January 25, 2017, seemed like any other ordinary day for 58-year-old Robert Baron, a respected business owner of a popular restaurant in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, and a family man. He closed up his restaurant for the evening and then made a quick trip to drive his son home nearby. Robert often spent the night in an apartment above the restaurant so he could be there first thing the next morning for the dough delivery. The delivery driver was accustomed to Robert being there on time for every delivery, but Robert wasn’t there on the morning of January 26. Thinking perhaps Robert was running late or had an emergency, he left the dough out front and went along his delivery route. Robert was supposed to pick his son, Bobby, up for work early that morning. He never showed up, and calls from Bobby’s phone went unanswered. Bobby decided to walk to the restaurant instead. There he found an unfamiliar scene, the dough sitting out front. He made his way inside, and something wasn’t right. Not only was his father not there, but things were out of place. Bobby began calling around, but no one had seen his father. Six years later, Robert’s family is still searching for answers.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Robert Baron, please contact the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office at (570) 963-6717.

UPDATE- Like many of you, we have been following the developments in the Robert Baron case this week. Robert Baron's remains were discovered just days ago, and Justin Schuback was arrested earlier today for the murder of Robert Baron. We covered Robert's story back in January of this year in episodes 379 and 380. In those episodes, Robert's family detailed their suspicions regarding Mr. Schuback's possible involvement. At the time, he had not been publicly named a person of interest, so we decided to bleep his name. To clear up any confusion, Mr. Shuback had been a friend of the younger Robert "Bobby" Baron, which was confirmed today in the district attorney's press conference. The family had discussed Schuback at length throughout the series and believed that he knew the inner workings of the restaurant due to the time he had spent there during his friendship with Robert's son, Bobby. You may also recall that Bobby spoke about having some alleged "altercation" with Schuback earlier in the day before his father's disappearance. It is important to remember that Mr. Schuback is innocent until proven guilty, as are any other individuals who may be involved.

We are always both profoundly saddened and relieved to hear that someone has been found. In Robert's case, the end has just begun for his family, who must now face the challenges of navigating the justice system. We continue to hold out a candle of hope that justice is served and Robert's family is able to heal, as we do for all of the families we are honored to work with to share their stories with you each week. We appreciate all of the messages and will continue to keep you updated as we receive new developments.

UPDATE: On May 15, 2024, Justin Schuback was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, and robbery.

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Robert Baron Part 1: The Scene of the Crime

The Vanished Podcast