Thomas Dean Gibson (July 5, 1988 – disappeared March 18, 1991)[1] is an American child who vanished from his front yard in Azalea, Oregon, under mysterious circumstances.
Karen initially told law enforcement she had witnessed a man and woman pull into the family's driveway in a truck and abduct Thomas, though the couple could not be identified.
Initial search efforts for Thomas proved fruitless, and Larry formally resigned from his position in the sheriff's department before relocating with his family to Montana in 1992.
Around this time, Karen admitted to law enforcement that she had witnessed her father beating Thomas outside on the day of his disappearance before placing him inside his patrol car.
On the morning of March 18, 1991, Larry Gibson, a sheriff's deputy of Douglas County, Oregon, prepared to leave for a jog at approximately 11:30 a.m. from his home in Azalea.
[4] Though Larry's patrol car was not initially searched, it was subsequently discovered that its odometer had registered 7 miles (11 km) that were unaccounted for on the day of Thomas's disappearance.
[4] In 1992, Larry resigned from his position as a Douglas County sheriff's deputy, and he and wife Judy relocated to Avon, Montana, after giving birth to another child, a daughter named Lisa.
[9] Calek subsequently claimed that, when Karen and her mother Judy stayed with her at her home in Iowa after the disappearance, she made a comment regarding being frightened about her father "putting her in a big hole" like he had Thomas.
[11] Court documents prepared by the district attorney presented the series of events: Larry left the family's residence in Azalea at approximately 11:30 a.m. to go for a jog.
[11] When Thomas curiously approached the dead cat, Larry angrily picked him up and carried him to the family's carport, where he proceeded to slap the child in the face multiple times.
[11] It was theorized by investigators that, after volunteer searchers began looking for Thomas, Larry took the child's body and disposed of it in an area known as Swamp Creek, though his remains were not recovered.