Cleveland, OH
Vanished in the 1950s: What happened to Clara Frost?
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Three cold cases from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s are now connected in a surprising way.
Wednesday, we first told you how the search for Mary Jane Vangilder, a missing woman in Richland County, led to the identification of a man named Albert Frost in southwest Ohio.
You can watch those stories here.
Albert & Clara Frost
Albert went missing in the early 1960s.
His unidentified skeletal remains were buried in a cemetery in Preble County for more than 50 years.
Det. Adam Turner with Shelby Police discovered his remains when he was searching for a possible match to Mary Jane Vangilder, who went missing in 1945.
After exhuming his body, he worked with Moxxy Forensics to identify his remains using Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG).
They found Albert’s closest DNA relative was his great niece, Tina Barrett.
When the detective reached out to her, he unlocked another mystery.
“Initially, I thought they were talking about my great aunt Clara because until that moment, I did not know that Albert existed. No one talked about it,” Barrett said.
It turns out, there were two missing siblings in the same family.
“But Albert was just presumed to have taken off, and then just not spoken about. You know, that puzzles me to this day, because they did ask about Clara and although Albert had a history of just being gone for a while, he also had a history of always coming back. And no one ever talked about it,” Barrett said.
Clara Frost was Albert’s older sister.
She went by the nickname Inez and was in her early 20s when she went missing about a decade before he did.
The young mother vanished from Cleveland in the 1950s.
The only photo of her the detective could find was from her 10th grade yearbook.
“We searched through ancestry and public databases. And there was very little information about her,” Det. Turner said.
Several family members told Det. Turner that Clara’s mother “sold” her to a man who later became her husband.
They had two kids together, who were just a baby and a toddler when she vanished.
Clara’s disappearance
Clara’s family thought her disappearance was suspicious.
They told police her husband had been physically abusive to her.
“And no one knew where she was. And I think it was presumed that she was living somewhere else by some people. Others were pretty sure that her husband had killed her,” Barrett said.
Clara’s last known existence shows up in the 1950 census, in Cleveland.
Det. Turner believes she went missing not long after that.
Records show Clara’s husband remarried.
“By about 1952 he had remarried and moved the children to Pennsylvania,” he said.
Det. Turner said based on information from her family, Clara’s husband, who passed away decades ago is now a suspect in this case.
At the time, Clara’s husband told police she had just ran off.
“It was inconsistent with who she was to get up and leave,” Barrett said.
“My family didn’t squeak enough, didn’t complain enough. Maybe they were also afraid of this man. I don’t know. I didn’t meet him. But not enough was done to make sure that her children knew what happened to her,” she said.
Three cold cases connected
He started with one cold case, but now Det. Turner is working on three.
And he’s not giving up on the cases of Albert and Clara Frost, even though they’re not out of his city.
He is volunteering his own time to work on those cases.
“It’s gonna remain open, you know, until it’s solved until it’s completely done,” he said.
“It’s it’s important because I feel like they’ve essentially like fallen through the cracks, you know, these are people that you know with time and with circumstances, you know, unfortunately kind of been forgotten. And I you know, I wouldn’t want that to happen to me,” Det. Turner said.
Clara’s two children have passed away, but her grandchildren are still waiting for answers.
Right now Clara and Albert’s cases are both being investigated as possible murders.
Meanwhile the family of Mary Jane Vangilder, the missing woman from Shelby who started this all, is still waiting for answers.
We’re told an update in her case will be coming next week, we’ll keep you posted.
If you have any information on any of these cases, call Shelby Police at 419-347-2242 or email Det. Turner at adamturner@shelbycity.oh.gov.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
VERICA “VERA” DRAKSIC
OBITUARY
age 74, of Kirtland, OH, passed away peacefully February 26, 2026. Daughter of the late Mijat and Anna Kalac, Vera was born and raised in former Yugoslavia with her siblings Maria (deceased), Lucija (deceased), Nevenka, and Petar. As a young woman, Vera felt a calling to help others that drew her to the field of nursing. This developed into a life-long devotion to cooking and caring for family and friends that she took with her everywhere, from aiding residents at the Slovene Home for the Aged to her work with the Congregation of Blessed Sacrament. In the winter of 1971, Vera emigrated to the United States, settling in Cleveland where she started a family with Martin (deceased), her husband of 40 years. She was a loving mother to their two daughters, Anita (late husband Edgar), and Irena (husband Chris), and a devoted grandmother to her cherished grandson, Evan. Vera spent nearly every waking moment preparing foods for people she admired, including the delicious dishes of her homeland, like strudels, poticas and sarma. Around the holidays, she baked until every container she owned was filled with cookies; gifts for the dozens of people she considered family. If you needed Vera, you could always find her in a kitchen peeling a potato, chopping an onion, or kneading dough; all while stirring a simmering pot. Fueled by a love of people, hard work, strong coffee, and bread and butter, she somehow had time to get the job done with a story and a smile. They don’t make them like Vera anymore. Contributions may be made in memory of Vera to either Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States, St. Jude, or Doctors Without Borders. Mass of Christian Burial Friday, March 6, 2026, at Divine Word Catholic Church, 8100 Eagle Road, Kirtland, Ohio, 44094, at 10 AM. Burial following at All Souls Cemetery. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Vera at THE ZEVNIK-COSIC FUNERAL HOME OF WILLOUGHBY HILLS, 28890 CHARDON ROAD (between Bishop Rd. and Rt. 91) Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 4 – 8 PM. Online obituary, guestbook, & order flowers at www.DeJohnCares.com.
