Crime Connoisseurs

Mark Himebaugh

August 02, 2023 Grace D. Episode 12
Mark Himebaugh
Crime Connoisseurs
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Crime Connoisseurs
Mark Himebaugh
Aug 02, 2023 Episode 12
Grace D.

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In 1991 an 11-year-old boy affectionately described as a "Curious George" went to check out a brush fire in the nearby marsh from his house. Several people saw him on his way back home, except he never made it home and has never been seen again. This is the case of Mark Himebaugh.

Middle Twp Police - 609-465-8700
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - 1-800-843-5678 (THE-LOST)
Cape May County Prosecutors Office - 609-465-1135. 

You can also text "tips mtpdtips" to 888777


Source Material: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aWHtKGH0DKjnvXB7GcP0NfkHfLtkQsGgVBPtnlbGiDA/edit

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Show Notes Transcript

Send us a text and let us know what you think about the episode!

In 1991 an 11-year-old boy affectionately described as a "Curious George" went to check out a brush fire in the nearby marsh from his house. Several people saw him on his way back home, except he never made it home and has never been seen again. This is the case of Mark Himebaugh.

Middle Twp Police - 609-465-8700
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - 1-800-843-5678 (THE-LOST)
Cape May County Prosecutors Office - 609-465-1135. 

You can also text "tips mtpdtips" to 888777


Source Material: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aWHtKGH0DKjnvXB7GcP0NfkHfLtkQsGgVBPtnlbGiDA/edit

Thanks for being a loyal Crime Connoisseur! Enjoy your free 30-Day Audible Trial Membership


Discover your dog's DNA with a simple cheek swab for their genetic testing. 

BoxDog and BoxCat are premium customizable subscription boxes for dogs and cats.

Your cat deserves better. Have fresh, human-grade meals for your cat straight to your door each month.

Free 30-Day Audible Trial Membership
Thanks for being a loyal Crime Connoisseur! Enjoy your free 30-Day Audible Trial Membership

Smalls
Your cat deserve better. Have fresh, human-grade meals for your cat straight to your door each month

Wisdom Panel
Discover your dog's DNA with a simple cheek swab for their genetic testing.

BoxDog
BoxDog and BoxCat are premium customizable subscription box for dogs and cats.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the Show.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimeconnoisseurs

Welcome back, Crime Connoisseurs, I'm your host, Grace D! Today, we will be covering a case that has baffled a community near my hometown for over three decades. In 1991 an 11-year-old boy affectionately described as a "Curious George" went to check out a brush fire in the nearby marsh from his house. Several people saw him on his way back home, except he never made it home and has never been seen again. This is the case of Mark Himebaugh.


Maureen and Jody Himebaugh moved to Del Haven, NJ, in 1976, and two years later, Maureen gave birth to their first son, Matthew, in 1978. Two years after that, Maureen and Jody welcomed another son, Mark, on May 23, 1980.


Maureen and Jody had troubles within their marriage. Jody constantly bounced from job to job, causing the family to experience financial issues. Maureen had to work as a waitress and clean houses to pay the bills and raise their children.


Jody allegedly spent more time on hobbies such as boat and pop-up camper while Maureen worked to support them. Jody and Maureen ended up separating in May 1991. This caused some hard times for the family. Jody moved into a second-floor apartment in Cape May on the Washington Street Mall.


Matthew spent a lot of time with Jody, but Mark would often stay with Maureen. Mark visited Jody's with Matthew a few times for a weekend visit. The weekend before Thanksgiving was one of those times.


While Mark and Matthew never told Maureen anything unusual happened, a moment she witnessed stood out to her. When Jody dropped the boys off, Jody gave Mark this big embrace. This wasn't like Jody, especially not with Mark; he wasn't as patient with him. 


Mark loved animals, adored nature, enjoyed building things, and loved the Delaware Bay. Mark shared a great bond with his mom as he grew older, and his kindness to others stood out.


