Townsend's mother, Augusta Walker, left him in the care of her friend, Roscoe Pierce, while she worked on May 20, 1980 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Townsend was last seen with Pierce in Lauderhill, Florida, later during the day. The child has never been heard from again.

After Walker alerted law enforcement regarding her son's disappearance, investigators learned that Pierce was a fugitive from New York. He was wanted on a sexual molestation charge and fled from the state some time earlier. Florida authorities located Pierce on May 22, two days after Townsend initially vanished. When investigators attempted to question Pierce about the child's case, he reached for an officer's weapon and was shot by law enforcement. Pierce refused to divulge Townsend's location before he died later in the day. Townsend's case remains open; foul play is suspected due to the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.