Originally posted on August 22, 2023 @ 11:50 pm
People Magazine Investigates Recap for Where is Mark Himebaugh
-This week’s People Magazine Investigates covers the long unsolved case of Mark Himebaugh.
-Mark’s mom Maureen talks about raising her sons in Del Haven, thinking it was a quiet, safe area to raise her family. Her aunt Kristen remembers him as a sweet kid who had a close relationship with Maureen.
-Mark’s cousin Lauren recalls him having OCD and how he would get frustrated if something wasn’t perfect. His mom and aunt recall this as well and how they would try to be patient with him.
-Mark’s dad Jody would often get impatient with him and put his hobbies before providing for his family. This would lead to Jody and Maureen getting separated.
-On November 25, 1991, there was smoke in the brush due to a marsh fire. Mark went to explore it, despite the fact that he’d just recovered from a broken foot. While he was gone, Maureen took a neighbor to pick up her car. She said goodbye to Mark, not knowing this would be the last time she would see him.
-Maureen’s errand took longer than expected, so she expected Mark to be home when she got back. When he wasn’t, she began to look for him, slowly becoming more panicked. She called her sister and Jody for help in finding Mark.
-Before long, a massive search began for Mark. There was fear that he could have fallen into the marshlands or that he could have gotten hurt somewhere. There was also worry that he could have gotten hypothermia and died if he wasn’t found.
-A lone sneaker was found in the search and it was confirmed to be Mark’s. Nobody could figure out why this one shoe was found but knew it confirmed that Mark was in the area.
-The media got wind of the case and covered it as much as possible in hopes of finding Mark.
-Jody had gone back to work, which made people suspicious. His reaction to his son being missing also cast suspicion.
-Both Maureen and Jody were questioned, with her saying that Jody had anger issues and a turbulent relationship with Mark.
-More of Jody’s problematic behavior came to light, with Maureen divorcing him and him becoming a person of interest. However, with an alibi and lack of evidence there was little authorities could do.
-A local couple (The Heitzmanns) claimed to have seen Mark the day he went missing. They also claimed that a couple was in a car behind them and yelling at Mark. They wondered what was going on, but just went about their business. Once they saw him on the news, they called the cops.
-Another sighting claimed that Mark was in the park with a little girl, but nothing came of this tip.
-That week was Thanksgiving and Maureen’s birthday. Although Mark’s gift from him was investigated, Maureen left it as is in hopes that he would come home.
-Despite some leads, the case went cold. There was a possible connection to an Ocean City case, so a young victim is questioned. He claims he was taken to an area where Mark was hanging out by his molester and that the person who molested him talked to Mark a few months before.
-The suspect was arrested and put in prison, but there was no way to prove he was involved in Mark’s disappearance.
-The Heizmanns were questioned again and were able to give a sketch of another man with long hair and glasses.
-Authorities got a call that would change everything. A man claimed he picked up a male prostitute that had a video which showed a young boy being tortured and abused. He claims the boy looked exactly like Mark. The male prostitute (Thomas Butcavage) was arrested. He also fit the description given by the Heizmanns.
-Thomas admitted to having a disturbing fantasy involving hurting a young boy, but claims he never acted on it.
-He was arrested on drug charges but said to be out of the area the time of Mark going missing, thanks to a timestamp on a receipt in Philadelphia. However, it is unclear if the timestamp is accurate.
-There was not enough evidence to pin Thomas to Mark’s disappearance, so authorities moved on. However, in 1998 he resurfaced.
-Thomas was arrested September 9, 1998 for molesting and grooming young boys. He pled guilty to charges in Chester County and was put in prison for up to 36 years. He refused to talk without a lawyer and refused a plea deal. At this point, there was still no way to connect him to Mark’s disappearance.
-In 2004, the FBI Cold Case Division took on the case. Sadly, nothing was found to help with the case. The Ocean City molester is out of the area, Thomas is in prison and the girl who was allegedly with Mark the day he went missing was never identified.
-Maureen finally opened the gift from Mark. It is a Troll doll that she treasures more than anything. She also often visits a Tree of Hope that was planted in Mark’s honor.
-Maureen remains in the house where she lived with Mark, never giving up hope that he will one day come home.
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