Disappearance of Thomas Gibson
Missing person case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas Dean Gibson (July 5, 1988 – disappeared March 18, 1991)[1] is an American child who vanished from his front yard in Azalea, Oregon, under mysterious circumstances. On the morning of his disappearance, his father, Larry Gibson, the deputy sheriff of Douglas County, left the family's home to go on a jog. Before departing, he claimed to have shot at a feral cat on the property. He left Thomas in the family's front yard, where Thomas's elder sister, Karen (then aged 4), was to watch him. Upon returning from his jog, Larry and his wife, Judith, realized Thomas was missing.
Disappearance of Thomas Gibson | |
|---|---|
 Gibson, c. 1991 | |
| Born | (1988-07-05)July 5, 1988 |
| Disappeared | March 18, 1991 (aged 2) Azalea, Oregon U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 33 years, 2 months and 8 days |
Karen initially told law enforcement she had witnessed a man and woman pull into the family's driveway in a truck and abduct Thomas, though the couple could not be identified. Initial search efforts for Thomas proved fruitless, and Larry formally resigned from his position in the police department before relocating with his family to Montana in 1992.
In 1993, Judith separated from Larry and returned to Oregon with their eldest daughter and newborn child, daughter Lisa. Around this time, Karen admitted to law enforcement that she had witnessed her father beating Thomas outside on the day of his disappearance before placing him inside his patrol car. Larry was charged with second-degree murder in Thomas's death in April 1994, despite the fact that his remains could not be located. Though he consistently protested his innocence, Larry was convicted of manslaughter in March 1995 and served less than one year before being released from imprisonment.
Thomas's case received significant media attention, airing in two episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. His image is featured in the music video for the song "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum, among numerous other missing children; he is the youngest child featured in the video. As of 2024[update], Thomas's whereabouts are still unknown.