Account
Dec 17, 2010
Oct 26, 2018
David
Blockett
43
20 inches
7 lbs
Black / African American
Male
In December of 1980, in Newport News, Virginia, the life of a young family was irrevocably altered. A woman, introducing herself as Marie Kelly and claiming to be a social worker, arrived at the home of Vanessa Blockett. She informed Vanessa that the Department of Social Services was hosting a special event for children at a nearby medical center. The woman persuaded Vanessa to allow her to take not only her newborn son, David Ezell Blockett, who was just a few weeks old, but also his two-year-old brother, Frederick. This seemingly kind offer was the beginning of a long and painful mystery. David, a baby boy with a small mole in his right ear and several distinct birthmarks, was last seen on December 11, 1980. Later that same day, a part of the family was returned, but the reunion was incomplete and shrouded in fear. Young Frederick was discovered wandering by himself in a shopping center in Hampton, Virginia, with a piece of paper in his pocket that had his name and address written on it. He was safely returned to his mother, but there was no sign of baby David. The hope that flickered when the phone rang later that day was quickly extinguished. A woman, believed to be the abductor, inquired about the type of formula David consumed, but the call ended abruptly before it could be traced. In the days that followed, a diaper bag containing some of David's clothing and a leather folder were found in Yorktown, but these items provided few answers. Investigations revealed that there was no social worker named Marie Kelly employed by the state, and no such children's event had been scheduled at the medical center. Authorities came to believe the abductor may have learned of David's birth from a local newspaper announcement. The years that followed were filled with unanswered questions and enduring grief. David's mother, Vanessa, passed away in 1997 without ever knowing what happened to her son. Frederick, as an adult, has faint memories of that day, recalling a man driving the car while the woman who took them avoided looking at the children. The case has remained open, with law enforcement preserving evidence, including the diaper bag and its contents, in the hope that advancements in technology, like DNA testing, might one day lead to a breakthrough. The prevailing belief among investigators is that David was likely raised by his abductor and may not even be aware of his own story. The disappearance of David Ezell Blockett is a heart-wrenching case of abduction under false pretenses, leaving a family fractured and a community with a lingering sense of loss. Despite the passage of decades, the search for answers continues, fueled by the hope that David is alive and that he might one day learn his true identity.
Dec 11, 1980
Newport News
Virginia
Newport News City
27248
Newport News Police Department
Newport News
Virginia
Newport News City
23605
T. Cioffi
MPO
9710 Jefferson Avenue, Virginia
7572472500
Local
Law Enforcement
1995-06934
1980-12-11
Newport News Police Department
Black
Brown
Brown
No
06/01/2026
