Gone Without a Trace: The Perplexing Case of Alicia Markovich

Could the faded echoes of the past finally lead to answers for a family still seeking closure after decades? Our latest episode pierces through the silence surrounding the chilling disappearance of Alicia Markovich, a vibrant teenager lost to the shrouds of time on April 26, 1987. Unraveling a story woven with perplexities, we explore the heartache and enigma of Alicia's last known moments following a visit to her father in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. Each discovery  reveals more of the intricate puzzle that is Alicia's cold case, a narrative that beckons the community's collective insight to shine light upon the truth.

This episode is more than just a retelling of an unsolved mystery; it's an urgent call to arms for those who believe in justice and the power of shared knowledge. As we dissect the details and theories that have surfaced over the years, remember that your unique perspective could hold the key to unlocking this mystery. We extend an open invitation to engage with the story, share your thoughts, and contribute to a saga that has waited too long for its final chapter. Join us in this unyielding quest for answers, as we stand in solidarity with those who can never forget, and never stop searching for what was lost.

Paris Rhône
Paris Rhône main products include household items, polishers, and coffee grinders. 

Babbily
10% Off Month 1 with promo code dark10

Chapters

• 0:51 Unsolved Cold Case
• 16:02 Unsolved Cold Case and Podcast Promotion

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:52

Enjoy. Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Dark Crossroads. This is your host, roxanne Fletcher, and today we're covering a case that was sent into us. I did as much deep diving on this case as I possibly could, but there is not a lot of information out there. The places that I did get my information from was a lot of Wikipedia Uncovered, the Charlie Project, reddit, just a lot of sources like that. But I think that it's very important that I cover this case and a lot of other podcasts cover this case to shed more light on it, because unfortunately, this case is still unsolved to this day. It has remained a cold case for a long time. So let me introduce you to Alicia Markovich.

Speaker 1: 2:07

Alicia Markovich has been described as a very spunky, extremely funny, smart, normal teenager. She loved to read Agatha Christie books. She had a boyfriend and a lot of friends that absolutely adored her. Alicia was liked by everyone and was even known for sticking up for kids that were being bullied. These kind of people I love so much and I hold very dear to my heart.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Alicia was a freshman at Wynbur area high school at the time of her disappearance. She was an AB student and a member of her high school's track team. Alicia's mother, marcy Vicko Nii Smith, had custody of Alicia in 1987 and they resided in Wynbur, pennsylvania. Sunday, april 26th of 1987 was a nice, clear, sunny day reaching about 64 degrees. Alicia's father, john Markovich, picked her up in Wynbur around 9.45 am for an unscheduled day visit to his home about 45 minutes away in Blairsville, pennsylvania. Interestingly, alicia had bathed her friend, christie B, to go with her on this visit to her father's the night before, but Christie was not able to go with her. Alicia grabbed the purple sunglasses that she had borrowed from another friend named Ronnie and headed out the door. She was supposed to join her track team for a car wash fundraiser that day, but she and her mother decided she should go with her father instead. Alicia left the house after asking Marcy how she looked, wearing a white crop top with yellow, blue and red stripes, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. Marcy told her daughter that she looked great, said she loved her and that if a conversation about the child support came up that Alicia was to say talk to mom about it. Marcy did not know that this would be the last time that she would ever see her daughter again. Alicia's father alleges that he and Alicia had gotten into an argument about her school grades, her choice of friends, alicia's boyfriend and her mother's request for an increase in child support from $100 a month to $200 a month. The court hearing for the child support increase was to be held that Wednesday, on April 29.

Speaker 1: 4:29

John Markovich then told authorities that Alicia walked out of his residence very abruptly and never looked back towards his house. He states that he called after her and told her to return home by 8 pm. He believed that she was going to a friend's house at the trailer park he previously lived at, or she possibly was heading to downtown Vlaresville. Both places were approximately two miles away from his residence. Alicia was carrying the purple sunglasses but left all of her other belongings behind. Marcy tried calling her daughter throughout the afternoon to remind Alicia to be home early, since the next day was a school day, but she never received an answer. Marcy eventually headed off to bed and finally John called Marcy back at around 1 am and said Marcy, she's gone. Marcy's response was what do you mean she's gone? John stated that when Alicia didn't return by 8 o'clock that he had gone looking for her, but he could not find her anywhere. Alicia's friend, who is referred to as CG, lived at the trailer park and said that he had never got a call or a knock on the door that day from John looking for Alicia. Alicia was reported missing the very next day.

