In December 1980 in Newport News, Virginia, newborn David Ezell Blockett was taken from his family after a woman introduced herself as Marie Kelly and said she was a social worker. She persuaded Vanessa Blockett to allow her to take David, a baby with a small mole in his right ear and several distinct birthmarks, along with his two-year-old brother, Frederick, to a supposed children’s event at a nearby medical center. Frederick was returned later that day after being found wandering in a Hampton shopping center with a piece of paper bearing his name and address; David was not.

A woman believed to be the abductor called that same day to ask what formula David used, but the call ended before it could be traced. A diaper bag with some of David’s clothing and a leather folder were later found in Yorktown. Investigators learned there was no social worker named Marie Kelly and no event had been scheduled; they suspect the abductor may have learned of the birth from a newspaper announcement. David’s mother died in 1997 without learning what happened. Authorities have preserved evidence in hope that future testing could help identify him.

If anyone has information about David Ezell Blockett, the family’s wishes, or that day in 1980, please come forward.