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in: Pennsylvania, 1986, Disappearances,
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Corey Edkin

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Real Name: Corey James Edkin
Nicknames None known
Location: New Columbia, Pennsylvania
Date: October 12, 1986

Bio[]

Date of Birth: June 11, 1984
Height: 3'0"
Weight: 30 lbs.
Characteristics: White male with very light blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing gray pajama pants and a short-sleeved white pajama top with an image of a cartoon beaver imprinted on the front. He was not wearing shoes or socks.

Case[]

Details: Two-year-old Corey Edkin is the son of Debbie Wise and James Edkin. Shortly after his birth, his parents divorced. By 1986, he had limited contact with James. Debbie had remarried, but her new husband was in prison. Corey lived in a house on 159 Second Street in New Columbia, Pennsylvania, with: Debbie; his five-year-old sister, Nina; his mother's roommate, Alberta Sones; and Alberta's two young children. Corey and his family had moved into the house after their previous one was destroyed in a fire. The new house was known as a "party place" and was reportedly frequented by a group of ten to twenty "young people."
On the night of October 12, 1986, Debbie put Corey to bed in her upstairs bedroom. Alberta's children and Nina went to bed in another room. At 11pm, Debbie checked on the children and saw that they were all sleeping. She went downstairs with Alberta to watch TV. About an hour later, she remembered that she had to fill her car up with gas. At around 12:10am, she left home and drove to the West Milton Time Markets. Alberta stayed behind to watch the children.
When Debbie discovered that the market was closed, she decided to go to a convenience store and gas station on Arch Street in Milton, Pennsylvania. After filling her gas tank, she went inside and bought pizza and a lottery ticket. At around 12:40am, she returned home. She noticed that the front door was open. She was surprised because she remembered closing it when she left. Alberta was still watching TV.
Debbie went upstairs to check on Corey but discovered he was not in bed. She checked the rest of the house, but he was nowhere to be found. She called the police at 1:10am. Alberta told them that she did not see him leave the house or anyone enter while Debbie was away. She also did not hear anything suspicious.
Police first theorized that Corey followed Debbie out of the house that night and became lost. An extensive search of the area was conducted. Bloodhounds tried to track his scent. Dive teams searched the Susquehanna River, which was 200 yards from the home. A helicopter with a special "heat-seeking" device searched a two-square-mile area around the house. But no trace of him was found.
Police began to suspect that Corey had met with foul play. Alberta and several other people close to the family were given polygraph tests; all passed. Corey's parents were investigated as well. James was quickly ruled out as he was nowhere near New Columbia at the time. He and Debbie maintained a cordial relationship and were not involved in any custody disputes. Police were able to confirm Debbie's story after reviewing surveillance footage at the store. She was ruled out as well.
Debbie told police that in the days prior to Corey's disappearance, she received several strange phone calls. On at least one occasion, when she answered the phone, the caller immediately hung up. On another occasion, when she answered, she heard someone breathing at the other end. She asked who was calling, but they did not answer. It is not known if the calls had anything to do with the case.
After Corey's disappearance, several ransom calls were made to different members of his family. Debbie received one in June 1987; the caller threatened to sell Corey for $25,000 if she did not comply. Police also received a ransom call around that time. His grandmother claimed to have received a ransom call from a woman as late as January 1991. The calls stopped when police put tracing equipment on Debbie’s phone. The caller(s) have never been identified and it is not known if they had anything to do with the case.
In March 1987, several phone calls were also made to the Danville and Milton offices of the newspaper, The Daily Item. In one call, the caller, believed to be a woman, said, "Corey is alive. Tell Jim he will get Corey back." In another call the following week, the caller said that Corey would be murdered in seven days. The voice was low and raspy, and they spoke slowly. Later that day, another call came in, this time from a woman who said, "Debbie is going to lose two people close to her." Surprisingly, these calls were later traced to his maternal grandmother's home. However, she had a phone outside her home, which meant that someone else could have made the calls. No charges were filed.
There were reported sightings of Corey in several places throughout the United States. One of the most credible occurred in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in May 1989, after his picture appeared on milk cartons and fliers. However, a search of the area turned up no sign of him. In Spring 1989, a federal grand jury probed his case but reached no conclusions.
Investigators have since concluded that Corey did not walk away from the home. They believe he was abducted and that his abductor knew him. The founder of a missing children's organization suspects that a family member knows what happened to him. The founder does not believe a child of his age could have gotten out of the house without someone knowing it. One of the investigators agreed with this.
In June 2020, Pennsylvania State Police reported that "significant advances" had been made in Corey's case, based on "cooperation from individuals and advances in forensic technology." They believed the persons responsible would soon be "brought to justice." However, they did not say whether they believed Corey was alive or dead. James says police told him an arrest would be coming, but they did not say anything else.
In July 2020, Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers announced that a $10,000 reward was being offered for information in Corey's case. In this announcement, it was also revealed that investigators believe a family member was involved in the case.
In September 2020, Pennsylvania newspaper PennLive spoke with two individuals who were recently interviewed as a part of the investigation into Corey’s case. They said they were asked about individuals connected to the drug-related murder of Rickey Wolfe. Rickey was found beaten to death at a state Fish Commission boat ramp along the Susquehanna River north of Montandon, Pennsylvania, on December 12, 1986. Montandon is a few miles from New Columbia.
Police believed Rickey was killed because he owed money to his drug suppliers and was a police informant. Four men were charged in Rickey’s case; two were acquitted and the other two, Scott Schaeffer and William Hendricks III, were convicted. Their convictions were later overturned after a co-defendant admitted he lied when he said Schaeffer was present when Rickey was killed. They then pleaded no contest to third-degree murder. Both have since been released, and Schaeffer maintains his innocence. He confirmed that he was also interviewed about Corey's case.
Authorities suspect there is a link between Rickey's murder and the disappearance of Barbara Miller, who vanished from Milton on July 1, 1989, after attending a wedding. She reportedly received threatening letters regarding her plans to contact the police. Schaeffer says she told his ex-wife that she had information that would exonerate him, but she feared for her life. She disappeared two days after this conversation.
The wife of Barbara’s ex-husband also confirmed that she was interviewed by investigators from Corey's case. She believes there is an "overlap of players" in Corey, Rickey, and Barbara’s cases. There is reportedly a link between Debbie and an individual in Barbara’s case. Police have yet to confirm if there are any connections between the cases.
Suspects: None known. A witness reportedly saw Corey get into a car with two women wearing "bag hats." The witness reported seeing the same car traveling through New York.
Police believe Corey was taken by someone who knew him. They suspect a family member was involved in the case. However, no suspects have been publicly identified.
Extra Notes:

  • This case was first released on October 19, 2020 as a part of the second volume of the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries. It is featured at the end of "Stolen Kids" as a part of a long term missing children roll call along with Andre Bryant, Cherie Barnes, Amber Crum, Desiree Carroll, Ke'Shaun Vanderhorst, Aaron Anderson, and Christopher Abeyta.
  • It was previously profiled on The Montel Williams Show.
  • Some sources state that Corey was last seen on October 13 or at 12:10am on October 12.
  • In 1986, Corey’s maternal grandmother, Myrle Miller, was arrested and charged with trying to kill her first husband, Ronald Rovenolt, with arsenic. She was acquitted. In 2021, she was arrested again; this time, she was charged with poisoning and murdering her second husband, John Nichols. She is currently awaiting trial.
  • In 1999, Debbie's then-boyfriend, Charles Burgess III, was found murdered in his New Jersey motel room. His case remains unsolved.

Results: Unresolved - In 2021, a state grand jury began an investigation into Corey's case. James confirmed he was called as a witness for it. He believes the case will be solved and hopes that Corey is still alive, although he is doubtful. He suspects Myrle has information about the case. Investigators, however, said there is no evidence she was involved in it.
On August 29, 2023, Henry Bush was charged in relation to the case. Sadly, No trace of Corey has not been found. Links:

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