Missing
Joseph Rodriguez
Joseph, approximately 1936
Date and time person was reported missing : 09/06/1936
Missing location (approx) :
Manhattan, New York
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Hispanic
Age at the time of disappearance: 4 years old
Height / Weight : 3'0, 35 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A navy blue sweater with a red-striped collar and a yellow sweater underneath it, white knickers with blue dots and blue sandals.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Hispanic male. Black hair, brown eyes. Joseph has a mole on his right wrist. He has a small scar above his right eye. His nickname is Joe.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Joseph lived with his aunt, Pauline Rodriguez, in 1936; she'd raised him since birth. They lived in the 1600 block of Park Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City. His mother, Dora Olivo, lived within walking distance, in the 1300 block of Fifth Avenue.
On September 6, 1936, Pauline left Joseph with a neighbor for the day. The neighbor took him down the street early that afternoon to play with other children. When Joseph's babysitter returned later, she couldn't find him. He has never been heard from again.
Joseph's aunt received a telegram on September 12, six days after his disappearance. It stated: "Joseph will be back on Wednesday. Doctor will not let me move him."
Many reports are that the telegram was anonymous, but it was in fact signed with a name Pauline didn't recognize. The name on the telegram has never been publicly released. There was no further communication from the writer and Joseph never returned to his aunt's Spanish Harlem residence.
Joseph's case is one of the oldest in the New York Police Department's files. His disappearance remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
New York Police Department
646-610-6914
September 2021 updates and sources
New York Police Department
The New York Post
Whereabouts Still Unknown
October 12, 2004. May 7, 2013; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