Mark didn't like change. Unlike your typical young boys, he also didn't like to be dirty or have a mess around him. He especially didn't like anything on his face leaving him feeling dirty. The only exception to this was Halloween. 


He would allow his parents to paint on his face for Halloween, but as soon as they came home from trick-or-treating, Mark immediately wanted his face wiped off and cleaned. One Halloween, Jody teased Mark about this and tried to have him leave the stuff on his face, but Mark kept going to Maureen for her to clean his face.


Mark was a good and kind kid. He would have his moments like all of us, but sometimes his reactions were questionable. If Mark was playing a video game and messed up, he would throw the controller in a fit of rage. If he was writing and his handwriting wasn't neat enough, Mark would get so upset that he would rip up his papers and start over from scratch. 


In October 1986, while Mark was in first grade, teachers noticed how Mark had disruptive behavior during class, and his success and participation were sporadic. It was suggested that Mark have an interview with the Child Study Team. 


Maureen interviewed with the Child Study Team and admitted that Mark could be a problem when he was frustrated with himself during a project or activity he was working on. Maureen told them that Mark had this perfectionistic personality, and when things were good, his mood was good, but when things did not go his way, he displayed fits of outbursts and anger. When he is having a tantrum, he is challenging to control. Otherwise, he is an easily managed child.


In describing her husband to the child study team, Maureen said that Jody was highly intelligent and generally well-liked by others. However, she said he did have this perfectionistic personality, and just like their son Mark, Jody would get frustrated easily if things didn't go as planned. Maureen told the child study team that her husband used the same tactics in raising Matthew and Mark that were used in raising him as a child. 


Maureen said that she thinks that Jody is effective in his methods of raising the two boys, which included a very disciplined manner where he was extremely strict with them. At the time of the interview, Jody was working for the County of Cape May. 


In December 1986, the child study team had Mark evaluated by a learning consultant. Mark's teacher reported ongoing inappropriate behavior that included Mark singing and humming during class, tearing his papers up, and generally being disruptive in class. The teacher also noted that there were times when Mark was cooperative and participated in class, and they did see improvement in him. 


Mark was at the top of his reading group, as one of his strengths, and he had good math skills. However, Mark had trouble with his attention span, which varied from task to task, and he would get angry at himself when he had issues with his work. Mark felt that he needed to produce neat and precise work every time. Whenever it didn't meet his satisfaction, he would become angry and frustrated with the task. Mark was at an acceptable level of maturity, had good attendance, and had good peer relationships, for the most part, but there were other times when Mark was frustrated and would not get along with others in class. 


At the end of his kindergarten year, the teacher noted that they had an exceedingly difficult time dealing with Mark, even though they acknowledged he was very bright and intelligent. They reported that they had a hard time with his behavior. When his work was not up to his satisfaction, Mark would not complete assignments and become very moody, stubborn, and resistant to direction from the teacher. 


The learning consultant concluded that none of Mark's behavioral issues were related to learning disabilities. The consultant noted that in-school counseling benefited Mark's behavior, which should continue until further problems arise.


In March 1988, the child study team scheduled a neurologic evaluation for Mark, which took place at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP). This was a direct result of his behavior in class. The exam noted that Mark was right-handed, seven years old, weighed 60 lbs., and was 4'1 tall. 


Initially, Mark was cooperative and quiet during the examination. The conclusion was that Mark had no neurologic disorders or developmental lag that contributed to his behavior in school. It was suggested by the doctors on the neurology team that Mark should complete a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental and physical status regarding his behavior. Maureen and Jody agreed with this conclusion and scheduled the exam. 


In May 1988, Mark underwent a psychiatric examination at CHOP. The doctors concluded, "Mark had an adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct, as well as bed-wetting issues." The staff recommended the following actions: 

  1. Classification as emotionally disturbed.
  2. Educational placement as determined by academic needs; Consider a structured environment with appropriate expectations, then clear, consistently enforced limits. 
  3. Coordination of behavioral modification regimen between home and school personnel. 
  4. Guidance and counseling for Jody and Maureen.   
  5. Psychiatric treatment for Mark. 


