Left and Center: Jon circa, 1982
Right: Age Progressed to age 47
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 14, 1982
Missing From: Tarentum, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: November 9, 1970
Age: 11 years old
Height and Weight: 4’10” and 72 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Jon has slight bags underneath his eyes, he has a slight scar underneath his left eye, he also has a deep cleft in the middle of his chin, Jon may go by the nicknames “Dabbo” or “Jonny”, and he is right handed
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A maroon and tan jacket, a red sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and a red and white tasseled cap
NCMEC Number: 600906
Details of Disappearance
Jon was last seen on January 14th 1982 with a friend, Gabriel Minarcin, in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. He and Gabriel ate supper at his home and left to walk three blocks down to Gabriel’s residence. The boys were never seen again.
Authorities believe it’s possible that Gabriel and Jon were playing on the Tarentum rivers ice and fell through. There were boot prints that led down to river but there weren’t any that led away from the river. There was no evidence that anyone had fallen in.
Jon was warned by his parents not to go down to the river and he obeyed this rule. Extensive searches of the river turned up no sign of the boys or their bodies.
Apparently an identity thief stole Jon’s identity in 1998. A police officer stopped him at one point and the man showed the officer the license with Jon’s name. He realized that Jon had been reported missing and authorities notified the Dabkowski family of this. They had thought that Jon was ok and had been found.
It was later found out that this was not Jon and that the man, Neil B. Hammons, had gotten Jon’s information from a missing persons website. He had nothing to do with Jon’s or Gabriel’s disappearance.
Jon and Gabriel’s cases remains unsolved. His family still lives in the same house he vanished from and hopes to find him. Some agencies continue to list the case as a non family abduction.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Tarentum Police Department 412-224-1515
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children