MISSING: John & Shelly Markley
In 1995, a married couple vanishes from their Ohio home without a trace – leaving behind their five kids, an unlocked gun cabinet, and a house full of clues. As ransom calls roll in and suspicions mount, their family is left wondering: Was this a planned disappearance? Or something more sinister?
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The Markley kids.
Credit: The Maury Povich Show
The former house of the Markley’s.
Courtesy: Markley family advocate
The Markley’s Corvette.
Credit: Channel 5 News
Current parking lot where the truck was found.
Courtesy: Markley family advocate
Area searched by family.
Courtesy: Markley family advocate
Steven Durst.
Credit: Trumbull County Jail
Deanna Durst.
Credit: Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office
FBI search from 2006 tip.
Credit: FBI
Timeline:
8:30am
Shelly puts her kids on the school bus.
10:36am
John, Shelly, and an unidentified man drive through a bank and withdraw $1,000 from their checking account.
Afternoon
When the kids return home from school, they find the home unlocked and their parents nowhere to be found.
John and Shelly are reported missing and John’s truck is found abandoned in a parking lot.
Phone calls are made to the Markley family claiming to be holding John and Shelly for ransom
Steven is arrested on an extortion charge while trying to pick up a money drop.
Steven Durst is found guilty of extortion and is sentenced to 4-10 years in prison.
The Markley’s House
Where the Markley family lived.
Bank
The former location of the bank where John, Shelly, and an unidentified man are seen.
Parking lot
Where John’s Chevy pickup truck is found abandoned.
Please contact the authorities if you have any information about the case:
Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office
If you know anything about the disappearance of John and Shelly Markley, contact the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office at 330-675-2540.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Mallika Dhaliwal.
- The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH): Home No More: The Strange, Sad Saga Of A Couple Who Vanished More Than A Year Ago by Mark Vosburgh. Published February 23, 1997. Accessed January 27, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070460044 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070460053 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070460061 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070460065 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070460072
- The Daily Advocate (Greenville, OH): Children want missing parents by Brenda J. Linert. Published December 21, 1995. Accessed January 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/652307077
- Chillicothe Gazette (Chillicothe, OH): Parents of five missing for nearly a month by The Associated Press. Published January 5, 1996. Accessed January 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/292554773
- Sentinel Tribune (Bowling Green, OH): Talk show psychic leads to search near Weston for missing Ohio couple by Chris Miller. Published October 22, 1997. Accessed January 27, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/922722005 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/922722036
- Sentinel Tribune (Bowling Green, OH): Search for 2 bodies resumes near Weston. Published October 24, 1997. Accessed January 27, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/922725135
- Sentinel Tribune (Bowling Green, OH): Search along Beaver Creek fails to find clues by Chris Miller. Published October 27, 1997. Accessed January 27, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/922727347 & https://www.newspapers.com/image/922727420
- The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH): 5 kids alone: Reflect on life five years after parents just vanished. Published December 19, 2000. Updated July 16, 2021. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.morningjournal.com/2000/12/19/5-kids-alone-reflect-on-life-five-years-after-parents-just-vanished/
- Tribune Chronicle (Warren, OH): Mystery remains two decades later. Published December 17, 2015. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2015/12/mystery-remains-two-decades-later/
- WFMJ (Youngstown, OH): New leads in 20 year old Trumbull County unsolved mystery. Published December 15, 2015. Updated December 22, 2015. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.wfmj.com/story/30759163/new-leads-in-20-year-old-trumbull-county-unsolved-mystery
- Bloomberg (New York, NY): Avco Financial Services Inc. Published n.d. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/TXT2:US#:~:text=AVCO%20Financial%20Services%2C%20Inc.,loans%2C%20and%20retail%20installment%20contracts.
- The Botnick Law Firm, LLC (Shaker Heights, OH): Ohio Gun Laws 2024: Your Rights, Responsibilities, and Restrictions by Robert Botnifck. Published n.d. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.edwardrlarue.com/criminal-content/firearm-crimes/what-you-should-know-about-firearms-in-ohio/#:~:text=Do%20you%20have%20to%20register,creating%20compulsory%20local%20firearm%20registries.
- National Drug Intelligence Center: Ohio Drug Threat Assessment. Published April 2001. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs/659/overview.htm WTSP (Tampa Bay, Florida): Drug pipeline: I-75 runs through 3 places in Florida with the most fentanyl deaths by Jenna Bourne and Libby Hendren. Published July 26, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://wtsp.com/article/news/10-investigates/whats-brewing/tampa-i75-drug-pipeline-fentanyl/67-bbb9119e-47bf-41c5-8b48-9e1aec0788e2
- Cleveland.com (Cleveland, Ohio): Florida trio shipped cocaine, meth hidden in commercial shipments to Cleveland, feds say by Adam Ferrise. Published May 1, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2024/05/florida-trio-shipped-cocaine-meth-hidden-in-commercial-shipments-to-cleveland-feds-say.html
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