Missing Matthew Crocker /// Off The Record

What this episode is about

This content discusses the ongoing case of Matthew Crocker, a Caucasian boy who went missing in 1983 shortly after his birth, highlighting the efforts of organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in raising awareness through age progression photos. The segment emphasizes the importance of keeping the memories of missing persons alive and encourages continued support for the search for those who have disappeared.

Key takeaways

• In a world of comfort, a missing child's story reminds us that normalcy can shatter overnight.
• Matthew Crocker's case slipped through the cracks pre-NCMEC; a stark reminder that history can forget the vulnerable.
• Tattoos may offer clues; today’s art could solve yesterday's mysteries—inked lives often tell untold truths.
• As we move forward, cold cases linger—each one a haunting ghost of unresolved narratives waiting for resolution.
• The blend of tragedy and hope: Matthew could be alive, a poignant reminder of how identity shapes our existence.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Nick (Guest) · 10 min speaking
• Captain (Host) · 7 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Matthew Crocker, Van Beern, Arkansas, Missing person case, age progression
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Van Beern, Arkansas, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Kathy Johnson, Missing person case
3. 6:00 – 9:00: tattoos, missing children
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Kathy Johnson, Van Beern, Arkansas, Charlie Project, Fort Smith, Arkansas
5. 12:00 – 15:00: tattoos, Kathy Johnson, 1973 Chevy Vega

Notable quotes from "Missing Matthew Crocker /// Off The Record"

• This. This was of a little boy a baby. it's a little Caucasian boy, Matthew Crocker, missing since June 9th of 1983 from Van Beern, Arizona.

  about Van Beern, Arkansas · at 1:44

• Matthew's parents met a woman in 1983 who called herself Kathy Johnson. She was a worker at a fair that had stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

  about Kathy Johnson · at 3:57

• Unless they were covered up, right? Right. But somebody might be able to figure something out just by the description of those tattoos. Now, in another Reddit post, it says, this has got some insightful.

  about tattoos · at 6:23

• And they had little resources. They questioned if the FBI was even called in. the really famous missing children from this time period that we know of had very proactive…

  about missing children · at 7:44

• So I wanted to check the Charlie's Project website and I did so and they had some different details of the disappearance.

  about Charlie Project · at 9:22

• Matthew's abduction, possibly driving a 1973 Chevy Vega. Authorities believe the abductor may have taken Matthew to raise him as her son, and he's probably still alive and doesn't know his true identity.

  about Matthew Crocker · at 12:01

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Matthew Crocker — Person · Core subject (missing child/victim) · 1 mention · first at 1:53
  The episode centers on Matthew Crocker’s 1983 disappearance and the limited but distinctive clues (abductor description, tattoos, stolen car, possible travel route). His case is used to discuss how cold missing-child cases can be revived via flyers and age progression.
• Kathy Johnson — Person · Primary suspect (alleged abductor; alias) · 5 mentions · first at 3:59
  A woman calling herself Kathy Johnson is described as the person who disappeared with Matthew. Her identifying features—multiple tattoos, scars, and a chipped/decayed tooth—are treated as the strongest investigative leads.

Companies & orgs

• Charlie Project — Company · Referenced organization (case repository) · 1 mention · first at 9:16
  The hosts consult the Charlie Project entry to obtain additional case details (party, father in jail, stolen car, possible travel route, physical description), using it to evaluate whether the suspect likely existed.

Products & tech

• 1973 Chevy Vega — Product · Case detail (suspected vehicle used) · 1 mention · first at 12:04
  The vehicle model is mentioned as the possible car used during the abduction travel, providing a concrete investigative detail tied to the route hypothesis.
  Sorry, through Utah to California after Matthew's abduction, possibly driving a 1973 Chevy Vega. Authorities believe the abductor may have taken Matthew to raise him as her son, and he's probably still alive and doesn't know his true.