The child study team conducted an annual review of Mark's progress and concluded that Mark's best chance of success would be in a resource room with a one-on-one aid, but he should remain in mainstream learning. In March 1989, the child study team received a letter from Mark Himebaugh's guidance counselor, who saw Mark twice weekly. 


The counselor noted that Mark was severely depressed and that his depression was expressed in angry and hostile behavior toward himself, his environment, and others. He overturned desks in his classroom, hit his mother, broke pencils and threw them at children's faces, and ripped his clothing. These were not isolated incidents. They added that he had confided in his mother that he wanted to kill himself. The guidance counselor said Mark showed symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 


They said he was a perfectionist who would tear his things up and throw away all of his school papers if he had not written them satisfactorily. His standards were higher than the teachers'. Mark would tear it up if he wasn't happy with his work. 


Mark would leave his reading group if he was given a word he didn't know. If he thought he gave a wrong answer, he ripped up his paper before the teacher could check it. When Mark was running in a race and felt like he wasn't running as fast as he should, he would quit. This need for control, order, and perfection also showed up outside of the school setting.


In March 1989, Mark underwent a second psychiatric exam based on the referral from the child study team. The attending psychiatrist noted that Mark had become increasingly difficult to handle at school and home. Mark's erratic behavior had been observed by his mother even as an infant. Yet, it really began to manifest itself in kindergarten and became such a problem that it had to be addressed by the school system in first grade. 


At that time, the child study team conducted a series of evaluations and tests to help determine the cause of Mark Himebaugh's behavior. The family had been traveling to Voorhees, NJ, for counseling sessions, and Jody complained about spending large sums of money for the therapy. When the Special Services School District was recommended to Maureen and Jody in the previous year, Maureen was hesitant because of the negative connotation of attending a "special services" school. However, trying to help him with his homework had been rough on her, and she was having second thoughts.


The examiner noted no evidence of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, or ideas of reference. Mark was unhappy and displeased about his extreme swings of emotion. The examiner concluded that they would continue to classify Mark as emotionally disturbed. They also noted that he would do best in a setting with more individualized attention and would benefit from placement in Ocean Academy. Individual therapy was also strongly recommended for him. 


In May 1989, after four more weeks of exams, Maureen said that the only thing that was determined was that he was officially diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Due to wide fluctuations in Mark's behavior, he required significant individual supervision from his parents and staff. His perfectionistic behaviors also included rituals that were characteristics typically seen in children diagnosed with OCD. Given this information, Mark would require a behaviorally oriented treatment program as an adjunct to family therapy.


In the fall of 1989, following the extensive examination of Mark at CHOP, he was transferred from the Middle Township School District to Ocean Academy within the Special Services School District. Initially, Mark was not happy about the transfer.


He expressed this by "acting out" and doing things such as rolling under the tires of a mail truck and throwing himself on the ground in front of a Moped. Therapist notes indicated there wasn't enough information about each incident to determine whether they were suicidal tendencies, or risk-taking adventurous maneuvers, on Mark's part. Mark was put on medication to aid in his OCD. Between the therapy and medication, Mark's behavior started to improve. 


On November 25, 1991, Mark had gotten home from school around 2:30 pm. Mark noticed his mom's car was not in the driveway when he entered the house. He went to his room and neatly put away his backpack and new shoes. He put on an old pair of LA Gear Sneakers that used to be his older brother Matthew's. These were more comfortable on Mark recently since he had just gotten a cast off of his left foot that he had broken on the monkey bars just six weeks prior. 


Mark sat on the couch in the living room and turned on the tv. After a couple of minutes, the front door opened, and it was Maureen carrying in grocery bags. She told Mark she was glad he was there, told him there were a few more bags, and motioned towards the car. Mark hopped up and helped Maureen with the groceries. 


