Left: Composite image of Tavish at age 4
Right: Age Progressed to age 17
Reason: There were no photos of Tavish taken at the time of his abduction and none are available
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: March 9, 1993
Missing From: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: February 10, 1993
Age: 3 weeks old
Height and Weight: 2’0 and 8 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African American Male, Black hair, Brown eyes, Tavish was recuperating from a minor surgery for treatment of abcess at the time of his abduction and he required medical care for his condition and he has a quarter inch surgical scar on his buttock
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white flower-print Tshirt and had Grady tags on his wrist and ankle
NCMEC Number: 778561
Details of Disappearance
Tavish Sutton disappeared from Atlanta, Georgia on March 9th 1993. He was went missing from the Hughes Spaulding pediatric unit of Grady Memorial Hospital. He has been admitted there as a patient and had undergone a minor surgery over the weekend.
Tavish was inside of a slightly private room in the ward on the day of his disappearance. He was last seen at approximately 6:45 am when a nurse checked on him in his room. His room was checked again at 7:00 am but he was not there and had disappeared.
At the time of Tavish’s disappearance, he was in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services. His mother was being treated for schizophrenia in a mental institution when her son vanished. She was unaware that he was in the hospital at the time of his presumed abduction. Other relatives were also unaware of this.
She and other members of the family have been eliminated as suspects in the child’s abduction. Her parental rights to her three other children had been terminated by the DCS by the time Tavish disappeared and they were trying to terminate her rights to the baby as well. He has been in there custody since the week after he was born and was originally placed with a foster family.
Tavish was in a hospital room with another baby at the time of his abduction. The other baby’s family was investigated extensively in the case and their home was searched. They were cleared of involvement in his kidnapping soon afterwards. Authorities have two persons of interest in Tavish’s case.
One of the persons of interest is a mysterious and agitated looking man. He attempted to enter the hospitals pediatric wing after 8:30 pm the night before Tavish disappeared. In order to visit the children’s wing after 8:30 pm, visitors were required to have a pass to use that authorized their business for being there. This man did not have one and had no business being there at the time. He was described as being tall and thin. He was wearing a baseball cap at the time. He disappeared before hospital security could be notified.
The other person of interest was a woman. She was described as staining at 5’5″ and weighing about 160 pounds. She was approximately 25 years old in 1993 and had a medium brown complexion. She had strong cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. She was said to be wearing a large black coat, black pants, and large earrings. She also had her hair pulled back with a large bow. She was apparently seen carrying an infant child with curly hair at one point.
A man said he noticed this woman outside of the hospital due to her attractiveness. Another person said they saw her inside of the hospital as well. Neither of these people have been identified and it’s unknown if they were actually involved in Tavish’s kidnapping.
Investigators believe that a woman who may have been posing as pregnant had taken Tavish to raise on her own. They believe she lived within the state and possibly in proximity to the hospital that he was being treated in. Investigators do not know who took the child but believe someone who was a stranger to the child took him.
Tavish’s case remains unsolved and his whereabouts a mystery. In March of 1995, his mother sued the hospital over his abduction and natter was settled out of court for $600,000.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Atlanta Police Department 404-853-3400
Federal Bureau of Investigation 202-324-3000
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children