Concepts & topics

• tattoos — Concept · Key investigative clue (identifying markers) · 5 mentions · first at 6:08
  The hosts emphasize the abductor’s tattoos as a potentially solvable lead decades later, since tattoos can persist and be recognized by acquaintances even when other features change.
• Missing person case — Concept · Core topic (case analysis framework) · 2 mentions · first at 1:36
  The episode is structured around reviewing a specific missing person’s case, comparing sources (flyer/Reddit/Charlie Project) and evaluating competing theories about what happened.
  So, I wanted to look into this a little bit more and I found a couple of Reddit posts regarding this missing person's case. And I'll read from these here. one person says, This…
• age progression — Concept · Investigative/public-awareness method · 2 mentions · first at 2:22
  Age progression is discussed as a service provided by NCMEC to renew interest in cold cases by showing what a missing child might look like as an adult.
  Is what they have him listed as. And of course, when you see these from years ago, they'll have the age progression photo of what they believe Matthew would look right?
• missing children — Concept · Core topic (category of cases) · 1 mention · first at 7:42
  The discussion frames Matthew’s disappearance within broader issues of missing-children investigations in the early 1980s, including limited systems, media coverage challenges, and later institutional support.

Places & events

• Van Beern, Arkansas — Place · Primary location (disappearance site) · 4 mentions · first at 1:53
  Van Buren/‘Van Beern’ is repeatedly cited as the place Matthew disappeared from and where the alleged abductor stayed in the family home before leaving with Matthew and the family car.
• Fort Smith, Arkansas — Place · Context location (where suspect was encountered) · 3 mentions · first at 4:02
  Fort Smith is where the woman calling herself Kathy Johnson allegedly worked at a fair/rodeo and where she was introduced to Matthew’s family, anchoring the suspect’s origin point in the narrative.
  She was a worker at a rodeo that had stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:20 All right, finally fall weather. That's right. I actually got some rain uh this last week.

0:27 The rain falls. It hasn't rained in my neck of the woods in two or three months. It feels like it's very, very dry.

0:34 Very dry. It is. Um, on Friday, I went to walked out to the mailbox, grabbed the mail, and

0:42 skipped out. You know those um penny saver magazine. Not a magazine, but they're they're like an advertisement for

0:53 goods and services. Plus, they also have coupons in them. Yeah. They're they're junk mail. goods and services. It sounds like it's they put out ads for prostitutes,

1:03 but some of these, this is not the first time that I've seen this, and I'm sure others know what I'm talking about, but sometimes this one in particular, they it seems like they quite frequently work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

1:21 Okay. And that's a comp that's a I was going to say company, but it's an organization that is near and dear to us. It's an organization that the garage has donated to several times and will continue to do so. But this one in particular caught my eye. It was a missing person's flyer of a and this is this is sad. Uh but stay with me on this. This was of a little boy um a baby. I mean, it's uh a little Caucasian boy, Matthew Crocker, missing since June 9th of 1983 from Van Beern, Arizona.

2:02 His birth date was just earlier that year in February of 83. He would be 36 years old now. Uh he has brown hair, brown eyes, 2 foot 5 in, and only 15 lbs is what they have him listed as. And of course, when you see these from years ago, they'll have the age progression photo of what they believe Matthew would look like, right?

2:28 Uh today, well, not today because this says age progress to 32 years of age. And that's actually a uh service that the missing and exploited children's organization, the center for missing and exploited children, that's one of the services that they provide. That's something that they have to spend money on and come up with this computer image and then release it to the public hoping that it brings a renewed interest in an old cold case. Now, along with the the age progression photo and a real photo of Matthew from when he was just a little baby is a sketch of a white woman with dark hair and it just on my little penny saver flyer that they sent out. They just list this person as unknown female.

3:22 So, this this really got my interest. So, I I wanted to look into this a little bit more and I found a couple of Reddit posts regarding this missing person's case. And I I'll read from these here. Uh, one person says, "This is one of the strangest unsolved missing cases I've seen, and I had never heard of it,

3:44 even though it's from my home state. I just happened upon it on a sleepless night. Matthew's parents met a woman in 1983." This is this person's understanding of the of the story. Matthew's parents met a woman in 1983 who called herself Kathy Johnson. She was a worker at a fair that had stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Damn it. You know what I did? I do that sometimes. Arizona, Nick, Arizona is AZ and I will never remember that. So when I said went missing from Van Beern, Arizona, it's Van Beern, Arkansas. Okay.

4:23 So I'm a [ __ ] What What's AZ is Arizona, right? But for whatever reason, when I see a R because it just gave the state abbreviation.

4:34 Okay. My mind immediately goes to Arizona, which is That's all right. I'll make you start shipping out shirts more. You'll learn that real quick.

