Fay Rawley, a 55-year-old farmer from Summum, Illinois, vanished in November 1953 after being last seen leaving a female friend’s apartment in Macomb on the evening of November 8. He drove away in a new green 1953 Cadillac that was never recovered. The next day would have been the finalization of his divorce.

When officers entered Rawley’s home they found signs of a struggle: an overturned lamp and his eyeglasses left behind. His finances were untouched. In the weeks before his disappearance Rawley had been assaulted in Macomb, his car had been vandalized with acid, and there were two reported attempts to run him over. Law enforcement at the time believed he had been murdered and thought both his body and the Cadillac may have been buried in the Key Coal Co. strip mine.

Excavations of the strip mine were carried out in 1956 and 1962; metal shavings with green paint were reportedly found during one dig, but a full excavation turned up only an old oil drum. Searches stopped because of the cost and danger. No body or vehicle has been located and the case remains cold.

Did anyone in the area at the time have information about Rawley’s movements on November 8 or knowledge of activity around the Key Coal Co. strip mine?