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March 29 was to be Danny’s 18th birthday and he had plans to go with his mother to register at the area’s Selective Service office. However on the day before, March 28, 1966, Danny was kidnapped from his family home by a husky intruder who came in through the rear, unlocked, sliding glass doors; he called the Goldmans by their first names, expected to find $10,000 in cash in the home, and took Danny when it turned out that the cash was not in the house.
Danny has never been found, alive or dead, his kidnapper and/or murderer was never identified or arrested, and although it was once the focus of national attention and the “#1 Mystery” of federal and local agencies, his case was ‘administratively closed’.
In 2012, Danny was not listed in any local, state or federal database as a missing person or an open case. It was as if Danny had never existed and his kidnapping and disappearance had never happened. In February of 2012, his mother passed away; his father had passed away two years earlier.
In March of 2012, a small group of Surfside residents, led by Paul Novack, an attorney who is a former Mayor of the Town, took it upon themselves to seek justice. A few members of the team including Town Commissioner Joe Graubart personally knew Danny back then from the neighborhood. They decided that Danny should not be forgotten, that his kidnapping and possible murder should not be ignored, and that a crime and tragedy of this size deserved being attended to and resolved, no matter how cold the trail may be.
Extensive research into archived media records, law enforcement records, and court records, together with interviews and re-examination of stored evidence, unearthed viable leads. A DNA sample was identified and located, audio and video and documentary records from the scene of the crime were obtained, and a comprehensive timeline was developed. The “posse” uncovered, discovered, compiled and analyzed so much information that in response, the case was re-opened by the Miami Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, Cold Case Squad in May 2012, and in September 2012 is now also an active case with NAMUS, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The case has also now been reported to INTERPOL.
The hope is that the ‘rear view mirror’ with the help of modern investigative techniques, law enforcement capabilities and science will enable the closure of this tragedy for everyone it has touched. With the gathering and placement of each new and old piece of the puzzle, hope increases for finding the answers.
Thank you for your interest, concern – and participation.
Joseph Graubart
Anthony Blate
David Graubart
Harvey Lisker
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For more information call 305-947-3000. To offer tips and information contact Miami-Dade Police Department at (305) 471-2400. Case #: PD120529203210
Note:
Distinctive body marks: 2″ scar right lower back,3″ moon shaped scar on right ankle,vaccination scar upper left arm (size of a dime).
Jewelry: Plain yellow gold ring, 3rd finger, left hand. “DG” cut into face of ring.
No dental charts available.
[…] Novack wrote a guest post for my blog about the case. His website is […]