ANCHORAGE, AK — Dashawn McCormick has been officially missing since April 1, 2013. He was three years old when he vanished from his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska.

At the time, Dashawn lived with his father, Floyd Leroy Lee, Jr., and his stepmother, Mary Elizabeth Transki. Authorities noticed Dashawn was nowhere to be found when FBI agents arrived to arrest the couple for securities fraud and mail fraud. The quest to find Dashawn has continued unabated from that moment onward.

After getting busted, both Lee and Transki were convicted of defrauding Anchorage-area investors. Lee got sentenced to 37 months in jail. Neither Lee nor Transki, however, have offered any insight or information as to where Dashawn might be.

Jasmine McCormick, Dashawn’s mom, faced troubles of her own when she granted custody of her son to his father in 2012, a decision she has long come to regret.

Explaining how it happened, Jasmine said she was forced to flee Alaska to escape an abusive relationship, stating, “I had to make the choice to stay and die, or lose a child and leave and get the other children out of there. I wanted to take Dashawn with me, but I would’ve been put in prison. [Lee] had full custody. My son couldn’t leave the state.”

Even though 2013 is the officially recognized date of Dashawn’s disappearance, some accounts suggest he may have vanished even earlier. Judy Holmes, Dashawn’s step-grandmother, says the last time she saw the boy was on July 4, 2012.

What matters, though, is the search to find Dashawn today, and to let him know that his family is actively in pursuit of him and loves him very much.

In a letter to her son published by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Jasmine McCormick wrote: “Dashawn, if I could see you today I would wrap my arms around you and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ … Dashawn, I want you to know that I love you very, very much and I will never give up hope until you come home. Your brothers, sister, and I pray every night that you are safe and holding strong. We love you and miss, you Dashawn.”

TRAITS & CHARACTERISTICS:

• Weight at the time of his disappearance: 45 pounds
• Height at the time of his disappearance: 3 feet, 6 inches
• Sex: Male
• Race: Biracial / Caucasian and black
• Hair: Blond
• Eyes: Brown
• Current age: 12
• Date of birth: August 17, 2007
• Missing since: April 1, 2013
• Scars/marks: burn mark on his leg and scar on the center of his forehead

If you know anything about this case or where to find Dashawn, please contact our hotline (833-3-PURSUE) or submit a tip online.

For more on this case, watch the “The Escape Artist” episode of In Pursuit With John Walsh on Wednesday, March 6 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery! Or catch up on ID GO.

Read more: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, The Charley Project, Dashawn McCormick Facebook Page, Dearly.com, The Frontiersman, Justice.gov