David was last seen walking to Mile Marker 82 on Parks Highway, eleven miles north of his hometown of Willow, Alaska on April 26, 1989, at approximately 5:00 p.m. He was evidently en route either to go to a friend's home, or to play at a sandbar at the nearby Kashwitna River, which was iced over. He has never been seen again. He is described as a very independent child who once hitchhiked 30 miles to Wasilla, Alaska. His parents were separated at the time of his disappearance and he lived with his mother and siblings. David's mother gave birth to another son less than a year after his disappearance, but the baby died in an accident at the age of four weeks.