Speaker 1: 5:50

One year and nine days later, on a Thursday, may 5th of 1988, john Markovich's 1987 Red Subaru was found in the neighboring town of Salzburg, in Loyal-Hona township. John alleges that the vehicle had been stolen from his residence between 1 o'clock am and 6.50 am. It was found completely destroyed by fire along Route 939 Tonalton Road. Alicia was originally classified as a runaway, but her mother stated that she had no history of running away. She wasn't streetwise and she couldn't have survived on her own. Her friends also don't believe that she would have run away. In 1990, state police recategorized her disappearance as a missing suspected and homicide Police eventually concluded Alicia had probably been a victim of foul play, most likely on the same day that she was last seen. No one has been ruled out as a suspect in Alicia's disappearance. Alicia's mother, marcy, also believes her daughter was deliberately murdered and that the last person who saw her knows what happened to her.

Speaker 1: 7:04

In October of 2000, alicia's father received an unsigned two-page typewritten letter via the US mail that gave a narrative about how Alicia was murdered and the place that she was buried. This is an excerpt from the letter that the PSP had released. What gave me the idea to contact you was when I saw, by chance, an old missing person's flyer posted on the side of a mailbox in Philadelphia about three weeks ago. The second time I saw it was like everything faded to gray. Nothing seemed real. For a long time I thought that it had all been forever buried. I had spent the last 13 years erasing and boarding up the name Alicia Markovich in my mind and by seeing that poster it opened up the floodgate, so to say, to a limitless sea of remorse, guilt, anxiety, inner sadness and depression. The letter then goes on to detail how Alicia had died and instructed John to dig her remains along the Conoma I'm so sorry if I'm just pronouncing this river near a bridge on route 220 outside of Blairsville along the Indiana-Westmoreland County line. The letter was postmarked Bedford, new Hampshire, and had a return address from that city. When police went to the address, the people living there said they had never sent a letter and had no idea who did, and had no knowledge of Alicia's disappearance and had never been to Blairsville. Investigators also searched the cadaver dogs at the location named in the letter for Alicia's remains, but found nothing of interest. Authorities subsequently decided that the letter was a hoax. Its true. Author has never been identified.

Speaker 1: 8:51

Alicia's mother, marcy, attended a press conference scheduled by the Indiana Barracks PSP on April 26th of 2011 for the submission of Alicia's baby teeth for DNA profiling and to also bring attention to the case more. John Markovich, the father, never showed up to this press conference for his missing daughter, claiming that he could not get out of work from the Saltmined and Painesville Ohio where he had worked part-time since 1998. He instead sent his wife, deb Markovich, to speak on his behalf. Alicia's DNA from the submitted baby teeth has been compared to Penny Doe, who was found in Monroe Township, pennsylvania, on July 22, 1990. They had a lot of similarities, but it was not a DNA match.

Speaker 1: 9:42

In August of 2021, alicia's mother, marcy, and her neighbor, pat, enlisted several of Alicia's close friends and started an awareness campaign. They are advocating as to why Alicia's disappearance has not been actively investigated and to get new leads. The PSP said that the investigation has always been active and open, that they do a follow-up on any tips or leads that are submitted. The PSP said that it has been a long time since they had gotten any new tips, leads or information to be investigated on this case. They also say that no person has ever been rolled out as a suspect. Alicia has not been seen or heard from and there has been no activity on her bank account and also no activity on her social security number since 1987.

Speaker 1: 10:35

Alicia was only 15 years old at the time of her disappearance on April 26 of 1987. If she were alive today she would be 51 years old. She is described as a white Caucasian female, about 5'2", 120 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and pierced ears. Marcy searches Blair'sville for her daughter and puts missing person posters wherever she possibly can. John files the missing person's report with the Blair'sville Police Department. Alicia is initially classified as a runaway, a categorization to which her mother strongly objects. She states that her daughter had no history of running away. In 1998, alicia's grandmother ends up tragically passing away. A cousin tells Marcy that if Alicia were still alive she would have come home when her grandmother passed, as the two were very close. This obviously made the family realize that Alicia may never come home.

