David Andrew Rusch was 29 when he went fishing from a Wequetequock Cove dock in Stonington, Connecticut on October 28, 1979. He left in a 16-foot dory and did not return; he was reported missing when he failed to show up for work the next morning.

On October 31 a fishing vessel found his dory adrift about 40 miles south of Montauk, New York. The boat contained life jackets, fishing gear, a pair of sunglasses and a water jug, but the gas tanks were empty and there was no sign of Rusch. The Coast Guard mounted a large search using five ships and four helicopters over roughly 900 square miles offshore but found no trace.

The case remains open with the Stonington Police Department (case file 00309) and is listed in NamUs as MP3282. No explanation for what happened after he launched that morning has been established.

If anyone knew David, his routines, or saw his dory in late October 1979, please share what information is available.