In the small town of Dickson City, Pennsylvania, a then 15-year-old boy named Donald 'Don' Ferry Shafer vanished on March 9, 1981. On that day, he reportedly told people he was heading to his 'fort.' He had asked his cousin to go with him, but she declined, and he was never seen again. At the time of his disappearance, Donald was described as a Caucasian male, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing between 120 and 130 pounds. He had very dark brown or black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, black jeans, and sneakers. He may have also been carrying a small, tan bag with 'Yellowstone Boys Ranch' written on it. A notable characteristic was a potential homemade tattoo on his left arm or shoulder of a bomb with the letter 'D' in the middle, though it's unconfirmed if he ever got it.
Donald had a history of running away and was considered a troubled teenager.
He had previously spent time at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, a residential treatment center in Billings, Montana. On several occasions, he had run away with the intention of reaching his sister, who lived in Wyoming. It is believed that his 1981 disappearance may have been another attempt to run away. Besides his connections to Montana and Wyoming, he also had ties to New Jersey. It has been reported that Donald's family tried to report him missing shortly after he was last seen, but law enforcement did not officially file a report until 2013, over three decades later. This significant delay in the official investigation has left many questions unanswered and has contributed to the scarcity of details in his case.
The lack of immediate official action has made the search for answers in Donald's disappearance incredibly challenging. Over the years, his case has grown cold, with very little information available to the public or to investigators. The passage of time has further complicated efforts to uncover what happened to the young man who walked away to his fort and never returned. The initial handling of his case, combined with his history as a runaway, created a situation where crucial early leads may have been missed. The overview of Donald Shafer's case is one of a troubled youth who disappeared without a trace, and a formal investigation that began far too late, leaving a family with decades of uncertainty and a community with a lingering mystery.Last Seen: Mar 9, 1981
