Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Michael McDowell
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
Michael, date, approximate 1978; Lee Evans, date, approximate 2010; Philander Hampton, date, approximate 2010
Date Missing 08/20/1978
Missing From
Newark, New Jersey
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Black
Date of Birth 05/29/1962 (60)
Age 16 years old
Height and Weight 5'6, 170 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A black shirt and gray pants.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Michael was last seen in Newark, New Jersey on August 20, 1978. He was with four friends,Randy Johnson, Melvin Pittman,Ernest Taylor andAlvin Turner.
The five teens played basketball in West Side Park that evening, then got into a pickup truck driven by Lee Anthony Evans, a local carpenter who often hired them for odd jobs. Evans said he dropped the boys off at 11:00 p.m. Michael and his friends have never been heard from again. Authorities believe they disappeared from the area of Clinton Avenue and Fabyan Place.
Several days after the disappearances, one of the boys' mothers got a phone call from someone who claimed he knew their whereabouts and would tell her for $750. The call was traced to a pay phone at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Police went there to investigate, but by the time they arrived the caller was gone. This individual has never been identified and it is unclear whether he actually knew anything about the s.
Police believed the boys had run away, but their family members all said this was uncharacteristic of their behavior. Michael had a minor police record from being involved in a fistfight, but Randy, Melvin, Ernest and Alvin had never been arrested. All of them except Michael lived in Newark and were students at Weequahic High School; Michael had recently moved to East Orange, New Jersey.
Many of the missing teens' relatives are now deceased. Their Social Security numbers haven't been used since they went missing, and none of them have applied for a driver's license in any state.
In March 2010, Evans and another suspect, Philander Hampton, were charged with five counts of murder and arson in the missing teens' s. Photos of Evans and Hampton are posted with this summary. Authorities stated there was a third suspect, Maurice Woody-Olds, but he died of natural causes in 2008. The three men were cousins.
Evans had been a suspect in the at the beginning, but he passed at least one polygraph test and the went cold for decades owing to lack of evidence. It wasn't until a witness came forward in 2008 that the police were able to make progress in the investigation.
Investigators believe the five teens were killed because Evans and Hampton thought they'd stolen marijuana from them. The men allegedly took the boys to an unoccupied house in the 200 block of Camden Street, forced them inside at gunpoint, restrained them, locked them in and set the home on fire.
The house burned to the ground and the fire spread to adjacent residences. Authorities do not know where the bodies are. They searched the site of the former Camden Street residence with ground-penetrating radar, but found no evidence of human remains.
In August 2011, Hampton pleaded guilty to five counts of felony murder. He claims Evans orchestrated the crimes, and stated stated the boys were confined to a closet and the closet door was nailed shut. He agreed to testify at his cousin's upcoming trial.
Hampton was sentenced to ten years in prison for this role in the crimes. Going by 1978 sentencing and parole guidelines, and taking into account the time he's already served awaiting trial, he could be released from custody in less than a year. He will also be given $15,000 after his release to assist with his relocation.
Hampton testified against Evans at the latter's trial in November 2011; he was the star witness. Evans defended himself and presented few witnesses. There was no physical evidence to link him to the crime, and Hampton is a career criminal and drug addict. Evans was acquitted of all charges against him.
Foul play is suspected in the teens' disappearances due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Newark Police Department
973-733-6090
Other
The Doe Network
WNBC New York
The New Jersey Star-Ledger
The Alternative Press
The New York Times
Time Magazine

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos