1 year later: The mystery behind Barry Schmalbach’s disappearance

Reporter: Jolena Esperto Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Barry Schmalbach
Barry Schmalbach. Credit: WINK News

One year has passed, and the family of Barry Schmalbach is seeking the answer to one question: Where is his body?

On July 19, 2023, Schmalbach mysteriously disappeared after asking a friend to help remove his boyfriend, Christopher Davis, from their Cape Coral home.

Davis was the last person to have seen Schmalbach and has been named the prime suspect in the disappearance.

Davis now faces homicide charges according to a detailed 72-page report released by the Cape Coral Police Department.

Some of the details released from the report include the couple arguing at Cruiser’s Lounge, a gay bar in Cape Coral.

Later that evening, a neighbor reported hearing someone getting tossed around, yelling “no” and then eventually crying.

On July 21, at around 4 a.m., a neighbor overhears what they believed to have been a tarp being dragged downstairs by Davis.

On that same day, Davis checks into an AirBnB in Hendry County under his brother’s name.

The records showed that he had purchased a pick-axe and a shovel, which he disposed of the following day.

WINK News spoke with Schmalbach’s sister, Sherry, about her brother’s disappearance.

“When I read the details and everything, it just curdled my stomach, and it messed with my head again. You know, just like it was like at the beginning,” she said.

Sherry told WINK that she wished someone had intervened during the altercation between Schmalbach and Davis.

Davis currently resides in the eLee County Jail and has pleaded not guilty to Schmalbach’s murder.

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