Left and Center: Clark circa, 1984
Right: Age Progressed to age 33
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: August 23, 1984
Missing From: Fairfield, Solano County, California
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: December 5, 1980
Age: 3 years old
Height and Weight: 3’2″ and 35 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Biracial Male; Clark is Asian and Caucasian, Black hair, Brown eyes, Clark is of Japanese descent, he usually goes by by his middle name Toshiro or his nickname “Tosho”, some agencies list his middle name as being Toshino, Clark was known to suck on his thumb when he was upset at the time of his 1984 abduction
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A brown striped long-sleeved two tone pullover top and a pair of red pajama pants
NCMEC Number: 603351
Details of Disappearance
Clark was abducted from his residence in Fairfield, California on August 23rd 1984. He was last seen sleeping in his ground-floor bedroom with five other children and his uncle in his residence located on Magellan Street. An unknown intruder entered the room through the window by the head of Clark’s bunkbed and took him without disturbing anyone else in the house or room. Clark has never been seen or heard from since.
His grandfather, Harry Smith Jr., discovered Clark was missing at 7:00 am the next morning when he went into the bedroom and discovered him home with the window open. He went to Clark’s mother, Linda Handa, and asked her where the child was. They searched the entire house and outside area but to no avail. Linda contacted the police at 8:20 am and reported her son as missing. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Clark.
As the police continued to search for Clark in his neighborhood and in the residence, Linda found an envelope on his bed. The paper inside was a ransom note demanding $25,000 for Clark’s safe return to them. The note included instructions for collecting the ransom money and where to leave it. There was to be contact made with the family and the money was to be dropped in a rendezvous point in Fairfield on August 24th at 9:00 pm.
Clark’s family did their best to comply with the ransom demands and went to the place to make the ransom drop. However, the abductor(s) never showed up to the spot and never attempted to make contact with his family again. Police and Federal Agents were present at the supposed drop point and waited there past 9:00 pm up until midnight and no one came at all. While the note did say not to involve police, investigators don’t feel the abductor(s) were turned away because of them.
A custody dispute was ruled out almost immediately. Clark’s father, Ronald Handa, and Linda had been separated for about a month prior to the child’s disappearance and were living in separate homes at the time. They were both cleared as suspects and have been extremely active in the search for their missing son. Both have since divorced.
Investigators and others believe Clark was abducted by someone possibly known to his family at the time. Linda’s oldest daughter, Connie Parker, said her family was an unusual target for a ransom kidnapping because they were not rich and were mostly poor. Linda also stated she had no trouble with anyone at all and didn’t understand why this happened at all.
For many years, Clark’s kidnapping remained a cold case. Despite this, his family relentlessly continued to search for him and hoped for many years that he was still alive. In 2011, police as well as the FBI reopened the investigation into Clark’s abduction. They had a small list of possible suspects but none were charged with any wrongdoing in the case, until some years later. The investigation would ultimately uncover information about the individual(s) responsible for Clark’s abduction.
On April 25th 2016, a man identified as Michael Anthony Blas Fejarang was charged with first degree murder along with special circumstances and kidnapping for ransom in relation to Clark’s abduction and presumed murder. He was already in Valley State Prison for separate child molestation cases in Chowchilla, California from 1981 and from 2001-2002. He was sentenced to twenty six years to life in prison for those crimes.
Michael knew Clark and was known to the Handa family in 1984. Ronald stated that Michael had previously dated his stepdaughter who ended up breaking up with him. He was described as arrogant and a know-it-all and Ronald said he did not like him whatsoever. Investigators from 1984 states that Michael’s arrest was not surprising and that he had been on the suspect list because his story for the time Clark was abducted changed continuously.
According to reports, Fejarang was questioned about Clark and it was during this questioning in 2016 that he softened up and eventually confessed to his abduction and murder. He told investigators that he and two accomplices, a woman and a man, were under the influence of drugs and came up with the idea of abducting Clark. Michael said he snuck into the home through the window and blindfolded the child then sedated him.
The three suspects took Clark to a home in Vacaville, California where he was kept alive for at least a few days after his kidnapping. It’s believed that he died not long after being taken. According to Fejarang, Clark recognized him and said “Michael, why are you doing this to me?” While he did admit to killing Handa, he cannot recall the exact location of where he buried his remains. The exact motive for Clark’s murder has not been established either.
The accomplice’s who were also involved in the abduction and murder of Clark cannot he prosecuted. The woman is deceased and the man cannot be located. Neither suspect has been publicly identified. In May of 2016, Michael appeared in court for his first hearing in the case and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in Clark’s death.
On October 16th 2017, Fejarang plead no contest to first degree murder in Clark’s murder. He took a plea deal in exchange for dismissal of the kidnapping charge against him. In January of 2018, he was officially given a sentence of twenty five years to life in prison for the crime. Following this, most people considered Clark’s case solved.
At the time of his disappearance, Clark was described as an active, friendly child with an even-tempered personality. He was said to love running and chasing people. His family continues to hope for the recovery of his remains and are glad they finally know what happened to him after years of wondering. Clark’s body has never been recovered and he remains listed as a missing child.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Fairfield City Police Department 707-428-7374
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The San Francisco Examiner 08/26/1984
Sunday Examiner and Chronicle 08/26/1984
Santa Cruz Sentinel 08/28/1984