The FBI and Webster Police Department Announce $25,000 Reward in 1978 Missing Child Case
September 30, 2025 - The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Webster Police Department are investigating the suspicious disappearance of Andrew J. Amato, last seen in 1978, and are continuing to ask the public for its assistance in locating him or his remains.
The FBI is also offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his disappearance.
On September 30, 1978, Andrew J. Amato, then 4 years old, was reported missing by his mother. He was last seen by his seven-year-old sister and his six-year-old cousin earlier that day in a wooded area adjacent to the Ash Street Trailer Park in Webster, Massachusetts, where all three had been playing. The children were walking along a trail near Route 52, now known as I-395, when they came across a brook and Andrew stumbled, dropping his toy. He refused to head back home without it, so his family went to get help. They lived in nearby mobile homes on Richard Avenue. Upon returning to the woods, Andrew was nowhere to be found.
Andrew, also known as Andy, is a white male with blue eyes. He has a one-inch scar on the right side of his head at the hairline and a mole behind his right ear. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a maroon-colored snorkel jacket, jeans, a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and brown shoes with a jogger stripe. Andrew was approximately 3’6” tall, weighed approximately 38 pounds, and had short blonde hair.
Immediately after he was reported missing, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies launched a large-scale search that spanned Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and utilized a variety of specialty teams and resources including canines, dive teams, helicopters, community volunteers, and National Guard personnel.
Since then, investigators have conducted close to a hundred interviews and followed up on dozens of leads across the country. Despite extensive investigative efforts, including a recent search in Burrillville, Rhode Island conducted by the FBI’s Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team out of New York, Andrew is still missing.
“Andrew Amato’s family has endured enough heartache, and they deserve to know what happened to him which is why the FBI is offering a substantial reward to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. Your tip could be key to resolving this case and providing the Amatos with some much-needed closure,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “No amount of information is too small or irrelevant, and it’s never too late to step up and do the right thing. Yes, it’s been 47 years, but we’re not about to give up on bringing Andy home, and anyone involved in his disappearance to justice."
Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw added, “I am grateful for the partnership with the FBI, and hopeful that this reward will assist us in finding Andy. While this case is 47 years old, we are still committed to bringing closure to the Amato family.”
“Imagine it was your child or your brother that went missing. Imagine what grief that would bring to you, and how you would be able to cope without knowing for 47 years. It affects how you live, how you raise your children. Any clue, anything that would lead to the recovery of my brother, would mean the world to me and would give my father some answers before he passes. My mother’s not alive any longer for those answers, but I still need them, and I think my father deserves them,” said Andrew’s sister, Michelle Amato.
The public is being asked to play an active role in locating Andrew by reviewing his updated missing person poster and sharing it on social media.
Anyone with information should immediately contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Webster Police Department at 508-943-1212, ext. 1250. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
The Amato family is asking the media and the public to respect their request for privacy at this time.
Resources to view/download:
- Video: Interviews with Andrew's sister Michelle Amato, Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw and FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks
- Video: Interview with Michelle Amato, who was one of the last people to see her brother before he disappeared. She graciously shares her thoughts with law enforcement on this new publicity campaign and what it would mean to her family to close this case.
- Video: Interview with FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks
- Missing Person Poster: Andrew Amato
FBI Boston
Kristen Setera
(857) 386-2905
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