Given that it was three days before Thanksgiving and down the shore, temperatures get frigid, especially at night. When Mark got the remaining ShopRite bags from the car, he asked his mom as he came back inside if they should get a fire going for the night. Maureen told him they were going to Mrs. Kubiak's (Ku -be-ack) house, his favorite teacher. Mark was excited about the holiday, and Maureen's birthday was the next day, which he was also looking forward to. He got his mom a gift he couldn't wait to give her.


While Maureen was making the boys' favorite dinner, chicken and mashed potatoes, Sunray Road had an unusual amount of traffic. She looked out the window and noticed the billowing smoke across the way. Mark saw it, too; there was a brush fire on the marsh. He asked Maureen if he could go check out the fire. He loved exploring the beach and the marsh near their home. 


Maureen agreed to let Mark check out the fire, especially since it was right down the street. Mark got his jacket on and made his way out the door. As Mark walked down the driveway, Maureen received a call from her neighbor, Ann Woolery. Her car was in the shop and ready to be picked up, and her husband wouldn't be home until after they closed. She asked Maureen if she could take her to pick it up. 


Maureen agreed; she figured it was 5 minutes away, ten at most, so no worries. Plus, her mom lived next door, so the boys would be okay. Maureen went outside to catch up with Mark, who was near his grandmother's house now, and she told him she was taking Ann to get her car and for him to come right back after he was done. He said, "Okay, Mom," and continued to the fire. Typically, Mark would have gone with Maureen, but he stayed behind because he wanted to see the fire. 


Mark was wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray pants, a gray jacket, and white LA Gear sneakers. Mark walked down his street on Sunray Rd onto Delaware Ave, which ran parallel to Sunray Beach on the Delaware Bay. The brush fire broke out in a marsh near the Himebaugh residence in Del Haven, just steps from the beach.


Heavy smoke was coming from the south of Sunray Beach, with people from the neighborhood gathering around. As the firefighters struggled to put out the brush fire, the adventurous 11-year-old Mark was more excited than most to see the action.


Because of the fire, Bay Shore Rd, a main road between Del Haven and Lower Township, was shut down for 2-3 hours, causing traffic to be rerouted through the Himebaugh neighborhood, and a lot more traffic than usual had to come through there due to the detour. Maureen didn't realize that her seamlessly quick drive, which should've taken her 10-15 minutes, now caused her trip to become 30-45 minutes.


When Maureen finally got home, Mark wasn't there. She waited a little bit, thinking he might still be exploring, but as time passed, she grew concerned. She started calling all his friends, but no one had seen or heard from him. Now it's even later, and Maureen called 911 around 5 pm. 


The authorities conducted an extensive search, which included canine units, a massive amount of volunteers from the community, and helicopters. It was a bitterly cold night, and at first, police thought that maybe Mark had got lost in the marsh or, worse, possibly drowned in the nearby surf.


Runaway calls were very common in Middle Twp and Cape May County; abductions were very, very rare, so the police treated this case as a missing person who got lost or wandered off. Mark was happy and cheery and gave no sign of running away.


More than seven bloodhounds from the Cape May County K-9 Unit were used in the search. Two US Coast Guard helicopters were brought in to aid in the search from the sky and with their spotlights. At 9:30 pm, there was a break in the case. A firefighter found a white sneaker on Sunray Beach approximately 75 yards from his house the day he disappeared.


It was a white LA Gear sneaker, there were footprints clear in the sand showing two shoe treads up to the sneaker, but after the sneaker, it was one foot and one shoe tread until they disappeared in the soft sand. The firefighters hoped they would find Mark nearby in the dunes since they found the sneaker. 


The canines were brought to the sneaker's location to continue the search. One of Mark's teddy bears was used for his scent. The dogs tracked the scent until they reached Roosevelt Blvd, about a half mile north of where they found the shoe. It was as if a vehicle was waiting because the dogs lost the scent after that. 


