Left and Center: David, circa 1970
Right: Age-Progressed to age 54
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 10, 1970
Missing From: Dixon, Rio Adrriba County, New Mexico
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: March 7, 1967
Age: 2 years old
Height and Weight: 3’0″ and 50 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hispanic Male, Brown hair, Brown eyes, David has a birthmark in the center of his upper back, wide set eyes, and unusually wide feet
NCMEC Number: 1107558
Details of Disappearance
David was last seen in Dixon, New Mexico on January 10th 1970. He was in the company of Leon “LG” Zerfas, his mother’s live in boyfriend. On that day, David’s mother was giving birth to his younger sister, Eelia at Embudo Presbyterian Hospital and she last saw her son outside of the facility with Zerfas. The two might’ve left on foot, hitchhiked, or drove in a faded green 1946 Chevrolet pickup truck.
David’s mother, Ayesha “Genie” Genevieve Lucinda Miera, stayed in the hospital for two days after giving birth. When she returned home, her son was nowhere to be found and all of his belongings were gone. When she asked Leon what happened to the child, he claimed he had given David away to someone but gave differing accounts as to who it was.
He claimed he had given David to his sister from Mexico, a “hippie” family living on a bus, a childless couple who had graduated from college somewhere in the eastern United States, a family with the surname Phillips or Felps, and a blonde photographer. None of these claims could be verified and David was never seen or heard from again.
David was not reported missing when he initially disappeared. It’s believed this was because Leon pressured the boy’s mother to keep quiet about his absence. Genie, Leon and their newborn daughter moved to California sometime after he vanished. Following a violent argument between the couple, Genie left Zerfas and returned to New Mexico. She reported her son missing upon arrival and an investigation finally commenced.
Zerfas was described as unfaithful, abusive and cruel towards children. Several of David’s relatives and others suspect that Leon killed the child in 1970, likely while his mother was still in the hospital. Searches around the Dixon area have produced no evidence as to what happened to the boy. Zerfas was known to hike in the hills nearby and would build tiny dams. It’s possible David’s body was left in a location that Leon was familiar with.
Police would like to speak with individuals who knew Leon during the 1970s. At the time of David’s disappearance, he was 27 years old. He had brown hair with gray eyes and stood at 6’0″. He often used his surname as his first name but other aliases include Joe, William, Jose, John, and Bill.
Genie never gave up looking for her missing son and did everything she could to find him after leaving Zerfas. She gave birth to five more children and moved to Santa Cruz, California where she raised all of her remaining children. His siblings recall that Genie always spoke of David and hoped he would be reunited with them all someday.
In 1986, Genie and Eelia returned to the Dixon area to search for David or anyone who might know something about his fate. Eelia met Zerfas and asked him what happened to her brother. He maintained the story that he had given David away to someone. Genie passed away on April 26th 1989 at age 45 without ever learning what happened to her long lost son. Zerfas died in 2005 and never admitted to harming David.
Eelia is still searching for her long missing brother and she hopes he is still alive. At the time of his disappearance, David lived with his family at a home off New Mexico 180 in Montecito. His case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New Mexico Department of Public Safety 505-827-9181
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Albuquerque Journal 05/13/2013
Albuquerque Journal 05/13/2013