4:41 Right. Right. Uh, so this woman supposedly was a worker at a fair that stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas. And a friend of Matthew's family who met this woman persuaded Matthew's family to take her into their home in Van Beern, Arkansas.

4:57 Matthew's parents went to bed on June 9th, 1983. And when they woke up, Matthew and this woman were both gone. Neither of them have ever been seen again. A composite sketch of the possible abductor is posted below this case summary. She's described as Caucasian with a tattoo of a green and yellow star on the left side of her chest, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper left arm, and a long scar on the back of her right shoulder, and a tattoo on her upper right arm of the name Kathy with a ribbon above it. Authorities believe the abductor may have taken Matthew to raise him as her son. So that's a bit of the silver lining here.

5:44 That's the one good thing that that seems like everybody believes this boy now a man is still alive,

5:51 right? They think he is probably still alive and doesn't know his true identity. I can't find anything detailing much of the investigation. This is just going on and on with their post, but that gives you a general idea of it. Now, the reason why this really caught my eye and the reason why I really wanted to make sure that we talked about it here is the description of those tattoos.

6:14 Yeah. It's you can presume that this person might still have these tattoos that this woman still has.

6:21 Yeah. So, it was a um unless they were covered up, right? Right. But somebody might be able to figure something out just by the description of those tattoos. Now,

6:31 in another Reddit post, it says, this has got some insightful stuff in it, but it's got some questionable things in it, too, as well, and we'll get into that. But, um, in 1983, there was no National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was founded in 1984, so there was no system to track these cases or standard for which they were handled. According to this poster, it was a giant cluster [ __ ] Actually, that's why John Walsh uh created NCMC, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It looks like Matthew was one of those unfortunate children who disappeared before the center was founded and he somehow slipped through the cracks. There is really no information on the case and it was just added to uh the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

7:24 Well, yeah. And Charlie's project recently. Yeah, that's because for years people were looking in Arizona.

7:31 Well, this poster goes on to have two theories about the case. They say their first theory is the police department handling this case wasn't familiar with missing children and they had little resources. They questioned if the FBI was even called in. the really famous missing children from this time period that we know of had very proactive parents and they did not um and they not the police were the driving force behind the media coverage. This person says that their best guess is that Matthew's parents didn't know how to get their missing son in the papers and such and therefore it received little press coverage.

8:18 Now, their second theory is that there was no carney lady at all. That she's an imaginary perpetrator, much like Xany the nanny or, you know, some other people that we've fictitious individuals that we've talked about in different cases on uh that we've covered here.

8:35 Yeah. Where are we getting the reports from the about these tattoos? Is this just coming from the the parents?

8:42 So, this comes from the parents. But here's one thing that I found was really interesting. And and to be honest with you, Captain, I don't want to sound like I'm I'm uh you know,

8:53 throwing shade on this on this person on this commenter that that posted their two theories there because

9:00 my mind went there as well was like, well, did this carnival lady really even exist? You know, the parents go to bed, they wake up, their son's gone,

9:09 this lady's gone. But then I got on to remember the line in here on Reddit says it was just added to the Charlie project, Charlie's project recently.

9:22 So I wanted to check the Charlie's Project website and I did so and they had some different details of the disappearance.

9:31 It says Matthew's mother met a woman in 1983 who called herself Kathy Johnson. She was a worker at a rodeo that had stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

9:42 A friend of Matthew's family met her and introduced her to Matthew's mother. The baby's father was in jail at the time, and Matthew's mother needed help with child care. So, she asked Johnson to stay in her Van Burren, Arkansas home for a week to watch her her three children. She had more than uh just Matthew. Mhm.

10:05 There was a party at Matthew's home on the night of June 9th, 1983, and alcohol was served. When Matthew's mother woke up in the morning, Matthew and this Kathy Johnson were both gone, and the family car was also missing. Three other children were left at the trailer. Neither Matthew nor his abductor have ever been seen again. Kathy Johnson had told Matthew's mother that she was 26 years old. She also said she had lost two children shortly after they were born. She said her children, had they lived, would have been 9 and 6 years old. This is in 1983.

