NEW COLUMBIA, PA — A Union County child who vanished in 1986 has now been declared legally dead, according to the county district attorney. Corey Edkin, who was 2 years old when he disappeared from his New Columbia home, was the subject of a petition filed by his father and granted by the court in May.
District Attorney Brian Kerstetter said the case remains active, and investigators have not announced any new leads since a 2023 development tied to a former focus of the inquiry.
How Corey Edkin disappeared from his New Columbia home
Edkin disappeared on the night of Oct. 13, 1986, after his mother left shortly after midnight to get gas and a pizza. When she returned about 30 minutes later, he was no longer in the bed where he had been sleeping.
Court documents say several other young children were asleep in the house at the time, while a roommate was downstairs watching television and did not report hearing or seeing anything unusual.
Searches reached the river, roads and national missing-children networks
A broad search followed, with family members, neighbors and law enforcement canvassing the area and the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Dogs were used in the search, and Edkin was entered into the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database.
His image later appeared on milk cartons and gas bills, prompting tips from callers around the country. Edkin had blonde hair and blue eyes and was wearing gray pajamas when he vanished.
2023 charges brought new attention to the long-running investigation
In August 2023, state police announced charges against Henry Gust Bush in connection with the case. He was accused of obstructing administration of law or other government services after investigators said he lied during a 2020 interview.
Bush later pleaded no contest and served a year on probation. According to court documents, he had been a subject of interest for years and had previously given conflicting accounts about his whereabouts and his connection to Edkin’s mother.
Burn barrel evidence and unanswered questions remain
Investigators also examined a burn barrel fire found the day after Edkin disappeared. Court records say partially burned children’s clothing and a shirt linked to Bush were recovered there. Bush told police the shirt was his and said he had used it while working on Mowery’s car.
Police questioned him again in 2020, but no one has been publicly identified as responsible for Edkin’s disappearance. The case is still open, and officials say no additional leads have been announced.
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