Craig Bender (1940)

Where Craig lived

The family’s summer residence stood at the intersection of Nautilus and Ocean avenues in Beachwood, approximately a mile from the Toms River. That is the house from which Craig disappeared. A nationally distributed report published July 20 identified his parents as Mr. and Mrs. William Bender of Linden and placed them in their second week of vacation. The December recovery report instead called his father Alfred W. Bender of Elizabeth. No street address for the family’s permanent residence has yet been verified, and the conflicting name and municipality should remain visible until a census, directory, deed, or vital record resolves them.

Search

Craig was last seen wearing a light-colored sunsuit and orange slippers; he had blond hair. Police believed he entered the deep woods surrounding the summer house. About fifty firefighters and residents searched overnight.

The following day local and state police were joined by Lakehurst Naval Air Station sailors and Marines, Civilian Conservation Corps workers from near Whiting, forest-fire wardens, two Navy blimps identified as the K-2 and L-1, and a private airplane from Seaside Heights. State Police issued a statewide teletype alert and sought bloodhounds. Officials discounted the river as an immediate explanation because it lay more than a mile away.

Recovery

On December 21, a deer hunter found Craig’s skeleton approximately two miles from the summer home. His father recognized the clothing and concluded that Craig had become lost and died in the woods. Ocean County Detective Charles Feeney investigated.

A nationwide search report

A July 20 United Press dispatch reached the front page of Oregon’s Bend Bulletin. It reported two Navy blimps and 400 volunteers resuming the search, showing how quickly a local disappearance drew military resources and national attention. It names the parents as William Bender and his wife of Linden and says they were completing their second vacation week. Bend Bulletin, July 20, 1940, p. 1, “Navy Blimps Search for Three-Year-Old”.

The July and December reports still need to be reconciled with family records. Repetition in distant newspapers can reflect a shared wire dispatch, so it is not independent proof of a parent’s name. Likewise, the father’s explanation after the recovery should remain attributed to him; the material reviewed does not include a coroner’s finding.