SheWhoMustNotBeNamed
Former Member
Missing Since: September 30, 1978 from Webster, Massachusetts
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: 1974
Age: 4 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. Amato's nickname is Andy.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A navy snorkel jacket, dungarees and a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
Details of Disappearance
Amato resided in a mobile home on Richards Avenue in Webster, Massachusetts. He played in the woods behind nearby Ash Street Trailer Park with his seven-year-old sister and their six-year-old cousin during the morning hours of September 30, 1978. Amato and his cousin went deeper into the woods without his sister. Then Amato stumbled and injured himself, dropped and lost his favorite toy, then began crying and running in circles. He refused to leave without the toy. His cousin told him to stay put and walked back to the family's home for assistance at approximately 10:30 a.m. but Amato disappeared by the time they returned to the woods. He has never been heard from again. An extensive search of the area, which lasted ten days and included the National Guard, produced no clues as to Amato's whereabouts. He and his sister and cousin had been forbidden to play in the woods, and had sneaked there on the day of his disappearance.
Amato disappeared only fifty yards away from Route 52, which is now Interstate 395. Some people theorize that he wandered over to the road and was picked up by a motorist passing through. Webster, Massachusetts is on the Connecticut border and also only a ten to fifteen minute drive from Rhode Island.
Authorities excavated a wooded area off of Minebrook Road in June 1998, nearly 20 years after Amato disappeared. Investigators learned that evidence related to his case may have buried in the forest, which was approximately five miles from the location of Amato's disappearance. The search failed to produce any materials connected to his case.
Officials discovered a handwritten list of names entitled "Lake Webster" in Nathaniel Bar-Jonah's possessions in Montana in December 2001. A photo of Bar-Jonah is posted below this case summary. Bar-Jonah, whose given name is David P. Brown, was raised in Dudley, Massachusetts. He was convicted of the abductions and attempted murders of two Massachusetts boys in 1977. Bar-Jonah was charged with the 1996 murder of Zachary Ramsay in Montana, but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence in October 2002. Ramsay's remains have never been located.
Bar-Jonah was named as a possible suspect in the 1973 Connecticut disappearance of Janice Pockett and the 1997 disappearance of Amanda Gallion from Wyoming. He has never been charged in connection with either of the cases. Bar-Jonah was convicted of child molestation in Montana in February 2002. He continues to maintain his innocence. Bar-Jonah was allegedly involved in cannibalism and has a lengthy criminal history.
Investigators began pursuing another lead in Amato's case in November 2003. A man confessed to his murder in 1999, and died of lung cancer shortly thereafter. His family did not report it to the police for four years. Authorities are excavating a rural area near Burrillville, Rhode Island, as specified in the confession. They say the man has been a suspect for many years and they hope to find Amato's remains. He was 53 years old at the time of Amato's disappearance and participated in the search for him. The man has not been identified to the media.
Some news reports stated that Amato's name was on the Lake Webster list, but these accounts were incorrect and nobody has been able to tie Bar-Jonah to Amato. Foul play is suspected in Amato's case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Webster Police Department
508-943-1212