David Barnes was 74 when he was last seen on September 6, 1997, in the area of the Amsterdam Houses public housing development in Manhattan. He is described as a Black / African American male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 180 pounds, with graying brown hair often worn in a ponytail and gray eyes. He may have had a beard, mustache, or goatee at the time he disappeared.

All communication from Barnes stopped after that day and the NYPD Missing Persons Squad opened an investigation. Few details about his movements or plans on September 6 have been made public, and there have been no significant breakthroughs reported. The circumstances of his disappearance remain unresolved and distressingly vague.

If anyone knew David Barnes, saw him around the Amsterdam Houses in September 1997, or has any information about his whereabouts, please come forward.