The disappearances of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker were featured on Unsolved Mysteries, Volume 2, Episode 6 (Stolen Kids) on Netflix.
Both toddlers suddenly vanished from the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers projects in Harlem, three months apart, in 1989.
On May 18, 1989, 26-year-old Allison Dansby and her family were playing with her 2-year-old son, Christopher, lovingly called "Choo-Choo" by his family, on the playground at the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers projects in Harlem. They describe "Choo-Choo" as a sweet toddler who was attached to his mom. Several of her relatives were there, and Allison asked them to watch her son while she went to the nearby store. It was an early Thursday evening, around 7 pm.
When she returned to the playground, she was unable to locate Christopher. Her relatives said they saw Christopher playing with two older children, a boy, and a girl. They said the children were playing with a red ball. Allison and her family frantically searched for Christopher, yelling his nickname, "Choo-Choo!"
There was no sign of Christopher nor of the boy and girl with whom he was playing. Allison reported missing. The New York City Police Department launched a search and began questioning family members and people in the area.
A young boy told authorities that he saw Christopher walking down 111th Street. He said Christopher was with an African American male. The man was between 25 and 30 years old. He was about six feet tall, thin, and had dreadlocks, according to the Charley Project.
Christopher has never been seen or heard from again.
"It's like a nightmare, and every day you wake up, and you're still in the nightmare. Some days, I just don't want to go on," Allison Dansby, told Pix11 in 2014.
Unbelievably, three months later, at the same playground in Martin Luther King Jr. Towers projects, 20-month-old Shane Walker was abducted.
On August 10, 1989, Rosa Glover and her son Shane were approached by two children who asked if Shane could play with them. Rosa said yes and sat on a bench while the children played on the swings.
A man sat down next to Rosa and began talking to her about how parents do not pay enough attention to their children, how bad things can happen to children, and more. Distracted, Rosa briefly turned her back on the children. When she turned back around, all of them were gone.
"I turned my head and turned back, and Shane was gone," Rosa regretfully told Unsolved Mysteries.
After a few moments, the boy and girl came back to the playground through a hole in the fence. They said they had left for a moment and had no idea what happened to Shane.
The children were a 10-year-old and 5-year-old sister and brother who lived in Martin Luther King Jr., Towers projects. They were also the same two children seen playing with Christopher Dansby when he vanished.
The authorities questioned the children and the man on the bench with Rosa. Investigators do not believe the children or the man are involved in either of the toddler's disappearances.
"My heart just dropped," Rosa told ABC7. "Not a day goes by that, that doesn't haunt me. "
"I love him, and I still want him," Rosa said. "Where ever he is, when I find him, we are going away. I am leaving New York City, and we are going somewhere, just the two of us."
There are several theories authorities and the public has on these cases.
One theory is Christopher and Shane were taken by the same person. Some presented the idea that Christopher was so attached to his mother that he couldn't adjust to a "new parent", so Shane was abducted as his replacement.
Another theory is the toddlers were taken as part of a child abduction ring. Another young boy, Andre Bryant, was abducted around this time in the Bronx, but investigators said they do not believe his case is related to Christopher and Shane.
A third theory is that the children playing with the boys were possibly abuse victims themselves, being used to lure other children. The brother and sister who were playing with both toddlers when they vanished are adults now.
It is unclear if they have been re-questioned as adults or where they are located at this time.
If you have any information on the disappearances of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker, please contact the New York Police Department at 646-610-6914 or the New York Housing Police Department at 212-410-8500.
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