Cold Case: Edward Dubbs

Out of the three unsolved crimes have on their books, the disappearance of Edward Dubbs is the one that has garnered the least amount of publicity over the years.

Little has been written about the Taunton Lane resident who was a top-level executive at a well-known public relations firm in New York City when he vanished. The then-44-year-old disappeared as he left his Madison Avenue job in Manhattan at about 5 p.m., June 9, 1981, officials said. His employer reported him missing after he did not show up for work the next day, police said.

Dubbs was a meticulous dresser who wore a beige silk business suit on the day he disappeared, according to officials. The Newtown resident also had a routine that he followed in commuting to his job, according to police Detective Daniel McAnaspie, who took over the case when he joined the Newtown police force a few years ago.

Dubbs apparently lived with another man who would drive Dubbs to the train station at 6 a.m. to be into work by 8 a.m., police said. They had followed that routine the morning of Dubb's disappearance, police said.

At the end of the work day, the man, whom police did not identify except to say that there was a 20 year age difference between him and Dubbs, reportedly went to the Bethel train station to pick Dubbs up as he normally did, but upon not finding him there, checked another train station before giving up and going home, McAnaspie said.

"He just assumed that (Dubbs) had stayed in New York," the detective said. "We have interviewed him on several occasions."

Dubbs apparently would sometimes stay in New York rather than commute home, officials said.

Over the years, police have described the relationship between the two men to be of roommates, but there may have been more to it, according to officials.

"There definitely seemed to be want of a romantic relationship," McAnaspie said of the other man, who had known Dubbs for only a few months, having met him through mutual friends and moved in shortly afterward.

While the man remains living in the Northeast, all of Dubbs' relatives, such as his mother have died, which has made the case difficult to solve, officials said.

"There's no one to speak to," McNaspie said.

While police have dental records for Dubbs, there are no fingerprints in the system because there would have been no reason for Dubbs' prints to be on file.

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe also said that while the Newtown department took over the case because Dubbs lived in town, his disappearance may have more to do with the time he spent in New York.

His house on Taunton Lane showed no evidence that he had returned home on the day he disappeared, police said.