Zulma Lexandra Pabon

Title

Zulma Lexandra Pabon: A Nurse's Last Day

Author

Benjamin Hayes

Publication Date

October 19, 2025

On June 6, 2014, Zulma Lexandra Pabon walked out of St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield, Virginia at 6:13 p.m., clocking out from her shift as a nurse. It was meant to be a momentous day for the 26-year-old woman. She had just resigned from her position at the hospital, ready to start fresh at a new job. She had signed a lease on a new apartment and purchased furniture to fill it. She was planning to leave her boyfriend of six years that very evening and begin a new chapter of her life with their four-year-old son. But Zulma would never make it to Monday's job interview at an assisted living center. She would never move into her new apartment or arrange the furniture she had bought. She would never get the chance to tell Dr. John E. Gibbs II that their relationship was over. Within hours of leaving work that Friday evening, Zulma Pabon vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mystery that would take nearly three years to result in an arrest and almost four years to see justice served in one of Virginia's most compelling no-body murder cases.

A Life in Transition

At 26 years old, Zulma Pabon was at a crossroads. She was a nurse working at St. Francis Medical Center, a devoted mother to her son Joseph, and a woman who had spent six years in a relationship with Dr. John Gibbs, a physician who worked at Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation in a building within the same hospital complex. To casual observers, they might have seemed like a successful professional couple raising their young son together in their townhouse in the 5300 block of Terrace Arbor Circle in Midlothian.

But beneath the surface, Zulma was deeply unhappy. She had come to realize that her relationship with Gibbs was going nowhere, and more troublingly, she had become increasingly fearful of him. Friends and coworkers would later testify that Zulma confided she felt unsafe. She told a friend that Gibbs had begun stalking her, following her to places like Cook Out, a fast-food restaurant in Powhatan where she thought she could meet people privately. She said that Gibbs had told her that if she left him, he would either kill himself or "do something else." The vagueness of that threat hung over her, creating a sense of dread about what he might be capable of.

Despite these fears, Zulma was determined to move forward with her plans. She had been working with a physical trainer named Mauriek Goode at Gold's Gym, and their relationship had evolved beyond the professional. Zulma had approached Goode initially, telling him, "You're very intriguing. I want to know more about you." The attraction between them grew, and Goode became part of Zulma's vision for her future. She confided in him about her fears regarding Gibbs, describing a controlling relationship that had become increasingly difficult to navigate.

In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Zulma took concrete steps toward independence. She signed a lease for an apartment where she planned to live with Joseph, away from Gibbs. She purchased new furniture for this apartment, spending money on creating a fresh start. She gave notice at St. Francis Medical Center, likely because working in the same hospital complex as Gibbs made it impossible to truly separate from him. She had secured an interview for Monday, June 9, at an assisted living center, a new job that would allow her to support herself and her son while building a life apart from Gibbs.

Friends and coworkers later described a woman in transition, someone who was finally taking control of her life. However, they also noticed concerning signs. For the first time in ten years, Zulma had begun cutting herself, a form of self-harm that suggested she was under enormous stress. She confided in a former coworker about her plans to end the relationship with Gibbs that very night, June 6, 2014, the day she disappeared.

The Last Known Hours

On that Friday evening, Zulma left St. Francis Medical Center at 6:13 p.m., captured on surveillance cameras as she walked to her white 2009 Nissan Altima with Virginia license plate JZN-1429. She drove home to the townhouse she shared with Gibbs in the Terrace Arbor community. At 9:30 p.m., she sent a text message to a friend, canceling plans they had made to meet up. This would be the last communication anyone would receive from Zulma Pabon.

The final record of Zulma's existence was a phone call to Gibbs. According to later court testimony, this was the last time her phone showed any activity. Whatever happened next occurred within the townhouse that she shared with Gibbs, away from cameras and witnesses.

At 6:25 the following morning, Saturday, June 7, surveillance video from the Terrace Arbor community clubhouse captured Zulma's white Nissan Altima driving away from the townhouse. The camera angle showed the front of the residence, and the car was seen leaving at this early morning hour. However, the video never showed anyone walking to the car, getting into it, or driving it away. The car simply appeared in frame already in motion.

Fourteen minutes after the car was seen leaving, at 6:39 a.m., the same surveillance camera captured John Gibbs walking up to the townhouse on foot, approaching from the direction of the back of the complex. He appeared to be alone. This timing was immediately suspicious to investigators who would later review the footage. If Zulma had driven away in her own car, why was Gibbs walking back to the house on foot just minutes later?

Throughout that Saturday, surveillance footage showed Gibbs leaving and returning to the townhouse multiple times. Notably, he changed his clothes twice within a short time span that morning, an unusual behavior that investigators found significant.

The Discovery and Investigation

Zulma Pabon was reported missing on Monday, June 9, when she failed to show up for work at the hospital. Her coworkers, expecting her to be present for her shift, became concerned when she didn't arrive and couldn't be reached. They were the ones who ultimately reported her disappearance to police, not John Gibbs, the person who lived with her.

Zulma's car was not found until June 16, ten full days after her disappearance. The white Nissan Altima was discovered at the Greenleigh Mobile Home Park in the 14100 block of Drumvale Drive, off Jeff Davis Highway, sixteen miles away from the townhouse. When investigators examined the car, they found bloodstains containing Zulma's DNA inside the vehicle, along with surgical gloves.

Perhaps most intriguingly, surveillance cameras had captured images of a white, newer model, four-door truck towing a white four-door vehicle, possibly Zulma's Altima, on Commonwealth Center Parkway at 6:15 p.m. on June 7. Someone with access to a truck and trailer had picked up the car from where it had been parked near the townhouse and hauled it away.

