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On November 25, 1991, 11-year-old Mark Himebaugh's disappearance baffled the community of Jersey Shore when he went missing near his house. Mark left home that day to watch a nearby bushfire in the marsh and never returned home. His mother reported him missing that same evening.
Initially, multiple suspects were identified in the case, including Mark's father, because of his odd behavior in the days that followed. Witnesses even reported seeing the boy talking to two people in a car that afternoon.
Detectives believed these men were directed towards his neighborhood when police set up a diversion because of the fire and likely abducted him there. A convicted pedophile was also identified as a possible suspect but never charged.
People Magazine Investigates on ID chronicles Mark Himebaugh's puzzling disappearance in an episode titled Where Is Mark Himebaugh. The episode aired on the channel on Monday, July 25, 2023.
An official synopsis for the same says:
"In November 1991, 11-year-old Mark Himebaugh leaves home to check out a nearby brushfire and disappears without a trace; as police investigate, they discover that both his family and the town may be hiding some disturbing secrets."
Mark Himebaugh's disappearance: A curious boy, a strange missing case, and multiple suspects, among other details
1) Mark's mother last saw him before he left home to watch a bushfire
Mark Himebaugh's mother, Maureen, saw him the last time before he left home on November 25, 1991, to watch a bushfire in the marsh near his Del Haven home. According to a People Magazine report, Maureen said he "was a Curious George and a good little boy." The 11-year-old was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, grey-colored pants, and LA Gear sneakers.
2) A firefighter found Mark Himebaugh's shoe two blocks from his home
Reports state that Mark was reported missing that same evening when he failed to return home. A search for the boy soon followed, with authorities presuming that he possibly drowned in the nearby surf or got stuck in the marsh. During the search, canine units, multiple volunteers from the community, and helicopters were deployed to look for the 11-year-old missing boy.
There was little hope and no evidence until a firefighter found one of Mark's sneakers in a sandy brush. The same People magazine report mentioned how "excited" Maureen got "thinking, 'He's got to be out there, there's his sneaker.'"
But when there was no sign of Mark, authorities concluded that someone likely abducted him from the traffic that was diverted towards his neighborhood when local law enforcement set up a diversion due to the fire.
3) Multiple suspects, including Mark's father, were linked to the case
The investigation into Mark Himebaugh's disappearance was followed by multiple tips from witnesses who claimed to have spotted the boy talking to two individuals in a white or grey car around 3.30 pm. Detectives suspected these men were directed towards his neighborhood with the flooding traffic. A composite sketch of one of these men was also circulated but to no avail.
Another suspect was Mark's father, Jody Himebaugh, who was acting strange in the days that followed. Jody reportedly went to work and seemed unbothered while the rest of the community looked for his son. But he had a solid alibi and was soon ruled out as a potential suspect.
4) A convicted pedophile was almost linked to the disappearance but never charged
While investigating Mark Himebaugh's missing case, police questioned and looked into other suspects, including 57-year-old Thomas Butcavage from Pennsylvania. He was identified as a potential kidnapper using the above-mentioned composite sketch, resembling one of those mysterious men seen talking to the 11-year-old that afternoon.
Thomas Butcavage was convicted for s*x crimes against young boys and sentenced to 18 to 36 years in prison. Moreover, a s*x worker claimed that the pedophile once showed him a video of a young boy who looked like Mark. However, Thomas maintained his innocence and was never charged in the disappearance due to a lack of physical evidence.
Detectives, along with the FBI, are now using AI to re-examine evidence in Mark Himebaugh's case.
