OCEANSIDE — Federal investigators and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have renewed efforts to solve the decades-old abduction of a 17-day-old infant from an Oceanside off-base military housing complex, launching a fresh public campaign and releasing a new age-progression image in hopes of finding him.
Kevin Art Verville Jr. was abducted on July 1, 1980, by a woman posing as a social worker offering aid to young military families. Forty-five years later, officials believe Kevin, likely unaware of his true identity, could still be alive.
“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, director of communications for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “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.”
On Tuesday, NCMEC released a digitally aged image showing what Kevin might look like today at age 45. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts and the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
“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.”
The suspect, known only as “Sheila,” had visited the Verville family days earlier at their Oceanside home in the Sterling Homes apartment complex, off-base housing for families of service members stationed at Camp Pendleton.
The woman, who appeared to be pregnant, claimed to work for an organization called “HELP,” which she said supported low-income military families with baby supplies and financial assistance.
On the day of the abduction, “Sheila” picked up Kevin Jr. and his mother, Angelina Verville, under the pretense of taking them to the HELP office. She later pulled over in a rural area of North San Diego County, asked Angelina to knock on a door to retrieve another mother, and then drove off with the infant, leaving Angelina alone on the side of the road.
The suspect was described as a White woman in her early 20s at the time, possibly wearing a disguise. Witnesses described her as having red or blond frizzy hair, wearing glasses and appearing pregnant. She also had a distinctive tattoo depicting a circle with an “X” inside between her thumb and index finger.
“Sheila” had spent several days in the apartment complex before the abduction, reportedly speaking with multiple residents. Investigators believe she was targeting an infant under six months old and of Filipino descent.
Despite an extensive FBI investigation, no arrests were made, and the case went cold. But the Verville family never gave up hope.
Kevin’s sister, Angelica Ramsey, recently contacted investigators for an update on her brother’s case, helping launch a renewed effort to locate Kevin Jr.
NCMEC, which has studied patterns in hundreds of infant abductions, says cases like Kevin’s often involve women attempting to replace a lost or never-born child.
“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,” Hartmann said.
The FBI and NCMEC are urging anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov, or to NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Kevin Art Verville Jr., listed under NCIC# M426393562, has been missing since July 1, 1980.
