What happened to Derrick Burton? Missing boy, 4, matched to human skull found by hunter in 1991
MENTONE, CALIFORNIA: The remains of Derrick Burton, a 4-year-old boy who went missing nearly three decades ago has finally been identified this month from his remains. Last week, police confirmed that a human skull discovered by a hunter on October 27, 1991 in Mentone, California belonged to the toddler. Authorities said they could not find other remains at the time except for a “torn plastic trash bag with decomposition odor and children’s clothing,” which was discovered during the initial investigation.
At the time of the boy’s disappearance in the early 1990s, his mother, who identified herself as Patricia Clark, believed that he had been kidnapped and taken overseas. But as it turns out, he was most likely murdered after he was kidnapped. On Thursday, June 29, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBSD) confirmed that Burton’s remains were positively identified with the help of DNA sequencing and genealogy.
When Derrick Burton went 'missing'
Burton was 4 years old when he was reported missing from his home in late 1990. His mother, Patricia, said she last saw her son in a North E Street apartment in San Bernardino, when she left the home after an argument with her husband. However, the child was gone when she returned the following day. At the time, Patricia claimed that her husband and the child’s father, Ismael Abdul-Hammen, said “Derrick wouldn’t behave, said he was hard headed or something,” as per SF Gate.
She also alleged that she believed her husband potentially sent her son to Amman, Jordan, in order to raise him as a Muslim. Abdul-Hammen, was later arrested on suspicion of felony child stealing. He ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison. On October 27, 1991, a hunter discovered a human skull devoid of jaw or teeth, in a rural area of Mentone.
At the time, the SBSD’s homicide unit led the investigation by conducting searches in the neighboring areas. An autopsy result later determined that the skull belonged to an individual aged between four and eight years. However, the medical examiner could not identify the cause or manner of death. Amid the latest investigation, police did not confirm if Abdul-Hammen is a person of interest in the boy’s death.
How was Derrick Burton identified?
After the 1991 discovery of the human skull, the investigation eventually came to a standstill until last year when the remains were sent to a DNA sequencing and genomics laboratory Othram Inc. in the Fall of 2022. Authorities at the lab were able to identify the boy’s “distinct genetic relatives” in Houston, Texas and contacted them for further testing.
Patricia was then identified as Burton’s mother and contacted for DNA sampling. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Burton’s death. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail, Cold Case Team, at (909) 890-4904.
