In the winter of 1979, a sixteen-year-old boy named Lawrence Jon Goodman vanished from his home in Park Ridge, New Jersey, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. Known to his loved ones as Larry, he was a young man with a keen interest in World War II history and a newfound passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His disappearance on January 19, 1979, was not the first time he had left without a word. Just weeks earlier, in late December 1978, he had disappeared for a period, only to return home in mid-January, revealing he had been in Pittsburgh. This first instance of leaving home had established a pattern of wandering, but his second departure would prove to be different. He was last seen at the Park Ridge Garden Apartments where he lived with his mother. The day after his sixteenth birthday, he was gone again.
The circumstances surrounding Lawrence's final disappearance are shrouded in uncertainty.
He had mentioned to his family his intention to travel to Miami, Florida, to see his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, play in the Super Bowl. It remains unknown if he ever reached his destination. At the time he went missing, he was described as being 6'1' and weighing around 180 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His family, clinging to the hope that he had simply run away again, initially hesitated to file a police report. However, as days turned into weeks with no word, the grim reality that he might not be coming back began to set in. The investigation that followed yielded few clues. Authorities spoke with his friends and teachers, but no one seemed to know where he might have gone.
Over the years, the case of Lawrence Goodman has grown cold, but the search for answers has never completely ceased. His family has continued to advocate for him, setting up a Facebook page to bring awareness to his story and submitting their DNA for comparison against unidentified remains databases. In the years following his disappearance, there were few leads. His father once received a collect call that he believed might have been from his son, but this was never confirmed. A diary he left behind revealed a young man grappling with personal struggles, including mentions of drug use and thoughts of suicide, adding another layer of complexity to his story. The prevailing belief is that he may have been hitchhiking or traveling by bus or train, making him vulnerable to unforeseen dangers. The disappearance of Lawrence Jon Goodman is a story without an ending, a poignant reminder of a young life interrupted and a family left to wonder what became of their son and brother. The lack of concrete evidence and the passage of time have made finding a resolution incredibly difficult, yet the hope that he might one day be found, or that answers might finally surface, persists.Last Seen: Jan 19, 1979
