George Stanley Burdynski Jr.

• Missing Since 05/24/1993
• Missing From Brentwood, Maryland
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 07/29/1982 (41)
• Age 10 years old
• Height and Weight 4'0, 60 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue shirt and green shorts.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Red and white 1950s series Schwinn bicycle with a large seat, large, wide handlebars with a spare rim tied around them, and a missing rear fender (the spare rim was later recovered)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Dark blond hair, brown eyes. George has a scar on the right side of his face above his mouth. His nickname is Junior.

Details of Disappearance

George's mother told authorities that he left the family's residence in the 4300 block of 40th Place in Brentwood, Maryland at approximately 3:30 p.m. on May 24, 1993. He was planning ride his bike to bike to meet an adult friend, Robert Violet, at his home in the 4500 block of 37th Street.

Violet stated that George never arrived, but witnesses said that they saw the child in front of Violet's mother's residence at 4:00 p.m. George was last seen biking around the neighborhood at approximately 8:30 p.m. that evening. He has never been heard from again.

George's bicycle is described as a red and white 1950s series Schwinn with a large seat and large, wide handlebars. It was missing its rear fender and had a spare rim tied around the handlebars at the time of his disappearance. His father and Violet searched for George the following morning and discovered the rim near a tennis court three blocks from the family's residence. There was no sign of George at the scene and his bicycle has never been recovered. A photo of George's bike is posted with this case summary.

One lead in George's case involved two suspects who were connected to a child exploitation ring in the mid-Atlantic United States. Maryland law enforcement and the FBI discovered that the suspects utilized the Internet to further their child sexual abuse ventures. The individuals, Steven Leak (occasionally referred to as "Bruce Leak"), James A. Kowalski Jr. and Joseph Lynch, were never charged in connection with George's disappearance, but the FBI did begin an investigation focused on Internet child exploitation as a result of the failed lead.

Innocent Images debuted in 1994 and works to prosecute suspected child pornographers on the web. George's mother testified at Lynch's trial, saying that her son visited Lynch's home in the 3200 block of Varnum Street with his friends in 1993.

Authorities believe that Kowalski, Leak and Lynch sexually abused two of George's friends the weekend prior to his disappearance. Kowalski stated that he was not aware George was missing, but investigators discovered he videotaped news footage of the boy's case at his home. The three men were eventually convicted of child abuse unrelated to George's case. Kowalski and Leak are still incarcerated, but Lynch has been released.

Investigators announced in March 2002 that they were focusing on another individual whom they believe may have murdered George in 1993. Authorities have not publicly named the suspect, as the case is still under investigation. The information received by investigators reportedly does not involve any of the convicted child molesters.

In 2004, there were reported sightings of George in Boston and Northborough, Massachusetts. Witnesses recognized him by the scar on his face and said he appeared to be homeless. He may have been with a group of people selling magazines or coupon books door to door. Two detectives from Brentwood traveled to Massachusetts to investigate the sightings, but they were unable to locate the individual or determine whether or not he was actually George. He has never been identified.

George's case remains unsolved.