David Joseph Miera was 2 years old when he vanished from Dixon, New Mexico, on January 10, 1970. At the time his mother, Genevieve Genie Miera, was hospitalized at Embudo Presbyterian giving birth to a daughter, and David was left in the care of his mother’s boyfriend, Leon Zerfas. Zerfas said he was last with David outside the hospital, but his accounts of what happened after that changed repeatedly.

Zerfas told different stories over time, including that he had given David to various families or to people in Mexico, but none of those claims was substantiated. David’s clothes and toys were missing when Genie returned home two days later, and the disappearance was not reported until more than a year had passed. Family and neighbors long suspected foul play; some believed Zerfas may have harmed the child. Both Genie Miera and Leon Zerfas have since died, and David has never been located.

Anyone who knew the family or has information about David’s whereabouts is asked to come forward.