What happened to ‘Little David’ Warner? Jefferson City missing child case still open after 41 years

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. ( WATE ) — It’s been more than four decades since David Warner’s family last saw him in March of 1983, and there are still not clear answers about where the 12-year-old boy went and if he could still be alive.

David Clayton Warner, who was also known by the nickname “Little David,” disappeared from Jefferson City on March 2, 1983.

“David was at home, had a good report card, and there was a store that gave out ice cream to the kids that had good report cards, so he left home and was heading to that store and he disappeared,” said Detective Sergeant Joseph Reff with the Jefferson City Police Department.

“His picture was on milk cartons and newspaper flyers, and on the post office wall, and so leads would come in and the detective would follow up the leads at that, but no leads were ever really substantiated.”

Reff has been investigating the case for two years. While the search for answers in Warner’s disappearance has spanned over four decades, since Reff has been on the case, the police department has searched old septic systems in the area where Warner lived and used cadaver dogs to search abandoned homes in the area around where Warner lived. He said they’ve continued to interview people whose names come up in the investigation, including some who have been on death row for 40 years. The latest lead he followed up on in the case was two months ago.

There are still no answers for Warner’s family, but there are multiple theories about what some think may have happened to him. Reff said some believe that Warner may have been kidnapped and taken to Florida, and others think his remains could be in the area.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), when Warner’s family discovered he was missing on the morning of March 3, 1983, his bed covers were bundled up in a way “that could be viewed as a ploy to make it appear he was in bed.” NamUs also states that there was a massive search for Warner, but no trace of him was ever found. The profile for him states that foul play is suspected.

Reff explained that the most frustrating part about the case is not knowing what happened to David Warner.

“The most frustrating part is that, you know, we have no idea what happened to David. He just disappeared. And so it’s just trying to find the cliché needle in a haystack just to find the one little thing that will get us to locate David or remains and to be able to do something with the case.”

That little thing, he explained, could be if bones or evidence are found, but he also said that every tip that is submitted and every lead will be investigated. Reff added that for the Jefferson City Police Department, the case is open.

“We’re still looking for David. We’re still looking for closure,” Reff said. “When it’s my turn to retire from this department, [the case] will be passed on to the next detective and it will continue to be a case that is on somebody’s desk and still being actively looked at.”

If Warner were found today, he would be 53 years old.

In 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shared an age-progressed photo of what Warner might look like. When he went missing, he had strawberry-blond hair and brown eyes.

Reff added that anyone who may have information that could help investigators find Warner can submit a tip by calling the Jefferson City Police Department at 865-475-2002, by emailing one of the detectives at the police department, or by submitting a tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

While Warner has been missing for 41 years, his family still operates the “Find Little David Warner” Facebook page.

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