Overview

• Full name: Marion Littlejohn III
• Age at disappearance: 48
• Date last seen: December 23, 2023
• Last known location: Newark, Alameda County, California
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current status: Listed as missing in publicly available case information; no verified recovery or resolution located
• NamUs identification number: MP135678
• Height: Approximately 6 feet, 1 inch
• Weight: Approximately 160 pounds
• Circumstances: Littlejohn met with his housing case manager on December 23, 2023, but missed a follow-up appointment scheduled for January 2024. When his apartment was checked in May 2024, it appeared vacant. He reportedly did not have a cellphone when he was last contacted.

The available information does not establish that Littlejohn was the victim of a homicide, kidnapping, or other crime. His disappearance remains unexplained.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Marion Littlejohn III Missing Since December 2023 in Newark, California: An Unresolved Disappearance

Marion Littlejohn III was 48 years old when he was last known to have been seen in Newark, California, on December 23, 2023. His disappearance came to light through missed contact with a housing case manager and the discovery that his apartment appeared unoccupied several months later.

Littlejohn’s case raises significant questions about what happened after his final documented meeting, whether he left the Newark area, and why no subsequent contact has been publicly established. Despite the passage of nearly three years, publicly available information offers few answers about his whereabouts.

Case Summary

• Full name: Marion Littlejohn III
• Age at disappearance: 48
• Date last seen: December 23, 2023
• Last known location: Newark, Alameda County, California
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current status: Listed as missing in publicly available case information; no verified recovery or resolution located
• NamUs identification number: MP135678
• Height: Approximately 6 feet, 1 inch
• Weight: Approximately 160 pounds
• Circumstances: Littlejohn met with his housing case manager on December 23, 2023, but missed a follow-up appointment scheduled for January 2024. When his apartment was checked in May 2024, it appeared vacant. He reportedly did not have a cellphone when he was last contacted.

The available information does not establish that Littlejohn was the victim of a homicide, kidnapping, or other crime. His disappearance remains unexplained.

Background: Who Is Marion Littlejohn III?

Marion Littlejohn III was a 48-year-old man connected to Newark, a city in southern Alameda County in California’s East Bay region.

According to his publicly circulated missing-person information, Littlejohn was described as having a transient living situation and was working with a case manager associated with an affordable housing apartment.

The existence of this housing arrangement is an important part of his story. It indicates that he had contact with a housing support professional shortly before he disappeared and that at least one subsequent appointment was expected.

However, the public record provides little additional biographical information. His occupation, educational background, family relationships, and personal history have not been reliably documented in the sources located for this article.

There is also no verified public information explaining whether he had previously gone missing, traveled frequently, or maintained regular contact with particular relatives or friends.

These gaps should not be interpreted as evidence of suspicious behavior. They reflect the limited information currently available to the public.

Physical Description

Littlejohn was reported to be approximately 6 feet, 1 inch tall and to weigh about 160 pounds when he disappeared.

A publicly available missing-person flyer includes his photograph. Anyone who believes they recognize him should review the available case information and contact law enforcement rather than attempting to investigate independently.

Disappearance: December 23, 2023

The Last Documented Meeting

On December 23, 2023, Marion Littlejohn III met with his case manager regarding his affordable housing apartment.

This meeting is the last known contact described in the available missing-person information.

The public account does not identify the precise location of the meeting, how long it lasted, or what was discussed. It also does not establish whether Littlejohn returned to his apartment afterward.

No independently verified account of his movements later that day was located.

Consequently, December 23, 2023, should be understood as his reported last-known-contact date, rather than a confirmed date on which a crime occurred.

A Missed Appointment in January 2024

Littlejohn was scheduled to meet with his case manager again in January 2024.

He did not attend that appointment.

The precise appointment date has not been publicly established in the sources reviewed. It is also unclear whether the case manager attempted to reach him immediately afterward or whether additional efforts were made to contact him during the following weeks.

The missed appointment is significant because it represents a documented interruption in his expected contact with housing services.

However, the public information does not establish why he missed the meeting.

His Apartment Appeared Vacant in May 2024

In May 2024, Littlejohn’s apartment was checked and reportedly appeared vacant.

This observation deepened the uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts.

The available description does not specify the exact inspection date, who conducted the check, whether his personal belongings remained inside, or whether there were indications that he had moved.

There is also no verified public account of forced entry, damage, a struggle, or suspicious evidence at the residence.

The apartment’s apparently vacant condition is therefore an important circumstance, but it does not independently establish what happened to Littlejohn.

The Absence of a Cellphone

One particularly important detail is that Littlejohn reportedly did not have a cellphone when he was last contacted.

That circumstance may have complicated efforts to communicate with him or establish his subsequent movements.

It does not, however, prove that investigators lacked other possible avenues of inquiry. The public record does not disclose whether authorities reviewed surveillance footage, financial activity, transportation records, or other potential sources of information.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

Missing-Person Documentation

Littlejohn’s disappearance is documented through a publicly available CaseTrace missing-person flyer identifying NamUs as its underlying source.

The case is associated with NamUs identification number 135678.

NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, is a national resource used to assist in resolving missing-person and unidentified-person cases.

