On the evening of January 14, 1982, 10-year-old Gabriel Minarcin and his 11-year-old friend Jon Dabkowski left Jon’s home in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, for the short walk—about three doors—back to Gabriel’s house around 5:30 p.m. Both boys disappeared on that brief outing and never reached home. Gabriel was described as 4 feet tall, 60 pounds, with brown hair, a chipped front tooth and a mole on his right wrist.

Searchers focused on the nearby Allegheny River after bloodhounds tracked scents for both boys to the riverbank and two sets of small footprints in the snow leading toward the water were found, with none leading away. A local resident reported seeing two boys on the ice near that time. Divers conducted extensive and repeated searches but recovered no remains or conclusive evidence.

The footprints and witness report supported the theory of a tragic accident on the ice, but Jon’s family said he had been warned to stay away from the river. No definitive proof of the boys’ fate has been found and the case remains unsolved. If anyone knew Gabriel or Jon, or saw anything on January 14, 1982, please share information with investigators.