Thomas Gibson, born on July 5, 1988, disappeared under mysterious circumstances from his front yard in Azalea, Oregon, on March 18, 1991. At the time of his disappearance, his father, Larry Gibson, who served as the deputy sheriff of Douglas County, went for a jog in the morning. Before leaving, he claimed to have shot at a feral cat on the property. Thomas was left in the front yard under the supervision of his elder sister, Karen, who was then 4 years old. Upon Larry’s return from his jog, he and his wife, Judith, discovered that Thomas was missing.
Karen initially informed law enforcement that she had witnessed an unidentified man and woman arriving in a truck, ab*ucting Thomas from the family’s driveway. Despite initial search efforts, Thomas could not be located. Larry resigned from his position in the police department and, in 1992, relocated with his family to Montana.
In 1993, Judith separated from Larry and returned to Oregon with their eldest daughter and newborn child, Lisa. It was around this time that Karen confessed to law enforcement that she had seen her father physically as*ulting Thomas outside on the day of his disappearance before placing him inside his patrol car. In April 1994, Larry was charged with second-degree m*rder in connection with Thomas’s d*ath, even though Thomas’s remains were never found. Larry consistently maintained his innocence but was convicted of mansl*ughter in March 1995. He served less than a year in prison before being released.
Thomas’s case garnered significant media attention and was featured in two episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. His image also appears in the music video for the song “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum, alongside other missing children; he is the youngest child featured in the video. As of 2023, Thomas’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Table of Contents
Disapperance
Investigation
Arrest of Larry Gibson
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Disapperance
On the morning of March 18, 1991, Larry Gibson, a deputy sheriff of Douglas County, Oregon, prepared to embark on a jog around 11:30 a.m. from his residence in Azalea. Larry stated that, before leaving the property, he made an attempt to shoot a stray cat but was unsuccessful. His 2-year-old son, Thomas, was playing in the yard of the home during this time. Larry contended that he then proceeded with his jog and was away from the family’s home for approximately 45 minutes. Upon his return, he discovered that his son was missing.
Investigation
Upon realizing that Thomas was missing, Larry and his wife, Judith, promptly contacted the police. Larry received instructions not to report for duty that day, although there were reports indicating that he had left the family’s property in uniform for around 25 minutes during the initial search. Larry explained that, based on his 4-year-old daughter Karen’s account, an unidentified couple had pulled into the family’s driveway and ab*ucted Thomas. He expressed a desire to search a nearby rest area for any trace of Thomas or the couple. According to Karen’s description, the couple consisted of a blonde white woman and a dark-haired white man driving an older-model gold or tan truck.
Although Larry’s patrol car was not initially scrutinized, it was later discovered that its odometer had recorded 7 miles (11 km) that could not be accounted for on the day of Thomas’s disappearance. Larry clarified that these unaccounted miles were accrued during his drive to the nearby rest area while searching for Thomas. Within the initial six weeks of the investigation, Larry became the primary suspect in his son’s disappearance.
In 1992, Larry resigned from his position as the Douglas County sheriff’s deputy, and he and Judy relocated to Avon, Montana, where they welcomed another child, a daughter named Lisa. However, the couple separated in 1993, and Judy returned with the children to Oregon, while Larry remained in Montana, working as an insurance agent in Townsend.
Arrest of Larry Gibson
Larry Gibson was arrested in Townsend, Montana, on April 14, 1994, and charged with second-degree m*rder in connection to Thomas’s d*ath. The arrest followed a statement from the eldest Gibson daughter, Karen, who was 4 years old at the time of Thomas’s disappearance. Karen informed investigators that she had witnessed her father beating Thomas before placing him inside his patrol car on the day of his disappearance. Prosecutors also highlighted “inconsistent” statements made by Larry regarding Thomas’s disappearance. Larry was extradited to Oregon later that month, awaiting trial.
The trial commenced on January 18, 1995. In late February, Larry’s half-sister, Debbie Calek, testified against him, stating that she had received a phone call from Larry confessing to killing Thomas and indicating he might need money for bail. Calek claimed that Judy and Karen, staying at her Iowa home after the disappearance, expressed fear about Larry doing the same to Karen as he did to Thomas.
Karen played a crucial role as the prosecution’s star witness during the six-week trial. The defense argued that Karen might have been influenced by her mother to adopt the narrative that her father had beaten and k*lled Thomas. According to court documents presented by the district attorney, the series of events included Larry leaving the residence in Azalea for a jog, with Thomas following. Larry allegedly k*lled a cat with a pistol, and when Thomas approached, Larry became angry, slapped him, and hid his body in the patrol car trunk behind the family’s property.
Investigators theorized that after volunteer searchers began looking for Thomas, Larry disposed of the body in an area known as Swamp Creek, but the remains were never recovered. Karen claimed her father threatened her, preventing her from disclosing what she witnessed until her mother separated from Larry, and they returned to Oregon in 1994.
In March 1995, Larry Gibson was convicted of mansl*ughter, maintaining his innocence throughout and after the trial. The conviction led to a sentence of fifteen to eighteen months, of which he served twelve while in police custody leading up to and during the trial. He was released from prison in 1996.
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