Katharina Buczek
“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.
“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.
“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.
