Ronald L. Gilbert, 28, vanished from the Terre Haute, Indiana area on September 18, 1984. He and associate Gary F. Lansaw were last seen that day while reportedly traveling between Terre Haute and Paris, Illinois to collect a $2,800 debt. Both men were said to have returned to Terre Haute around 7:00 p.m. and were never seen again. From the start, investigators treated the circumstances as violent foul play and the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation when the disappearances were reported on September 21, 1984.

Years later the case produced a criminal trial: in 2000 Jerome E. Board and his brother Herbert Board Jr. were charged with the murders, accused of ambushing, killing, dismembering and burning the men on property in Paris, Illinois. A prosecution witness, Jerome Board’s ex-wife Debra, testified to those events and received immunity. A third man named Dale Peterson was implicated but had died by suicide before the trial. The prosecution lacked physical evidence linking the alleged crime to the defendants, and both Board brothers were acquitted in December 2000.

The bodies of Gilbert and Lansaw have never been recovered and the disappearances remain an open, active investigation. Does anyone have information about Ronald Gilbert’s last known movements or the Paris, Illinois area contacts from September 1984?