Kirk departed his family's residence in the New York City borough of the Bronx at approximately 12:00 p.m. on September 18, 1983. He was walking to the Top Tomato Supermarket in the 800 block of Rosedale Avenue, where he earned money doing odd jobs. Kirk's mother sent him to the supermarket to buy her a can of soda. He was last seen collecting bottles from a vacant lot near the store, which was two blocks from his home. He has never been heard from again. Kirk has a small scar on the left side of his body as the result of several previous stitches.