Two men vanished from a party decades ago in northeast Kansas and what happened to them remains a mystery to this day.
Steven Hammerle and Joe Grasher were last seen on Aug. 22, 1981, in Manhattan.
According to the Riley County Police Department, Steven and Joe were attending a birthday party near 10th and Poyntz Avenue — about a block east of the City Park. They were leaving with two people in a red van and were never heard from again, as detailed in a case file with the Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs.) Foul play is suspected in their disappearance.
Steve is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. The men were described by investigators, then, as being drifters. Through the years, RCPD has tried to revive the case, including offering a reward for tips. Steve’s story is listed in the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s and NamUs’ missing persons databases; however, Joe’s name is not listed – something Annette Lawless has inquired as to why.
There are Facebook pages supporting the search for the two men, including Missing Stevie Scott Hammerle and Missing: Joseph “Joe” Grasher.
STEVE SCOTT HAMMERLE
Missing from: Manhattan, Kan.
Missing since: Aug. 22, 1981
Age when reported missing: 26
Nickname/Alias: Stevie, Steve, Stephen Faircloth
Height then: 5’10’’
Weight then: 170 pounds
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Distinguishing marks: upper teeth extracted, typically sported a beard and mustache; several homemade tattoos on fingers and arms, including, as noted in NamUs:
- “LOVE LISA” tattooed across fingers
- Small eagle tattoo on right upper arm
- Devil tattoo in an unknown location
- Tattoo on left arm of a cat/leopard
- Tattoo on right forearm of a man
- Tattoo on upper right arm of “Love”
- Tattoo on upper left arm of “Leo”
- Tattoo on unknown arm of “Joey”
- Tattoo on unknown arm of “Born to Run”
JOE GRASHER
Missing from: Manhattan, Kan.
Missing since: Aug. 22, 1981
Age when reported missing: 21
Nickname/Alias: Some stories online may refer to him at Joe Grashner
Height then: Between 5’8’’ to 6’
Hair: Blondish-brown
Eyes: Blue
Distinguishing marks: tattoo on arm
If you have information that could help the case, contact the Riley County Police Department at (785) 537-2112; the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777; or call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) KS-CRIME or anonymously online by clicking here. You can also submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at RileyCountyPolice.org and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
If you have a person you’d like for us to share a story about, please contact Annette Lawless at annettelawless@hotmail.com.