For three decades, folks around Alabaster knew Glen Spence simply as “Mo” or “Mr. Glen.” He was the familiar face you saw almost every day near the Southbrook Village Shopping Center on 1st Street Southwest. He liked walking the plaza, greeting neighbors, and offering a hand to anyone loading groceries into their car. That routine came to a sudden halt on August 13, 2026, when the 67-year-old disappeared without a trace, leaving his family and hometown desperate for answers.
The six-week search ended on Sunday afternoon, September 27, when a passerby spotted human remains in a dense wooded area over in nearby Pelham. Officers with the Pelham Police Department arrived at the scene near the Wild Timber neighborhood alongside investigators from the Shelby County Coroner’s Office. Preliminary checks confirmed the body belonged to Spence, bringing a grim conclusion to a case that had gripped the county for over a month.
Authorities noted that early observations showed no visible signs of physical trauma on the body. Still, officials are holding off on naming an official cause or manner of death until full medical tests come back. The remains were transferred to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, where specialists will conduct detailed examinations to figure out exactly what happened in those woods.
Spence’s sudden disappearance back in mid-August triggered widespread concern across Shelby County. Family members told investigators that Spence lived with health conditions that made it difficult for him to communicate clearly with strangers. Because he did not carry a cell phone, tracking his steps proved tough for detectives right from the start.
Surveillance footage showed Spence walking around the shopping plaza early on the morning of August 13. By 1:15 p.m., cameras caught him near Little Caesars Pizza. Around 2:00 p.m., he accepted a ride from an unidentified driver who dropped him off in Pelham. Somehow, Spence managed to catch another ride back to Alabaster later that afternoon, with a close acquaintance spotting him back at Southbrook Village around 6:45 p.m. That brief encounter was the last confirmed time anyone saw him alive.
In the weeks following his disappearance, local police deployed search crews on foot, all-terrain vehicles, and utility vehicles, while using overhead drones to scan fields and tree lines across city borders. Search organizations and local volunteers set up bases in town, running leads and asking anyone who might have given Spence a ride that day to step forward.
For the people who saw Spence every day in Alabaster, the news from Pelham brings a quiet sadness to the shopping plaza where he spent so many years. Police say the investigation remains open as they wait on the final autopsy report from forensic examiners, hoping those findings will bring closure to his family and clear up the remaining questions surrounding his final hours.
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