Slave Lake, Alberta — Shortly before 1pm on April 24, 1980, at just three years old, Jeffrey Andrew Dupres told his mother he was going with his five-year-old friend to play next-door at his house.
She used the opportunity to skip inside to throw in a load of wash. His mother were both outside at the time in the small town, 251 km northwest of Edmonton.
The mother took the opportunity to go back inside her home to transfer a load of laundry from the washing machine to the dryer. About 20 minutes later, the friend showed up looking for Jeffrey
The only clue was a white woman leading the child into a pickup truck whose driver was a white male. It was a light blue 1979 or 1980 Chevy.
Jeffrey Dupres was determined, talkative and loved racing his bike up and down the street outside the family home on the outskirts of Slave Lake.
At just 3 years old, his mother, Denise, said he "already knew who he was." Jeffrey also had a kind heart. In newspaper reports from 1980, his mother told the story of how Jeffrey had seen a neighbour kill a moose.
At lunch, Jeffrey said he didn't want to eat meat anymore. When she asked why, he said he didn't want to "make animals dead."
Jeffrey's, above all, loved being with his mother and playing with the other kids in the neighbourhood.
One of Jeffrey's good friends was 5-year-old Rodney, who lived next door.
Jeffrey's case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Anyone with information on Jeffrey Andrew Dupres's disappearance is urged to come forward to police.
