Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix: All the theories behind the ‘Stolen Kids’ episode

Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker were both taken from the same park


The final episode of Unsolved Mysteries volume two on Netflix is titled “Stolen Kids” and tells the chilling stories of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker.

The two children went missing in Harlem, New York in 1989 from the same park. There are scary similarities in the two cases, which lead many to believe they must have been linked. The city put out a $30,000 reward for information in the case, and there have reportedly been over 500 sightings of the boys, even as far as Puerto Rico – but they have never been found.

Here’s what happened in the Stolen Kids Unsolved Mysteries case, and all the theories surrounding it.

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via Netflix

What happened in the Stolen Kids case, as told in Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix?

The final episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix is titled “Stolen Kids” and tells the stories of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker. The two boys both, who lived in the same apartment building, went missing from the same park in Harlem, New York. The boys, aged two and 19-months at the time of their disappearances, both had been playing with other children at a similar time of day and have never been seen since. Their disappearances both happened on Thursday nights, three months apart.

One theory is that Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker were stolen as part of a child selling ring

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via Netflix

One of the most universally believed theories is that both boys were taken as part of an adoption or child selling ring. Investigators are said to have looked into the idea that children may be being taken in the area by a gang or individuals to be sold on. It’s thought they may have been watching over the park the boys were taken from at certain times of day they knew it would be busy, and used these opportunities to take children.

However, an investigator in the Stolen Kids episode of Unsolved Mysteries said this theory is “not likely”.

Another of the many theories is that the stolen kids were taken by someone who wanted children of their own

Another popular theory is that Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker were taken by people who wanted to have children but couldn’t, to raise them as their own. The Netflix documentary presents other cases where children have been taken by people who are desperate to raise a child but for one reason or another can’t themselves.

Stolen Kids, Unsolved Mysteries, Netflix, Christopher Dansby, Shane Walker, disappearance, theories, what happened

via Netflix

The two boys may have ran away

An obvious theory is that both boys ran away from the park, and were never found. The park was busy so the children could have left unnoticed in a second, but an extensive search of the local area in both cases found nothing. Both families of the children have also said this would be very out of character of the boys.

They may have been taken by someone else

After the disappearances, police looked into the suspicion that there may be a serial killer or pedophile targeting the children.

Shane’s mother told police that she received a phone call saying her son was buried in an abandoned building, but when police completely demolished the building, this turned out to be untrue. Investigators couldn’t find any solid evidence of who was abducting the children.

Stolen Kids, Unsolved Mysteries, Netflix, Christopher Dansby, Shane Walker, disappearance, theories, what happened

via Netflix

The disappearances of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker may have been completely coincidental and unrelated cases

Despite the unquestionable similarities in the two cases, it still cannot be ruled out that the two cases were completely unrelated. There may be two different explanations for what happened to the boys. One may have ran away, they may have been taken by completely different people or for completely different reasons, etc.

If you have any information about or tips regarding any of the cases in the Unsolved Mysteries series, you can submit them via the Unsolved website. 

Volume two of Unsolved Mysteries are available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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