assault Detectives arrive to Investigate.
Wednesday March 25, 1998: 8:00 am
Homicide Detectives arrive to Investigate.
Monday July 23rd 2001:
3 Year Incremental Search by Volunteers with Dogs Conduct Search within several square miles of Stacey's Apartment. Search starting from the Apartment and working its way out. Nothing is found.
Saturday November 27th 2004:
A Thompson Township man by the name of John Hess was searching for his lost dog when he came upon the remains of a deceased person near the Intersection of State Route 257 & Hopkins Rd near Thompson Township. The remains were covered in debris. But not buried.
Online News Stories Regarding Remains Being Found
(Transcribed)via Wayback Machine
Woman's Skeletal Remains Found Near Cornfield
Sheriff's Office: Remains Appear To Be Those Of Woman
UPDATED: 9:13 pm EST November 28, 2004
Skeletal Remains Found
A hunter stumbled on the remains near Radnor, in the northern part of Delaware County, NBC 4's Natalie Walston reported. The woman's age, race, and cause of death remain mysterious, Walston reported. The hunter was searching for a missing dog when he came across the skeleton. Delaware County Chief Deputy Gil Borchers said that hunters have come across remains before. "In 25 years, we've had calls of finding remains in areas like this from Indian burial grounds," Borchers said. "Sometimes they are victims of homicides and suicides." He said that dental records would be compared in an attempt to identify the remains, and authorities would comb through a missing persons database. There are no missing people in Delaware County, Borchers said.
Officials: Skeleton Had Been In Field 2 Years
Remains Found By Hunter
POSTED: 5:08 pm EST November 29, 2004
UPDATED: 6:32 pm EST November 29, 2004
NBC4 RADNOR, Ohio
RADNOR, Ohio -- Investigators said Monday that a woman's skeletal remains found near a cornfield over the weekend had been there for about two years, NBC 4's Natalie Walston reported.
Skeleton Information Released
A hunter found the remains Saturday afternoon near Radnor, in the northern part of Delaware County. The hunter was searching for a missing dog when he came across the skeleton.
Investigators are ruling the woman's death as a homicide, Walston reported. Delaware County Sheriff Al Myers said nothing was found at the scene to suggest the death was a suicide or a hunting accident. The woman's age, race, and cause of death remain a mystery, but investigators said the woman was about 5 feet 3 inches tall and was in her 40s. Investigators said the woman had ankle injuries and a broken rib, but that those injuries healed before she died. Investigators also said the woman had extensive dental work done and might have worn braces at one time in her life.
Patti Adkins
Dental records are being compared in an attempt to identify the remains, and authorities planned to comb through a missing persons database. There was speculation that the body could have been that of Patti Adkins, a Marysville woman who was reported missing in 2001, but Myers said the height of the skeleton was not consistent. He said Adkins was 5 feet 8 inches tall. Adkins also was 29 when she was reported missing. There are no missing people in Delaware County, authorities said.
Wednesday December 1st, 2004: 2:30 pm
Remains Positively Identified as ones belonging to Stacey Beth Colbert. The Cause of Death could not be determined due to Advanced Decomposition.
DELAWARE, Ohio -- Authorities said Wednesday that they identified a skeleton found in northern Delaware County as that of Stacey Beth Colbert, a Columbus woman who was last seen six years ago.
Stacey Colbert, an Ohio State graduate, was 23 years old when she was last seen inside her northwest Columbus apartment on March 21, 1998.
A hunter found the skeleton on Saturday near Radnor, Ohio, while he was searching for a missing dog.
A forensic dentist from Ohio State University and an anthropologist from Ohio University examined the skeleton Wednesday and determined by dental records that the bones were those of Colbert.
The death is considered to be a homicide, according to Delaware County Sheriff Al Myers. A cause of death has not been determined.
"The examination is undoubted because they went through the examination of dental records by every root and every tooth we recovered, which was a full set," Myers said. "So we have no doubt in our minds that Stacey's remains are the ones we recovered."
An initial examination of the skeleton showed an injury to the left ankle, and Myers said the family confirmed that Colbert did injure her left ankle while playing sports.
Myers said investigators did not know how long the body had been in the woods.
Remains Are Missing Woman
"All we know for sure is that it had been longer than two years that she had been in the location," Myers said. "An interview we did today showed that people had been working in that location about five years ago, that was the only time they had been in that area, so it's a wide spectrum of time right now."Myers said that the people interviewed were taking brush out of the field near where the remains were found. Colbert's family was notified of the positive identification Wednesday afternoon."When I got (the notification), I was sad because it's another chapter, and my sister and I were only two years apart," said Colbert's sister, Danielle Nusbaum. "We were together all the time. I was sad, but I'm glad to (not have to) worry if she's dead or alive."On Monday, Myers said nothing was found at the scene to suggest the death was a suicide or a hunting accident.
Back in 1998, a pizza delivery person arrived at Colbert's Governour's Square apartment at about 8 p.m. and told authorities she answered the door, NBC 4 reported.
Police said that she was wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants, a necklace and an emerald-cut amethyst ring at the time of her disappearance. Neighbors reported hearing screams from somewhere inside the apartment complex at about 4 a.m. the next day. Police later said that the neighbor was not able to recognize where the noise came from and went back to sleep. Colbert, who worked at American Electric Power, did not report to work on March 23, and co-workers reportedly called her family when she did not show up for work on the following day. NBC 4 reported that Colbert's sister checked the apartment and noticed her door was open and all of Colbert's personal belongings were inside her apartment, including her wallet. Her car remained in the apartment complex's parking lot.Police said that Colbert probably disappeared early on March 22. Investigators said that she was probably familiar with her attacker or attackers.Foul play was suspected in her disappearance. No arrests were made in the case and police said the pizza delivery person was not a suspect in the case.
Anyone with information should call the Colbert case tip line at (740) 833-2895. Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information on this developing story.
Miscellaneous Articles: These articles came off Google News Search. I didn't save the dates to these and they are in no particular order.
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