TN TN - John Abbott, 13, Memphis, April 29, 1998

Murkywaters

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  • #1
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The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

John Abbott was last seen in Memphis, TN on April 29, 1998. He left his residence on
1444 Woodston Rd telling his mother he was en route to a friends house to go skateboarding. He has never been heard from again.

Please help find a photo and more info on John.
 
  • #2
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Demographics
Missing Age: 13 Years
Current Age: 35 Years
First Name: John
Middle Name--
Last Name: Abbott
Nickname/Alias--
Sex: Male
Height: 5' 2" (62 Inches)
Weight: 110 lbs
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: April 29, 1998
NamUs Case Created: February 27, 2020
Last Known Location Map
Location: 1444 Woodston, Tennessee 38117
County: Shelby County
Circumstances of Disappearance: Child told his mother he was going to a friend's house to go skateboarding, and never returned.

Physical Description
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Left Eye Color: Blue
Right Eye Color: Blue
 
  • #3
Beyond the Namus link you posted, I can't seem to find any more info on this kid. Not a news article, friend's name, parents' names, etc. It also doesn't help that his name is common enough.

I found the address on a Memphis State University Student/Faculty Telephone Directory, but it's for the 1975-76 academic year, so it's not helpful for this case.

So frustrating!
 
  • #4
Shocking that there is NO information that I could find. There was no references to a John Abbott missing from Memphis TN except for the NAMUS link and this web sleuths thread. He was just a kid.
Is there a photo out there?
Do we know where the friends house was?
 
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  • #5
Shocking that there is NO information that I could find. There was no references to a John Abbott missing from Memphis TN except for the NAMUS link and this web sleuths thread. He was just a kid.
Is there a photo out there?
Do we know where the friends house was?

Yes, its very sad. I've ran his name through newspapers.com but nothing...
 
  • #6
Is it possible his case was solved and adding it to NamUs this year is an error?
You would think there would be old articles, though.

Or do you think he's been missing all this time but LE back then did the bare minimum and that was it, and his family didn't know what else to do? And now finally a decent team in Memphis has gotten him added to NamUs? (Not accusing but truly wondering.)

NamUs isn't perfect; I have found a case that was resolved 3 years ago still on NamUs, but IMO this one isn't a similar situation since it was just added to NamUs in 2020.

Poor 13-year-old John and his family, if he is still missing and his case never had the attention it deserved. :(.
 
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  • #7
Beyond the Namus link you posted, I can't seem to find any more info on this kid. Not a news article, friend's name, parents' names, etc. It also doesn't help that his name is common enough.

I found the address on a Memphis State University Student/Faculty Telephone Directory, but it's for the 1975-76 academic year, so it's not helpful for this case.

So frustrating!

This case has been bothering me since I came across it... the complete lack of information is frustrating. The one thing that is on there is the address. I believe I have found the mother's name through property records.
I am still unclear as to what information I am allowed to post in here
 
  • #8
Thumbnail


The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

John Abbott was last seen in Memphis, TN on April 29, 1998. He left his residence on
1444 Woodston Rd telling his mother he was en route to a friends house to go skateboarding. He has never been heard from again.

Please help find a photo and more info on John.
I was hoping to find a yearbook photo but I have been unsuccessful. There are no yearbooks that I could find for either of the schools he likely attended (Sea Isle Elementary & Colonial Middle School are both within walking distance of the home)
 
  • #9
Bumping
 
  • #10
I was hoping to find a yearbook photo but I have been unsuccessful. There are no yearbooks that I could find for either of the schools he likely attended (Sea Isle Elementary & Colonial Middle School are both within walking distance of the home)
I don't think there were yearbooks, just class photos. There's a FB group with some of them (maybe 5-10%) for Sea Isle but he's not in there. I'm not either, but I just went there for one year.
 
  • #11
  • #12
Has anyone reached out to Namus contact, or perhaps NCMEC to see if they have a case on him?

April 29, 1998 was a Wednesday.

Map below shows red-dot last location (specific address) and proximity to both the borders of Arkansas (<20 miles) and Mississipi (<15 miles).
1680032820673.png
 
  • #13
I believe there has been a small addition to the NamUs profile for this case. It currently says,

Circumstances of Disappearance
Child told his mother he was going to a friend's house to go skateboarding, and never returned. Victim is presumed drowned.



Unfortunately nothing about why it's presumed he's drowned nor where. But this would mean he's been missing all this time. I feel for his family.
 
  • #14
New member, happened to stumble across this forum and post in particular as I was thinking of Nonconnah and the flooding Memphis is currently experiencing, and John popped in my head. I tried finding an obituary to verify my recollection but I can find nothing on that boy’s existence except for this thread.

I don’t know if anyone will see this, but just putting what I remember out there.

I did not know John, but one of my best friends growing up was. I remember how devastated he was. It’s odd that there’s no obituary and nobody can find photos or information or a resolution to this.

He was a student at Colonial Middle School at the time, and so there should be a photo of him SOMEWHERE. My recollection (I’m 41 now, and those years are pretty blurry). He was found deceased on the banks of Nonconnah. At the time there was speculation that he had been killed as some sort of gang initiation, as he had multiple burns on his body from where cigarettes had been put out on him, and I cannot say for certain, but I seem to remember when he was found, he was bound and tied; but the official cause of death (again, this is what I can recall) was drowning.

I wish I could ask my childhood friend about the case, but we have lost touch over the years. (He is an addict, has been in and out of jail and while I miss him dearly, I have no address or phone number or way of contacting him). He remained close friends with John’s mom and they stayed in touch for years. She would call him every year on the day he went missing. My friend MAY have been the one John went to visit, but I also can’t say that with certainty; my friend lived off of Amboy.

I’m not trying to gain anything here, I just wanted to put out what a neighborhood kid remembers.
 

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