Jones was last seen in the backyard of his family's residence on Taylor Avenue in Vineland, New Jersey at 1:00 p.m. on December 17, 1962. He was playing with his two-year-old sister and the family dog while his mother watched through the window from inside. Jones's mother went into a bedroom to check on her other son and when she came out, Jones's sister was standing in the doorway, holding a plastic poinsetta. She stated a man had given her the plant and taken Jones. Family and friends launched an immediate search of the neighborhood, but found no sign of the child and called the police after an hour. He has never been heard from again.

Jones did not have very good verbal skills in 1962. He loved dogs and had been given a puppy shortly before he vanished. His parents are now deceased, but his sister is still alive and hopes he may yet be found. Jones's case is the oldest unsolved disappearance of a child under five in New Jersey state history.