Last seen walking near his home and may have been walking with a tan Chihuahua and a black Doberman. The dogs were subsequently located. At the time of his disappearance, Tristen was wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and white mickey mouse tennis shoes. He has a scar on the left side of his neck. He uses the nickname Buddy. Tristen moved to Roseboro, North Carolina in August 2000 to live with his great-aunt and great-uncle. They say he was angry and disruptive while he lived with them. He hit other children and bit and scratched himself. They also claim he attacked and killed one of their dogs eleven days prior to his disappearance, and was taken to a psychiatric hospital to undergo tests. Three days after being released from the hospital, Tristen wandered away from his guardians' home. A neighbor found him half a mile away at a farm and returned him. Three days after that, he vanished for the final time. He was 4 years old at the time.