Joseph was last seen in Hammond, Indiana on January 27, 1974. That morning he went on his paper route and delivered all his copies of the Hammond Times. He put his newspaper bag on the front porch and left at 9:30 a.m., possibly to attend mass. Joseph never arrived home for lunch, and his parents called one of his friends to ask where he was. The friend said he'd seen him playing on the grounds of Morton School. It was a household rule that everyone had to be present for dinner at 5:00 p.m., but Joseph didn't arrive home for that either, and his parents became concerned and called the police. Witnesses reported seeing him walking near the Catholic Cemetery by the Norfolk and Western Railroad tracks at 5:00. Others thought they saw Joseph walking southeast near the Hessville Cemetery. The railroad sent an inspection car along the tracks, but found nothing amiss. He left behind all of his belongings. Authorities think it's possible that he was abducted.