Over four decades ago, when I was working at the Parkway Plaza May Co, a young boy, Donald Whaley, would often step into our Junior Dept and fill our lives with music from our jukebox. Though he could be a pest at times, his spirit and indomitable energy were infectious. Donnie, as I affectionately knew him, lived on Graves Ave, a place imbued with both our childhood memories. Tragically, Donnie disappeared, and this case of a vibrant young soul lost was handed between El Cajon PD, the Sheriff's Department, and the San Diego Police Department, until it gradually faded into the archive of cold cases. Looking back, as I tread into my echo-filled older years, I fervently hold onto a wish - a wish to see justice served for, Donnie.

This plea is more than a call to action. It represents a collective insistence for justice for an individual whose life was gruesomely stolen, who faded into the appalling statistics as one of the 250,000 cold cases in America (National Institute of Justice). His story, like countless others, underscores a necessary push for swift and efficient police investigations, proper case management, and public accountability.

In reopening Donnie's case, we take a stand against an oversight of our shared social responsibility, and confront the stark reality of the desolation carried by unresolved child disappearance cases that strain our communities. We demand the law enforcement agencies, who once took up Donnie's case, to shake this matter from the people's history, unpack the evidence and breathe a new life of hope into a decades old mystery.

Justice has been delayed, but it must not be denied. In the name of humanity, justice, and the remembrance of Donnie's boyish laughter, let's make our public authorities hear our voice. Please sign this petition to urge local law enforcement to reopen the cold case of Donald Whaley.