Missing person · Vineland, Cumberland County
William Ebeneezer Jones Jr.: missing from Vineland since 1962
Unresolved disappearance · Listed by NJSP and NCMEC
Three-year-old William “Billy” Jones Jr. disappeared while playing outside near his Vineland home in December 1962; New Jersey State Police and NCMEC still list him as missing.
Last seen in Vineland
Billy Jones was three years old, a few months short of four, when he vanished on December 17, 1962. He had gone outside that morning to play with his younger sister, Jill. Official accounts differ on the exact spot. The New Jersey State Police say he was last seen in the backyard of his home. The FBI’s case page says he was last seen near a neighbor’s house at about 11:45 a.m. A 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer column adds that a neighbor saw him around that time and told him to head home.
The state police list him as a white boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion, 3 feet tall and about 30 pounds. The FBI gives 3 feet 6 inches and 35 pounds. He wore a blue snowsuit with silver buttons and tan high-top shoes. The FBI adds a navy collar, a matching hat, and yellow laces. Both agencies note a vaccination scar shaped like a giraffe on his upper left arm. His given name is spelled “Ebenezer” by the state police and NCMEC and “Ebeneezer” by the FBI.
The search
The Inquirer reported that hundreds of police, firefighters, National Guard troops, and volunteers searched for days, on foot, by boat, and from the air. As of that 2012 report, no body had been found, no one had been arrested, and there had been no credible sightings. Vineland Detective Kristian Kirchner told the paper that his department began taking a fresh look at the case in 2009. Details of the disappearance had also been entered into the National Crime Information Center system in recent years. For the 50th anniversary, the FBI posted photographs of Billy and an age-progressed image of him.
Current status
The New Jersey State Police missing-persons list includes the case under number 09-72911, with NIC number M098502459. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children lists him as case 1118401, with a photo age-progressed to 61. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vineland Police Department at 856-696-1212, the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at missingpinformation@njsp.gov, or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST).
Sources and research limits
- New Jersey State Police, Missing Persons — William Ebenezer Jones, Jr., case 09-72911 / NIC M098502459 — Official state case page, reopened and checked September 11, 2026, for the last-seen location, physical description, clothing, scar, and contacts.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, case poster NCMC 1118401 — Case data checked September 11, 2026, for the listing, NCIC number, nickname, scar, age-progression (to 61), and contact numbers.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, “William Ebeneezer Jones, Jr.” — The live page blocked automated access on September 11, 2026. An archived copy from 2024 (Internet Archive) was read for the 11:45 a.m. time, location near a neighbor’s house, the FBI’s description, and clothing. Whether the page is still posted today could not be confirmed.
- Kevin Riordan, “Vineland missing-person case resonates 50 years later,” Philadelphia Inquirer (Philly.com), December 25, 2012 (archived copy) — Read for the neighbor’s sighting, the search, the 2009 renewed investigation, and NCIC entry.
- Joshua Rhett Miller, “Coldest case: Search for New Jersey boy continues 50 years after he vanished,” Fox News, December 23, 2012 (archived copy) — Read as corroboration that he was playing outside with his sister and that the case was reopened in 2009. Wikipedia’s article on the case was consulted only as a pointer to these sources.