The Mystery of The Missing Toddler From the Front Yard

Larry Gibson, an officer with the Douglas County (OR) Sheriff’s Department, told authorities he left his home for a jog around 11:30 a.m. on March 18, 1991, leaving his 2-½-year-old son Thomas alone in the yard. His wife tidied up the house inside. Larry told Tommy to wait outside for his sister Karen to come out to play, then left the home.

“Goodbye, Daddy. I love you,” Tommy told his father as he exited the yard.

Larry spotted the neighbor’s cat as he left the home that morning. He and the neighbor had been arguing over the cats for weeks. When the humane society told him they could not take the cats, he decided to shoot them. And so it was on this morning.

Using his .45 caliber service weapon, Larry fired the weapon toward the cat, then continued on with his jog.

About 47 minutes later, Larry returned home. His wife, Judith, rushed outside to ask if Tommy was with him. Judy explained how she could not find her toddler. When Larry told her he had not seen Tommy, the two searched for him around the neighborhood, assuming he wandered off, perhaps following his father on his jog.

When the search turned up no signs of Tommy, Larry, and Judith called the police department. Within an hour, dozens of people, including volunteers and firefighters, had gathered to search for the toddler.

Despite their efforts, they did not find Tommy or a single shred of evidence to suggest what happened to him.

Police conducted interviews with numerous neighbors in the community, friends, and family, including Tommy's sister Karen. No one knew what could possibly have happened to Tommy.

Larry and Judith told officers they felt as though someone had kidnapped Tommy. Police had the same thoughts, initially, although became suspicious of him soon after their investigation began.

Suspicions Around Larry’s Version of Events

Things just didn’t add up with Larry's story, officers thought. First, before Larry helped search for Tommy that day he took a shower and changed into his police uniform. He stayed behind as others searched for Tommy.

As the search ensued, he told several people to stop searching for Tommy, citing that snow would make it impossible to find him. Police also questioned the seven unaccounted miles on his patrol car.

Larry's supervisor told him to stay home that day. Despite the warning, he drove the patrol car, claiming he went to look for Tommy at a nearby rest area.

Police also determined Larry jogged only one mile instead of the two miles he had claimed. They determined that a one-mile job would take about 20 minutes. Larry was gone 47 minutes that morning.

Authorities found a dead cat nearby the Gibson home with bullet wounds to its head and chest. Larry claimed he did not strike the cat he shot at that day. Police suspected Larry shot the cat and that the bullet came out of its body and struck Tommy. They suspected Larry continued with the jog, unaware his son had been shot.

A Neighbor Came Forward With New Information

Two weeks after initially speaking to the neighbor, police were shocked when the person came forward again, this time claiming they had seen a tan or gold-colored truck in the Gibson family driveway the morning Tommy disappeared.

Days later, 4-year-old Karen came forward with new information. Despite three prior interviews during which she claimed she didn't know what happened to her brother, this time Karen told police that she had witnessed a blonde-headed white woman and a dark-haired white man snatch her brother from the yard.

Police weren’t buying the stories. They suspected Larry coaxed Karen into telling this story after the neighbor claimed they'd seen a car in the driveway.

No one else they spoke with saw anything out of the ordinary. Six weeks in, Larry was named as the prime suspect in Tommy’s disappearance.

Larry adamantly denied involvement in Tommy’s disappearance. He and Judy both maintained that they thought someone kidnapped the toddler from the front yard.

A mysterious letter signed “Spot in the Road” came into the police department shortly after Tommy disappeared. This letter contained information authorities believed to be helpful in solving the case. It was later determined the letter was authored by a woman who “had visions” about Tommy’s disappearance.

Weeks and months passed without any signs of Thomas or his whereabouts. Without any leads, Tommy's mysterious disappearance turned into a cold case.

Judy Changed Her Story

Nearly a year later in early 1992, Judith fell pregnant with the couple’s third child. Soon, Larry resigned from the sheriff’s department after 12 years of service. He, Judith, and Karen relocated to Montana where Larry began a career as a security guard.

The marriage did not survive. By 1994, Larry and Judy had divorced. She moved back to Oregon with Karen and baby Lisa. Larry stayed behind in Montana.

Back in Oregon, Judy told police Larry had abused her and Tommy throughout their relationship. Karen also came forward with a new version of events. Now, Karen claimed she witnessed her father striking Tommy on the day he disappeared.

Karen told police she witnessed Larry strike Tommy two or three times as he played in the front yard. She said his body fell limp to the ground. Larry then retrieved a garbage bag and placed Tommy inside it and into the trunk of his patrol car.

Larry saw Karen from the window. Frightened, the little girl said she hid in the closet. Larry then found her and told her to tell the police someone else took her brother. Karen also stated Larry threatened to kill her if she told police what she had really seen.

Larry Charged With Manslaughter

In April 1994, Police charged Larry with second-degree manslaughter in Tommy’s disappearance. They still did not have a body or a clue as to what really happened to him that day.

They suspect, however, Larry accidentally shot Tommy when he fired his weapon at the neighbor’s cat. They speculate that he did not realize Tommy had been shot until he returned from the jog. Noticing his son lying dead in the yard, Larry stuffed him inside a garbage bag and placed it inside the trunk of his patrol car.

Authorities suspected Larry disposed of the garbage bag with Tommy’s remains as volunteers gathered in the neighborhood to search for the missing toddler.

Larry told authorities their scenario “was possible,” yet continued to deny any involvement in his son’s disappearance.

Judith, Karen, and Larry’s half-sister testified against him at trial.

“Every time they got in his way, they got hit, or they got yelled at or got knocked across the room,” Judy testified at Larry’s trial.

His half-sister claimed Larry called her about two months after Tommy disappeared, frantically describing how he “accidentally” shot his son.

In March 1995, Larry was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to three years behind bars. With credit for time served and good time, Larry was released just over a year later in September 1996.

After his release, Larry continued to maintain his innocence. He claimed he didn’t know what happened to Tommy that fateful day. He created a website dedicated to his son and finding out what happened to him all those years ago. It’s still running today, more than 30 years after Tommy disappeared.

Runaway Train

Tommy was the youngest of 36 children featured in the 1993 video, Runaway Train, performed by Soul Asylum. Of the missing kids featured in the video, 24 were found and returned home.

Sources:

http://www.computerfighter.com/tommy.htm

https://law.justia.com/cases/oregon/court-of-appeals/1996/144-or-app-523.html

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/752142

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940417&slug=1905953