Michael McCool was 14 when he left his home in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia on June 28, 1978, and never returned. He was headed for his job as a grocery bagger at the local Kensington Acme but did not make it to work. Family described him as a responsible, quiet teenager with no history of running away; the last confirmed sighting that afternoon was by his older brother.

Witnesses reported seeing Michael speaking with two unidentified adult men later that day, an interaction his family considered out of character. At the time he was described as a Caucasian male with brown hair and blue eyes, between 5 feet 0 inches and 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 100 to 110 pounds, with a scar near his right eye and a dimple on his chin. Police canvassed the neighborhood and searched for clues, but no physical evidence, clothing, or belongings were recovered and the two men were never identified.

The case has been revisited over the years and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released an age-progressed image of what Michael might look like at 46, but no new evidence has resolved his disappearance. If anyone knew Michael, the two men seen with him that afternoon, or has information about his last movements, please come forward.