Burdynski's mother told authorities that he left the family's residence in the 4300 block of 40th Place in Brentwood, Maryland at approximately 3:30 p.m. on May 24, 1993. He was riding his red and white 1950 series Schwinn bicycle at the time. Burdynski was planning to bike to meet an adult friend, Robert Violet. Violet stated that Burdynski never arrived by 4:00 p.m. but witnesses said that they saw the child in front of Violet's mother's residence around that time. Burdynski was last seen biking around the neighborhood at approximately 8:30 p.m. that evening. He has never been heard from again.

Burdynski's bicycle was missing its rear fender and had a spare rim tied around the handlebars at the time of his disappearance. His father and Violet searched for Burdynski the following morning and discovered the rim three blocks from the family's residence. The rim was located near a local tennis court. There was no sign of Burdynski at the scene and his bicycle has never been recovered.

One lead in Burdynski's case involved two suspects who were connected to a child exploitation ring in the mid-Atlantic United States. Maryland law enforcement and the Federal Bureau Of Investigation (FBI) discovered that the suspects utilized the Internet to further their child pornography ventures. The individuals, Steven Leak (occasionally referred to as "Bruce Leak"), James A. Kowalski Jr. and Joseph Lynch were never charged in connection with Burdynski's disappearance, but the FBI did begin an investigation focused on Internet child exploitation as a result of the failed lead. Innocent Images debuted in 1994 and works to prosecute suspected child pornographers on the Web. Burdynski's mother testified at Lynch's trial, saying that her son visited Lynch's home in the 3200 block of Varnum Street with his friends in 1993.

Authorities believe that Kowalski, Leak and Lynch sexually abused two of Burdynski's friends the weekend prior to his disappearance. Kowalski stated that he was not aware Burdynski was missing, but investigators discovered he videotaped news footage of the boy's case at his home. The three men were eventually convicted of child abuse unrelated to Burdynski's case.

Investigators announced in March 2002 that they were focusing on another individual whom they believe may have murdered Burdynski in 1993. Authorities have not publicly named the suspect, as the case is still under investigation. The information received by investigators reportedly does not involve any of the convicted child molesters.

In 2004, there were reported sightings of Burdynski in Boston and Northborough, Massachusetts. Witnesses recognized him by the scar on his face and said he appeared to be homeless. He may have been with a group of people selling magazines or coupon books door to door. Two detectives from Brentwood traveled to Massachusetts to investigate the sightings, but they were unable to locate the individual or determine whether or not he was actually Burdynski. He has never been identified.

Burdynski's case remains unsolved.