IL IL - Timothy Davison, 4, Decatur, 15 Oct 1985

[Ksprincess2]

Guessing he was never actually in the car at the grocery store. I wonder what the other siblings would say if they were interviewed now about their brothers disappearance and his treatment prior to that.

 

[spartanx]

Guessing he was never actually in the car at the grocery store. I wonder what the other siblings would say if they were interviewed now about their brothers disappearance and his treatment prior to that.

It's a possibility, but it's too remote. I can also imagine that the police don't have the name of the child, let alone the address, because he was on the streets, it would be impossible to find him. What seems inconceivable to me is that the aunt would leave that baby alone in the car with the doors open... I think it's a lie, it can't be, it's like a cheap excuse, perhaps to get rid of the child... parents are the worst, leaving so many children for the aunt to take care of, and they? how could they not? if they were just divorcing... it was nothing special... the parents and the aunt are responsible here... they must pay
rest in peace Timothy

 

[StrangeOne]

Guessing he was never actually in the car at the grocery store. I wonder what the other siblings would say if they were interviewed now about their brothers disappearance and his treatment prior to that.

T. J. Davison Unsolved
In this article, the Chief of Police, Mark Barthelemy doesn't believe the aunt is innocent in this. He asks the question why does a sleeping child you wrap in a blanket have a baseball cap on? Does this mean that she told them she put the cap on him before she wrapped him in the blanket to go to the store? Because he could have already had the cap on and she wrapped him up leaving it on.

 

[Adam_History]

I have spent the past year researching this case, and with the significant discoveries I’ve made, things aren't looking good. I have obtained all the police reports from the very first day of the crime, up to the last major investigation in 2013. There are numerous inconsistencies and overlooked details. Only a few people truly know what happened in 1985, and one of them is aging. I hope this person comes forward before it’s too late.

I've conducted interviews with family members and close friends, and everything seems to point in one direction. While I can't reveal specifics or names just yet, it’s clear that I and others have a strong idea of who may be involved.

I also believe that the disappearance of the aunt plays a significant role in TJ's case—though it’s a complicated and tangled situation.

One thing I must point out: Since about 1987, neither TJ's mother nor father has made any requests for information about their missing son. If that doesn’t raise eyebrows, I don’t know what will. It’s incredibly strange.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Timothy Jacob Davison – The Charley Project

• Associated Vehicle(s) Black two-door 1978 or 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass with Indiana license plates
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Timothy's nickname is T.J. He has a speech impediment. He was missing his upper two front teeth at the time of his disappearance.

<<Timothy had vanished from the vehicle. He may have been seen getting into a black two-door 1978 or 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass with Indiana license plates. There has been no sign of him since that time.>>


Aug 8, 2021 updated article

LOST YEARS AND FAILED LEADS WEAR DOWN HOPE FOR MISSING DECATUR

Police here pulled open the metal drawer containing Timothy ”T.J.” Davison`s missing-person file Wednesday and added to it one more folder of stray clues and dashed hopes. After amassin…

www.chicagotribune.com

<<Now that he is gone, T.J. is getting the attention he starved for during his early childhood. According to police, T.J. and his two brothers were passed from family to family because their parents were either unable or unwilling to care for them.

”They weren`t interested in them,” said the aunt. ”They had a life of their own. They didn`t expose them to anything, didn`t teach them anything.” In the spring of 1985, T.J. came to Decatur to live with his aunt. He played in her swimming pool and was beginning to open up. He disappeared five months later when he was left alone in a car for 20 minutes.>>


That breaks my heart!

 

[Pennysmom1]

Timothy Jacob Davison

Left and Center: Timothy circa, 1985 Right: Age Progressed to age 31 Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: October 15, 1985 Missing From: Decatur, Macon County, Illinois Classifi…

rcccmcc.com

 

[DD Byrd]

Does anyone know if the Aunt who disappeared had any relationship or known contact with Delanie?

 

[Aurora90]

I have spent the past year researching this case, and with the significant discoveries I’ve made, things aren't looking good. I have obtained all the police reports from the very first day of the crime, up to the last major investigation in 2013. There are numerous inconsistencies and overlooked details. Only a few people truly know what happened in 1985, and one of them is aging. I hope this person comes forward before it’s too late.

I've conducted interviews with family members and close friends, and everything seems to point in one direction. While I can't reveal specifics or names just yet, it’s clear that I and others have a strong idea of who may be involved.

I also believe that the disappearance of the aunt plays a significant role in TJ's case—though it’s a complicated and tangled situation.

One thing I must point out: Since about 1987, neither TJ's mother nor father has made any requests for information about their missing son. If that doesn’t raise eyebrows, I don’t know what will. It’s incredibly strange.

The confusing thing is that the aunt that went missing was not the one who had custody and "lost" timothy. One was maternal, the other paternal. So I am surprised to hear that she might have some significant role in this case.

I am more curious about what the OTHER aunt has to say. I am very curious why she only took the one son to the mall, why not the others? What reason did she tell them I am only taking Timothy and no one else.

I feel sorry for Timothy's mom, having lost her sister and one of her sons. I feel the possible outcome is a bit obvious, but its the other circumstances around it that make me curious.

I am also curious as to the paternal aunt and her situation. What did she do for work? If timothy was harmed by a family member the next thought is proximity. There is one case where a missing girl's boyfriend worked in landfill and construction disposal.

