Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 01/10/1970
- Missing From:
- Missing From Dixon, New Mexico
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Male
- Race:
- Race Hispanic
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 03/07/1967 (57)
- Age:
- Age 2 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 3’0, 50 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic male. Light brown hair, brown eyes. David has a birthmark in the center of his upper back, wide-set eyes and unusually wide feet.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Little David went missing in Dixon, New Mexico, on January 10, 1970. He was with his mom’s boyfriend, Leon Zerfas, when his mom, Genie, was in the hospital having a baby. Genie came home two days later, on January 12th, and David was gone – no clothes, no toys, just vanished.
Zerfas said he gave David away, but he kept changing his story. Sometimes he said it was his sister in Mexico, other times a hippie family, college grads, or even a photographer. None of it was true.
Zerfas was a tall (6’0″) man with brown hair and gray eyes. He used many different names and went by various nicknames.
Genie, Zerfas, and their new baby moved to California, but Genie eventually left Zerfas after a fight and went back to New Mexico. It was only then, over a year later, that she reported David missing.
Many people, including family and neighbors, suspected Zerfas harmed David. Genie herself described Zerfas as abusive and violent. Dixon at the time was known for its hippie community and drug use, and Genie was involved in that scene.
Genie died in 1989, and Zerfas in 2005. David’s sister, Eelia, who was born the day David disappeared, is still searching for her brother. The case remains unsolved.
- Agency:
- New Mexico State Police
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 01/10/1970