Listen Now:
Today I am discussing the disappearances of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker from New York City in 1989. These incidents are so similar that putting them together just makes sense. Both were black, male, toddlers, taken from The Martin Luther King Jr. Park 3 months apart, around the same time of day, on the same day of the week. Not only that, but their families also lived in the same building of the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers just 2 floors apart from each other. And perhaps most chilling of all, both toddlers were last seen playing with the same set of children before they went missing.
Christopher Dansby went missing from The Martin Luther King Jr playground in New York City on May 18th, 1989, when he was just 2 years old. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, floral print shirt, blue jeans, and green and white sneakers. Christopher is a black male with black hair and brown eyes. He has a figure 8 scar on his thigh. He would be in his early 30’s now.
Shane Walker went missing from the same park on August 10th, 1989, when he was just 19 months old. He was last seen wearing a blue and white shirt, light blue pants, and white LA gear sneakers. Shane is a black male with black hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his chin and a birthmark shaped like a liver on his shoulder. He would also be in his early 30’s now.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of either child is urged to contact the national center for missing and exploited children at 1800-843-5678 or the New York City Police Department at 212-694-7781.
Posters for sharing:
Resources:
Arena, Salvatore. “Insurance Case Adds to Missing-Tot Puzzle.” Daily News, 24 Feb. 1997, p. 23. Newspapers.com.
“Chilling Cold Case: Mom Faces Park Where Son ... - Youtube.” YouTube.com, Eyewitness News ABC7NY, 23 Feb. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PWl2oey0wQ.
Davy, Karen, and Molly Gordy. “Mother Please For Missing Son's Return.” Newsday, 12 Aug. 1989, p. 14. Newspapers.com.
“From 2014: Two Mothers Forever Linked by Their Toddlers` Vanishings - Youtube.” YouTube.com, Pix 11 News, 25 Oct. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-zkWIhU8Y.
Harney, James. “2d Tot's Kidnap Has Area in Fear.” Daily News, 12 Aug. 1989, p. 42. Newspapers.com.
“Have You Seen This Child? Christopher Dansby.” Missingkids.com, https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/724088/1/screen.
“Have You Seen This Child? Shane Walker.” Missingkids.com, https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/727904/1/screen.
Hoffer, Jim, and Danielle Leigh. “Chilling Cold Case: Mom Faces Park Where Son Disappeared for First Time.” ABC7 New York, WABC-TV, 23 Feb. 2018, https://abc7ny.com/missing-children-persons-case-unsolved-mysteries-cases/3127138/.
Little, Becky. “Kamiyah Mobley and Other Kids Who Grew up Not Knowing They'd Been Abducted.” A&E, 10 Nov. 2021, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/kamiyah-mobley-and-others-who-discovered-they-were-kidnapped-when-they-were-older.
“New Images Show What Toddlers Who Went Missing from Manhattan Park in 1989 Would Look like Today.” CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021, https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/christopher-dansby-shane-walker-cold-case/.
Nicolaou, Elena. “‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Explores the Disappearance of Two Toddlers in 1989.” Oprah Daily, 2 Nov. 2021, https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a34349532/unsolved-mysteries-shane-walker-christopher-dansby-carlina-white/.
“Reported Missing Children in New York State, 1989.” Reported Missing Children in New York State, 1989 | Office of Justice Programs, https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/reported-missing-children-new-york-state-1989.
Rosenbaum, Philip. “Cold Case: Toddlers Vanish from Park.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Nov. 2009, https://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/30/grace.coldcase.walker/index.html.
“Search For 2 Toddlers Expands.” The Tyler Courier-Times, 16 Aug. 1989, p. 30. Newspapers.com.
“Search for Missing Children Expands.” The Messenger, 16 Aug. 1989, p. 2. Newspapers.com.
Siegel, Joel. “Warm Hotline, Cold Trail to Missing Tot.” Daily News, 13 Aug. 1989, p. 4. Newspapers.com.
“Stolen Kids.” Unsolved Mysteries, season 2, episode 6, Netflix, 19 Oct. 2020.
Wright, Chapin. “Missing Boys Haunt Moms One Year Later.” Newsday, 12 Aug. 1990, p. 6. Newspapers.com.
Yglesias, Linda. “Private Vigils.” Daily News, 13 Oct. 1991, pp. 7–15. Newspapers.com.