David Crabtree had once been a cheerful and easygoing child, but as he neared his teenage years, his family noticed a transformation in his demeanor. He began associating with an older crowd and, influenced by their behavior, started consuming alcohol. On the night of April 9, 2000, he slipped out of his house to join some friends but never returned. More than two decades later, his family continues to search for him.
David was one of four siblings and shared a close bond with his three brothers and sisters. Born in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, he was a joyful baby and a contented child. He idolized his older brother, James, wanting to emulate everything he did. David was talented in various sports, with a particular passion for wrestling, earning numerous trophies and medals for his prowess in the ring.
In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, David's mother, Brenda, observed a change in her youngest son. On April 5, 2000, 15 miles from Locust Grove in Pryor, Oklahoma, Brenda received a call from the police. This marked a breaking point. David had been found in a car with older teenagers, leading to a police officer issuing him a ticket for violating curfew, given his noticeably younger age. Brenda had to drive to Pryor to collect him.
Despite his frustration at being caught, David never lashed out at his mother. Brenda recalls that her son was never angry or confrontational with her. He didn’t defy her rules openly or raise his voice, nor did he seem to learn from his mistakes. When no one was watching, he would sneak out of his bedroom window to meet his friends.
In an effort to correct his behavior, Brenda sent David to a juvenile facility in Claremont on April 6, 2000. Reflecting on this decision, she later told a reporter, “I wanted him to see what kind of life he would have if he kept going.” Aware that he had been drinking, she intended to intervene before his behavior escalated. However, his stay at the facility was brief. The day after his arrival, he was caught with alcohol and was promptly sent home.
April 9, 2000, was a pleasant day for David. He spent time with his mother, siblings, and cousins, and they all shared a family dinner that evening. Around 8 p.m., David told his brother and sister, who were watching TV in the living room, that he was going to bed. After expressing his love for them, he walked down the hallway to his room. It would be the last time they saw him.
At 10 p.m., James went to check on David and discovered his room empty. It became apparent that he had once again slipped out through his bedroom window. Later, one of his sisters would recall seeing three of David's friends outside their house earlier that evening. They had even asked her if she wanted to go out with them later. She declined, but David had seemingly chosen to join them.
David’s siblings were accustomed to his late-night escapades and expected him to return in a few hours. However, concern grew the following morning when he was still missing, and his absence was noted at school. Worried, Brenda contacted the Locust Grove Police Department to report her son missing.
Given David's history of leaving home without permission, the police initially assumed he had run away and did not pursue an active search. Brenda was furious; while her son had a habit of sneaking out, he always returned. She was convinced that he hadn’t simply run away. David's siblings shared her certainty, believing he intended to return home after sneaking out that night.
With no assistance from the authorities, David's family launched their own search. Brenda tirelessly drove around Locust Grove and neighboring towns, visiting places she knew David frequented, but no one had seen him.
As the years passed without any communication from David, his family was left in the dark about why he had not contacted them. They clung to the hope that he was still alive. Brenda was particularly heartbroken, feeling that David’s disappearance was somehow her fault. “He meant to hate me,” she lamented. James speculated that David's friends might have led him further away than he intended. What happened after that night remained a mystery.
In 2017, David's case was reopened. Bryan Hurry, the chief of police in Locust Grove, came across James’s social media post about his missing brother. Astonished to learn about David Crabtree's disappearance, Hurry discovered that David had been labeled a runaway when he initially went missing, a classification that had never been updated.
Chief Hurry explained that protocols for handling runaway teens had been different in 2000. If a parent failed to follow up, the police would often assume the runaway had returned home. This assumption was made in David’s case, resulting in his exclusion from the national missing person database, a grave oversight.
Brenda understood why the police had neglected her son’s case. “They didn’t help me because they saw him as a troubled teen,” she remarked. Chief Hurry acknowledged the mishandling of the case 17 years earlier and began actively investigating David’s disappearance. He also reached out to a local news station, hoping media attention would generate leads.
Chief Hurry expressed doubt that David would have willingly cut off all contact with his family, particularly his brother James. “If he were still alive, he would have reached out to his brother,” Hurry stated.
Nearly 18 years after David vanished, Chief Hurry's involvement brought renewed attention to the case. He requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, aware that solving this mystery would require additional resources. They classified David’s disappearance as occurring under suspicious circumstances but acknowledged the challenge of unraveling a case that had lain dormant for so long.
There are various theories about what may have happened to David, but concrete evidence is scarce. There were reported sightings of him in Kenwood, Pryor, and Tahlequah following his disappearance, but none could be verified. At just 13 years old, David lacked the means to fend for himself, leading to concerns that he may have encountered foul play shortly after leaving his home that April night. The authorities remain uncertain whether he is alive or dead.
Brenda firmly believes there are individuals who know the truth about her son’s fate and pleads for them to come forward, urging them to assist investigators in piecing together the events surrounding David’s disappearance. “I beg people, if anyone knows the smallest thing, no matter who they’ve seen David with, please call it in. We need answers.”
David Crabtree was just 13 when he disappeared in 2000. Sadly, at the time, law enforcement dismissed him as a runaway and failed to initiate a search. David is of Cherokee descent, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. He stood 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 125 pounds when last seen, wearing a gray shirt and black pants. If you have any information regarding David, please contact the Locust Grove Police Department at 918-479-8121.
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