NY NY - Chad William Everett Thompson, 11, Buffalo, October 7 1985

[Mysteries1974]

On October 7th 1985, eleven year old Chad Thompson returned to his Wende Street home after school and watched his favorite television show “Diff’rent Strokes” according to his mother. Afterwards, he left home again. Some reports claim he went to a friends house which was five houses away from his own home and that he disappeared after leaving.

However, most reports state Chad was heading to the School 82 playground on Weston Avenue between 5:00 and 5:30 pm. He never returned home and was never seen again. After his disappearance, two children came forward to say they witnessed him getting into a vehicle with an unidentified white male. They said he was either pulled in or went into the vehicle willingly. The vehicle was said to be a two door burgundy colored car or a blue van. The sighting occurred at 6:00 pm at Easton and Newburgh Streets.

A sketch of the man was made and distributed but no leads developed. Chad’s disappearance was investigated extensively by police and by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The center kept in contact with Chad’s parents and would update them with information about his disappearance.

Chad’s photo appeared on milk cartons, on interstate truck drivers trucks, and in newspapers across the country. All the while, his mother hoped and dreamed for the day he’d come back home.


Sadly, that day never came. On May 19th 1988, Chad’s skeletal remains were discovered in a swampy field area covered in dense bush near the corner of Maple and Transit Roads. The location was just north of the Amberleigh apartments which hadn’t been built when he disappeared. He was found wearing the same clothing he was wearing when he disappeared in 1985.

Police believe he was abducted and murdered elsewhere before the killer dumped his body in the field he would be found in nearly three years later. Police did not say they had any suspects in the case but said they were looking into people who lived in the western New York area.

Police said the investigation was slightly hampered due to misinformation. Some article claimed Chad was a troublesome child who was involved with drugs and hung out with men who were 18 and 19 years old. These reports were false. Chad was said to be street smart and intelligent at the time of his disappearance. He made average marks at school and while he did have some behavioral issues at school, police said he was simply a mischievous kid.

Chad’s mysterious disappearance and death have never been solved.