In February of 2004, a family was left dealing with a tragedy. It was during that time when 22-year-old Phylicia Thomas went missing. In an eerie turn of events, Phylicia was looking into the disappearance of a friend of hers that had occurred years prior. Then, she would vanish herself.
The date was February 11, 2004. On that day, Phylicia returned home from work between 11:30 pm and midnight. She lived with her boyfriend, Ed Rudaski, in Lake Township, Pennsylvania. Ed recalled that night that he was sleeping on the couch when Phylicia returned home. The two had a conversation before Ed went back to sleep. That was the last time he’d seen her. Phylicia’s mother failed to hear from her over the next couple of days and grew concerned. On February 13, her mother reported her missing. The police began a very intensive search for the young woman but came up with nothing. They also had trouble finding witnesses and leads.
Then, they started to have some breakthroughs.
The investigators were able to learn that she was at a party the same night she went missing. People at the party recalled seeing Phylicia leave with a man named Steve Martin. They were also accompanied by another man who no one could identify. That was the last time the witnesses at the party say that they saw her. In a surprising twist, Steven Martin was a person of interest in the case of 18-year-old Jennifer Barziloski. Jennifer was a close friend of Phylicia’s and went missing in June of 2001. According to Phylicia's family, she claimed to know who abducted her (and murdered her) and was going to prove it. Like Phylicia, Jennifer was last seen with Steve Martin — who was dating Jennifer’s sister at the time.
Interestingly, witnesses at the party recalled seeing Ed there. Some of them told Phylicia’s family that they saw Steve and a few other men take her to the bedroom. Shortly after, they heard what sounded like screams.
Steve was eventually arrested and jailed for a different crime. He hung himself in his jail cell in 2005. In April 2010, Jennifer’s skull was discovered in a wooded area close to Steve Martin’s house. Phylicia Thomas, however, has never been found.
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