The search for Charles Robert “Bobby” Steele, concluded tragically when his remains were discovered in a vacant building scheduled for demolition last month.
Last month, according to his sister Kelly, Steele, who had been missing since April 11, 2023, was discovered inside a wall of a vacant building located on the 600 block of Delaware Avenue in Wilmington.
Bobby had departed from the residence he shared with his sister in Claymont, intending to meet an acquaintance on Market Street in Wilmington. This was on the same day he had been notified of his approval for a housing voucher through a HUD program, a milestone he had been working towards for over a year. Two hours after leaving his home, he made a phone call to his sister, which would be the last communication between them.
When Kelly did not hear from her brother for two weeks, she attempted to report him missing to the New Castle County Police Department. Facing resistance, she turned to the Elkton Police Department, due to Bobby previously living in Elkton. The department filed a missing person report and entered his details into a national missing person database.
The investigation, marked by was Kelly says were challenges including bureaucratic obstacles and lack of inter-agency cooperation, persisted for several months. In early March, a breakthrough came when the Elkton Police Department informed Kelly that skeletal remains, matching the description of Bobby’s clothing, had been found at the Medical Examiner’s office in Wilmington. The remains, discovered by demolition crews in February, were later identified as Steele’s through DNA testing according to Kelly.
The Wilmington Police Department spokesperson David Karas, confirmed that the investigation into Steele’s death is ongoing. The preliminary findings have not indicated foul play according to Karas. However, Kelly remains skeptical, believing her brother’s disappearance was not a simple case of wandering off.