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

Robert Clarence Dunbar

Robert, date, approximate 1912
Date Missing 08/23/1912
Missing From
Opelousas, Louisiana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Age 4 years old
Height and Weight Unknown
Clothing/Jewelry Description A straw hat, blue rompers and no shoes.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. Robert's hair was darkening at the time of his disappearance and may have become brown as he grew older. He has a mole on his neck and a burn scar on his big toe. His nicknames are Bobby and Robbie.
Details of Disappearance Robert was last seen on August 23, 1912. He was with his parents and younger brother on a fishing trip at Swayze Lake near Opelousas, Louisiana at the time. When his family went to the cabins for lunch at noon, Robert apparently wandered away. He has never been heard from again.
An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts. Searchers did find a set of bare footprints leading out of the swamps to the railroad trestle, and there were reports of a strange man lurking in the area, so it was decided Robert must have been abducted.
In April 1913, eight months after Robert's disappearance, William Cantwell Walters was arrested and charged with his kidnapping. Walters, an itinerant handyman, was found in Mississippi with a child closely matching Robert's description.
Walters stated the boy was named Bruce Anderson and his servant, Julia Anderson, had given him the child as a traveling companion. Bruce was believed to be the illegitimate son of Julie and Walters's brother.
Bruce refused to answer to the name Bobby Dunbar, and initially he claimed he did not know Robert's mother. Julia identified the child as her son, but a court-appointed arbiter decided the boy was Robert.
Walters was convicted of kidnapping, but the conviction was overturned on a technicality two years later and he was released. He was not retried, and he always maintained his innocence.
The child who was with him was given to Robert's family and was raised as their child. He gave at least one media interview as an adult, claiming to recall the details of his kidnapping.
However, family members state he was reportedly uncertain as to his true identity for his entire life. He had four children and was buried under the name Robert Dunbar after his death.
Julia went on to marry and have eight other children, who grew up being told they had a brother who was taken from them.
In 2004, authorities announced that DNA testing had proved the child found with Walters was not Robert. Robert's granddaughter began to research the in 1999 and became suspicious as to whether or not her grandfather was really Robert Dunbar.
Robert's son, Robert Dunbar Jr., provided a DNA sample, which was compared with Robert Sr.'s brother. Testing proved Robert Jr. and his supposed uncle were not related.
The identity of the child who was identified as Bobby Dunbar is unknown; he has not been proven to be Bruce Anderson or anyone else.
With the results of the DNA testing, Robert was again classified as a missing child. It is possible that he fell off the railroad trestle and died, but his fate remains a mystery. His is no longer being investigated by law enforcement due to the passage of time.
Investigating Agency
None
Other
The Washington Times
The Wilmington Star-News
The Oakland Tribune
The Daily Advertiser
The Dothan Eagle
This is American Life

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.

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