As the investigation intensified, police placed Gibbs under surveillance. The day after Zulma's car was finally discovered, police witnessed Gibbs drive to a construction site on Woods Edge Road and leave a bag there. Police retrieved the bag and found it contained a sheet, a blanket, and a Comcast remote control. When a cadaver dog examined these items, the animal indicated the scent of human remains on the comforter.

Less than two weeks after Zulma vanished, on June 17, Gibbs loaded two children into his car and drove all the way to San Francisco, California, and back to Virginia over ten days. Police tracked him during this trip and noted that eighteen miles after leaving his home, Gibbs stopped and dumped out a load of trash.

When Gibbs returned from California on June 29, he made a series of suspicious purchases at a Lowe's home improvement store: a 64-gallon trash can, muriatic acid, and 23 bottles of drain cleaner. He later returned seven of the bottles, but sixteen remained unaccounted for.

The Damning Evidence

Investigators obtained a warrant to search Gibbs's computer, specifically Zulma's laptop that Gibbs had been using. In May 2014, the month before Zulma disappeared, someone using the computer had searched for: "Ether knock you out," "Ether clothes, knock you out," and "How much ether to knock someone out." Other searches included "why would someone want to disappear."

Perhaps most telling was Gibbs's complete lack of communication about Zulma's disappearance to the people closest to him. Gibbs had a sister in North Carolina with whom he was extremely close and spoke multiple times every day. Yet he never once mentioned to her that Zulma had disappeared, that her car had been found, or that he was taking an unplanned road trip.

When Zulma's sister confronted Gibbs at the hospital after Zulma's disappearance, he was evasive. He never filed a missing person report. He never joined search efforts. After Zulma was reported missing, Gibbs never again attempted to call her cell phone.

The Child Neglect Case

After Zulma's disappearance, their son Joseph began experiencing severe behavioral problems. He would threaten teachers and classmates, saying "I'm going to get my father's gun and kill you." Joseph was found wandering alone near a Costco and at a pool on separate occasions while Gibbs was supposed to be supervising him.

In February 2016, Gibbs was charged with felony child neglect for leaving Joseph, then five years old, home alone on multiple occasions. He was convicted in November 2016 and sentenced to five years with four and a half years suspended.

The Murder Charge and Trial

On March 14, 2017, nearly three years after Zulma disappeared, Gibbs was arrested at Massanutten ski resort and charged with first-degree murder. When an officer approached him to serve the warrant, Gibbs snowboarded away at high speed before being caught at the bottom of the mountain.

The trial began on November 27, 2017. Prosecutors presented their circumstantial case: the internet searches about ether, the surveillance video showing suspicious timing, the complete cessation of all Zulma's activity, the purchases of disposal materials, the cadaver dog alert, and Gibbs's uncooperative behavior.

The defense argued that Zulma was mentally unstable and depressed, suggesting she might have committed suicide or been abducted by gang members. They emphasized the lack of blood evidence at the townhouse and the absence of a body.

On December 7, 2017, after nine hours of deliberation, the jury found Gibbs guilty of first-degree murder. They recommended a sentence of fifty years in prison.

The Sentencing

During the sentencing phase, Zulma's sister Yalitza Soba testified about the devastating impact on their family. "My mom and dad have been very sick, physically and mentally," she said. She described how Joseph constantly asked about his mother and had requested a phone for Christmas so he could call her.

"My sister was a strong, independent, loving woman," Soba said. "Great mother, amazing person, inside and out. It breaks my heart that this had to happen."

On March 12, 2018, Judge formally sentenced Gibbs to fifty years in prison. Throughout the proceedings, Gibbs maintained his innocence and never revealed what he had done with Zulma's body.

The Unanswered Question

Despite the conviction, Zulma Pabon's body has never been found. The large trash can, acid, and drain cleaner that Gibbs purchased suggest he may have attempted to dispose of her remains chemically. The trash he dumped during his California trip might have contained evidence. The bag with bedding that showed contact with human remains indicates her body was wrapped at some point.

Zulma's family cannot hold a funeral or visit a grave. They are left with incomplete closure, knowing she is gone but not knowing where she is. Gibbs has steadfastly refused to provide any information about her location.

Legacy and Remembrance

Zulma Lexandra Pabon was a nurse, a mother, a daughter, and a sister. She was planning a new beginning, ready to leave an unhealthy relationship and build a better life for herself and her son. She deserved the chance to live in her new apartment, succeed at her new job, and pursue happiness.

Her case serves as a reminder of the dangers women face when leaving controlling relationships. She had recognized the problems, taken steps to leave, and made concrete plans. But she ran out of time before she could escape.

John E. Gibbs II will spend the rest of his life in prison, but his punishment cannot bring Zulma back. It cannot return her to Joseph, her family, or the patients who needed her care. Somewhere, Zulma's remains rest in an unknown location, waiting to be found so her family can finally lay her to rest with dignity.

Her story stands as a reminder that behind every true crime case is a real person whose life mattered, whose absence leaves a void, and whose memory deserves to be honored. Zulma lived for 26 years and touched many lives. That is what should be remembered, even as we acknowledge the tragedy of how her life ended and the mystery of where she now rests.

Sources

Benjamin Hayes

Benjamin Hayes is a blogger with a passion for true crime and unresolved mysteries. In his free time, Benjamin is an avid hiker and photographer. He finds solace and inspiration in nature, often trekking through the scenic trails of the Appalachian Mountains.