By 1808Delaware
Thirty years have passed since Robert “Rob” S. Mohney abruptly left his Westerville home in the middle of dinner and disappeared. His wallet remained behind. His car was found later that evening near Hoover Dam. Mohney himself was never seen again.
As the anniversary of his disappearance approaches, the Westerville Division of Police is renewing its appeal for information about a case that has remained unresolved since July 16, 1996.
Investigators are asking anyone who may remember something about Mohney, his movements that day, or the circumstances surrounding his disappearance to contact police. Even information that once appeared insignificant could take on new meaning when considered alongside evidence gathered during the past three decades.
“Even 30 years later, a single piece of information could be the missing link needed to solve this case,” Westerville Police Chief Holly Murchland said.
The Last Known Movements
Mohney was at his Westerville residence on the evening he disappeared. According to police, he had prepared dinner but suddenly left his home before finishing the meal.
Neighbors later reported seeing him driving alone along Central College Road in his red 1995 Pontiac Firebird. Later that evening, Columbus Watershed officers discovered the Firebird abandoned in the upper west parking lot at Hoover Dam. There was no sign of Mohney. That sequence of events has remained at the center of the investigation: an unfinished dinner, a wallet left at home, a solitary drive and a car abandoned near the reservoir.
What happened afterward remains unknown.
A Case That Never Fully Closed
Over the years, investigators conducted dozens of interviews and searched multiple properties in pursuit of answers. None of those efforts led to the discovery of Mohney’s remains or a definitive explanation for his disappearance.
On March 7, 2006, the Franklin County Probate Court issued a death certificate for Mohney. The legal declaration, however, did not resolve the questions surrounding what happened to him.
His disappearance has continued to weigh on those who knew him and on investigators who have worked the case. Cold cases can turn on details that initially seemed unimportant, memories that return years later or information that someone was once reluctant to share. Police are emphasizing that no potential lead is too small to report.
A Renewed Appeal for Information
The Westerville Division of Police is asking anyone with information concerning Mohney’s disappearance or death to contact investigators, an appeal we are happy to spread. Tips may be submitted anonymously through the department’s dedicated tip line at 614-901-6866. Information may also be sent by email to tipline@westerville.org. Photographs of Mohney are available through his missing-person listing on the Ohio Attorney General’s website.
Three decades after his abandoned Firebird was discovered at Hoover Dam, Westerville police continue to search for the piece of information that could finally explain what happened to Robert Mohney and provide answers that have been missing since 1996.
Source: City of Westerville
