Suvechha Sarkar
Joan Yarbrough Bernal was a 34-year-old devoted mother from Will County, Illinois. However, her life took a mysterious turn in December 1988 when she suddenly disappeared. Her unexplained absence left her loved ones grappling for answers. More than three decades later, her case is being revisited by TNT’s ‘Cold Justice: Road to Nowhere.’ It sheds light on the old and new investigations of the case, combining recent witness interviews. Besides retracing the events surrounding the fateful night, it also features interviews with her children, Sarita Woerheide, Lex Stanfill, and Larissa Stanfill.
Joan Bernal Mysteriously Disappeared After a Cancelled Trip in 1988
Joan Yarbrough Bernal was born sometime in 1954 in Oak Park, Illinois, and brought immense joy to the lives of her father, William M. Yarbrough, and her mother. She grew up in a loving household in Hickory Hills, Illinois, with her siblings, Gini and Sue. Her parents later parted ways, and William married Nancy L. Yarbrough. It introduced Joan to her stepsibling, Lisa Casey, and within the next few years, her half-brother, Robert, was born. After graduating from Stagg High School in 1972, she worked as a Driver at the Joliet Mass Transit District. Eventually, Joan met Larry, and they soon tied the knot. Over the years, they welcomed their son and daughter, Lex and Larissa Stanfill, into the world.
Fate intervened as Joan and Larry later got a divorce. She got a second chance at love when she met Gilbert Bernal, AKA Gil, while working, and they got married in 1985. Gil had three children from his previous marriage, one of whom was Gil Jr. In 1986, Joan gave birth to her and Gil’s daughter, Sarita. On December 9, 1988, they planned to go on a trip to Edinburg, Texas, with their children. However, when they went to pick up Lex and Larissa from Larry’s home, he was reluctant to let them go. Joan and Gil returned to their home with Sarita and their three children. They reportedly went inside their house while their children waited outside in the car.
After a period, Gil returned and dropped his three children off at his mother’s house. Shortly after that, he reported Joan missing on December 27, 1988. He claimed Joan allegedly decided to take the trip with just Sarita and him. According to him, she was allegedly feeling bad for her two older children, so she wanted to return to see them. Gil continued that he allegedly dropped Joan off at a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma, and insisted that he had given her $1,500. Officials reportedly learned that Joan never took the bus, which meant that the last time she was seen alive was on December 9. Despite an intensive search, they found no trace of Joan.
Gil Jr.’s Statements in 1993 Led to Gil’s Arrest Regarding Joan’s Disappearance
Right after the missing person’s report was filed, officials discovered allegations that Gil had grown increasingly abusive towards Joan following their marriage. According to records from the domestic violence shelters, she often went there to stay whenever things got out of hand. However, there were no viable leads to follow up on. The case grew cold until January 25, 1993, when Gil’s son, Gil Jr., came forward with new accounts of that day. He claimed that when Joan and Gil were returning home with the kids on December 9, 1988, they fought on the way back. Gil Jr. said that following their return, his father and Joan allegedly went inside the house on that fateful day, while he sat in the car with his siblings.
Gil Jr. claimed that when he allegedly went up to the window a while later, he allegedly saw his father jerking Joan’s head by holding her neck. In his 1993 statement to investigators, Gil Jr. said that when he looked through a window, he saw his father holding Joan by the neck and later dragging her through the living room. Ultimately, in that same year, Gil was arrested and indicted on two counts of murder. However, witnesses reportedly came forward claiming to have sighted Joan in Tennessee and Chicago Heights, with the last sighting allegedly being in December 1992. During that time, Gil claimed Joan was still alive and was allegedly living in Kentucky or Tennessee.
Ultimately, Gil’s charges were dropped in May 1994. Most recently, the case was reinvestigated, and as officials questioned Lex and Larissa, they claimed that they had seen Gil being abusive towards Joan. Furthermore, officials on the show revealed that two of the witnesses who previously claimed to have seen Joan recanted their statements. Apart from the domestic violence shelter records, Gil’s ex-wife, Lillian Biggs, claimed that she once saw Joan with a black eye. During the reinterview, Gil Jr. claimed that on December 9, when his father allegedly carried Joan to the back of the house, she was not responding.
Gil Bernal Faced Scrutiny Again After His Inconsistent Statements
A previous sheriff’s report mentioned that Gil’s friend, Ray O’Gorman, claimed to have given him two 55-gallon barrels just before Joan disappeared. According to records, Ray alleged that Gil once joked about knowing how to dispose of a body in a drum as well as adding antifreeze and oil to hide the smell. When Gil’s property was searched after the disappearance, authorities reportedly found only one barrel. During the recent interview, his supervisor, Robert Guess, claimed that he came into the bus barn on the morning of December 10 to find it “clean as a whistle.” He continued by saying that one of the mechanics had told him it was already clean when they came in. Ultimately, Gil was questioned in Flint, Michigan, where he resided.
During the initial investigation, Gil claimed he had gone to the bus barn after dropping off his children that night to change the headlights. However, he recently changed his statements and claimed he was grabbing some tools. Another inconsistency in his statements arose because in 2020, he had claimed that after his wife went missing, he found her jewelry, and two pairs of jeans were gone. This time, he claimed that apart from clothing and jewelry, a car parked before their house was also moved. Gil admitted that he sometimes hit Joan in the past, claiming she was a “bad mother.”
However, Gil denied buying any drums from his friend or having any involvement in Joan’s disappearance. Since investigators noted discrepancies in his accounts, they presented the case before the District Attorney. Although it was revealed on the show that they had a “good meeting,” no records mention that any charges have been filed yet. Despite their mother’s absence for 36 years, the pain of the profound loss remains the same for Lex, Larissa, and Sarita. They hope for nothing but justice for their mother.
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