Missing Kids Case Study

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In the 1970's and 1980's, kids going missing weren't surreal. Before the 80's, missing kids cases where not existent, they didn't often happen. Like 10 year old Andy Puglisi, he went missing from the backyard of the Lawrence, Massachusetts Stadium Projects. The now famous, John Walsh lost his son Adam John Walsh from a local mall in Hollywood, Florida. Melanie Perkins a friend, of 10 year old Andy Puglisi made a podcast in Andy's memory. John Walsh (founder) and Ernie Allen (his co-founder) of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched the NCFMEC in 1988, for crime victims. Dairies across the U.S., adopted the Milk Carton kids after a handful of high profile kidnappings. Everyday children go missing and a child is rescued,…show more content…
More parent's calling local police stations, their child never came home and police either responded or they didn't. Back in the 70's and early 80's the police considered missing kids runaways or they didn't report the calls quickly. Missing kids back then weren't surreal, until kids go missing more often and more high profile cases are built. After 6 year old Etan Patz went missing in the 70's, missing kids became a reality. Before the 80's, missing kids cases weren't existent, they didn't happen often. The police were hesitant about reporting to the call, most cases involved non-custodial parents kidnapping the child. Sexual predators taking off with kids, didn't happen enough for any records of such crimes to exist. In the 70's and 80's most cases, the parents formed their own alliances and searched the city with them. In the 70's, kids were never found because they didn't have the resources and technology that we have…show more content…
In the summer of 1976, Andy Puglisi disappeared from the Higgins Memorial Pool, the backyard to the Stadium Projects. The last people to see Andy were friends of his, Melanie Perkins, PJ Timmons and Ray Clarke. Though the police had 5 witnesses, the lifeguard on duty that day witnessed Andy being followed. The lifeguard claims that Wayne Chapman followed Andy into the boys locker room and back out and then proceeded into the woods and that was the last he seen. Ray Clarke came forward 6 years after Andy disappeared, he states that Andy made him leave the woods that day and he witnessed Andy being sexually assaulted and killed by a man. In 1981, the Lawrence Police Department brought in a physic for further investigation of Andy's whereabouts. The Lawrence police never disclosed any information to the Physic pertaining to Andy's cases, not even his name or the primary suspect's name. Andrew Barnhart the physic assigned to the case identified two men; "Andy's Killer", a man with a mustache, slight build, dirty looking hair and a gimpy left leg. At the time Andy disappeared, Wayne Chapman the prime suspect had a mustache, was on the thin side and a gimpy leg from childhood polio. The man who 'walks on Andy's grave', a middle aged male with salt and pepper hair, a paunch and two screwed up front teeth. They dug at the site where the physic described and found
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