A Spring Day That Changed Everything

On April 26, 1987, 15-year-old Alicia Bernice Markovich was picked up by her father, John Markovich, from her home in Windber, Pennsylvania, for an unscheduled visit to his residence in Blairsville. Later that day, after an argument over school grades, friends, and a child support dispute, Alicia reportedly left her father's house on foot and was never seen again. She was last seen wearing a white crop top with red, yellow, and blue stripes, jeans, white sneakers, and carrying a pair of purple sunglasses. 

Initial Response and Misclassification

When Alicia failed to return home, her father contacted her mother, Marcie Vitko, at 1:00 a.m. the following morning, expressing concern over her disappearance. Alicia was initially classified as a runaway by the Blairsville Police Department, a designation her mother strongly contested, citing Alicia's lack of street smarts and no prior history of running away. 

Transition to Homicide Investigation

Three years after her disappearance, in 1990, Pennsylvania State Police reclassified Alicia's case as a suspected homicide, acknowledging the lack of any activity on her bank account or Social Security number since 1987. Despite this shift, no suspects have been publicly identified, and the case remains unsolved. 

The Mysterious Letter

In October 2000, John Markovich received an anonymous letter postmarked from New Bedford, New Hampshire, claiming that Alicia had been killed and her body was buried in a specific location. Investigators followed up on the lead, but the residents at the return address denied any knowledge of the letter or Alicia's disappearance. A search of the indicated location yielded no evidence, and the letter was deemed a hoax. ...Read More