On September 6, 1936, 4-year-old Joseph Rodriguez, known as Joe, vanished from Spanish Harlem in Manhattan. He was being raised by his aunt Pauline Rodriguez and had been left in the care of a female neighbor while Pauline was away. The neighbor took Joseph to play in the street early that afternoon and later found he was missing; other children nearby said they had not seen him leave.

Joseph is described as Hispanic, with black hair, brown eyes, a small scar over his right eye and a mole on his right wrist. He was last seen wearing a navy blue sweater with a red-striped collar over a yellow sweater, white knickers with blue dots, and blue sandals. Pauline waited nearly 24 hours before reporting him missing, believing he might be at another neighbor’s home; the NYPD searched an eighteen-square-block area with more than 50 detectives but found no trace.

Six days after the disappearance Pauline received a telegram reading Dear Pauline: Joseph will be back on Wednesday. The case remains unsolved. If anyone knew Joseph, his family, or remembers that neighborhood in 1936, please share information that might help explain what happened.