Overview

Last seen: December 14, 1968 — Monterey, Monterey County, California, associated with a fishing trip to the Fisherman’s Wharf/Monterey waterfront area.

Main circumstances: Sammy Lloyd Jackson, 13, left for an early-morning fishing trip with 14-year-old Alfred James Grimes. A bus driver reportedly saw the boys around 4:30 a.m. and dropped them near Del Monte Avenue and the wharf. Neither boy returned home. Drowning has long been considered possible, but no publicly reported evidence has conclusively established what happened. Both remain missing.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Sammy Lloyd Jackson Missing Since 1968: The Unsolved Disappearance of Two Boys in Monterey, California

Thirteen-year-old Sammy Lloyd Jackson disappeared from Monterey County, California, on December 14, 1968, after setting out on an early-morning fishing trip with his friend Alfred James Grimes, 14. More than five decades later, neither boy has been found, and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance remain unresolved.

Sammy was born July 8, 1955. At the time he vanished, he was approximately 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 75 pounds. He had brown hair and brown eyes and was also known by the nickname “Sam.” The California Department of Justice continues to list him as a missing person.

An Early-Morning Fishing Trip

On Saturday, December 14, 1968, Sammy and Alfred left early in the morning to go fishing at or near Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. Fishing there was reportedly something the boys had done before, making the outing itself apparently routine.

According to later case summaries, a bus driver recalled seeing the boys at a bus stop at approximately 4:30 a.m. and speaking with Alfred. The driver reportedly transported them toward Monterey and let them off on Del Monte Avenue near the wharf.

That account provides one of the most important pieces of the known timeline because it places both boys together near their intended destination during the early morning hours.

Sammy and Alfred Never Came Home

The boys were expected to return later that day, but neither did.

When Alfred had not returned or called by approximately 5:00 p.m., his father began searching for him. After finding no sign of either boy, law enforcement was contacted. No confirmed trace of Sammy or Alfred has been reported since their disappearance.

Sammy’s family was living in the 3100 block of Ninole Drive at the time. Alfred’s family lived elsewhere in Monterey County. Both boys remain listed separately in missing-person databases, although California records associate them with the same Monterey County Sheriff’s Department case number.

Did the Boys Drown?

One longstanding possibility is that Sammy and Alfred suffered an accident while fishing and drowned.

Their planned destination near Monterey Harbor naturally raised the possibility of an accidental fall into the water. However, publicly available case summaries do not report that either boy’s body, fishing equipment, clothing, or other definitive evidence was recovered to establish drowning as the explanation. The Charley Project therefore describes the possibility of drowning while emphasizing that the circumstances remain unclear.

Another secondary case summary has reported a possible sighting around Cannery Row, but the publicly available official California record does not establish such a sighting as confirmed. It should therefore be treated as an investigative lead rather than proof of the boys’ movements after they arrived in Monterey.

Why the Case Remains Unusual

Sammy and Alfred disappeared together, during an outing they reportedly made with some regularity, and both vanished without a confirmed physical trace.

There is also no publicly established evidence showing that Sammy deliberately ran away. The known circumstances instead begin with two young friends traveling toward a familiar fishing location before seemingly disappearing at the same time.

Because neither boy has been located, investigators cannot conclusively determine whether they were victims of an accident, encountered another person, voluntarily left the area, or experienced some other event.

Later Comparisons With Unidentified Remains

Over the years, people researching unidentified-person cases have compared Sammy with unidentified remains discovered elsewhere.

One publicly discussed example involved unidentified remains recovered near Huddart Park in Woodside, California, in 1975. Online researchers noted similarities in general physical characteristics and discussed whether Sammy could be a possible match. Those discussions appeared on Websleuths and should not be confused with an official identification or established law-enforcement conclusion.

Public discussion of potential matches can sometimes help draw attention to older missing-person cases, but physical resemblance alone is not enough to establish identity. A confirmed identification normally requires supporting forensic, dental, genetic, medical, or other evidence.

Current Status and Latest Public Investigation Information

Sammy’s disappearance remains an active unresolved missing-person case in publicly available databases.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System maintains Sammy’s record as NamUs MP4540. The record was created in the current NamUs system on April 12, 2021.

The California Department of Justice also continues to publicly list Sammy as missing and identifies the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department as the reporting agency. California currently lists the case number as 1-22185 and provides (831) 755-3722 as the agency contact number.

Significantly, Alfred Grimes is also listed by California authorities under case number 1-22185, confirming that the two disappearances are administratively connected in the state’s records.

A separate contemporary missing-person case resource identifies Sammy’s NamUs number as MP4540 and lists its Sammy Jackson case page as having been updated in March 2023.

As of August 29, 2026, publicly accessible official records reviewed for this article do not announce that Sammy or Alfred has been found, do not identify a suspect, and do not report an arrest or confirmed explanation for their disappearance. The California Department of Justice continues to display both boys as missing.

More Than Five Decades Without Answers

Had Sammy survived, he would now be an elderly man. Yet his official missing-person record still reflects the appearance and physical characteristics of the 13-year-old boy who headed toward Monterey’s waterfront in December 1968.

The central question has never been answered: What happened to Sammy Lloyd Jackson and Alfred James Grimes after they traveled to Monterey that morning?

Anyone with information about Sammy’s disappearance, Alfred’s disappearance, people the boys may have encountered, or events around Monterey’s waterfront on December 14, 1968, should contact the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department or the California Department of Justice missing-person program.