Mother Of Two Vanishes From Upscale Community

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Lisa Stebic left her home with only her purse and cell phone on April 30, 2007 and has not been seen since.

Lisa Stebic, a mother of two children who enjoyed her job at an elementary school in Plainfield, Ill., disappeared on April 30, 2007. According to her husband, Lisa left their home around 6 p.m. while he was working in their backyard. Lisa sometimes went to nearby Plainfield North High School, where she also worked in the school cafeteria, to work out on the track -- but she did not go to the track that night.

Lisa's husband told police and reporters that she was a good mother who would never just walk away from her children. But as the days went by and more details about Lisa's life started to become public, police found that they had more and more questions that needed answering.

The Plot Thickens

Lisa's husband, Craig Stebic, filed for divorce in January 2007, after fourteen years of marriage. Records state he cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce proceedings.

Since January, Lisa and Craig had continued to live in the same house, but had barely spoken to each other in those five months. During the couple's divorce process,  Lisa filed a petition to have her husband evicted from the family's home.  Lisa's family says she sent that petition the day she went missing.

Craig and Lisa Stebic have two children together, who both live with them, but were not home at the time of the disappearance. According to police, Craig said that he was working in the backyard when Lisa left the house, taking only her purse and cell phone with her. Neither her credit cards nor her cell phone have been used.

Although Craig was cooperating with police from the beginning of the investigation, and willingly handed over the family computer for inspection, he refused to take a polygraph test about a week after Lisa disappeared. Police say he maintains he has nothing to hide, but refused the polygraph because his lawyer said it was an unscientific tool.

As the search for his wife continues, Craig has ordered his children not to speak with authorities about their mother. Authorities say Craig is permitted by law to enforce such a rule on his children. Members of Lisa Stebic's family have said that they want the children to live as normally as possible.

Family And Police Making Every Effort Possible

After ten days and no new leads on Lisa's disappearance, the FBI joined the search for the missing woman. Divers searched several bodies of water near Lisa's Plainfield home, but did not find anything to help them with their search.

On Mother's Day, May 13, 2007, Lisa's family members passed out hundreds of carnations with pictures of Lisa and police information on them.

Authorities say that a search was performed on the Stebic home late in the night on Monday May 14, and that two cars registered to Craig Stebic were also searched. The court has sealed all documents related to the search, and police are not releasing any information about what they found or how the search aided their investigation.

Over a week after Craig filed for sole custody of his two children, a judge denied his request. Craig's divorce lawyer told reporters that the motion was filed in case Lisa was planning to come back, take the kids, and disappear again. The judge who heard the case refused the motion.

Keeping The Story Alive

Although it's been well over a year since Lisa Stebic was last seen, her family members and friends are doing everything they can to keep her story alive and in the public eye. They continue to hope that somebody will come forward with information regarding the case, and their loved one will be found.

In the hopes of encouraging everyone to share what they know, Lisa's family has increased the reward money to $75,000.  In addition, Lisa's family and friends hold various fundraisers, and the money raised is donated to area community services.

During the first weekend of July, authorities and friends joined together and searched over 1300 acres of Silver Spring State Park. Police say there was no new information that led them to believe they would find anything at this location, but since the family had spent a lot of time at the park, they thought it might be worthwhile.

The search yielded no new clues, and police continue to say they have no new information to share with the public.

Police Name Person Of Interest In Lisa's Disappearance

At a press conference held by the Plainfield Police Department on July 12, 2007, it was announced that Craig Stebic, Lisa's estranged husband, was now officially being considered a person of interest in her disappearance.

Police also announced that they have come to the conclusion that foul play was likely a factor in her disappearance. Although the police did not specify what led them to call Craig a person of interest, they did say that his refusal to cooperate with the police, and his refusal to let anyone speak to his children is clearly impeding their investigation.

In light of these new developments, America's Most Wanted contacted Craig Stebic's lawyer, Dion Davi. Davi told AMW that he is puzzled as to why the police are naming Craig a suspect. He feels that Craig is being named a suspect in order to draw more attention to him. Stay tuned to amw.com for all the latest details in this investigation.

Mysterious Motion By Craig Stebic

Just a few days after the Plainfield Police Department officially named Craig Stebic a person of interest in the disappearance of his estranged wife, he filed a motion to have their divorce proceedings dismissed.

Stebic's lawyer claimed this motion was made because there were too many legal fees accumulating while Lisa was missing, but many people were thrown off by this strange move by Stebic. There are questions as to whether there was a motivating factor other than legal fees behind this sudden move. The divorce case was dismissed by a Will County judge, so it is uncertain how events will proceed from here.