After more than five years, an arrest has been made in the Robert Baron homicide case.
37 year old Justin Schuback of Old Forge was arrested on March 31, 2023, and charged with homicide, robbery, burglary and abuse of a corpse.
District Attorney Mark Powell says he believes a burglary gone wrong is what led to Baron’s killing back in 2017.
Baron’s remains were found on March 29 when they began searching the woods near Pagnotti Park. Blood was also found inside Schuback’s car.
Schuback is being held without bail and is due back in court on April 10.
The Disappearance of Robert Baron
On January 25, 2017, Robert Baron and his son went to work as usual at Ghigiarelli’s, the pizza restaurant Robert owned in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. After finishing their shifts, Robert dropped his son off at his apartment in Old Forge around 10:00 pm.
Robert Baron never returned home that night and hasn’t been heard from since.
His wife initially assumed that Baron stayed overnight at the apartment above Ghigiarelli’s, as he often did, to accept the delivery of pizza dough which arrived at 7:00 am every morning.
On the morning of January 26, 2017, Baron failed to pick up his son for work and wasn’t responding to calls or texts. His son later arrived at the restaurant, but Robert Baron was nowhere to be seen. The pizza dough delivery was found outside untouched, and the apartment above the restaurant where Robert often slept was found empty.
His family filed a missing person’s report with the Old Forge Police Department that morning.
Investigation
Authorities found evidence of a struggle inside the restaurant, including bloodstains and a tooth in the utility sink, later determined to be Baron’s. His cellphone was left behind on top of the dishwasher in the kitchen.
His vehicle, a 2006 silver Hyundai Elantra, was found abandoned a few days later parked on Howard Street, less than a mile away from the restaurant, with excessive mud on the tires and a significant amount of bloodstains, also determined to be Baron’s.
On January 26, 2017, surveillance footage released by the family showed two unidentified men walking on South Main Street near the restaurant shortly after midnight. One man was reportedly pulling a suitcase which was missing from the apartment above the restaurant.
On March 28, 2023, it was announced that a new search for evidence in Robert’s disappearance was being conducted in the Connell’s Patch section of Old Forge. Human remains were found in a wooded area near Pagnotti Park during the search, and later confirmed to be those of Robert Baron.
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