On a spring afternoon in 1975, 17-year-old Steven Eugene Anderson, known affectionately as 'Teeve,' was with his 12-year-old roommate, David Williams, at the New Lisbon State School, a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities nestled in the Pinelands of Burlington County, New Jersey. The two boys were seen playing on a ball field near their residence on the sprawling 1,896-acre campus.
At approximately 4:15 p.m., staff members saw Steven and David walking from the field toward their cottage. It was the last time either of them was ever seen. When they had not returned by that evening, they were reported missing by the facility staff.
Steven, a resident of Westville, New Jersey, had brown hair, hazel-blue eyes, and a chipped upper front tooth. He was described as being unable to care for himself due to a moderate developmental disability that also made communication difficult. On the day he vanished, he was wearing a blue hooded jacket and blue pants. In the days following their disappearance, an extensive search of the vast wooded grounds surrounding the New Lisbon facility, now known as the New Lisbon Developmental Center, was conducted. The search involved the New Jersey Human Services Police Department, New Jersey State Police, and the Air National Guard, who utilized helicopters and bloodhounds, but no trace of the two boys was ever found.
The disappearance of Steven Anderson and David Williams has remained an unsolved case for decades, leaving their families with unanswered questions. The investigation has been ongoing, and in 2017, the FBI brought renewed attention to the case by adding it to their website. The circumstances of their disappearance remain a mystery, with initial theories suggesting they may have wandered off or attempted to hitchhike from the remote location. The case is further complicated by the fact that another resident of the same facility, Kenneth Schweighart, also disappeared without a trace in 1982. While it has not been proven that the cases are connected, the disappearances have cast a long shadow over the history of the developmental center. The enduring lack of answers has left a void in the lives of those who knew and cared for Steven, a young man who was not capable of sustaining himself and who vanished without a trace from the place that was supposed to be his home.Last Seen: Apr 7, 1975
