Robert Lee Hourihan was 33 when he left his Palmyra, Virginia home on the morning of April 8, 2011, dressed in his work uniform and saying he was going to an electrician job in Richmond — though he was not scheduled to work that day. He was last seen about 8:00 a.m. at E.W. Thomas Grocery Store in Palmyra driving his wife’s white 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier, vanity plate TARAMAE. He wore blue work pants, a gray work shirt and boots, and did not have the daily medication he needs for a serious heart condition.

Fifty days later, on May 28, 2011, that Cavalier was found abandoned in a Target parking lot in La Plata, Maryland, about 115 miles from Palmyra. Some of his personal items, including his work shirt and electrician tools, were inside; there were no obvious signs of a struggle and available surveillance footage from the lot could not be recovered. Investigators have said they suspect foul play and believe more than one person may have been involved; it was later reported Hourihan had planned to meet a male acquaintance the day he disappeared but never showed up.

His family does not have known ties to Maryland and his wife does not believe he would voluntarily leave his young daughter. The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate. Did anyone in the La Plata or Palmyra area see the Cavalier or Hourihan around April or late May 2011?