William Ebenezer Jones III

• Missing Since 12/17/1962
• Missing From Vineland, New Jersey
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 03/05/1959 (65)
• Age 3 years old
• Height and Weight 3'0, 30 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A light blue/gray snowsuit with a navy blue collar and large silver buttons, a matching hat, and tan high-top sneakers with crepe soles and yellow laces.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes. William has a giraffe-shaped vaccination scar on the back of his upper left arm. His nickname is Billy.

Details of Disappearance

William was last seen in the backyard of his family's residence on Taylor Avenue in Vineland, New Jersey at 1:00 p.m. on December 17, 1962. He was playing with his two-year-old sister and the family dog while his mother watched through the window from inside.

William's mother went into a bedroom to check on her other son and when she came out, her daughter was standing in the doorway, holding a plastic poinsettia. She stated William had given her the plant and a man had taken William.

Family and friends launched an immediate search of the neighborhood, but found no sign of the child and called the police after an hour. He has never been heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was carrying a dime his mother had given him.

William did not have very good verbal skills in 1962. He loved dogs and had been given a puppy shortly before he vanished. Both his parents are now deceased, but his younger sister is still alive and hopes he may yet be found.

William's case is the oldest unsolved disappearance of a child under five in New Jersey state history. He may have been abducted by someone who wanted to raise a child.