WV WV - Victor Shoemaker, 5, Kirby, 1 May 1994

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:bump: for Victor Dewight Shoemaker


DOB: Mar 30, 1989
Missing: May 1, 1994
Age Missing: 5
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Height: 122 cm (4'0")
Weight: 18 kg (40 lbs)
Missing From: Kirby,West Virginia, United States

He was last seen: playing with children in the woods near Short Mountain.
He left the group and has not been seen since.

He was last seen wearing:
Red shorts and a red T-shirt - and Nickelodeon sneakers.


Victor would now be 25 years old (2014)

Victor's photo is age-progressed to 18 years.

NCMC790164e1.jpg
 
He had to have been abducted. if he was in the woods, SOMEONE would have found his remains by now.
 
This is such a sad case. Hoping for answers for Victor's poor parents.


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Just came across Victors story, definitely suspicious of the cousins. Why would the parents purposely lose contact with them. It's not normal, it is their won relative that went missing and they don't want to keep in touch. I have to agree with the father saying he thinks they know what happened, maybe they were pushing him or rough playing or playing somewhere they were told not too and something happened to the boy. They were old enough to say dont say anything and stick to it. Their parents probably know what happened if they are keeping the boys out of the investigation. I hope he is found :(
 
I think it's possible he was taken, kidnapped. Possibly trafficked. I just wonder who could have done it out in that area where they were. Who would have been there. I'm trying to remember if there's a map of the area, guess I'll go back and take a look. It's just hard to believe there were no persons of interest at all.

I'm not sure what to believe about the cousins anymore. Could they have been abused in some way themselves, traumatized to the point they wouldn't breathe a word to anyone? Or the person who took Victor frightened them so that they experienced some sort of shock, PTSD, and don't remember?
 
neesaki said:
I think it's possible he was taken, kidnapped. Possibly trafficked. I just wonder who could have done it out in that area where they were. Who would have been there. I'm trying to remember if there's a map of the area, guess I'll go back and take a look. It's just hard to believe there were no persons of interest at all.

I'm not sure what to believe about the cousins anymore. Could they have been abused in some way themselves, traumatized to the point they wouldn't breathe a word to anyone? Or the person who took Victor frightened them so that they experienced some sort of shock, PTSD, and don't remember?
Click to expand...

My feeling is that the boys who Victor was with, know more than they are telling. It could be for the reasons above that they are not talking. These are some good points.

Satch
 
Three boys, one disappears. Reminds me a little of Jacob Wetterling's case, three boys, one taken. I wonder if Daniel Heinrich ever traveled to West Virginia, in particular the first of May, 1994. Just has me wondering.
 
I just read about Victor's disappearance in Paulides book, Missing 411. There is some information that I don't remember reading anywhere else.

From the book:

- According to a family member, searchers found an area in which there was freshly disturbed soil - "three rocks were arranged in a triangle, with a stick in the middle, and three logs on the side".They believe Victor may have slept there. (Pg. 221)

- A news reporter asked one of the cousins what may have happened to Victor. He told the reporter that "Somebody hiding behind a tree got up and grabbed him." (Pg. 221)

- LE terminated their search after 5 days and limited their search to only 2 1/2 miles. The author questions why they would do this if they didn't believe foul play was involved.

- Paulides questions why the FBI was brought in six months after the disappearance, as they formally do not assist in missing persons cases. Something about this case "triggered their interest". (Pg. 222)

- Victor knew the area well, but even if he had gotten lost he wouldn't have had to walk far before coming to a road or a house. The author does not believe he got lost and perished in the woods, but that someone was watching the boys and took Victor when they had an opportunity.

Paulides D. (2011). Missing 411: Eastern United States. (Pg. 219 - 224). North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace
 
I may have missed it but I don't think these links have been posted here, two older articles concerning the search:

Lost in a Forbidding Forest
May 5, 1994
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...6b4-8d1a-4444fb378214/?utm_term=.00b99c0ef6a1
​
W.Va. Search for Boy Called Off
May 6, 1994
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...615-8eef-8c0ed1359561/?utm_term=.b1c4ec7301d8
The search had focused on a four-square-mile area around the family trailer. After repeated sweeps, authorities said they are all but certain the boy is not there. They said the absence of clues indicating his presence -- such as clothing, a sign of a makeshift shelter or a scent that the dogs could follow -- makes further searching here unrealistic. Hefner said state police will now focus on whether J.R. could have been abducted. They are trying to track down a few people who reportedly were in the area Sunday but have not been seen since, he said.
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