Frederick Andrew Holmes

Date of Birth*: July 2, 1953
Birthplace:
Age at the Time: 1
Age Group: Infant
Biological Sex: Male
Hair: Shoulder-Length Blonde Hair
Eyes: Blue
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Ethnicity: Caucasian or White
Nationality: United States
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*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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Clothing

• Long-sleeved polo shirt (light color) with brown horizontal stripes.
• Brown Corduroy Overalls (Faded in color).
• Brown shoes (high tops).
• Gray socks with a light trim.

Possessions:

Date of the Disappearance*: May 25, 1955

Description: In a quiet corner of Sullivan County, a family’s worst nightmare unfolded when 22-month-old Frederick Andrew Holmes, affectionately known as “Freddie” or “Tookie,” vanished without a trace from his home on Denman Mountain.

The toddler, described as having long, soft blond hair that wisped around his shoulders, blue eyes, standing about 2 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 30 pounds, was last seen shortly after 9 a.m. on May 25. His mother, Gertrude Holmes, had seen her older children off to school that morning before taking Freddie outside while she tended to the garden. Between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m., she noticed him wandering down the driveway of their rural home. The family’s landlord, who was working in a cobbler’s shed next door, later testified that he saw and spoke briefly with the child before Freddie wandered off again.

Authorities were immediately alerted, and suspicions initially fell on both the parents, Roderick and Gertrude Holmes, and the landlord. However, after undergoing polygraph tests, the parents were cleared of any involvement. The landlord’s home was thoroughly searched, revealing numerous stolen items hidden in his garage, including a power saw, leading to his imprisonment on unrelated charges. No evidence linked him to the boy’s disappearance.

What followed was one of the largest search efforts in the region’s history. More than 1,000 volunteers and law enforcement personnel, including state police, formed a solid human chain to comb the rugged terrain. K-9 units scoured the woods, and aircraft provided aerial support. Investigators ripped up floorboards in nearby buildings, dug up gardens, and probed every crevice and gorge in the area. Despite these exhaustive measures, no sign of Freddie was ever found.

Gertrude Holmes later expressed deep concern that her son fell victim to human trafficking, possibly kidnapped and sold. Given Freddie’s delicate features and long blond hair, which could easily make him appear as a girl to passersby, it’s possible abductors disguised him to evade detection. Two sisters, Dorothy Brown and Janet Haiss, kept the search alive. In 2009, they submitted DNA samples to national databases, hoping for a match— even exploring links to unsolved cases like Philadelphia’s “Boy in the Box” from 1957. Yet, as of 2025, 70 years on, no trace of Freddie has emerged, leaving the case classified as a non-family abduction and one of New York’s oldest unsolved mysteries.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered:

Description: Unknown

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Recovered Remains (if partial):

Suspected Homicide?: No

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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