The area where the shoe was found was never taped off, especially given that the case was treated as a missing person case. The footprints in the sand indicated a walking pattern, not like Mark was running away. With the shoe on the beach, police wondered if Mark slipped out of it and just kept going. Did he take it off, or was it placed there to throw off the investigation?


When the police brought Maureen the sneaker, it was late at night, but she had hope they would find him since they found that. So many people touched the sneaker, from police to firefighters to Maureen and Matthew. Matthew showed the police how he knew the sneaker was the one that Mark was wearing. 


The next day the police did traffic stops during the search for Mark on Bay Shore Ave. By 2 pm, a door-to-door search was conducted by authorities, who concentrated on vacant homes. With no luck finding Mark, authorities came to the horrifying realization that Mark had likely been abducted. 


While addressing the press, former Middle Twp Police Chief Raymond Saunders stated, "We've been out searching for about 20 hours or more. All of the areas have been covered at least twice. And our aerial search has been done over and over and over again. If Himebaugh was in this area, I believe we would have found him."


They started to believe that if Mark was abducted, it was by someone in the crowd that came to watch the fire or in the traffic that had been detoured by Mark's house because of the fire, especially after witnesses saw a man in a car talking to Mark. Multiple people were questioned, including Mark's father, Jody, who raised suspicion by going to work, while others searched for his son, be he had an alibi and was ruled out. 


A witness reported seeing Mark outside a park with an unidentified girl around 3:40 pm by a park guard, half a mile in the opposite direction of where Mark's school was found. It didn't make sense with the shoe being where it was. The park guard never said anything about Mark missing a shoe, which would stand out. The police worked with the park guard to sketch the girl seen with Mark, hoping to identify her. Given the sketch, it was equally strange that the girl had never been identified. 


You may be asking why this is strange. You see, Del Haven is such a small community that had maybe 1,000 residents who lived there all year long. This area in South Jersey is known as a summer town area, so fewer people live there during the off-season. So the fact that this girl has never been identified means she was NOT from the area; no one knew who she was. This was alarming for investigators, and they believed that maybe she was used to lure Mark. 


Four teens were walking from the street and onto the beach to check out the fire when they saw Mark walking off the beach toward Delaware Ave. They confirmed when they saw Mark by himself in a happy-go-lucky mood. They teased him about starting the fire, even though they knew he didn't, joking about it, and then continued on. Mark continued toward his house. He was so incredibly close; he was a tenth of a mile from home! 


There were credible witnesses on the street before his house, and a family was watching the fire from their car. Before they lose sight of Mark, they see a suspicious gray or silver vehicle. A female was driving, and a white male was on the passenger side, standing outside on the running board. As Mark walks home, the man says something to Mark over the car's roof. The one witness had an uneasy feeling about this interaction, and they made a mental note of everything. Unfortunately, at this time, there weren't any surveillance cameras in the areas, so we have no footage of Mark. 


Three weeks after Mark was last seen, police announced they had questioned a person of interest but could not conclusively link him to Mark's disappearance. They didn't release the person's name to the public but stated that he was a 50-year-old Cape May County resident with a criminal record. Despite their initial interest in him, he was eventually cleared of any involvement and never mentioned again. 


The case quickly went cold. In December 1991, "Friends of Mark" was organized as a trust fund, which accepted donations in an effort to offer a reward if Mark was found. 


In Atlantic City, heavyweight boxer Riddick Bowe dedicated a bout against Elijah Tillery to Mark's return.

Bowe wore Himebaugh's picture on his boxing robe and trunks at the Convention Hall bout that an estimated 17 million viewers watched. Additionally, Bowe gave $15,000 to the reward fund, which brought the amount to $25,000 for Mark's safe return. 


A vigil was held for Mark on the one-year anniversary of when he went missing. On the first anniversary of Mark's disappearance, six State Troopers assisted Middle Township Police at a checkpoint on Bayshore Road near Cape May County Park South, where Mark was last seen. Investigators decided to go back to square one and were reinterviewing neighbors in hopes of coming forward with new information. 


