Unsolved Ohio: Young mother vanished in 1997 shortly after moving to Columbus

Unsolved Ohio
Ava Boldizar, Andrea Robinson
April 28, 2026

Nearly three decades after a young mother vanished from her east Columbus home shortly after moving, her son is trying to piece together what happened.

Anna Zirkle, 22, went missing on Feb. 1, 1997. At the time, she had two sons, aged 1 and 4. Her younger son, Devonte Williams, is now 31 years old and longing for answers.

“It’s been such a strong hold on me to fight, fight, fight, fight because if I give up, who else is going to be out there to care enough to figure out what happened to Anna Zirkle?” Williams said.

Zirkle was reportedly last seen walking away from her house in the 300 block of North Roosevelt Avenue. She had moved there from Warren, Ohio, with the father of her children in December, just months before she disappeared, according to Williams.

On the day Zirkle went missing, the father of her children was visiting Warren. A male family friend reported to authorities that she gave him money to take her two children on a bus to stay with their father because “she was tired of everything and needed a break,” according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

The two young boys arrived in Warren the same day with the family friend, Williams said. Five days later, Zirkle was reported missing by a neighbor.

Anna Zirkle’s mother, Luann Zirkle, previously told NBC4 that her daughter was “all about her kids” and never went anywhere without them. Williams said he has heard similar sentiments from family members.

“They all have told me that ‘Devonte, I know without a shadow of a doubt your mother adored the ground that you guys walked on. She was not going anywhere without you guys,’” Williams said. “Something had to happen in order for her to be disconnected from her children.”

The 22-year-old left behind an uncashed check and her belongings. After being returned to Warren, Zirkle’s children ultimately ended up being raised by their paternal grandmother, according to Williams.

In 2011, authorities received a tip that Zirkle’s body was at a property on Old Plank Road in Orwell, Ohio, resulting in police and cadaver dogs scouring the property. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Zirkle used to reside at the property with her children’s father.

Despite the efforts, Zirkle’s remains were not found.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to have a proper burial for my own mother,” Williams said. “I had to grow up and paint a picture of her, an [imaginary version] of a person off of someone else, of my own mother. That’s hard for me. That’s a heavy weight to carry.”

While he still doesn’t know what happened to Zirkle on that February day, Williams said he believes that foul play was involved.

“I do believe that she was taken against her will,” Williams said. “I do believe that she was in a position that unfortunately was out of her control and she was kind of blindsided.”

Harry Trombitas, a retired FBI agent who focused on violent crime, agrees that foul play is likely. He provided his insight on Zirkle’s case, without knowing any details of Columbus police’s investigation or whether they’ve ruled out any potential suspects.

“Her abandoning her children, leaving the uncashed check behind, all identification and your clothing, just all indicates that she met with foul play,” Trombitas said. “Those are classic red flags in any missing person case.”

Trombitas suspects a lack of evidence may have played a role in why Zirkle’s case has gone unsolved for decades. If police did not find a crime scene at her home, even with modern technology, they can’t “retest what [they] don’t have,’” he said. While criminal activity is suspected in Zirkle’s case, Trombitas said without remains, it is difficult to prove what happened.

“We used to deal with no-body homicides all the time,” Trombitas said. “It’s highly unlikely that she walked away, but there’s always that, I guess, that annoying possibility if they didn’t really see a crime scene at the house.”

Alongside Williams, the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. (BAMFI) is working to make sure Zirkle’s case does not slip through the cracks. The national nonprofit’s mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color.

“40% of the missing population are people of color and we started the organization because they weren’t getting the media, law enforcement resources or community engagement that is so needed to be found,” said co-founder Natalie Wilson.

The group reached out to NBC4 to cover Zirkle’s case. Wilson said she hopes the renewed coverage will bring in tips, and urged law enforcement to take a new look at the case.

“We’ve had cases like this before and with a new detective on the case, they were able to find out what happened and close the case,” Wilson said.

Williams also wishes for new leads, and said he believes someone out there may be able to help fill in the gaps on what happened to his mother. He pleaded with anyone who may have information to contact the police.

“I do believe that a lot more people that are not speaking on the situation know a lot more than what they’re saying, and I just urge people to just please come forward because it’s just been almost 30 years,” Williams said. “It’s been a long time praying and asking God for the strength to carry me through.”

NBC4 reached out to the Columbus Division of Police to ask if there are any updates in Zirkle’s case and to inquire if it is being actively investigated, but did not hear back.

Anyone with information regarding Zirkle’s disappearance may contact Columbus police at 614-645-4545 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 614-461-8477.

Photo credit: Unsolved Ohio