George Barksdale

• Missing Since 04/21/1969
• Missing From Baltimore, Maryland
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race Black
• Date of Birth 02/10/1965 (60)
• Age 4 years old
• Height and Weight 2'6, 35 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A red, white and blue pullover polo shirt, red or blue corduroy pants and black sneakers with red stripes on the bottom.
• Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. George has a birthmark on his left calf. His nickname is Sputnik.

Details of Disappearance

George was last seen playing on the steps of the United Church House of Prayer for All People at Preston Street and Argyle Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. on April 21, 1969. He has never been heard from again. Authorities believe he was abducted by a non-family member.

There was a possible sighting of him at St. Martins Church in the 30 block of North Fulton Avenue after his disappearance. An African-American woman with white hair, aged about 70 years old, came in with a little boy asking for food assistance, saying she just needed enough to last until her monthly benefit check arrived. Someone working at the church asked what the little boy's name was and the woman hesitated, then the boy said, "My name is George."

The woman claimed the little boy was the son of her daughter who had just died and left him in her care. She gave her address before leaving and said her last name was Williams, and the church employee called police because they thought they recognized the child as the missing George Barksdale. The address the woman gave turned out to be fictitious. Investigators looked up every person on the welfare rolls with the last name Williams, but none of them matched the woman's description.

George talked well at the time of his disappearance and knew his address and the names of his family members. He lived in the 1000 block of Argyle Avenue. His case remains unsolved.