In 1975, These 2 Roommates Disappeared From A State-Run Care Facility In New Jersey, And Although It Is Believed That The Boys Wandered Off Into The Woods, No Trace Of Them Has Ever Been Found

In 1975, two developmentally disabled adolescents disappeared from the New Lisbon State School in New Jersey.

The state-run facility, which is now known as the New Lisbon Developmental Center, consisted of a 1,896-acre campus located off Route 72 that was dedicated to housing both students and adults who required full-time services and care.

And in 1975, 17-year-old Steven Anderson lived at the facility with his roommate, David Williams, who was 12. Both boys were unable to care for themselves without caregiver supervision, according to officials.

By April 7 of that year, though, tragedy struck. At about 4:15 p.m. that day, Steven and David decided to go to a baseball field that was located near campus. But, the boys never returned that evening, and at about 8:00 p.m., they were both reported missing.

It is now believed that Steven and David might have wandered off into the woods. However, no trace of the boys has ever been found, and they have remained missing for over 47 years now.

According to authorities, Steven had trouble communicating and was last seen wearing blue pants and a blue hooded jacket. At the time of his disappearance, he was five foot eight, weighed approximately 141 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes.

David was a Black male who had epilepsy, took daily medication, and often wore a helmet to protect his head. He was five feet tall, weighed about 113 pounds, and was last seen wearing striped pants and a blue jacket.

Steven would be 65-years-old today; meanwhile, David would be 60-years-old today.

Despite the boys’ case remaining unsolved, though, authorities have pledged to continue searching for answers. Most recently, in 2017, the FBI began pushing for new information and added the case to the FBI’s Kidnapping/Missing Persons website.

FBI – pictured above is Steven before his disappearance

“Whenever there is a case involving any missing child, no matter how long they have been missing, it will always be a top priority for the FBI,” Timothy Gallagher, the FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge, told the Courier Post.

“We will work with our local, state, and federal partners to someday bring closure for the families of these two missing children.”

According to FBI special agent Jessica Weisman, she and a fellow FBI task force officer, Paul Vanaman, were asked to help out with renewed case investigations– which had formerly been conducted by other agencies.

FBI – pictured above is David before his disappearance

“This investigation has always been worked by the New Jersey Human Services Police Department and assisted by the New Jersey State Police Missing Person’s Unit, and then also the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has also been involved in assisting with age-progressed photographs,” Weisman explained.

However, since both Weisman and Vanaman are behavioral analyst coordinators, they were asked to step in as well.

The newer efforts to close Steven and David’s case involve the reviewal of old records, conducting new interviews, and analyzing the region’s terrain.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – pictured above is Steven in an age-progressed photo

“We have so much new technology available to us now versus 1975. Also, a fresh set of eyes looking through old stuff. As a result, we really have developed some promising new information that we are hopeful that, at some point, we are able to bring closure to this case,” Weisman said.

Investigators are also hopeful that by spreading awareness of the boys’ disappearance on social media, the “media blitz” will encourage former employees who worked at the New Lisbon State School to come forward.

In the meantime, Steven and David’s families have never given up looking for answers.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – pictured above is David in an age-progressed photo

“The boys’ families are still searching and deserve answers; the search has never stopped. It doesn’t matter how long the child has been missing,” Vanaman said.

If you have any information regarding the boys’ case, you are urged to contact the Atlantic City Resident Agency of the FBI at (609) 677-6400.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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