In the autumn of 1985, four-year-old Timothy Jacob Davison, also known as TJ, was living in Decatur, Illinois, with his paternal aunt, Delany Davison, and his two brothers. Custody had been granted to his aunt as his parents, who resided in Florida, were going through a divorce. On a day in October, Delany drove the children to the Brettwood Village Shopping Center. Upon arriving around noon, she found that Timothy had fallen asleep in the backseat of her red 1981 Dodge Omni. Choosing not to wake him, she took the other three children into the Kroger grocery store, leaving Timothy unattended in the vehicle.
When Delany returned to the car approximately 30 minutes later, Timothy was gone. She immediately reported him missing, sparking a large-scale search effort. While Delany claimed she had locked the car doors, law enforcement has disputed this assertion. An extensive search of the area involving officers, canine units, and helicopters yielded no trace of the young boy. Numerous missing person flyers were distributed, which led to several tips. One notable tip came from a witness who reported seeing a man and a woman with a boy resembling Timothy getting into a black two-door Oldsmobile Cutlass with Indiana license plates near the shopping center. However, this lead, like all others, did not result in locating Timothy.
Timothy's case is classified as a non-family abduction and remains unsolved. At the time of his disappearance, he was described as having a speech impediment, being a slow learner, and was missing his two upper front teeth. He did not know his own last name or address. Years later, there have been further investigative efforts. In 2013, police and FBI agents excavated the yard of his aunt's former residence after the house had burned down in 2002, but the search did not uncover any evidence. A potential break in the case occurred when a deaf and mute boy who resembled Timothy was found in Juarez, Mexico; however, a comparison of footprints confirmed it was not him. The disappearance of Timothy Davison continues to be an active investigation, a painful mystery for his family and the community.
Last Seen: Oct 10, 1985
