Unsolved Ohio: Where is Donnell White? Child vanished over 33 years ago

ASHTABULA, Ohio (WCMH) – A federal agency and Ohio police are investigating a child's 1991 disappearance in a renewed push for answers.

Donnell White Jr., who was a student at the now-closed West Junior High School, disappeared in August 1991 when he was 14 years old. His parents were divorced and he primarily lived in a home with his mother and grandmother in the 900 block of West 38th Street in Ashtabula, according to his father Donnell White Sr. 

“[He was] just a happy-go-lucky kid, like anyone else,” Donnell White Sr. said. “He loved to go fishing, basketball. He was very interactive with friends around the neighborhood.”

Donnell White Sr. reported his son missing on Aug. 10, 1991, which was a few days after he was last seen, according to Det. Wesley Burns with Ashtabula police. Burns has been the detective on the case since 2019.

The U.S. Marshals Service said in a 2023 news release that there has been "conflicting information" regarding when Donnell White Jr. was last seen. The day he disappeared, Burns said a neighbor reported seeing him in a vehicle with a local man on West Avenue in the early afternoon. The man, who had a son a few years older than Donnell White Jr., had taken him fishing earlier that day, according to Burns. 

Old newspaper reports claim Donnell White Jr. may have come home and eaten dinner with his mother before leaving to play basketball. Burns said the potential last known sighting of the child was from kids who claim they played basketball with him on West 47th Street that evening; they said it was getting dark when he started to walk home. 

Donnell White Jr. was originally classified as an endangered runaway. Donnell White Sr. said his son had run away from his mother's home a week or two before his disappearance, but was quickly found just a few streets over and police were not involved in the incident. 

But as the decades have passed, police have looked into other possibilities regarding what may have happened to Donnell White Jr. In 2020, detectives with the police department renewed the push to find Donnell White Jr. and enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshals Missing Child Unit. 

Since then, Burns said authorities have questioned the man Donnell White Jr. was seen in a car with before he disappeared, and the man’s son. 

“I had two guys come in and they actually gave him a voice stress analysis test and he did just fine,” Burns said. “They were cooperative. Can't rule them out, but they've been cooperative.”

Donnell White Sr. said after his son went missing, he heard reports that the man may have given his son a fighting rooster and taken him to a cockfight. Burns said police asked the man about this, but he denied the allegations. 

Donnell White Sr. and Burns also told NBC4 that after the child went missing, his mother moved and changed her name. 

“We weren't able to confirm exactly how long after, but it seemed like it was within a year she had moved at least to the Cleveland area and changed her name,” Burns said. “And then at some point, she moved from Cleveland to the California area.”

Burns also said a family member of Donnell White Jr.’s mother has not been cooperative in the investigation.

The properties at the time of both Donnell White Jr.'s mother and the man he was seen driving with have undergone searches, according to Burns. While Burns said he could not get into the details of the results, neither the man nor any of the child’s family members have been publicly named as suspects in the case. 

Burns said he is “absolutely” hopeful the renewed push will lead to answers in the case; however, Donnell White Sr. said he is concerned that evidence has deteriorated over time.

“I'm thinking they should have done a whole lot more right after he disappeared,” Donnell White Sr. said. “Just the case of another Black kid runs away -- like that's the only reason that one would be missing."

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot said in a 2023 statement that endangered runaways were not investigated in 1991 as they are today.

“Cold cases have unique challenges but present unique opportunities,” Elliot said. “Records are difficult to find, potential witnesses may have moved or even passed away. On the other hand, we have people talking to investigators now who weren’t willing in 1991 and that has helped ignite life into the case.”

Donnell White Sr. said he got a degree in journalism in 1976 and had plans to move to a big city to start a career – however, he remains in Ashtabula awaiting answers in his son’s case. 

“I wasn't going to leave until I found out,” Donnell White Sr. said. “Main thing for me was I’m going to find out what happened to my son.” 

The U.S. Marshals Service stated a challenge in the case has been finding a good picture of Donnell White Jr. The photo published at the time of his disappearance was several years old, and investigators said no one has provided police with a more accurate photo.

The federal agency is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that helps solve Donnell White Jr.'s disappearance, according to the 2023 news release. The agency said tipsters can remain anonymous. 

“We’ve identified the people closest to Donnell at the time he went missing,” Senior Inspector Bill Boldin said. “We are encouraging them to come forward and speak up. This child deserves to have his story told and we will not stop until that happens.”

At the time of his disappearance, Donnell White Jr. was 5 feet 10, 160 pounds, and had black hair and brown eyes. He may go by the nicknames Woodrow or Junior, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Today, he would be 48 years old. 

Anyone with information on his disappearance may contact the Ashtabula Police Department at 440-992-7172 or the U.S. Marshals Service at 866-492-6833.

If you’re a family member of an individual with an unsolved missing persons or homicide case in Ohio, reach out to aboldizar@wcmh.com.