The Disappearance of Charles and William Vosseler: The Father Who Vanished With His Sons

In October 1986, two very young brothers disappeared from Rochester, New Hampshire. Their disappearance was not the result of a stranger lurking in the shadows or a random crime. Instead, the boys vanished with someone they trusted completely: their own father.

Nearly four decades later, the cases of Charles Jason Vosseler and William Martin Vosseler remain unsolved, and investigators believe the boys may still be alive somewhere under different identities.

The Boys

Charles Jason Vosseler, often called C.J., was just three years old when he disappeared. He had blond hair and blue eyes and stood about 3 feet 4 inches tall, weighing around 40 pounds.

His younger brother, William Martin Vosseler, known as Billy, was only two years old. Billy had brown hair and blue eyes and was about 3 feet tall and weighed roughly 36 pounds.

Because of the circumstances of their disappearance, authorities believe the brothers may now be living under different names. Possible surnames they could be using include Amidon, Foster, or Wilson.

October 9, 1986: The Day They Disappeared

On October 9, 1986, the boys’ father, Charles Martin Vosseler Jr., told their mother, Ruth Parker, that he was taking the children out of state for the weekend to visit relatives.

It sounded like a normal visit.

But the boys never came home.

When Parker became concerned and went to check on her husband’s real estate office, she made a shocking discovery. The office had been shut down. Employees had been dismissed. The business appeared abandoned.

Even more disturbing, Parker realized that many of the family’s belongings were gone.

Charles Martin Vosseler had taken photographs of the boys, address books, credit cards, and many of Parker’s possessions. He had also emptied their bank accounts and auctioned off items the family had stored away.

It quickly became clear this was not a spontaneous decision.

It had been carefully planned.

A Carefully Planned Disappearance

As investigators and private investigators began digging deeper, they uncovered evidence suggesting Charles Martin Vosseler had been preparing for this moment for quite some time.

Parker later discovered he had quietly removed her name from their joint bank accounts. He had also stopped automatic payments on her car loan, leaving her months behind without her knowledge. By the time the abduction happened, her car was on the verge of being repossessed.

It appeared he had intentionally set things up so she would be financially devastated after he disappeared.

A private investigator working the case later suggested that Vosseler had been extremely calculating in his relationships. According to the investigator, he may have deliberately chosen Parker as the mother of his children because of her intelligence and strong background, but ultimately planned to keep the children for himself.

The Man Who Took Them

At the time of the abduction, Charles Martin Vosseler Jr. was 44 years old.

He stood about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed around 220 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and sometimes wore eyeglasses or contact lenses. When he was stressed, witnesses said his right eye would twitch.

He had been born and raised in Connecticut and graduated from Coe College in Iowa with a degree in economics.

Authorities say he often used aliases and alternative identities. Possible names he may have used include:

• Charles Malcolm Vosseler
• Charles Martin
• Dr. Charles Wilson

He may also have used the surnames Amidon, Foster, or Wilson, along with altered birthdates such as March 6, 1943 or February 6, 1944.

Investigators believe he may have been traveling in a 1979 GMC Jimmy truck with either a Nebraska license plate reading 2R6093 or a Virginia plate reading IBV565.

Early Leads

After the boys were reported missing, warrants were issued for their father.

On February 5, 1987, New Hampshire issued a warrant for interference with custody. Two months later, on April 3, 1987, a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution followed.

One of the most promising leads came later that same year.

In 1987, a woman in Stilwell, Oklahoma contacted a hotline after recognizing the boys from a missing child poster. She reported that the man she was seeing, who called himself Dr. Charles Wilson, looked exactly like their father.

By the time authorities arrived nine days later to arrest him, it was already too late.

The house had been burned down.

His vehicle had been destroyed.

Many of his belongings were gone.

And Charles Martin Vosseler Jr. had disappeared once again, taking the boys with him.

A Trail That Went Cold

Over the years, investigators have received scattered tips and possible sightings, but none have led to the recovery of the boys.

Authorities believe the family may have lived in several states over time. Vosseler is known to have ties to:

• Connecticut
• New Jersey
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Florida

The last known information investigators had was that he was believed to have been in Oklahoma in December 2006.

Since then, no confirmed sightings have been reported.

The Mother Still Waiting

Today, Ruth Parker lives in North Carolina. After nearly forty years, she still hopes that one day she will hear from her sons.

Because Charles and William were so young when they disappeared, it is possible they grew up believing the story their father told them — perhaps unaware they were missing children.

Age-progression images created by investigators show what the brothers might look like today as adults.

Charles would now be in his early forties.

William would be in his early forties as well.

Authorities warn that Charles Martin Vosseler Jr. should be considered armed and dangerous, and caution is advised if anyone encounters him.

A Case That Remains Open

The disappearance of Charles and William Vosseler is classified as a family abduction, but that label does not make the case any less serious.

Two little boys vanished.

Their mother lost both of her children in a single day.

And decades later, no one knows where they are.

If Charles and William are alive today, they may not even realize they were ever reported missing.

But somewhere, their mother is still waiting for answers.

---

Sources
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
FBI
NamUs
For the Lost
Never Stop Looking
The Bangor Daily News
Rochester Police Department