CLEVELAND — Thousands of people braved the cold in downtown Cleveland for the third wave of “No Kings Day” demonstrations against the Trump administration.
This time, protestors said, the stakes are higher than ever.
Community members and activists joined at the Free Stamp in Willard Park and marched alongside Lakeside Avenue and around Cleveland Public Square on Saturday. Demonstrators said they’re rallying against the Trump administration’s escalation of federal immigration enforcement tactics and rocky global economy amid the country’s war with Iran.
Protestor Fidel Swain who served 15 years in the US Air Force. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)
U.S. Military Veteran Fidel Swain said he’s marching for the rights of all Americans.
“We’re really concerned with what’s going on in the country today as far as this current administration,” Swain said. “They all seem to not follow the principles and ideas of the working class and just most Americans, which is law, order.”
Northeast Ohio resident Charlotte Hartman also stood among the crowd of demonstrators. She said she attended the two previous No Kings Day protests in Strongsville.
Today, Hartman said, she’s standing in solidarity with all marginalized groups.
(L-R) Protestors Elaine Wheaton, Charlotte Hartman, and Michele Murphy. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)
“The way he treats people and minorities, the way he treats handicapped people … They don’t seem to be any care or concern for anybody,” Hartman said.
Hartman was joined by Elaine Wheaton, who said she hopes the demonstration will help unite Americans, despite ideological differences.
“We’re hoping that some of the people that voted for Trump before might be changing their mind,” Wheaton said. “He’s getting a little too overboard … I have no problem with Republican presidents like Reagan or Bush or whatever, but it’s not that he’s Republican. It’s just that he’s a bad human.”
The White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson sent a statement to Spectrum News dismissing Saturday’s protest. She wrote, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
The first No Kings Day protest in June included around 5 million participants, while the second event in the fall drew in around 7 million people.
While speaking about the No Kings Day protests in October, Trump told Fox business that he’s “not a king.”
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Protests against President Donald Trump’s administration are scheduled across the country Saturday, including in Northeast Ohio.
Events are happening around the region, with the largest turnout expected in downtown Cleveland.
Cindy Demsey, a co-organizer of the event, emphasized the rally’s purpose: “No Kings rallies in Cleveland and around the country demonstrate that We The People support an immediate end to foreign wars, ICE’s terror tactics, the administration’s unconstitutional power grab, covering up evidence of crimes against children and government for billionaires.”
The rally is set to begin at 1:00 PM at the Free Stamp next to City Hall on Lakeside Avenue and East 9th Street.
Back in October, thousands gathered downtown, and the events featured musical performances and various speakers before a march.
When a demonstration took place this past summer, Cleveland police estimated about 5,000 people were in attendance.
That event was mostly peaceful, with one person arrested for disorderly conduct.
Here is a list of the events taking place this Saturday, March 28.
Cleveland
When: 1 to 3 p.m.
Where: Free Stamp, Willard Park
Akron
When: 1 to 3 p.m.
Where: John F. Seiberling Federal Building and United States Courthouse
Lakewood
When: 10:30 to noon
Where: Lakewood City Hall
Parma
When: 10 to 1 p.m.
Where: Ridgewood Lake Park
North Ridgeville
When: 10 to noon
Where: LCCC University Partnership Ridge Campus
Mansfield
When: 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: Richland County Administration & Courthouse
Parma
When: 10 to 1 p.m.
Where: 7620 W Ridgewood Dr
Chardon
When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: 100 Short Ct St
Cuyahoga Falls
When: 11 to 1 p.m.
Where: Cuyahoga Falls Downtown Amphitheater
New Philadelphia
When: 11:30 to 1 p.m.
Where: Tuscarawas County Courthouse
Ashtabula
When: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Smith Field Dog Park
Port Clinton
When: Noon to 2 p.m.
Where: Erie Dearie Park, a corner of Waterworks Park
Vermilion
When: Noon to 2 p.m.
Where: Exchange Park
Wooster
When: Noon to 2 p.m.
Where: Public Square
Strongsville
When: Noon to 2 p.m.
Where: Pearl Road & Ohio 82
Hudson
When: 1 to 3 p.m.
Where: Gazebo Green
Sandusky
When: 1 to 4 p.m.
Where: Sandusky Mall Entrance
Kent
When: 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Gazebo, intersection of Franklin Ave and West Main Street
Warren
When: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Trumbull County Courthouse Square
Canton
When: 3 to 5 p.m.
Where: Central Plaza North
Medina
When: 4 to 6 p.m.
Where: Medina Public Square Historic District
Find more here.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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