They also released a composite sketch of a man the people who had seen talking to Mark on the day he vanished. That has been the most credible lead believed to be involved in the abduction of Mark Himebaugh. This sketch is the third sketch. Two others were made based on what a couple of 10-year-old boys at the time had reported. 


Before continuing, I want to give a trigger warning for what's about to come, a graphic detailing is made about sexual abuse. 


Daniel Coll, a male sex worker, told police on the night on February 14, 1993, he was at Thomas Butcavage's apartment, a regular client of his. According to Coll, in an interview with NBC10, Butcavage showed him a graphic video that left him traumatized to this day. Coll said in the video was "a little boy who was shackled, handcuffed, and had a ball gag in his mouth."


In the video, Butcavage sexually assaults the boy, and Coll is sure the boy in the video is Mark Himebaugh. He said, "I remember looking at the little boy's face and just the look in his eyes. I mean completely, you ever see fear? Just through the eyes. Man, the little boy was scared to death."


Coll described the conversation between Butcavage and himself after he saw the video. According to Coll, "I said, that looks like the little boy from South Jersey. Tommy told me it was him. He confessed to me and said it was him. I said, what did you do with him? He said, 'Well, I did like I did the rest of them. I dispose them.' What do you mean the rest of them? He said, 'Well, I got 5 or 6 other kids I did.'"


Coll was so upset that he contacted the police about his encounter and interactions with Butcavage the next day. Coll said Butcavage kept reassuring him, saying, "I need yoou. I need yoou to help me get little kids." 


On June 23, 1993, the police released a new sketch composite of a potential suspect. He was described as a white male in his 20s with long, dark hair parted in the middle. He wore square-framed glasses and was believed to be driving a white compact car with a roof rack at the time Mark went missing. Witnesses placed Mark near this man's car shortly before he vanished. Now it's important to point out that this sketch was made a year before it was released. And I'll explain why in a moment.


In July 1993, because of Coll's tip, investigators searched the Havertown, PA residence of 27-year-old Thomas Butcavage in connection with Mark's disappearance. The videotape Coll reported wasn't found during the search, but he remained a Person of Interest. 


Butcavage denied any involvement in Mark's disappearance and was never charged in relation to this case. Butcavage did a polygraph and failed. Now let's all remember not to take too much stock into this, especially since polygraphs are inadmissible in court. However, during the polygraph, Butcavage said that he fantasized about traveling up to 100 miles to kidnap, rape and murder a young boy. He said he didn't understand the polygraphers question and was thinking about his fantasy during the questioning - not about Mark. 


Several different agency members made up a team for the case. A veteran-skilled missing person unit of investigators comprised members from the Philadelphia Police Department, Delaware County District Attorney, NJ State Police, Havertown Twp Police Department, and Middle Twp Detectives. They tried to place Butcavage in the area at that time.


Nearly six years later, in 1998, Butcavage pleaded guilty to numerous sex crime charges involving three young boys in Chester County. He was sentenced to prison for 18-36 years for multiple counts of deviant sexual behavior of the 3 young boys. His max prison date is til 2035. Butcavage has continued to deny involvement in Mark's case, but others have come forward, including friends saying Butcavage had confessed to them as well.


They couldn't quite place Butcavage there at that time, but they did find out that Butcavage had a male lover with a roommate, and the roommate was from Cape May County. Not only that, but the roommate's father was in the same barbershop quartet as Mark's father, Jody! So the police could make a loose connection between Butcavage and Jody.


They also found that Butcavage had a receipt for a computer repair shop with a date and time for pick up: November 25, 1991, pick up time: 3 pm. Unfortunately, they couldn't determine if 3 pm was when he picked it up or was that a suggested time? If 3 pm was a suggested time and he could pick it up sooner, then he would've been able to make it to the area within the timeframe.


Over the years, investigators followed up on thousands of tips without making any significant progress in this case. In March 1995, several reported sightings of Mark in Sacramento, CA, prompted volunteers to post more than 4,000 missing person fliers around the city in hopes of soliciting additional tips. No more reports have come in, and the original sightings could not be verified. 


