Barbara Jane Shumac

Shumac, circa 1982

  • Missing Since 12/16/1982
  • Missing From Venango Township, Pennsylvania
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 03/01/1953 (71)
  • Age 29 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'4 - 5'8, 110 - 120 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A dark blue snowmobile suit, blue jeans and blue and gray snow boots.
  • Medical Conditions Shumac has a history of mental illness. She has previously attempted to commit suicide.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Shumac was last seen at her residence in the 10700 block of Kimball Road in Venango Township, Pennsylvania on December 16, 1982. That morning, she and her husband got into an argument. He asked her to wake him up later so he could go cut down a Christmas tree.

She didn't wake him up, however; she walked away from home sometime between noon and 2:00 p.m. She left a note behind for her husband, saying she loved him and apologizing for making his life miserable. The note said, "It really hurts me inside to do this, but I didn't see any other way."

A .22 caliber rifle was missing from the residence after Shumac's disappearance. She left her purse, keys and vehicle behind. Her husband reported her disappearance to the police at 5:00 p.m. and they launched a search, but there was a snowstorm going on at the time that erased whatever tracks Shumac would have left.

Shumac was declared legally dead in 1990. Her husband married again and then divorced, and he lives at the same address that Shumac disappeared from. Since her disappearance she hasn't gotten a driver's license in any of the fifty states. Her four children continue to hope for closure in her case, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Pennsylvania State Police 814-898-1641

Source Information

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated December 17, 2013; picture added, medical conditions and details of disappearance updated.