Robert was last seen playing in an empty lot in his family's Campbellsport, Wisconsin neighborhood on May 14, 1983. The lot was beside the Mill Pond/Milwaukee River in the area where the Campbellsport Firehouse now stands. He was with his sister and friends approximately one-half block from the family's residence when he was last seen. Sometime between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., Robert told his sister he was hungry and was going to walk home. Robert never arrived home and has never been heard from again. The toy gun he'd been playing with was later found. Robert has a strawberry birthmark on his outer left thigh just above his knee. His nickname is Bobby Joe.