Michael J. Woodward was nine years old when he disappeared from the officers’ housing area at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, during a spring morning in 1972. He was last seen sometime between 9:00 a.m. and noon, wearing brown striped pants and blue sneakers. Michael had blond hair, blue eyes, and a noticeable dental overbite; a recent fishing accident had left him with a serious injury to his left eye that caused vision problems.

An extensive search followed: more than 400 soldiers, volunteers on horseback, in jeeps and on motorcycles, and three military helicopters searched the post, but no trace of Michael was found. The case remained cold for decades; his parents died without answers. In 2014 Fort Jackson Military Police reopened the investigation, listed the case with national databases, interviewed surviving relatives, and obtained DNA samples from his sister to create a profile.

Anyone who remembers that morning or has information about Michael’s disappearance is asked to come forward. What small detail might help bring closure to this family?