Case Details
- Photo URLs:
-
- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 07/11/1989
- Missing From:
- Missing From Youngstown, Ohio
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Male
- Race:
- Race Black
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 08/21/1970 (54)
- Age:
- Age 18 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 6’1, 155 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes.
- Details of Disappearance:
- On July 11, 1989, in Youngstown, Ohio, Robert Byers disappeared. He was with friends when a white man in a small car asked about buying drugs. Later, the same man, this time in a gray and black Jeep or Ford Bronco with Florida plates, and with a blond passenger, attacked Byers. They beat him, sprayed him with Mace, and forced him into their vehicle. Byers was never seen again.
A few days later, Gerald Zuppo Sr. and his son Jerry were arrested. Police think the Zuppos kidnapped Byers because he’d robbed Jerry and taken a gold chain. Before their trial, the Zuppos pleaded guilty to kidnapping and were each sentenced to 5 to 25 years in prison.
Byers has never been found. Police and his family believe he is dead because so much time has passed, and his parents said he would have contacted them if he could.
- Agency:
- Youngstown Police Department 330-742-8916
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 07/11/1989