Daniel Jess Goldman

Left and Center: Daniel circa, 1966

Right: Age Progressed to age 64


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: March 28, 1966

Missing From: Surfside, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Date Of Birth: March 29, 1948

Age: 17 years old

Height and Weight: 5’8″ and 165 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Daniel has a dime sized vaccination scar on his upper left arm, a 3 inch moon shaped scar on his right ankle, a 2 inch scar on the right side of his back, Daniel may use the nickname “Danny”

Clothing/Jewelry Description: A light tan colored windbreaker jacket that was sized 40-42, green corduroy pants sized 34-36, Daniel was wearing a plain gold ring with the etched initials “DG” on it


Details of Disappearance

Daniel Goldman was abducted from his home by an unidentified assailant in the early morning hours of March 28th 1966 from Surfside, Florida. He was taken by gunpoint. He has never been seen again.

It has been established that the abductor entered through rear patio door that was left unlocked at approximately 4:30 am and woke Daniels parents, Sally and Aaron Goldman, up and tied them up. He also put sharp objects in the ties to prevent them from stopping him. He then proceeded to wake Daniel up, force him to get dressed, and then took Daniel with his own vehicle, a white rambler sedan.

The vehicle was found a few hours after the abduction was reported but no trace of Daniel was ever found. The abductor told Daniels parents he expected a ransom of $25,000 by 6:00 pm as he originally planned to find $10,000 in the home but didn’t.

He said that if he did not have the money by then, it would be increased to $50,000. He also threatened to kill or cause bodily harm to Daniel if his demands weren’t met. Daniel was never seen or heard from again.

It’s believed that Aarons wealth and and succession as a contractor is what lead to the Goldman’s being targeted. The abductor is described as being Caucasian, weighing between 180 to 200 pounds, standing 5’8″ to 5’11”, he was wearing dark colored clothing and a baseball cap, and wore eyeglasses with silver rims.

Authorities and volunteers that investigate Daniels disappearance suspect that Daniels case is related to a organized crime group. It’s possible that the very police officers that were assigned Daniels case knew his true fate. Physical as well as circumstantial evidence links several people to Daniels abduction and murder.

A fingerprint that was found at the scene of Daniels abduction was found to belong to George Defeis. He was part of the Trafficante organization which was a crime organization at the time. It was also found that a man named Joe Catticore, was also involved in Daniels fate.

Catticore’s apartment was located just 2 1/2 blocks away from where Daniels was found abandoned. Its believed that this is the scene of Daniels murder. Authorities suspect that his murderers dismembered his remains and dumped them in the Gulf Stream.

At the time of his disappearance, Daniel was a senior at Miami Beach Senior High School and spent much of his free time working and learning technology and spent time with his girlfriend, Sharon Lloyd.

Daniels remains have never been recovered. His parents have since passed away in recent years.


Investigating Agency

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Miami-Dade Police Department 305-471-2400


Source Information

Surfside Kidnapping

For the Lost

The Charley Project

The Doe Network

NamUs