Mark Himebaugh

Case background and investigation

Mark Himebaugh was 11 years old when he went missing on November 25, 1991, in Del Haven, a community in Middle Township, Cape May County, New Jersey. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, he disappeared at about 4:00 p.m. near his family's home.

6abc reported that a brush fire had broken out roughly a quarter of a mile from the house on Sunray Road that afternoon, and that Mark's mother allowed him to go and watch firefighters put it out. A local radio report on the 34th anniversary said that his mother had left to drive a neighbor home, that Mark had chosen to stay behind to see the fire, and that a park guard who saw him heading toward a playground at around 4 p.m. was the last person known to have seen him. He was reported missing at about 5 p.m., according to 6abc. The New Jersey State Police listing records that his mother last saw him at 3:15 p.m.

An extensive search followed. According to NCMEC, searchers found his left sneaker about 75 yards from his home, and no other physical evidence has come to light since. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, a gray jacket, gray pants and white sneakers. The State Police listing describes him as about four feet tall and 85 pounds, with red hair and blue eyes; NCMEC notes that he had freckles.

The case is investigated by the Middle Township Police Department and the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, with FBI involvement. No one has been charged in connection with the disappearance, and the sources reviewed do not identify any officially named suspect.

In May 2023, investigators announced that they were using an artificial intelligence tool in a pilot program to look for patterns in the accumulated case material, 6abc reported. Police Chief Chris Leusner said the department wanted to use every available resource and the newest technology to find Mark, and hoped the approach could serve as a model for other cold cases.

NCMEC has produced age-progressed images showing how Mark might look as an adult. As of the most recent coverage reviewed, in November 2025, he had not been found. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, the Middle Township Police Department or NCMEC.