A Barberton woman named Ercell Elizabeth Russell disappeared 75 years ago and was never seen again. Authorities suspected foul play after finding her abandoned car and purse, but her body was never found. The case remains unsolved. Mark J. Price reported
Seventy-five years ago, the small town of Barberton was struck by a mysterious disappearance that continues to baffle investigators to this day. Ercell Elizabeth Russell, a 36-year-old woman described as “petite, red-haired and very pretty,” went missing on a snowy day and was never seen again. The events leading up to Russell’s disappearance were seemingly ordinary. On December 10, 1948, she left her home on 17th Street Northwest, stopping briefly at her sister Lillian’s house on 19th Street to inform her of her plan to visit their parents in Canaan Township. However, Russell never arrived at her destination, sparking concerns among her loved ones.
Authorities soon discovered Russell’s abandoned 1937 green sedan at a roadside park on Route 21, less than a mile south of Canal Fulton. Her purse was found in the Tuscarawas River, a short distance downstream from her vehicle. Surprisingly, the contents of the purse appeared to be undisturbed, with over $10 in cash still inside. Despite extensive searches of the surrounding area, including the woods, river, and the Ohio & Erie Canal, no trace of Russell or her body was ever found.
Detectives delved into Russell’s personal life in hopes of finding clues that could shed light on her disappearance. Born in 1912 in Canaan, she grew up on a farm near Creston, along with her three siblings. Russell had a relatively ordinary life, attending the Canaan Methodist Church and participating in Grange activities with her family. She married Joseph Angelo in 1931, but the couple experienced heartbreak when they lost two premature babies. The union ended in divorce in 1938, leading Russell to reclaim her maiden name.
During World War II, Russell worked at Goodyear Aircraft in Akron, contributing to the war effort. After the war, she found employment at a department store in Wooster. Russell’s personal life took an unexpected turn when she entered into a relationship with a Wayne County mortician. The pair dated for about seven years before breaking up in 1947. In the months leading up to her disappearance, they attempted to reconcile, but their relationship remained unstable. Authorities noted that Russell had suffered from a “partial nervous breakdown.”
Contradicting the notion that Russell was in distress, her landlady, Iva Dawson, claimed that she left her home on the day of her disappearance in high spirits. Russell wore a yellowish-brown sweater and blue slacks, opting not to wear a coat despite the cold weather. As the day unfolded, Russell’s estranged boyfriend, the undertaker, contacted her sister to inquire about her whereabouts. The man claimed he was “going to Michigan” for a short visit. However, investigators later questioned the veracity of this call, suspecting it may have been made to establish an alibi.
When Russell’s car was discovered, Wayne County Sheriff Glenn Rike expressed his belief that she had “met with violence.” The investigation once again turned its focus to the mortician, who suggested that Russell may have staged her disappearance to worry him. He theorized that she had hitchhiked to Daytona Beach, Florida, a place they had previously vacationed together. Authorities, however, found this explanation implausible. If Russell had planned a trip, wouldn’t she have packed a suitcase? Additionally, why would she leave $535 untouched in her bank account?
Weeks turned into months, and Russell’s family grew increasingly desperate for answers. They hired a private detective, Rex Hess, to investigate the case and offered a $100 reward for any information regarding their missing loved one. Authorities returned to the rest area on Route 21, where they found a small bottle in a restroom. Russell’s landlady identified it as medicine she had given to Russell for her nervous condition. This discovery led investigators to believe that Russell had spent some time at the park, possibly waiting for someone.
Despite their efforts, searchers found nothing substantial. Detectives continued to question the mortician, who claimed that his car was being repaired at the time of Russell’s disappearance. However, it was later revealed that his car had been left outside a garage in Wooster. Suspicion grew when detectives realized that the undertaker had access to another vehicle—the hearse. Barberton Detective Martin Seryak began to suspect foul play, considering the hearse’s potential for discreetly transporting a body. Furthermore, he pondered the perfect hiding spot for a body, a place that would likely go unchecked—the graves of U.S. servicemen being repatriated from Europe.
Seryak secretly sought permission to dig up recent graves but was denied by the Wayne County coroner due to the lack of evidence. Authorities never publicly charged the mortician or released his name. In June 1956, Summit County Probate Judge Vincent Zurz officially declared Russell dead at the request of her family. Detective Martin Seryak, who retired as the police chief in 1973, regarded the case as one of the most memorable of his career. He firmly believed that Russell had been murdered and buried somewhere in the vicinity, but he was unable to solve the mystery.
Today, Ercell E. Russell’s name is inscribed on her parents’ headstone in Canaan Cemetery, serving as a cenotaph—a monument dedicated to someone buried elsewhere. Her final resting place remains a secret, concealed by the passage of time. Speculation suggests that a Wayne County undertaker may have taken that knowledge to his own grave. The case of Ercell Russell’s disappearance continues to haunt the community of Barberton, forever unresolved..