Mark Joseph Himebaugh was a preteen who vanished from near his home in 1991. Police believe that he was abducted by a stranger.
Background[]
Mark was born on May 23, 1980. At the time of his disappearance he lived with his mother and brother and attended Cape May County Alternative Middle School. Mark unfortunately struggled with his mental health and was considered "emotionally disturbed". He may have had OCD and would often have tantrums because of it. However, this was improving as a result of medication and talk therapy.
Case[]
Mark was last seen near his house on Sunray Road in rural Del Haven, New Jersey at around 4:00 p.m. on November 25, 1991. His mother had allowed him to go and watch firefighters put out a small bush fire not far from their family home. While Mark was out she decided to go and run an errand. This was normally have taken approximately 5 minutes but because of traffic she it ended up taking 40 minutes instead. When she arrived home she noticed that Mark had not returned, however, she initially assumed that he was just outside playing with other children in the neighborhood.
Mark may have been seen entering a nearby park with an unidentified young girl at around 3:40 p.m. that day. The child was approximately nine or ten year old with dishwater blonde hair. She was about 4 feet tall, weighed between 70-75 pounds and wore a three quarter length dark blue ski parka with an orange stripe on the back. While this report is unconfirmed, authorities would like to speak to the girl if she was indeed with Mark that day as she may know important information relating to his disappearance.
Mark also may have been seen in the company of two other males that day. One was estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old with a dark reddish-brown ponytail. The man, who was about 5'8-5'9 tall and 150 pounds, appeared generally unkempt. A sketch of him has been created by police. There is unfortunately no description or sketch of the second male available.
After Mark was reported missing at 5:00 p.m. that evening, traffic was rerouted past his house. Extensive air and ground searches of the area led to Mark's left shoe being recovered. It was found at Sunray Beach, only around 75 yards from his family home, on the same day he vanished. Mark's footprints were also seen above the tide line. No other evidence has been uncovered in his case.
A man named Thomas Butcavage Jr. is considered to be a person of interest in Mark's case. He resembled one the two men Mark may have been seen with and in 1993, a male prostitute approached police with a video of Butcavage sexually assaulting a young boy who looked like Mark. The boy in the video, who was handcuffed and gagged, appeared frightened. According to the man who had brought this forward, Butcavage had said the boy was Mark and that he had planted the sneaker on the beach to hinder the investigation.
Butcavage has never been charged in relation to Mark's case, although he has spent time in prison for sexually abusing underage boys. Police want anyone who knew Butcavage in the late 80s or early 90s to contact them. Mark's case remains unsolved. Authorities believe that he was probably abducted by a stranger.
Characteristics[]
- Red hair
- Blue eyes
- He had freckles on his face
- He may also have had patches of freckles all over his body
- Birthmark on his torso
- He may have otherwise or also have had some small brown marks on his abdomen
- His left foot was healing from a fracture at the time of his disappearance but it was no longer in a cast
- Emotional problems which he required medication to manage
- He bit his nails
- Right handed
Clothing and accessories[]
- A blue USN sweatshirt
- A grey jacket with red, blue and grey plaid lining and four outer pockets
- Grey Docker pants
- Red and white LA Gear sneakers
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Mark Himebaugh at the Charley Project
- Mark Himebaugh at NamUs
- Mark Himebaugh at NCMEC
- Mark Himebaugh at the Doe Network