Speaker 1: 11:40

In 2011, pennsylvania State Police announced they are taking a fresh look at the case. They request that anyone who had known Alicia or her family at the time she went missing to please come forward and speak to investigators. They do confirm that they are initially starting over from scratch and would be talking to people who had previously been interviewed. Investigators admit that they believe Alicia has been killed, but billboard is placed only 50 feet from the home from which Alicia had disappeared. This obviously starts a new awareness in hopes of finally bringing Alicia home. The original Justice for Alicia Markovich Facebook group was created to share and talk about Alicia and her story, and there is also a website that was created to raise awareness for her too, with a lot of resources about this case, called justiceforalishamarkovichcom.

Speaker 1: 12:38

On the 35th anniversary of her disappearance, april 26 of 2022, family and friends hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Alicia Markovich. Speakers included then high school principal, mr Palombo, childhood friend, lori Heiner and the case advocate, leah Altomis. A $5,000 reward is eventually offered for any information regarding Alicia's disappearance. Anybody with any information about this case is being asked to please contact Troop A Indiana Station at 724-357-1976, or anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-4-PA-TI-PS or online at wwwp3tipscom-tipform. All callers to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers remains anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward for any information that leads to an arrest, the solving of a crime, the cold case or the location of a wanted person, fugitive or missing person. Winbur area high school class of 1990 ended up dedicating a song to Alicia during their graduation ceremony. The song is Fire and Rain by James Taylor.

Speaker 1: 14:16

I also just wanted to read a few memories and heartfelt things that people have written on the website Justice for Alicia Markovich. They have this section where friends and family members could write in and just share their funny stories and memories about her. One person wrote she was just beautiful. I miss her spunk, her sarcasm, humor and energy. She will forever be in my heart and my memory. Another person writes not a day goes by that I don't think about Alicia Her smile, her spunk and her laugh. The world was robbed of a beautiful soul the day that she vanished. And another one is the story of how I met Alicia for the very first time just shows what type of person she truly was.

Speaker 1: 15:06

There was a bunch of us hanging out down the street and this older girl decided for whatever reason probably because I was the youngest girl there that she didn't like me and was going to beat me up. I was about 10 years old. She was yelling and cursing at me and out of nowhere comes this girl flying in. She shoved the bully so hard she knocked her on her butt. She yelled at her and said this is my friend. You have a problem with her. Then you have a problem with me. The next thing I know, the bully gets up and runs away. The superhero turns and looks at me, smiles the most beautiful smile and says hi, my name is Alicia. I doubt that that bully will ever bother you again. We laughed and went to Anderson's. I bought her a soda and some penny candy for sticking out for me, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. All right, guys. So thanks for hanging out again today.

Speaker 1: 16:03

Thank you for listening and shedding more light on this unsolved cold case. I know it's really hard to listen for some people because there is no answer, but the more we shed light on this and get it out there, hopefully we get closer to somewhat of an answer and helping the family get the answer to the questions that they still have to this day, if you have any information regarding this case. No, any little detail. It is very much encouraged to reach out to any of the resources that I listed, but, with that said, don't forget to find us on any social media. You can check out our website and you can subscribe for bonus content If you have listened to all the episodes and you want to hear more, or hear updates, get bonus episodes, random stuff that I post or promo codes, join the subscriber group. It's a community that's growing and I'm loving it and I'm loving hearing from everybody. And if you have a case that you want to send in too, just like this one, email it to us at darkcrossroadspodcastcom. And, with that said, don't forget to be weird, stay different and don't trust anyone.

Speaker 1: 17:28

Dark Crossroads Podcast is brought to you by Problem Wildlife. Problem Wildlife serves all of western Massachusetts and has been humanely protecting your house and your family from unwanted pests for over 20 years. Take back your space with an animal control service that you can trust. They are family owned, fully licensed, and are knowledgeable and dependable. To find out more about their services, simply visit their website at wwwproblemwildliferemovalcom. Again, that is wwwproblemwildliferemovalcom, and their information will be included in our show notes.