Were there any suspects in Mark Himebaugh's disappearance? Details explored ahead of People Magazine Investigates

Mark Himebaugh
Mark Himebaugh case features on ID's People Magazine Investigates (Image via Child Find of America, IMDb)

To date, multiple suspects have been identified in Mark Himebaugh's 1991 disappearance, including his father Jody Himebaugh, who was doubted because of his strange behavior during the initial stages of the case. Jody was, however, cleared of all suspicion after he provided a solid alibi.

Later, a convicted pa*dophile named Thomas Butcavage was also linked to the missing case, especially after a s*x worker tipped authorities that the offender once showed him a video of a boy who resembled Mark. Thomas was never charged due to a lack of physical evidence connecting him to the disappearance. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to 18 to 36 years for victimizing young boys.

In May 2023, Local police and the FBI reportedly started working together, using Vollee Artificial Intelligence, to solve the case.

Mark Himebaugh's unsolved case is set to feature on People Magazine Investigates in an episode titled Where Is Mark Himebaugh?, which airs on Investigation Discovery this Monday, July 24, at 9 pm ET.

The official synopsis reads:

"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."

The FBI, along with local police, are using AI to solve Mark Himebaugh's case

youtube-cover

Mark Himebaugh, an eleven-year-old who disappeared on November 25, 1991, after leaving his Del Haven home to watch a bushfire in the nearby marsh, remains missing to date.

Authorities suspect that the boy was abducted by someone not far from his house especially after a firefighter found one of his shoes about two blocks away.

On the day of the fire, local police had set up a detour for the moving traffic to pass from Mark's neighborhood. This caused a jam in the area, causing the potential kidnapper(s) to pass by.

Several witnesses claimed to have seen the boy talking to two individuals in a white or grey car sometime around 3 pm. He was reported missing by his mother that same evening.

At first, authorities suspected the involvement of Mark's father Jody Himebaugh in the disappearance especially because of his strange behavior in the days that followed.

Jody reportedly went to work unbothered while the rest of the community volunteered in an extensive search for his son. He was cleared for the solidi alibi he provided.

The initial investigation was a failure, especially after the deployed canine units, multiple volunteers, and helicopters being particularly utilized for the missing case failed to yield results.

According to People Magazine, Mark was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, grey-colored pants, and LA Gear sneakers when he disappeared.

Besides Jody Himebaugh and the two mysterious men seen talking to Mark Himebaugh that afternoon, a convicted pa*dophile named Thomas Butcavage from Pennsylvania was also declared a key suspect in the case based on a composite sketch.

Moreover, a s*x worker claimed Thomas showed him a video of a boy, who had an odd resemblance to the missing 11-year-old. But, he was never charged because no physical evidence was ever found to directly connect him to the case.

Nonetheless, he was sentenced to 18 to 36 years for committing s*x crimes against young boys.

Local police and the FBI reportedly combined efforts and are collaboratively working with Tabtu Corp and its service provider Terawe to solve the decades-old disappearance.

They are using Vollee Artificial Intelligence to re-evaluate all key evidence, find patterns, and solve the seemingly unsolvable case.


ID's People Magazine Investigates further delves into the mysterious case this Monday at 9 pm ET.

Quick Links

Edited by Prem Deshpande
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications