Remains of Boy Who Vanished in 1962 Found Under House

A human skeleton discovered under a Baldwin Park home last month was identified Tuesday as that of a 14-year-old boy who disappeared 23 years ago, officials reported.

James David Gilmore was last seen Jan. 7, 1962. He was reported missing three days later by his family.

The Bess Avenue house where the boy lived is now vacant, Deputy Rick Adams said. Workers were repairing the home on March 28 “when one of the workers entered a crawl hole and began checking under the raised foundation,” he said.

Adams said the man noticed a shoe “protruding out of the ground.” When the worker checked further, he found the bones.

Coroner’s spokesman Bill Gold said the boy was identified through the efforts of a forensic anthropologist, a forensic dentist and a forensic pathologist. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

Sheriff’s investigators are locating members of the family, whose names and whereabouts were not made public, “to try to piece together the circumstances that led to the disappearance of this victim,” Adams said.