10:44 She may also use the first name Judy. And a composite sketch of the abductor is posted with case summary. She is described as Caucasian, about 5'4 inches tall with blonde hair. That's weird because the the composite looks like she would have dark hair. She had a chipped or decayed front tooth, a 6 to 7 in scar on her left shoulder blade, a puncture scar 68 in above her right knee. She had a tattoo of a green and yellow star or sunburst on her left side of her chest, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper right arm, I'm sorry, upper left arm, a long scar on the back of her right shoulder, and a tattoo on her upper right arm with the name again Kathy with a ribbon above it.

11:35 The interesting thing here is when we get a little bit more of the story, it does seem now like this this person actually existed. That it's not just some story that the parents came up with because something happened to their kid and they needed a good story to cover it up.

11:52 Mhm. goes on to say that Matthew and his abductor may have traveled to, I'm sorry, through Utah to California after Matthew's abduction, possibly driving a 1973 Chevy Vega. Authorities believe the abductor may have taken Matthew to raise him as her son, and he's probably still alive and doesn't know his true identity. So, not just Matthew was gone, but the car was gone. We have other witnesses. There was a party there that night. We have a little bit more of a story of the mother saying, "I didn't just meet this woman and she stayed in my home one night. I asked her to stay and watch my children for me."

12:34 Right? And one thing that we we have too that is in the favor of Matthew's mother for believing her story is not just the other potential witnesses,

12:47 but the missing vehicle. Their car was stolen as well. And I'm guessing when we have when we have the website saying that they may have been traveling through Utah to get to California, that's either judging by words that were communicated from this quote unquote Kathy Johnson to Matthew's mother or the vehicle that was stolen would have been seen in Utah heading in the direction of California.

13:15 Right. So interesting stuff. I and I I do very much like when we have when we have a case like this and you have the the tattoos. Again, that's one way of of solving this.

13:30 Not Yeah. And it doesn't rule out that it's not completely made up. Uh there was this lady and she had a tattoo and what does the tattoo say? Uh Kathy on her arm, star. But when you start getting into multiple tattoos, multiple details, we talked about scar honor. Um, it's either, you know, it's either great clues or it's completely made up. So, there's a lot to go off of. And and and also like the the decay decaying front tooth now that was all that was 83, you said.

14:05 Yeah. So, that tooth if it was decaying, it's gone by now. Yeah. So, um, but yeah, if I mean if you know somebody that has those tattoos,

14:15 Yeah. If you have a grandma with a tattoo, weird. Can you imagine? That says Kathy.

14:22 36. Let her name's not Kathy. So, this Matthew would be what? 36. Is that right? 36 years old. 37 years old.

14:31 Can you imagine growing up and believing you were somebody else from some different family? Yeah, I don't buy the the story of the parents though. Um it's one of those things where it's like there's probably more to the story they're not telling us type thing.

14:49 Well, I don't know that they're not telling us. This is just right that's not reported or we don't have that information on

14:54 Yeah. Sometimes sometimes the information doesn't stand the test of time. You know, father timeated as they say. Yeah.

15:03 And so just like her front tooth didn't stand the test of time. Yeah. Either does.

15:09 So what the the more information about this story may just not have lasted all of these years.

15:15 Yeah. And then what do you do? What if you had a good childhood and good upbringing and and things worked out and you were doing well with with your life? Would you would you be mad?

15:29 I I don't know. I can't put myself in 36 years old in that situation. I have no

15:34 I'm assuming that things didn't work out that well though. Um, so but it's it's interesting that they they believe that he's still alive. So I I don't put it past somebody that is willing to steal a child and to steal a vehicle. I don't put it past them

15:57 that they uh dispose of the kid at some point. So, but I guess it's better to keep hope right?

16:06 Yes, of course.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Missing Matthew Crocker /// Off The Record"?

Nick (Guest), Captain (Host).

What is "Missing Matthew Crocker /// Off The Record" about?

This content discusses the ongoing case of Matthew Crocker, a Caucasian boy who went missing in 1983 shortly after his birth, highlighting the efforts of organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in raising awareness through age progression photos. The segment emphasizes the importance of keeping the memories of missing persons alive and encourages continued…

What is mentioned in this True Crime Garage TV episode?

10 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Matthew Crocker, Kathy Johnson, Van Beern, Arkansas, tattoos, Missing person case, Charlie Project. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Missing Matthew Crocker /// Off The Record"?

The episode runs 16 min; the transcript is about 2,542 words in 52 timestamped sections.

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