AR AR - Matthew Crocker, 3 mos, Van Buren, 9 June 1983

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JusticeWillBeServed

JusticeWillBeServed

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He was recently added to the Charley Project.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/crocker_matthew.html

Matthew Wade Crocker

crocker_matthew.jpg
Above: Matthew, circa 1983

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: June 9, 1983 from Van Buren, Arkansas
• Classification: Non-Family Abduction
• Date of Birth: February 12, 1983
• Age: 3 months old
• Height and Weight: 2'5, 15 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Matthew had a concave chest at the time of his disappearance.


Details of Disappearance
Matthew was abducted from his Van Buren, Arkansas home by a woman on June 9, 1983. The abductor is described as Caucasian, with a tattoo of a green and yellow star on the left side of her chest, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper left arm, a long scar on the back of her right shoulder and a tattoo on her upper right arm. Matthew has never been seen again and few details are available in his case.
 
jlo27916 said:
Very strange this is just now being added to Charley and being brought up in general. Especially being a non-family abduction... and with that description of the abductor. I hope this gets some attention!!!!
Click to expand...

I agree that it's strange there are no prior reports on his disappearance. He was added recently to the Missing Children site and I can't find any articles on his disappearance. I don't want to say that a missing infant was forgotten about (not by his family, but by investigators) but it appears that way.
 
jlo27916 said:
Very strange this is just now being added to Charley and being brought up in general. Especially being a non-family abduction... and with that description of the abductor. I hope this gets some attention!!!!
Click to expand...

I also agree that this is very strange! If he was taken in 1983, that's four years after Ethan Patz (one of the first "milk carton" kidnappings). Abductions in the early to mid 80s were highly publicized. What is just bringing this to light and public knowledge now? The first posting I saw of MC's abduction was on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's FB page- where did they get the info? Who reported it? Why now? Does he still have family alive? Would they have not tried to publicize this earlier? So many questions here.
 
JusticeWillBeServed said:
.....

Matthew was abducted from his Van Buren, Arkansas home by a woman on June 9, 1983. The abductor is described as Caucasian, with a tattoo of a green and yellow star on the left side of her chest, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper left arm, a long scar on the back of her right shoulder and a tattoo on her upper right arm. Matthew has never been seen again and few details are available in his case.
Click to expand...

SBM, BBM. Not to sound cynical, but what exactly was this abductor wearing that all those different tattoos could be identified?

A halter top, tube top or swimsuit?
 
Redux said:
SBM, BBM. Not to sound cynical, but what exactly was this abductor wearing that all those different tattoos could be identified?

A halter top, tube top or swimsuit?
Click to expand...

Good question! Of course, June in AR can be pretty hot, but I agree it must have been something like a halter, tube top, maybe a sundress? What's odd too is that we don't know why the woman was there or who saw her take the baby. It doesn't say how she came to have contact with him. Charley Project says he was abducted from his home so how did this woman gain entrance and make off with the baby? There must be a lot more to the story. Plus, whoever described the tattoos must have had plenty of time to observe and describe them.
 
It also seems strange that there is only information about the tattoos; no approximate height, build, age, never mind a composite sketch; I would imagine that someone who could identify all of those tattoos would have been able to provide enough information for an artist to come up with something. I'm definitely in agreement that there is a lot missing here.
 
A bit of an update on the suspected abductor. From the Charley Project

Matthew was abducted from his Van Buren, Arkansas home by a woman on June 9, 1983. A composite sketch of the abductor is posted below this case summary. She's described as Caucasian, with a tattoo of a green and yellow star on the left side of her chest, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper left arm, a long scar on the back of her right shoulder and a tattoo on her upper right arm of the name "Kathy" with a ribbon above it. Authorities believe the suspect may have worked at a carnival that had stopped in nearby Fort Smith, Arkansas at the time of Michael's disappearance. She may have used the alias name "Kathy Johnson." Matthew has never been seen again and few details are available in his case.

crocker_matthew_suspect.jpg

Above: Sketch of abductor
 
So many questions. How could they have seen all the tattoos so closely, but not being able to grab the baby back? Something isn't right. And who saw the abductor take the child?

My thoughts; Did she maybe match a description of someone who worked at the carnival (like height and haircolor), and then her coworkers told the cops about the tattoos?
 
dogperson said:
Good question! Of course, June in AR can be pretty hot, but I agree it must have been something like a halter, tube top, maybe a sundress? What's odd too is that we don't know why the woman was there or who saw her take the baby. It doesn't say how she came to have contact with him. Charley Project says he was abducted from his home so how did this woman gain entrance and make off with the baby? There must be a lot more to the story. Plus, whoever described the tattoos must have had plenty of time to observe and describe them.
Click to expand...


BBM

Perry said 32 years ago, a woman, who may have gone by Kathy Johnson, was working at the fair in Fort Smith. She met a man who was friends with the Crocker family and he convinced them to allow Johnson to live with them, according to Perry.
http://5newsonline.com/2015/09/25/van-buren-police-take-second-look-at-32-year-old-kidnapping/
 
I feel like he's probably out there somewhere, completely unaware of who he really is :( I wonder if he's still in the U.S. or she crossed into Mexico after abducting him.
 
inmyhumbleopinion said:
BBM

Perry said 32 years ago, a woman, who may have gone by Kathy Johnson, was working at the fair in Fort Smith. She met a man who was friends with the Crocker family and he convinced them to allow Johnson to live with them, according to Perry.
http://5newsonline.com/2015/09/25/van-buren-police-take-second-look-at-32-year-old-kidnapping/
Click to expand...

Such strange circumstances and still so many questions. Why would he try to convince the family to let a stranger stay with them, especially since the guy didn't know her himself? Was it just for one night? Was this the last night the fair was in town? Did she have her own transportation? Were the other employees questioned on the identity of the woman? It's possible she was using a fake name for the job as well. I doubt she had this elaborate plan, she probably just saw an opportunity.
 
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