Stacey Lynn Balas was a young woman who disappeared in 1996. She may use the alias Sarah/Sara Lindway.
A man was convicted of her murder.
Background[]
Stacey was involved in a serious vehicle accident in June 1988. She was with a friend who was backing out of a driveway when they collided with a moving semi-trailer truck. Stacey was knocked unconscious at the scene and was rushed to hospital. Once her condition stabilised, she was airlifted from her local hospital to another hospital, which was more prepared to deal with her injuries. Her family was told she may not live through the night, and she spent four weeks in a coma in the ICU. Stacey survived her injuries, which included a brain injury and was released from the hospital after six weeks.
After the accident, Stacey could do very little for herself and had to relearn skills in every aspect of her life. With the help of therapy, both at the hospital and at home, Stacey could eventually work again. She also received a substantial insurance settlement. However, she struggled to accept how she had changed after the crash.
Stacey's fiancée had been working in a Subway Sandwich shop before her disappearance, and she was encouraged to apply for a job at another nearby Subway Sandwich shop. She was given the position, completed her training and was subsequently transferred to the Fairview Subway Sandwich Shop in Fairview Park, Ohio. She had been working there for several weeks when she vanished. Stacey was apprehensive about closing on the night shift as the shop had been broken into, and someone had stolen money while Stacey was at work.
Case[]
Stacey vanished around 1:00 a.m. on November 26, 1996, at the Fairview Subway Sandwich Shop on West 220th Street and Lorain Road in Fairview Park, Ohio. She told her supervisor she was going home but would return for a second shift later. She was last seen locking up the building with the restaurant's manager. She never returned home and has not been heard from since. Stacey did not return to work as expected at 11:00 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. that day.
Stacey's blue 1995 Nissan Pathfinder SUV was found abandoned in the parking lot of the Cleveland motel on Lorain Road at around 4:00 a.m. that day. This was only four blocks away from the Subway. It was locked, and the windows were rolled up. Her purse was inside the car, and nothing appeared to be missing. There was also an extra set of keys and her bank book in her glove box. The Fairview Park Police Department searched the motel but found no evidence that Stacey had ever been there.
A credit card statement indicated that Stacey's credit card had been used three times since her disappearance: once on November 26, 1996, in Brookpark Road in Brooklyn, Ohio, for $10.01; once on November 28, 1996, in Carnegie Avenue in Brooklyn, Ohio, for $7.40; and finally, on November 29, 1996, in Cleveland, Ohio, when someone used it to purchase gas for $16.36.
Police looked into the possibility that someone may have harmed Stacey to gain access to the insurance settlement she received after her accident. However, no evidence was found to support this theory. Her boyfriend was ruled out as a suspect in her case.
In November 2005, Larry Wade, Stacey's manager at Subway, confessed to her murder. He had always been the prime suspect in her case and had been convicted of rape three months after Stacey disappeared. Wade claimed that he strangled Stacey in the kitchen after she declined his sexual advances and then disposed of her remains in a bin. He was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping in Stacey's case. He initially pleaded not guilty but eventually pleaded guilty to murder in May 2006. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Stacey's body has never been found.
Characteristics[]
- Brown hair.
- Blue eyes, which may sometimes appear hazel.
- Distinctive tracheostomy scar on throat.
- Frontal lobe damage.
- May suffer from amnesia when under stress.
- Has the mental capacity of a 15-year-old.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Green shirt with the Subway Sandwich logo imprinted on the front.
- Black pants.
- Black shoes.
Sources[]
- Stacey Balas at the Charley Project
- Stacey Balas at NamUs
- Stacey Balas at the Doe Network