On October 23, 1981, in Newburgh Heights, Ohio
On October 23, 1981, in Newburgh Heights, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, 17-year-old Kurt Eugene Sova vanished after leaving a Halloween party on Harvard Avenue. Kurt, a senior at Charles A. Mooney Senior High School, was described by his family and friends as a good student, kind-hearted son, and reliable friend. He had attended the party with a friend, where he consumed grain alcohol mixed with Kool-Aid, becoming intoxicated. Around 11 p.m., Kurt went outside for air, and a friend returned to the house to retrieve his coat. When the friend came back minutes later, Kurt was gone. He never made it home, about a mile away.
Kurt’s parents, Ken and Dorothy Sova, reported him missing the next day after unsuccessful searches. On October 28, three boys playing near a furniture warehouse found his body in a ravine, about 500 yards from the party house. Kurt was lying face-up in a puddle, arms outstretched in a “Christ-like” pose, wearing his yellow shirt and jeans but barefoot. His left sneaker was nearby, but the right was missing. The coroner, Dr. Thomas Samuels, determined Kurt died less than 24 hours after disappearing, with a blood alcohol level of 0.11%. 
There were no signs of foul play—no external injuries, drugs, or trauma—but the body’s condition raised suspicions: it was in an area searched by police days earlier, suggesting it was moved post-mortem. The posed position and missing shoe fueled theories of staging.
There were no signs of foul play—no external injuries, drugs, or trauma—but the body’s condition raised suspicions: it was in an area searched by police days earlier, suggesting it was moved post-mortem. The posed position and missing shoe fueled theories of staging.The investigation by Newburgh Heights Police focused on the party, interviewing 20–30 attendees, but alibis held. Rumors pointed to a man named “Franco,” possibly Craig Franko, killed in a December 1981 gas station robbery, but no links were proven. A homeless man’s cryptic remark to a neighbor about Kurt being “dead” was investigated but led nowhere. Police corruption plagued the case: two officers were fired for gambling and misconduct, and three others died in a 1982 car crash, with the driver fleeing bond. The case went cold.
In January 1982, 13-year-old Eugene Kvet vanished from a basketball game in Newburgh Heights. On February 1, his body was found in a ravine 2.5 miles away, barefoot with his right shoe missing, no cause of death determined. Similarities—ravine location, missing right shoe, and no foul play evidence—suggested a connection, possibly a serial killer or copycat, but both remain unsolved.
The case gained national attention in an 1988 *Unsolved Mysteries* episode. In 2019, Newburgh Heights Police partnered with Tiffin University criminology students to review files. In 2020, CrimeCon’s “CrowdSolve” event involved 100 volunteers, but no breakthroughs emerged. As of October 2025, the case is active with a $5,000 reward from Cuyahoga Crime Stoppers. Kurt’s brother Kevin continues advocating, and the Sova family honors him with annual memorials.
