Family and friends of a missing eastern Iowa man say they’re mystified by his disappearance. Twenty-two-year-old John Skalsky Junior of Blairstown was last seen Saturday night. He left his home to walk to a party nine miles away in Norway, but he never made it. Benton County Sheriff Randy Forsyth says Skalsky’s mom was the last person to talk to him around 7:30 that night.
“During the conversation, supposedly there was some noise she heard, a car pulled up and he said ‘someone is here to give me a ride,’ and she said ‘do you know them,’ and he said ‘well, kind of,'” Forsyth said. No one has reported knowing anything about that possible car. Searchers have scoured the area on foot and in the air, especially near railroad tracks between the two towns.
“Union Pacific Railroad had seen somebody walking near the tracks, probably about that same time, but we didn’t find anyone down there,” Forsyth said. Family and friends met again at 8 o’clock this morning to resume the search. Skalsky’s sister, Brenda, says they’re following every lead.
“Nothing is adding up,” Brenda said. “It just doesn’t make any sense, so now I don’t even know what to think.” John Skalsky Junior shares an apartment in Blairstown with his fiancee Tara Lafler. They got engaged last month and are expecting a baby next spring.
By Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids