He Mysteriously Disappeared After Having An Affair With A Married Woman And Her Husband Finding Out
In 1975, 18-year-old Steve Lewis Arrowood Jr. lived with his parents on Chestnut Street in Gastonia, North Carolina. Yet, his love life was far from typical of other teens his age.
Steve was actually having an affair with a 30-year-old married woman, and after the woman’s husband found out, Steve mysteriously disappeared.
He had left home without any warning in the past. In fact, on March 9, 1975, Steve went away, withdrawing $815 from his savings account and leaving his parents a note informing them. He just didn’t include where he was going.
Not long afterward, Steve sent another letter home on March 20, claiming he’d gone to Dallas, Texas, to see a married woman he’d become involved with. He stated he was fine and had gotten a job.
Yet, on March 30, things got turned upside down. Steve and the woman got caught by her husband, who worked as a long-distance truck driver. The man also allegedly threatened to kill Steve.
To diffuse the situation, the woman agreed to drive to New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband as long as he didn’t harm the 18-year-old. Steve, on the other hand, returned home to Gastonia on March 31.
The woman later denied ever seeing Steve again after he left Texas. However, once he was back in North Carolina, Steve supposedly told his friends that he felt as though the woman’s husband was following him.
Then, on April 3, 1975, he vanished. That night, Steve went to Fern Forest Apartments to have dinner with his sister. Afterward, he went out with a friend, and while driving, he noticed a car was following them.
Steve’s friend was unable to see the driver, but Steve said the vehicle belonged to the woman’s husband.
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The pair continued to hang out that evening, and eventually, Steve dropped his friend off on Third Street at 10:30 p.m. This marked the last time he was ever seen or heard from again.
Just hours later, Steve’s car, a 1971 Toyota, was discovered parked at Fern Forest Apartments near a swimming pool. The car door had been left open, and Steve’s belongings were still inside.
Additionally, the car’s keys were in the ignition, and lying on the ground next to the car was a pair of men’s underwear. Steve never cashed his income tax refund check, which was $500.
Days later, a letter postmarked from New Orleans arrived in the mail for Steve on April 7. Investigators opened the letter in hopes it would provide information about the teen’s whereabouts. Rather, the police stated it contained no valuable clues.
Investigators found and questioned the woman’s husband two weeks after Steve went missing. The man wound up refusing to undergo a polygraph test, and the police released him.
The man’s identity has never been publicly revealed, and to this day, it remains unclear whether he’s a suspect in Steve’s case.
Steve’s father passed away in 2008, and his mother died four years later in 2012. However, his four sisters are still alive and want closure.
While foul play is suspected in his disappearance, what exactly happened to Steve is unknown, and his case has gone unsolved for over 49 years.
Steve was between five foot eight and five foot nine, weighed 145 pounds, and had blonde hair and blue eyes. He also had a small reddish birthmark on his chin and might’ve gone by his middle name, Lewis.
Steve would be 68-years-old today. Anyone with information related to his case is urged to contact the Gastonia Police Department at (704) 866-3300.
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