David was taken from his family's residence on 13th Street in Newport News, Virginia under false pretenses on December 11, 1980. His abductor called herself Marie Kelly and told David's mother, Vanessa Blockett, that the state Department of Social Services was sponsoring a function for children at Riverside Regional Medical Center. The woman convinced Vanessa to let her take David and his two-year-old brother, Frederick, to the party. Later that afternoon, Frederick was found wandering alone at a shopping center near Old Mallory Road in Hampton, Virginia. He had a piece of paper in his pocket with his name and address on it, and the police returned him to his mother. There was no indication of David's whereabouts, however, and he has never been seen again.