Thomas Dean Gibson (July 5, 1988 disappeared March 18, 1991) is an American child who vanished from his front yard in

Azalea Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Octob ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, under mysterious circumstances. On the morning of his disappearance, his father, Larry Gibson, a deputy sheriff of Douglas County, left the family's home to go on a jog. Before departing, he claimed to have shot at a

feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

on the property. He left Thomas in the family's front yard, where Thomas's elder sister, Karen (then aged 4), was to watch him. Upon returning from his jog, Larry and his wife, Judith, realized Thomas was missing. Karen initially told law enforcement she had witnessed a man and woman pull into the family's driveway in a truck and abduct Thomas, though the couple could not be identified. Initial search efforts for Thomas proved fruitless, and Larry formally resigned from his position in the sheriff's department before relocating with his family to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

in 1992. In 1993, Judith separated from Larry and returned to Oregon with their eldest daughter and newborn child, daughter Lisa. Around this time, Karen admitted to law enforcement that she had witnessed her father beating Thomas outside on the day of his disappearance before placing him inside his patrol car. Larry was charged with second-degree murder in Thomas's death in April 1994, despite the fact that his remains could not be located. Though he consistently protested his innocence, Larry was convicted of

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

in March 1995 and served less than one year before being released from imprisonment. Thomas's case received significant media attention, airing in two episodes of ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl ...

''. His image is featured in the music video for the song " Runaway Train" by

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...

, among numerous other missing children; he is the youngest child featured in the video. , Thomas's whereabouts are still unknown.

Disappearance

On the morning of March 18, 1991, Larry Gibson, a sheriff's deputy of Douglas County,

, prepared to leave for a jog at approximately 11:30 a.m. from his home in

. Larry claimed that, before leaving the property, he attempted to shoot a stray cat but missed. His son, Thomas, aged 2, was playing in the yard of the home at the time. According to Larry, he resumed his jog and was gone from the family's home for approximately 45 minutes. Upon returning, he discovered his son was missing.

Investigation

Shortly after realizing Thomas was missing, Larry and his wife, Judith, phoned police. Larry was notified not to report for duty that day, though there were accounts of him having left the family's property in uniform for approximately 25 minutes during the initial search. According to Larry, his 4-year-old daughter, Karen, claimed to have witnessed an unidentified couple pull into the family's driveway and abduct Thomas, and that he wanted to search a nearby rest area for any sign of Thomas or the couple. Per the witness description, the unidentified couple consisted of a blonde white woman and a dark-haired white man, driving an older-model gold or tan truck. Though Larry's patrol car was not initially searched, it was subsequently discovered that its

odometer An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...

had registered that were unaccounted for on the day of Thomas's disappearance. Larry explained that the unaccounted miles were registered when he drove to the nearby rest area, searching for Thomas. Within the first six weeks of the investigation, Larry became the prime suspect in his son's disappearance. In 1992, Larry resigned from his position as a Douglas County sheriff's deputy, and he and wife Judy relocated to Avon,

, after giving birth to another child, a daughter named Lisa. However, the couple separated in 1993 and Judy returned with the children to Oregon. Larry remained in Montana, where he worked as an insurance agent in Townsend.

Arrest of Larry Gibson

Gibson was arrested in Townsend, Montana, on April 14, 1994, charged with second-degree murder in Thomas's death. He was arrested after the eldest Gibson daughter, Karen—age 4 at the time of Thomas's disappearance—told investigators that she witnessed his father beat Thomas before placing him inside his patrol car on the day of his disappearance. According to prosecutors, Larry had also made "inconsistent" statements regarding Thomas's disappearance. He was extradited to Oregon later that month, pending trial.

Trial

Larry's trial commenced on January 18, 1995. In late February, his half-sister, Debbie Calek, provided testimony against him, stating that after Thomas went missing she had received a frantic phone call from Larry in which he confessed to killing Thomas, and telling her he may need money to post bail after his arrest. Calek subsequently claimed that, when Karen and her mother Judy stayed with her at her home in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

after the disappearance, she made a comment regarding being frightened about her father "putting her in a big hole" like he had Thomas. During this same stay, Judy alleged that Karen first told her that she had witnessed Larry beating Thomas outside on the day he disappeared. Karen was the prosecution's star witness in the case, and testified against her father over the course of the six-week trial. The

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

suggested that Karen had been influenced to adopt the storyline that her father had beaten and killed Thomas by her mother. Court documents prepared by the

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

presented the series of events: Larry left the family's residence in Azalea at approximately 11:30 a.m. to go for a jog. Thomas followed after his father, who instructed him to wait for his sister to come out of the house. Spotting a cat nearby, Larry purportedly used a

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

to kill it, assuming it to be a stray. When Thomas curiously approached the dead cat, Larry angrily picked him up and carried him to the family's

carport A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and us ...

, where he proceeded to slap the child in the face multiple times. After realizing that Karen had observed Larry hitting Thomas from the window, he placed Thomas in his patrol car and drove it behind a woodpile on the property, where he placed the child's body in a plastic bag and hid it in the trunk of his vehicle. It was theorized by investigators that, after volunteer searchers began looking for Thomas, Larry took the child's body and disposed of it in an area known as Swamp Creek, though his remains were not recovered. Karen claimed that her father threatened her against telling authorities what she had witnessed, and felt unsafe to do so until her mother separated from him and they relocated back to Oregon in 1994.

Conviction

In March 1995, Larry Gibson was convicted of the

of Thomas, though he proclaimed innocence throughout and after the trial. His conviction called for fifteen to eighteen months' imprisonment, of which he had served twelve while in police custody leading up to (and during) his trial. He was released from prison in 1996.

Media coverage

Thomas's disappearance was profiled in two episodes of the NBC documentary series ''

''. His photograph was also displayed among several other missing children's in the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song " Runaway Train" by

. He is the youngest child featured in the video.

Aftermath

Following Larry's release from prison, he started a webpage circa 2001 regarding Thomas's disappearance, asking the public for help in recovering his son.

References

External links

* at the

Doe Network The Doe Network is a non-profit organization of volunteers who work with law enforcement to connect missing persons cases with John/Jane Doe cases. They maintain a website about cold cases and unidentified persons, and work to match these with m ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Thomas 1990s missing person cases 1991 in Oregon American manslaughter victims Deaths by person in Oregon Douglas County, Oregon March 1991 events in the United States Missing person cases in Oregon