Maurice Laron Jefferson

Maurice, circa 1983; Age-progressions to age 43 (circa 2010)

  • Missing Since 11/30/1983
  • Missing From Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Classification Non-Family Abduction
  • Sex Male
  • Race Black
  • Date of Birth 08/08/1967 (56)
  • Age 16 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'11, 120 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A white t-shirt, short beige pants, long socks and white sneakers.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Red hair, brown eyes. Maurice is very bowlegged. He has a mole on the top of his right ear and he had two warts on his right wrist at the time of his disappearance. Maurice's nickname is Red. His hair changes color with the weather and may appear orange on hot days.

Details of Disappearance

Maurice left his family's Fort Lauderdale, Florida residence on November 30, 1983 to attend a basketball practice at nearby Dillard High School, where he was a student.

It has been established that Maurice arrived at the Franklin Park basketball court that day, but he never showed up for practice. Two teenage girls reported they saw him being forced into an Oldsmobile by two unidentified African-American men, but this has not been confirmed. He has never been heard from again.

Maurice was involved in many activities in 1983. He was choirboy at the Piney Grove First Baptist Church, he played junior varsity basketball and ran track, and he was a Junior ROTC Cadet. He dreamed of becoming a doctor someday.

Maurice left his wallet, money and identification behind at his grandmother's home in the 200 block of northwest 30th Terrace. At the time of his disappearance, he lived back and forth between his grandmother's residence and his mother's home in Alabama. His grandmother still lives in the same house she shared with him in 1983, and has kept the same phone number.

Due to police procedures in place at the time Maurice vanished, authorities did not begin searching for him for three days after his disappearance was reported. His case remains unsolved and little evidence is available as to his fate.

Some agencies state Maurice went missing on November 28, 1983. In 2009, a documentary filmmaker announced her intention to make a film about his disappearance.

Updated 9 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 30, 2016; clothing/jewelry description updated.