Joan Yarbrough Bernal

• Missing Since 12/09/1988
• Missing From Joliet, Illinois
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 34 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'3, 130 - 140 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A light blue knee-length coat, a long-sleeved light blue pullover shirt, white sneakers, wedding band and a watch.
• Distinguishing Characteristics White female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Joan had multiple surgeries on her knees as a child, with resulting scarring; she has stainless steel screws and wires in both of her knees. She has a scar on her upper lip. She wears contact lenses.

Details of Disappearance

Joan was last seen on December 9, 1988. Her husband, Gilbert T. Bernal Sr., said they were driving to Texas for a vacation when Joan changed her mind and said she needed to come home. He stated he dropped her off at a bus station in McAlister, Oklahoma, gave her $1,500 and bought her a ticket back home to Joliet, Illinois. She has never been heard from again.

Authorities stated the couple had domestic violence incident at their Joliet home the day before the planned trip to Texas; witnesses saw Gilbert beating Joan and dragging her to the back of their home. They lived in the 100 block of East Zarley Boulevard in the Preston Heights area.

Gilbert Sr.'s son, Gilbert Jr., said that he, his father, his stepmother and his infant sister had set off for Texas, but turned around and returned home on December 9. Gilbert Jr. said he waited in the car while his father and stepmother went into the house, and watched through a window as they argued. He saw Gilbert Sr. grab Joan by the throat and put her body on a bed. Gilbert Sr. returned to the car alone, and they drove away without Joan.

In February 1993, Gilbert Sr. was arrested and indicted for his wife's murder. The charges were dropped in May 1994, after some witnesses came forward who claimed to have seen Joan as recently as December 1992; the prosecution felt they were unable to prove their case at that time. In December 2025, Gilbert was arrested again at his home in Flint, Michigan and charged again with first-degree murder in Joan's case. He is awaiting trial. A photo of Gilbert is posted with this case summary.

Authorities believe Joan's body is still in Joliet, buried in concrete. It has never been located, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.