Over time, Mark's case faded from the headlines. Local newspapers ran a short recap of the case each year on the anniversary of his disappearance. Despite the lack of progress, Maureen refused to give up on finding her son. She told Ana Garcia on True Crime Daily she believes that Mark is deceased and that he is with her spiritually. She does have hope that maybe Mark's case will be like Jaycee Dugard's after all this time.


In 2010, a call came into the Middle Twp Police Department. The person claimed to be the son of a witness who saw what happened to Mark. The caller said a retired police officer ran Mark over and buried him on the side of the Bayshore road. 


According to retired Detective Rich McHale, the second call came in within a week or a month of the first one. In 2015, Middle Twp Police Chief Leusner took the call to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to review the call with their analyst. They ended up broadcasting the call on tv in the Philadelphia area. No new leads came from this. It was determined to be a revenge-type thing. That area had been extensively searched by foot, canine, and helicopter, and nothing ever came of it.


Law enforcement has not given up hope in discovering what happened to Mark. Police and the FBI have begun using artificial intelligence services to help possibly crack the case. The hope is that AI can reexamine the evidence and find patterns that are not already apparent. Maureen is holding out hope that she will finally get answers after over 30 years, "I'm still waiting and hoping. Not so much dreaming, but hoping that I'll get closure. That's what I really want."


Daniel Coll is terminally ill and told NBC10 he decided to speak publically about Butcavage after seeing recent reports from NBC10 about the case. Coll said, "I've been in the grand juries, I testified up in Camden for the feds. They need more people to come forward on this because he's there. People seen him there. I just need people to know the truth of Tommy Butcavage, you know?"


Police are hoping to talk with people who may have seen Butcavage in Cape May County in the late 80s and early 90s. They also hope to speak with Coll again as the investigation continues. Investigators want to talk to anyone who was in Del Haven on November 25, 1991, and are especially interested in any photos or videos of the brushfire. Regardless of it being more than 30 years, they believe this case can be solved and hope to get justice for Mark. 


Maureen wants justice and answers. She does believe that Mark's shoe was placed on the beach to throw the investigation. Thanksgiving is tough for her; she loved Thanksgiving, it's all about family, but now it makes her sad.


Rich McHale was a patrolman of three years when Mark vanished. He got involved in the case when he became a detective in 1996. Rich has advocated greatly for Mark's case and even wrote the book, Where is Mark? The Abduction of Mark Himebaugh.


Sadly, Maureen has lived for nearly 32 years without answers about what happened to her youngest son. Maureen spoke with two individuals in prison on two separate occasions about Mark's case. They said they would confess if the death penalty were taken off the table. Maureen would agree, but when it was time for them to confess they didn't, it was all lies. At this time, Maureen still lives in the same house at 214 Sunray Rd in Del Haven, NJ. However, as of Saturday, July 22, 2023, Maureen officially listed her home for sale.


Anyone with information in regards to Mark's disappearance can call the Middle Twp Police at 609-465-8700, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-THE-LOST, or Cape May County Prosecutors Office at 609-465-1135. 


You can also text "tips mtpdtips" to 888777. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to the closure of this case and a $30,000 reward for the safe return of Mark to Cape May County. 


Mark Himebaugh was an 11-year-old boy who went missing on November 25, 1991. He would've been 4' tall, about 85lbs, with red hair, blue eyes, and a freckly face. He was last seen in the beachside community at a local park at approximately 4 pm wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray pants, a gray jacket, and white hand-me-down LA Gear sneakers. 


And that's the case of Mark Himebaugh. I hope you all enjoyed this episode. Source material can be found in the show notes, and I will have all the numbers listed there for anyone to be able to reach out with information. Be sure to follow on IG at Crime Connoisseurs and fill out the case suggestion form by clicking the link in the bio. In the meantime, keep it classy, connoisseurs and I'll catch ya on the next case!

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