On May 24, 1993, 10-year-old George “Junior” Burdynski rode his bicycle out of his Maryland neighborhood and was never seen again. His remains have never been recovered. For 33 years, his family had no answers. This week, that changed: Joseph Lynch, 61, was charged September 16 with second-degree murder and rape in the boy’s death.
The break came from an unlikely direction. Detectives were already investigating Lynch on 2026 allegations that he sexually abused two teenage boys between 2007 and 2014, along with a 2012 arson charge. During that investigation, a former neighborhood resident, now 47, told cold case detectives he was inside a home with Junior and Lynch on the day the boy disappeared. He said Lynch directed him to sexually assault Junior, and the boy was killed during the assault. Lynch is the only person charged in Junior’s death.
Investigators say they believe Lynch may have assaulted additional people in the 1990s or after his 2006 prison release, and they’re asking anyone with information to come forward. Cases without recovered remains are among the hardest to prosecute, which makes witness testimony like this one so significant.
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