Her access/proximity to locations where a body could be buried is important here, in my opinion. I find it telling that the paternal aunt hasn't said a word publicly.

@Adam_History will your interviews with the family ever be made public?

 

[Adam_History]

The confusing thing is that the aunt that went missing was not the one who had custody and "lost" timothy. One was maternal, the other paternal. So I am surprised to hear that she might have some significant role in this case.

I am more curious about what the OTHER aunt has to say. I am very curious why she only took the one son to the mall, why not the others? What reason did she tell them I am only taking Timothy and no one else.

I feel sorry for Timothy's mom, having lost her sister and one of her sons. I feel the possible outcome is a bit obvious, but its the other circumstances around it that make me curious.

I am also curious as to the paternal aunt and her situation. What did she do for work? If timothy was harmed by a family member the next thought is proximity. There is one case where a missing girl's boyfriend worked in landfill and construction disposal.

Her access/proximity to locations where a body could be buried is important here, in my opinion. I find it telling that the paternal aunt hasn't said a word publicly.

@Adam_History will your interviews with the family ever be made public?

I don’t believe the missing aunt had anything directly to do with Timmothy’s disappearance, but I do think she may have known more than we realize. Regarding her case, it’s been suggested that her boyfriend was involved, though nothing has been definitively proven. It could just be a strange coincidence that both she and Timmothy ended up missing.

At this time, no interviews will be made public, as some of the individuals I’ve spoken with prefer to remain quiet. This is largely due to concerns that the person or persons involved in this crime are still alive and living in the area.

 

[Adam_History]

Does anyone know if the Aunt who disappeared had any relationship or known contact with Delanie?

As far as I know, I don’t believe so.

Cindy, the missing aunt, was TJ’s mom’s sister, while Delanie was TJ’s dad’s sister.

 

[Pennysmom1]

 

[Pennysmom1]

updated 5/28/25 (not sure what was added or changed)

Loading…

www.doenetwork.org

Mouse over to enlarge. The image on the left and in the center was taken circa 1985. The images on the right are age progressed to 23 and 31 years.


Name: Timothy Jacob Davison
Nickname/Alias: TJ
Case Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Missing Since: October 10, 1985
Location Last Seen: Decatur, Macon County, Illinois

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: January 22, 1981
Age: 4 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 3'4"
Weight: 40 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers​

Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: A black baseball cap, light blue windbreaker, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Davison was last seen on October 10, 1985 in Decatur, IL. Davison's aunt, who had custody of him, left him sleeping unattended for 30 minutes in her car in the parking lot while she made a brief shopping trip to the Kroger store inside the Brettwood Village Shopping Center located on the 3000 block of North Water Street.

Davison's aunt took the 3 other children with her into the grocery store and let TJ sleep in the vehicle with the doors unlocked. When she returned to the vehicle, TJ had disappeared. He has not been seen nor heard from since. The vehicle at the time where TJ was said to have been sleeping when he vanished was described as a red 1981 Dodge Omni. The incident was at about noon.

In the spring of 1985, TJ came to Decatur, IL to live with his aunt. The aunt was given custody of TJ and his siblings when their parents divorced. Their real parents lived in Winter Haven, FL and were cleared as suspects in TJ's disappearance.

Davison's mother's sister, 1766dffl Cindy Smith, also went missing in 1987. However, the cases are recorded to be unrelated.

The home where TJ and his siblings had lived on North Charles Street with their aunt burned down in 2002. The land had become property of the Macon County trustees. TJ had difficulty speaking and did not know his last name.

 

[Simply Caustic]

updated 5/28/25 (not sure what was added or changed)

Loading…

www.doenetwork.org

View attachment 609481 View attachment 609482 View attachment 609483 View attachment 609484
Mouse over to enlarge. The image on the left and in the center was taken circa 1985. The images on the right are age progressed to 23 and 31 years.


Name: Timothy Jacob Davison
Nickname/Alias: TJ
Case Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Missing Since: October 10, 1985
Location Last Seen: Decatur, Macon County, Illinois

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: January 22, 1981
Age: 4 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 3'4"
Weight: 40 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers​

Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: A black baseball cap, light blue windbreaker, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Davison was last seen on October 10, 1985 in Decatur, IL. Davison's aunt, who had custody of him, left him sleeping unattended for 30 minutes in her car in the parking lot while she made a brief shopping trip to the Kroger store inside the Brettwood Village Shopping Center located on the 3000 block of North Water Street.

Davison's aunt took the 3 other children with her into the grocery store and let TJ sleep in the vehicle with the doors unlocked. When she returned to the vehicle, TJ had disappeared. He has not been seen nor heard from since. The vehicle at the time where TJ was said to have been sleeping when he vanished was described as a red 1981 Dodge Omni. The incident was at about noon.

In the spring of 1985, TJ came to Decatur, IL to live with his aunt. The aunt was given custody of TJ and his siblings when their parents divorced. Their real parents lived in Winter Haven, FL and were cleared as suspects in TJ's disappearance.

Davison's mother's sister, 1766dffl Cindy Smith, also went missing in 1987. However, the cases are recorded to be unrelated.

The home where TJ and his siblings had lived on North Charles Street with their aunt burned down in 2002. The land had become property of the Macon County trustees. TJ had difficulty speaking and did not know his last name.

Charley Project page shares that a search was done in 2013 of the aunt’s former residence. Not sure if this was included prior at Doe or not, but it could be what’s missing.