Craig Frear’s disappearance has gone unsolved since June 27, 2004, when the 17-year-old from Scotia, New York, was last seen walking into the woods behind the Cambridge Manor Apartments on Washington Avenue. Investigators and his family believe he met with foul play. The New York State Police still treat the case as an active investigation.
Who Craig Frear Was
Craig Allen Frear was born on October 14, 1986. At the time he vanished he was a junior at Scotia-Glenville High School, co-captain of the soccer team, and being recruited by several colleges; he planned to study elementary education.1Charley Project. Craig Allen Frear He had no criminal record and no history of behavioral problems.2Times Union. Cold Case: Craig Frear
He was also carrying things his family didn’t know about. He was upset over a recent breakup and had been arguing with his parents. Several weeks before he disappeared, he had been fired from his job at a Price Chopper supermarket in Glenville and hidden it from his parents, continuing to pretend he was going to work. Friends described him as secretive in the weeks leading up to that June day. He had run away once as a younger teen and come back after a single night.1Charley Project. Craig Allen Frear
What Happened on June 27, 2004
Craig’s mother, Veronica Frear, spoke with him by phone at 10:17 a.m. He said he would be home in about ten minutes. He never arrived.3CBS6 Albany. Remembering Craig Frear
He left a girlfriend’s house around 12:30 p.m. and later went to visit a friend at the Cambridge Manor apartment complex in Scotia. Around 2:00 p.m., two children near the complex saw him appearing to sneak along the edge of the building. He gestured for them to be quiet and walked into the woods. He was reportedly heading toward his parents’ home on Yorkshire Court in Glenville, following the railroad tracks that run behind the apartments.2Times Union. Cold Case: Craig Frear He was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans or jean shorts, white Adidas sneakers with three black stripes, and a gold chain with a St. Christopher medal.4New York State Police. Missing: Craig Frear
He was not formally reported missing until July 2, 2004, five days later. In the days between, his mother and other relatives made phone calls and conducted their own searches before filing a report with the Scotia Police Department.3CBS6 Albany. Remembering Craig Frear
What Was Found and What Wasn’t
Craig left his car at the apartment complex. He did not take his cell phone, his wallet, or the $40 in cash he kept in his bedroom. His driver’s license had been lost before that day and never replaced.1Charley Project. Craig Allen Frear
The Scotia Police Department handled the case at first. The New York State Police later took over as the lead agency, bringing in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Troop G Major Crimes. Investigators looked at Craig’s co-workers from Price Chopper, his soccer teammates from Scotia-Glenville High School and the Black Watch Soccer Club, his female friends, and a group he met with on weekday mornings. About a year in, NYSP Investigator Gloria Coppola conducted polygraph examinations on several people connected to the case. No results have been made public and no suspects have ever been named.3CBS6 Albany. Remembering Craig Frear
Authorities have run nearly 70 searches, including the Mohawk riverbank and the woods near Cambridge Manor.5Times Union. Police Investigating New Lead in Craig Frear Disappearance In June 2022, State Police conducted another search, the first in four years.6WNYT. 18 Years Later, Scotia Family Still Searching for Loved One No remains or conclusive physical evidence have been reported.
Several possibilities have been set aside. The nearby railroad tracks raised the question of a train accident, but no evidence supports it. Craig’s Social Security number has not been used since 2004, and he has never obtained a new driver’s license, which argues against the idea that he walked away to start a new life. Investigators and his family do not believe he died by suicide or left voluntarily. They believe he came to harm.1Charley Project. Craig Allen Frear
The 2021 Witness Sighting
In the summer of 2021, a new lead became public. A former co-worker of Craig’s reported seeing him in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the intersection of Route 50 and Sheffield Road in Glenville. The witness placed the sighting sometime between June 27 and July 2, 2004, the window between the day Craig walked into the woods and the day his family filed a missing persons report. The vehicle was traveling north on Route 50, stopped at a light, and turned left onto Sheffield Road.5Times Union. Police Investigating New Lead in Craig Frear Disappearance
The witness could not describe the vehicle or identify the driver. State Police said it was unclear when the tip first came in or why the witness had not spoken up sooner, and investigators were working to verify it.7News10 ABC. Police Investigating Possible Lead in Frear Disappearance After 17 Years If accurate, the sighting would reshape the timeline that had stood for nearly two decades: it would mean Craig left the woods alive and was in a car with someone in the days after. No public confirmation of whether the sighting was ultimately validated has been reported.2Times Union. Cold Case: Craig Frear
Where the Case Stands Today
The New York State Police continue to treat the case as an open investigation. Craig would be 38 years old as of late 2025. Age-progressed images have been produced showing how he might look as an adult.
Retired Investigator Gloria Coppola has pointed to advances in DNA and genetic testing, and to improved databases that match missing persons with unidentified remains, as reasons to expect that the case could still be solved. She has also noted that cases sometimes break when people who were once afraid to speak decide to come forward.3CBS6 Albany. Remembering Craig Frear
Anyone with information about Craig Frear can contact the New York State Police at (518) 630-1700 or (518) 783-3212, or by email at crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.4New York State Police. Missing: Craig Frear