David Williams & Steven Anderson

Case background and investigation

David Williams, 12, and Steven Anderson, 17, were residents of the New Lisbon State School, a state-run residential facility in Burlington County, New Jersey, that is now called the New Lisbon Developmental Center. According to case summaries republished from the NamUs database, the center covers 1,896 acres in the Pinelands, and the two boys shared a room there.

Both had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities and, according to the same summaries, could not look after themselves without supervision. Williams had epilepsy, needed daily medication to prevent seizures and usually wore a protective helmet. Anderson was described as having difficulty communicating, and he had a chipped front tooth.

On the afternoon of April 7, 1975, the two had been at a ball field on the grounds. They were last seen at about 4:15 p.m. walking from the field toward their residence. Williams was wearing a blue jacket and striped pants; Anderson was wearing a blue hooded jacket and blue pants. New Jersey 101.5 reported that they were seen walking into woods from the field, where they had been playing with staff.

The disappearance prompted a search of the surrounding woods in the days that followed. No trace of either boy was found, and the case went cold for decades. It is listed with the New Jersey Human Services Police, and both are entered in NamUs, Williams as case MP3123 and Anderson as MP3117.

The case drew new attention in November 2017. Earlier that month the FBI released age-progressed images showing how Williams and Anderson might look at 48 and 56. On November 28, 2017, 6ABC and New Jersey 101.5 reported that FBI agents were working near Mayetta Landing Road in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford Township, Ocean County. The FBI described this only as investigative activity connected to an ongoing investigation. News reports cited law enforcement sources who said the work involved digging.

Neither outlet reported that anything was found, and the FBI did not announce any result. The sources reviewed for this entry do not show any arrest, identification of remains or other resolution since then. No one has been publicly named as a suspect, and investigators have not said what they believe happened to the two. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the FBI or the New Jersey Human Services Police.