Stolen at 17 Days: Can New Image Find Kevin Verville?

On July 1, 1980, Angelina Verville watched helplessly as a woman drove away with her 17-day-old son. She hasn’t seen him since.

For more than four decades, the Verville family has lived without their son and brother but never gave up hope that he was out there. Today, with new emphasis on the case and a new image of what Kevin Jr. might look like now, can you be the key to bringing Kevin Jr. home?

Before baby Kevin’s abduction, an unknown woman knocked on Angelina and Kevin Verville's door. The couple lived in the Sterling Homes apartment complex in Oceanside, California, off-base housing for military families stationed at Camp Pendleton. They had a newborn infant, Kevin Jr., who had just come home from the hospital.

This woman called herself “Sheila,” and said she was from an organization called “HELP,” whose mission was to assist young, low-income military families. She said she could help with things like diapers, formula and even assist financially. For the Vervilles, this seemed like a great opportunity. “Sheila” agreed to come back soon and said she would take them to the “HELP” offices to enroll baby Kevin in the program. 

Kevin Verville, Jr. before the abduction (Credit: Verville Family)

Then, on July 1, 1980, “Sheila” returned to the Vervilles' apartment. Kevin Sr. had just returned home from the grocery store and was putting away the groceries, so they agreed that Angelina and baby Kevin would go with “Sheila” to the “HELP” offices.  

That’s when Angelina and her infant son got into “Sheila’s” car, described as a gray or silver four-door sedan. “Sheila” said that they needed to stop and pick up another mother who was also enrolling her child in the program. When “Sheila” and Kevin Jr.’s mom arrived in a remote rural area in North San Diego County, “Sheila” pulled over and asked Angelina to knock on the door of a nearby house to get the other mother. But when Angelina got out, “Sheila” sped away with baby Kevin.

Kevin Verville, Sr. and Angelina Verville after the abduction (Credit: Oceanside Historical Society)

Angelina was left standing alone on the side of the road, with no one around to help.

In the days and months following baby Kevin’s abduction, the San Diego FBI office became involved in the case, extensively searching for Kevin Jr. and the unknown woman. It turns out, “Sheila” had spent several days in the Sterling Homes apartment complex leading up to Kevin Jr.’s abduction, speaking with dozens of residents. Investigators believe she was trying to find a baby that fit what she was looking for – apparently an infant under six months old and part Filipino.

Because there were so many residents that interacted with this woman, those witnesses were able to help put together a sketch of what the unknown woman looked like. From the Vervilles' accounts, along with other residents, investigators say they’re looking for a woman who was in her twenties back in 1980, with red or blond frizzy hair. 

1980 Composite sketch of the female suspect (Credit: FBI)

She had a tattoo on her left hand in the webbing between her thumb and index finger. It was described as a circle with an ‘X’ inside. “Sheila” also appeared pregnant.

This is in line with what NCMEC has seen in other similar cases. From more than 60 years' worth of data, NCMEC has developed a profile of “typical” infant abductor: a woman of childbearing age, who appears pregnant, and may be trying to replace a baby lost through miscarriage.

Despite the initial search for Kevin Jr., there were few leads, and the case eventually went cold.

No one has been named, arrested or charged in connection with the disappearance of Kevin Jr.

“It’s very possible that Kevin Art Verville, Jr. is out there, alive, with no idea about his real identity and we need your help to bring him home,” said Angeline Hartmann, NCMEC’s director of communications. “Here at the Center, we’ve analyzed more than 300 infant abduction cases nationwide and we’ve seen that abductors often target infants when they’re looking for a child to raise as their own. It’s likely Kevin Jr. doesn’t know what happened to him and that his biological parents are still searching for him. Today, he could be anywhere so we’re asking everyone to be part of this search.”

Recently, Kevin Jr.’s sister, Angelica Ramsey, who was born after Kevin Jr. was abducted, reached out to investigators for an update on her brother’s case.

“Although baby Kevin was abducted 45 years ago, FBI San Diego’s work to reunite him with his family has not ceased,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “In 1980, FBI San Diego worked around the clock to locate kidnapped baby Kevin, and we remain committed today. We ask the public to please view baby Kevin’s age progression photo and submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”

The FBI is continuing to honor a $10,000 reward for information that leads to locating Kevin Verville, Jr., as well as the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his abduction.

NCMEC has also released a new age-progression image to show what Kevin Jr. might look like today.  

Age progression photo of Kevin Verville, Jr. (Credit: NCMEC)

If you have any information on Kevin Jr., his abduction or the unknown female suspect, please call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the FBI at 1-800-225-5324, or visit tips.fbi gov.