(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, remains one of the strangest cases in recent memories.
A 21-year-old Soundcloud rapper named Robert Crimo III was said to have scaled an unsecured ladder to gain access to the roof of a local cosmetic store, where he fired 83 shots—killing seven innocent victims. Security footage showed Crimo fleeing the scene in what appeared to be a wig and women’s clothes.
However, while the evidence clearly shows that Crimo was certainly near Ross Cosmetics armed with an AR-15, two of the victims were totally out of his vantage point—strongly suggesting that someone either moved bodies in the immediate aftermath, or more nefariously that there were multiple shooters. Witnesses, including a man named Michael Schwartz, also said they swear they saw another shooter.
Researcher Becca Spinks later added to the mystery when she dug up information about a suspicious cast of characters who were associated with Crimo in the run-up to his attack, some who were more than twice his age.
To top it off, Crimo—who at one point claimed the attack was an FBI false flag operation—left a heavily encoded manifesto entitled “Arcturus” that’s yet to be deciphered. Crimo then abruptly pled guilty in March, mere hours before his trial was set to start. Crimo’s sudden change of heart means that evidence from his case may never see the light of day.
And now, Crimo has seemingly vanished into the depths of the U.S. prison system. Spinks reported earlier Friday that the Illinois Department of Corrections claims to no longer have him in custody, while the federal Bureau of Prisons told Headline USA that it doesn’t have him in custody, either.
This is very strange. The BOP just told me that July 4, 2022, Highland Park mass shooter Bobby Crimo III is not in its custody. Illinois DOC also says he is not in its custody. The parents haven't heard from him in months.
Where in the world is Crimo? https://t.co/48S9qS4SHu pic.twitter.com/nXBBSMbPE8— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) August 22, 2025
“Robert Crimo III is not currently in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP),” prison spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone said in an email. “If an individual were to come into BOP custody, per BOP policy, specific designation information is not releasable until after an individual arrives at his or her destination.”
The Chicago Sun Times also reported on May 30 that Crimo couldn’t be found, but the newspaper noted that “none of this is unusual when it comes to Illinois’ most high-profile prisoners.”
However, Spinks reported Friday that Crimo’s parents reportedly haven’t heard from him in months, either.
“According to Bob, not even Bobby’s lawyers knew where he was,” Spinks reported.
“It is now the end of August, and people are beginning to notice Bobby’s disappearance. According to multiple sources, Bobby has been “hidden” in the prison system and all of his files are on lock. Bobby Crimo has been missing for more than 5 months. The family is worried. The rest of us are suspicious,” she continued.
“How can a prisoner go missing? Doesn’t his family have a right to demand proof of life? For all we know, Bobby was shipped to El Salvador without as much as a phone call to his family.”
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
