David Michael Bowers Jr., an 18-year-old male from Missouri, was last seen in Affton, Missouri, on September 12, 2021, in a case that has left his family searching for answers for years. Public missing-person records and law-enforcement notices describe him as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 128 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time he disappeared, his hair was worn in dreadlocks with blonde and green tints, and he was reportedly wearing a white-and-black hoodie, jeans, and white
tennis shoes. He also had multiple scars on his arms and several tattoos, including an eye image on his right thumb; later reporting noted that a tattoo once described as Homer Simpson was understood by the family to be Bart Simpson.
The circumstances began with a trip to the St. Louis area. According to later case reporting, David was with other people in Affton, and his mother, Chyenne Noriega, said he had been with people who were supposed to be his friends. The account the family says they were given was that the group’s car broke down and that, when police arrived, David ran away; his mother has publicly questioned that account and said she had been told police body-camera footage did not show him at the scene that night. Another case summary describes the group as having stopped at a house in Affton, visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and then headed back toward Affton before the vehicle ran out of gas at a Family Dollar store; that source lists September 14 but also notes that many agencies give September 12 as the date of disappearance.
As the days after his disappearance passed, David did not return home, did not reestablish contact, and was not found by those who said they searched for him. His mother told ABC 17 News that she reached out to someone described as David’s best friend, who first said he had not heard from David, and later, after being confronted with being with him the night he disappeared, said David had run off. Public reporting has consistently framed the case as one filled with uncertainty, rumors, and unanswered questions rather than a clear sequence of verified events. David’s family has continued to describe the pain of not knowing what happened, while also trying to keep his name, face, and story in public view.
Beyond the facts of the last sighting, David’s loved ones have tried to make sure he is remembered as a whole person, not only as a missing-person entry. His mother described him as loving, funny, helpful, and a friend to everyone. She said he loved music, often listened to or played it, and played the saxophone. He was the eldest of five, and his family has continued to gather for vigils and public remembrance, including at the Bagnell Dam Overlook in Lake Ozark, a place his mother said he liked to visit. She has spoken about missing his distinctive laugh and about how he remains the first thought in the morning and the last thought at night.
In the years since David disappeared, the Miller County Sheriff’s Office has remained the investigating agency, and news reports have said the case was still considered active as of the agency’s August 2024 update. By the fourth anniversary, his mother said there had been more communication with law enforcement than in the beginning, and she said she had been told that one person who was with David that night took and passed a polygraph test, while another person had agreed to take one but had not yet been scheduled. ABC 17 News reported in September 2025 that it asked the sheriff’s office for an update but did not receive one. KRCG later reported that the Miller County Sheriff’s Office again asked the public to share any information that might help solve the four-year-old case.
David Michael Bowers Jr.’s disappearance remains a story of a young man last seen far from home, a family left with conflicting accounts, and a mother still holding on to hope while asking for the truth. He was 18 when he vanished from Affton, Missouri, after reportedly being with a group whose vehicle had broken down, and the official and public descriptions of the case have centered on his last known clothing, his distinctive dreadlocks and tattoos, and the continuing search for information. The overview of the case is that David, also known in public reporting as “Debo” and elsewhere as “DJ,” was last seen in Affton in September 2021; the Miller County Sheriff’s Office has handled the investigation; his family has publicly questioned parts of the account they were given; and authorities and relatives have continued asking anyone with information about his whereabouts or what happened to him to contact the Miller County Sheriff’s Office.Last Seen: Sep 12, 2021
