Fay Rawley

Rawley, circa 1953; Green 1953 Cadillac similar to Rawley's

  • Missing Since 11/08/1953
  • Missing From Macomb, Illinois
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Age 56 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'8 - 5'10, 175 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown tweed overcoat and a brown hat.
  • Medical Conditions Rawley is hearing-impaired and wears a hearing aid in his left ear.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Green four-door 1953 Cadillac
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying brown hair, blue eyes. Rawley wears eyeglasses, but they were left behind. He also wears dentures. He walks with a slight stoop and swings his right hand while he walks.

Details of Disappearance

Rawley was last seen in Macomb, Illinois on November 8, 1953. He visited a woman at her apartment that evening. His girlfriend was divorced and she and Rawley had planned to marry once his divorce was final, but two months earlier she had changed her mind and decided to reconcile with her ex-husband. She and Rawley continued to see each other in spite of her decision.

According to the woman, Rawley left her apartment at 7:50 p.m., presumably to go to his own home in Summum, Illinois. He has never been heard from again. There were indications that a struggle had taken place at Rawley's house; a lamp was overturned. His eyeglasses were also left behind.

His new green four-door 1953 Cadillac is also missing; a photo of a similar vehicle is posted with this case summary. An employee at the Key Coal Co. strip mine, not far from Rawley's house, saw the car at the mine on the night Rawley disappeared, but couldn't identify the driver or the number of occupants. It wasn't uncharacteristic of Rawley to visit the mine at night to talk to the workers.

A wealthy former bank president, Rawley had a reputation as a free spender and a womanizer who often carried large sums of cash. By the time of his disappearance, he had been separated from his wife for about eight years. The day he disappeared was the day his divorce was finalized. His wife moved to Michigan after his disappearance.

Because of his relationships with women and because he often lent money to people, he had enemies. Two weeks before he went missing, Rawley was assaulted in Macomb. A week after that, someone threw acid on his car. Around the same time, someone tried to run him over twice.

In 1956, authorities excavated the Key Coal Co. strip mine looking for his body. They dug a 150-foot-wide crater, but found nothing of interest. A second search at the mine in 1962 was also unsuccessful.

Rawley's case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Fulton County Sheriff's Office 309-547-2277

Source Information

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 25, 2019; casefile added.