Daniel Osentkowski was 11 when he was killed on November 23, 1984, in Riverside, California. Daniel was walking his 13-year-old cousin home from a neighborhood store when a man in a uniform approached and attempted to abduct the cousin. Daniel intervened and kicked the attacker; the assailant then drew a pistol and fatally shot Daniel before fleeing.

Police were given descriptions of the man and his vehicle by the surviving cousin. Officers stopped a light green van later that evening and arrested 25-year-old security guard Horace Edward Kelly of New Jersey after finding a recently-fired .357 magnum revolver in the vehicle. The cousin identified Kelly and he confessed; he was charged with murder and attempted kidnapping. Ballistics tied the same .357 magnum to two San Bernardino murders committed days earlier, and Kelly was later convicted of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

Daniel’s family and the Riverside community were left mourning a boy described as brave for intervening to protect his cousin. If anyone knew Daniel or saw anything on November 23, 1984, that could add detail to the timeline, please share what is known.