The existence of a NamUs-linked record provides an identifiable reference for the disappearance. However, the publicly accessible information reviewed does not establish the date on which Littlejohn was first reported missing or when his information was entered into NamUs.

Law Enforcement Involvement

The Newark Police Department is the local law enforcement agency serving Newark, California. Its Investigations Unit handles missing-person cases among its responsibilities.

Nevertheless, a case-specific Newark Police Department announcement identifying the department as the lead agency for Littlejohn’s disappearance was not located during this research.

For that reason, the department should be treated as a relevant local contact rather than a conclusively verified lead investigating agency.

The California Department of Justice also maintains a Missing and Unidentified Persons Section that assists law enforcement agencies with missing-person investigations.

Searches and Witness Information

No publicly verified descriptions of organized searches specifically for Littlejohn were located.

Similarly, the available sources do not identify additional witnesses who reported seeing him after December 23, 2023.

There are no verified public accounts establishing that investigators conducted neighborhood canvasses, reviewed particular security recordings, or identified a later sighting.

This does not mean such investigative work never occurred. It means those activities could not be independently confirmed through the publicly available sources reviewed.

Physical and Forensic Evidence

No case-specific forensic findings have been publicly verified in the sources located.

In particular, there is no confirmed public information establishing that investigators recovered physical evidence of violence, obtained DNA evidence implicating another person, identified human remains belonging to Littlejohn, or used investigative genetic genealogy to resolve the case.

California maintains forensic and identification resources for missing-person investigations, but the existence of those resources does not establish that any particular testing occurred in Littlejohn’s case.

Suspects, Arrests, and Criminal Proceedings

No officially identified suspect or person of interest was located in the available reporting.

No verified arrest, criminal charge, prosecution, or court proceeding connected to his disappearance was found.

There is also no reliable evidence in the reviewed sources that authorities have reclassified the disappearance as a homicide.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

The limited public record leaves several possible explanations for Littlejohn’s disappearance, but none has been established as fact.

Did He Leave Newark Voluntarily?

One possibility is that Littlejohn left his apartment or the Newark area voluntarily.

His reported transient circumstances could make a change in residence or location relevant to an investigation. However, those circumstances alone do not establish that he intended to disappear or sever contact with his case manager.

There is no verified public evidence confirming that he relocated, obtained housing elsewhere, or deliberately avoided contact.

Did He Experience an Emergency?

Another possibility is that Littlejohn experienced a medical emergency, accident, or other situation that prevented him from returning to his housing appointment.

This is a general possibility in an unresolved missing-person investigation, not a reported investigative finding.

No medical records, hospital admission, accident report, or unidentified-person identification associated with Littlejohn were verified in the available sources.

Could Foul Play Have Been Involved?

Criminal involvement cannot be conclusively ruled out from the limited information available to the public.

At the same time, there is no verified evidence establishing that Littlejohn was abducted, assaulted, or killed.

It would therefore be inaccurate to describe the disappearance as a confirmed homicide or to suggest that an unidentified person committed a crime.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Several important questions remain unresolved:

• Where did Littlejohn go after meeting his case manager on December 23, 2023?
• Was he seen or contacted by anyone during the weeks before his missed January appointment?
• When was his apartment last confirmed to be occupied?
• Did he take personal belongings with him or leave them behind?
• Was his disappearance formally reported before or after the May 2024 apartment check?
• Have investigators identified any credible sightings outside Newark?

Answers to these questions could help establish a clearer chronology. At present, the available sources do not provide them.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

Research status: October 28, 2026

The most recent publicly accessible case information located continues to identify Marion Littlejohn III as missing from Newark, California, with December 23, 2023, as his last-seen date.

His CaseTrace flyer continues to display the circumstances involving the December 2023 case-manager meeting, the missed January 2024 appointment, and the apparently vacant apartment in May 2024.

However, the continued availability of that flyer is not itself evidence of a new investigative development.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative breakthroughs, recovery announcements, arrests, newly identified remains, or official case-resolution updates were located.

There was also no verified case-specific announcement concerning new DNA results, forensic genealogy, a cold-case review, or an officially released age-progression image.

The precise date of the latest investigative activity is unknown. The lack of public updates should not be interpreted as proof that law enforcement has stopped investigating.

Conclusion: The Continuing Search for Marion Littlejohn III

Marion Littlejohn III’s disappearance remains a troubling unresolved case centered on a relatively short series of documented events.

On December 23, 2023, he met with his housing case manager in Newark. In January 2024, he missed a scheduled follow-up appointment. By May 2024, his apartment appeared vacant.

What happened between those events, and where Littlejohn went afterward, remains unknown.

His case demonstrates how difficult it can be to reconstruct a disappearance when publicly documented contacts are limited and a missing person reportedly did not have a cellphone.

Anyone who remembers seeing Littlejohn in Newark or elsewhere after December 23, 2023, or who has reliable information about his movements, is encouraged to contact the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

The Newark Police Department can be reached through its non-emergency number at (510) 578-4237, and its anonymous tip line is (510) 578-4965. The California Department of Justice also accepts missing-person information through 1-800-222-FIND (1-800-222-3463).

When providing information, reference Marion Littlejohn III, missing from Newark, California, since December 23, 2023, and NamUs MP135678.

Even a seemingly minor detail about his last known movements could help authorities establish a more complete account of what happened.