He entered a forested area and has not been seen since. Craig Frear’s parents believed he was going to work on June 27, 2004, when he left the house early on a Sunday morning. When his mother saw him carrying his uniform shirt out to his car, he had been working at the Price Chopper grocery store in his hometown of Glenville, New York, for several months. Still, when Veronica Frear went to the Price Chopper a few hours later, her son was not there.
Mistake
Veronica left the grocery store and went in search of her son. She discovered him at a friend’s place of employment. Craig told her it was all a mistake and he was about to leave for work in response to her inquiry as to why he wasn’t working. She believed her son and returned home. Later, she sent Craig’s father, Bill, to the supermarket to determine whether Craig was there. No, not at all. Craig was terminated from Price Chopper over a month ago for failing to appear for his scheduled shifts. Instead of informing his parents, he pretended he was still working.
Veronica called the house of Craig’s new girlfriend to find out if he had visited her. His girlfriend initially claimed she had not seen Craig that day, but Veronica knew she was lying. When she called again, his girlfriend informed her that he was present. Veronica called her son and informed him he was fired from his job and needed to return home immediately. Craig concurred.
Lived In
Craig’s girlfriend resided in the Cambridge Manor apartment complex in Scotia, New York, which was approximately 10 minutes from Craig’s home in Glenville. Craig departed the flat at 2:00 p.m. after informing his girlfriend and her mother that he had to return home. His girlfriend’s mother watched through the window as Craig walked to his car, which was parked far away from the apartment. He abruptly stopped, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.
Craig’s father had been driving around in search of him, so he most likely saw him. Bill was standing next to his son’s vehicle when Craig left his girlfriend’s flat. Bill never saw Craig’s son, but Craig did. Craig quickly turned around, most likely to avoid a public confrontation.
Several minutes later, a group of adolescents spotted Craig walking along the railway tracks behind the Cambridge Manor apartments. Teenagers called out to him, but he dismissed them with a hand gesture and continued walking. Craig was never seen again, and his destination was unknown.
No Trace
When Craig failed to return home that afternoon, Veronica and Bob became concerned. After speaking with his girlfriend’s mother and learning that he had entered the woods behind the apartment complex, they were concerned that he may have sustained an injury there. They began searching for Craig in the area at 5 p.m., but they were unsuccessful. As night fell, Veronica contacted the police to report that her son had vanished.
Veronica told the police that it wasn’t like Craig to leave without telling anyone, but she admitted that she had confronted him earlier that day about how he was lying about being employed. Initially, it appeared that Craig simply needed time alone to figure out what he wanted to say to his parents. As the days passed, however, and he remained silent, investigators realised something was amiss.
Before he vanished, Craig had just completed his junior year of high school at Scotia-Glenville. He excelled academically and was well-liked by his peers. He was selected as one of the captains of the varsity football team for the upcoming school year, and many colleges were interested in recruiting him. He was known to be a good child and to come from a good family. He had no criminal history or behavioural issues, and he appeared to get along with everyone.
Craig’s parents had observed that in the weeks leading up to his disappearance, he exhibited odd behaviour. Instead of going out with his friends as he usually did, he spent most of his time at home due to his apparent depression. He also stopped going to work, but continued to act as though he worked multiple shifts each week.
Search
Numerous times, investigators searched the woods near the Cambridge Manor apartments and the Mohawk River, but they never discovered any traces of Craig. Even though he was last seen walking near train tracks, detectives found no evidence that he was struck by a train and do not believe he was attempting suicide.
Detectives do not believe Craig intended to flee. It was obvious he was attempting to avoid a confrontation with his father, but it’s likely he intended to return to his vehicle after some time to reflect. Except for his car keys, he had nothing with him when he entered the forest. He abandoned his phone, wallet, and approximately $40 in cash. Soon before he vanished, he lost his driver’s licence and hadn’t obtained a replacement, so he had no way to establish his identity.
One of Craig’s former coworkers reported to police that he believed he had seen Craig long after he had vanished. According to him, Craig was in the passenger seat of a car stopped at a traffic light on Route 50 near the Glenville Price Chopper. He was unable to describe the car that turned left onto Sheffield Road, but the individual he saw was unquestionably Craig. Investigators were unable to confirm the sighting, but if it was Craig, it would indicate that he remained in the Glenville area for several days after he was reported missing.
Vanished
Since Craig went missing years ago, there have been numerous rumours, but little physical evidence. Craig’s family and investigators do not believe that he simply ran away to begin a new life elsewhere, as some people believe. Craig had close relationships with his parents and siblings, and he was eager to graduate from high school and begin college. They are certain that Craig had no reason to leave.
Some individuals believed that Craig’s father had harmed him, but detectives discovered no evidence to support this claim. Bill, like everyone else who was close to Craig, took and passed a polygraph examination early on in the investigation. Bill was devastated by the disappearance of his son, and he passed away in 2017 without ever learning what happened.
Investigators have conducted over seventy searches in and around Craig’s last known location. The most recent search took place in June 2021 and covered an area south of the railway tracks where Craig was seen walking. Additionally, search dogs have combed the route Craig would have taken home and other places where he was known to congregate, but no indication of Craig’s whereabouts has been found.
Investigators believe Craig avoided a person at the Price Chopper. He didn’t feel comfortable telling his parents, so he decided it would be simpler to pretend he was still employed there. There were multiple rumours that Craig had a relationship with someone there, but investigators were unable to confirm this. They also found no evidence that Craig committed any wrongdoing, so it appears that drugs had nothing to do with his disappearance.
The detectives do not know what happened to Craig, but they do not believe he will be discovered alive. They believe that if he were still alive, he would have contacted his family by this time. This indicates that he is most likely deceased. Even though it has been 17 years, his case is still open, and the New York State Police are diligently investigating what transpired.
She has never ceased her search for her son. In a recent TV interview, she said that she still can’t sleep because she thinks about what she could have done differently that might have led to a different outcome. She and Craig’s brother Matthew have been heavily involved with organisations that aid in the search for missing persons, and they continue to do everything possible to ensure that Craig is not forgotten.
Craig Frear disappeared in 2004 at the age of 17 years old. When he went missing, he was 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. He has brown eyes and red hair. He was last seen wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and white Adidas shoes with three stripes. On a gold chain, he also wore a St. Christopher medal. Please call the New York State Police at 518-630-1700 or 800-448-3847 (toll-free) if you have any information about Craig.
