George Burns Missing Person Case

Jun 10, 2020

Jun 21, 2024

George

Burns

103

60

76 inches

76 inches

250 lbs

250 lbs

Black / African American

Male

On a late summer day, August 25, 1983, a sixty-year-old man named George Burns disappeared from Suffolk County, New York. Standing at a tall six feet four inches and weighing around 250 pounds, with graying hair and brown eyes, George was last seen in the waters of the Long Island Sound. The day marked a turn from the ordinary into a lasting mystery for the Southold Town Police Department, which has handled his case ever since. His disappearance left a void of information and a family without answers, a story that has quietly lingered for decades along the shores of Long Island. The circumstances surrounding George Burns's last known moments are centered on a specific location in the vast expanse of the Long Island Sound, approximately two miles north of Plum Island. He was reportedly wearing yellow rain gear and, significantly, an orange life preserver, items that would typically suggest a measure of safety against the unpredictability of the open water. Despite these precautions, it is believed that he drowned. The Sound, known for its strong currents and changeable conditions, became the setting for a tragedy that seemingly left no trace. No further details about the events leading to him being in the water have been made public, leaving only a stark and sorrowful conclusion. The case of George Burns is a somber reminder of the sea's power and the fragility of life. A 60-year-old man vanished into the water on a summer day, and despite being equipped with a life-saving device, was lost. The official account closes with the belief that he drowned, yet without a recovery, a definitive conclusion remains elusive. The investigation, managed by the Southold Town Police Department, holds the sparse details of a man who disappeared into the waters off Long Island. Decades later, the event remains a quiet and unresolved chapter in the region's history, a personal tragedy that has faded from public view but continues to represent an unanswered loss.

Aug 25, 1983

Long Island

New York

Suffolk County

Unknown

83747

Southold Town Police Department

Peconic

New York

Suffolk County

11958

Steven Harned

Detective Sergeant

41405 Route 25, New York

6317652615

Local

Law Enforcement

https://www.southoldtownny.gov/130/Police-Department

4469-83

Southold Town Police Department

Gray or Partially Gray

Brown

Brown

08/17/2026