Mouse over to enlarge. Right 4: Age-progressed by NCMEC to 23, 32, 34, and 39 years
Mouse over to enlarge. Right 4: Age-progressed by NCMEC to 23, 32, 34, and 39 years
Name: Russell John Mort
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Case Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Missing Since: May 5, 1982
Location Last Seen: Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York
Date of Birth: September 4, 1979
Age: 2 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 3'0"
Weight: 30 lbs.
Hair Color: Light Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: A tiny cleft chin and a small mark on his left cheekbone which resembles a wart.
Dentals: Available. His upper left front tooth was chipped at the time of his disappearance.
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Faded brown plaid sunsuit over an old shirt and beige knee socks.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Mort was last seen in the fenced backyard of his home at the Lynch Mobile Home Park with his mother playing with a toy guitar. When he complained that something was wrong with the guitar, his mother put him into his sandbox and took the guitar into the residence. When she came back outside a few minutes later, Russell was gone. The gate in the fence was still closed and locked from the outside. The trailer court is located along the Niagara River above the Niagara Falls approximately five miles away.
A couple of days prior to his disappearance, Russell managed to scale the fence and reach the trailer of a neighbor. Some investigators have believed that he may have gotten out of the yard and wandered into the Niagara River, about 100 yards away. There are no witnesses to Russell either going into the Niagara River or of him being abducted.
By late afternoon, a massive search effort was underway. State police helicopters patrolled the sky and sheriff's department patrol boats cruised the upper Niagara River just in the case Russell climbed the fence, crossed the road, walked 100 yard and fell into the water.
Several Lynch Park residents reported seeing an unfamiliar man and women with a boy who may have been Russell in a white 1965 Corvette with a black convertible top, last seen in the vicinity of Hyde Park Boulevard and Packard Road on the day Russell disappeared, but the lead never panned out. The following unidentified individuals are wanted for questioning in Russell's disappearance:
Left: Unidentified Female Suspect, Right: Unidentified Male Suspect
The unidentified white female is described as having dark brown curly hair. The unidentified white male is described as being in his late 20's to early 30's with light brown hair and a mustache.
In 2005, a man from Texas contacted authorities saying he believed he was Mort. The man said his adoptive parents gave evasive answers when he asked about his history and he thought he might be Mort after reading a story about the case on a missing person’s website. However, DNA testing showed no link between the man and the Mort family. Sheriff’s investigators said they have also been contacted by a man from northern New York who thought he might be Mort, but again DNA testing showed no link.
Russell Mort’s case has an interesting distinction in that in 1985, his was the first picture of a missing child from upstate New York to be depicted on a milk carton. It became a common method used to try to locate missing children before the advent of the internet.
Agency Name: Niagara County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Investigator Brian Bloom
Agency Phone Number: (716) 438-3393
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: ANS00494
NamUs Case Number: 6428
NCIC Case Number: M-084338854
NCMEC Case Number: 603374
NamUs
NCMEC
FBI
Daily News (New York, NY) Nov. 23, 1982
Niagara Gazette - May 14, 2015
Niagara Falls Reporter - Jul. 10, 2017
WBIV-TV News
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 04/10/2024 - By: kc
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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