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John Butler Missing Person Case

Last seen in Newport Beach, California on Aug 21, 1961

Victim Details

Created

Mar 21, 2009

Case Added

Jul 29, 2021

Firstname

John

Lastname

Butler

Current Age

Age At Disappearance

Height

73 inches

Weight

145 lbs

Ethnicity

White / Caucasian

Gender

Male

Last Seen

Aug 21, 1961

City

Newport Beach

State

California

County

Orange County

Zip Code

92663

Agency ID

2041

Agency Name

Santa Ana Police Department

Agency City

Santa Ana

Agency State

California

Agency County

Orange County

Agency Zip Code

92701

Agency Contact

Victoria Jurado

Contact Job Title

Investigator

Agency Address

60 Civic Center Plaza, California

Agency Phone

7142458665

Agency Jurisdiction

Local

Agency Type

Law Enforcement

Agency Website

https://www.santa-ana.org/departments/police/

Agency Case #

12-11838

Primary Agency

Santa Ana Police Department

CaseContributors

6414

Hair Color

Brown

Left Eye Color

Brown

Right Eye Color

Brown

Last Updated

06/21/2026

Area Last Seen:

Case Description

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John Arthur Butler, 15, was last seen on August 21, 1961, surfing off Newport Beach, California. Described as 6'1" tall and weighing 159 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, John also had several acne scars on his face and went by the nickname "Johnny." On the day of his disappearance, his surfboard was recovered, but John himself has never been found. There were "questionable" markings on the surfboard, but no additional clues emerged about his whereabouts.
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Last Seen: Aug 21, 1961

Links to Additional Sources (6)

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John Arthur Butler - The Charley Project

John Butler - California Department of Justice

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John Butler Missing Person Case

Last seen in Newport Beach, California on Aug 21, 1961

Victim Details

Case Description

Continue reading the complete case summary

Links to Additional Sources (6)

Unlock 4 additional sources

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