Jesus De LaCruz went missing on September 28th, 1996.

One evening, Jesus and his friend Bernard were playing at a cul-de-sac near their respective homes. The street lights had just flicked on, signaling to the kids that they should be heading home on this late summer day. Jesus was notably upset that his pink Huffy bicycle with green handles was unrideable, as it had two flat tires and no seat. That's when a man with pulled back brown hair, sunglasses, a long coat, and a dog with two colored eyes approached the boys.

“I have a blue mountain bike that you could use”

The man spoke to Jesus, who was overjoyed that he was finally able to have an operable bike. Bernard, who was wary of the stranger, was hesitant to interact, but still envied the stranger's offer. The only catch was that Jesus had to leave with the man and his dog to go get it. Jesus excitedly followed the man out of Bernard's view. Bernard had no idea that this would be the last time anyone would see Jesus alive.

Jesus was never seen again, and his mother came under scrutiny for reporting him missing six hours later.

Allegedly, police initially investigated Magdalena because there were conflicting reports of her presence at home that day. Some suspect that she didn't notice him missing at 7:30 PM like she said, and that she reported him missing at 12:30 AM the next day when she came home and didn't look for him. Nevertheless, Magdalena was cleared by authorities.

However, Magdalena's involvement in the drug scene of outer Boston was never debated, as neighbors saw cars always peeling in and out of their driveway. Noticeably, a woman once screamed at the De LaCruz' residence for crack cocaine in the middle of the night. Interestingly, Magdalena bailed out a known drug dealer from prison the night before her son's disappearance.

Robert Levesque, notable loner, was the prime suspect in this case.

Levesque has had some notable run-ins with the law, namely for theft of jewelry and cars from his prior employers. He moved around frequently, working odd jobs to support himself.

Local kids identified Robert as the possible suspect, because he would often try to talk to them while walking his dog, and kept lingering when they were out playing. His dog, Peaches, had two different eye colors.

There were some highly suspect details about Robert, despite his penchant for grand theft auto. He volunteered to be a mentor at the local Boys and Girls Club, but his applications were denied because the interviewers were unsure of his intentions with the kids. He also had random young boys staying over his apartment, which he claimed were his nephews that he had a "mentor/mentee" relationship with.

Levesque was arrested for charges unrelated to Jesus' disappearance, and was ultimately not charged with the kidnapping.

When police searched his residence, they found duct tape, handcuffs, and a pair of child's jeans. Forensic evidence later determined that there were no DNA links to Jesus on the recovered materials. Bernard, Jesus' friend, was able to pick Peaches out of a lineup, but not Robert. There was insufficient evidence to prosecute him for Jesus' disappearance.

Jesus De LaCruz is still missing.

His brothers, sisters, and mother have since moved out of the Lynn area, due to understandable trauma and reminders of Jesus' absence. His father, Juan, calls the Lynn Police Department every year on the anniversary of his disappearance. They still hold out hope that whoever took Jesus kept him alive and well and that he might still be alive, somewhere.

If you have any information on this case, please call the FBI's ViCAP line at (800) 634-4097.