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302 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

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Summary based on 3 sources
In the late autumn of 1979, a young man named Joseph Patrick Breen, also known as Joey, vanished, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. At 23 years old, Joey was last seen on the evening of November 12, 1979. While some records associate his case with Chicago, Illinois, the available details surrounding his disappearance place him in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on that particular night. He had gone out for the evening but never returned home, and from that moment on, he has not been seen or heard from again. The abruptness of his departure left his loved ones with unanswered questions and the beginning of a long and painful search for answers.

At the time he went missing, Joseph was described as a white male with black hair and hazel eyes, standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 140 to 150 pounds. He had a scar on his right arm, a small but permanent part of his identity. On the day he disappeared, he was wearing a blue jacket, a white shirt with red trim, a green sweater, and blue jeans. These articles of clothing are the last known links to his physical presence in the world, fragments of a life interrupted. The investigation into his disappearance has yielded very few details over the years, leaving a sparse and frustrating trail for those still hoping for a resolution.

Decades have passed since Joseph Breen's disappearance, yet the case remains open. Law enforcement, including the Boston Police Department, has periodically asked the public for any information that might shed light on what happened to Joey that November night. His case has been entered into national databases for missing persons, such as NamUs, in the hope that new leads might emerge. The overview of this case is one of profound and prolonged uncertainty. A young man went out for the night and simply vanished, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew him. The lack of concrete information and the passage of so much time have only deepened the mystery, turning his story into a quiet, unresolved chapter in the annals of missing persons cases.

Last Seen: Nov 12, 1979

Possible Unidentified Matches (1)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

75%Possible
John Doe — East St. Louis, Illinois
UP17550 • Found Jun 20, 1980
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 20–27 vs 23
Race 100%White
Location 75%Same state
TimingFound 7 months after last seen
Weight 100%140 lb vs 140 lb

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.