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E168: Henry Bedard, Jr.
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It was Monday, December 16th, 1974. Henry Bedard, Jr. had gone right after school to buy a final Christmas present for his sister and was on his way home. Several people saw Henry on his walk back, even though he was not taking his normal route home. But he never made it home at all. When a group of young boys playing along the route stumbled upon a wallet and a bottle of perfume, they hid the items so they could return to the spot and get them later. However, when they returned to the spot, they made a far more gruesome discovery.
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Transcript
Live Show Announcements
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, we have an important announcement, breaking news. Make sure if you attended our live show last month at the Hall Coffee and Social Club that you stay tuned for the love notes at the end of the episode where we will draw for a prize.
00:00:19
Speaker
And even if you weren't at our live show for one reason or another, you also should stay tuned until the very end of this episode because we will tell all of our listeners how you could also win a prize.
Understanding Grief
00:00:35
Speaker
Grief is a strange thing. Losing someone you love is never easy. We grieve all that they were and all that they could have been. We grieve for all the love we have left to give and no one here to give it to. Holidays are never quite the same. There's an empty seat at the table, a stocking hanging with nothing inside, a birthday passes with no one to sing to. We go on because we have to and with time things get easier as our body learns to deal with the new hole that's left in our heart.
00:01:04
Speaker
But the simplest things can trigger your grief again. A smell, driving past a particular place, a song playing on the radio, and suddenly it's like the first day and you're gasping for breath as that familiar sense of loss rushes over you again. Mary Frances O'Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, studies what happens in our brains when we experience grief. According to NPR, she says grieving is a form of learning, one that teaches us how to be in a world without someone we love in it.
00:01:32
Speaker
quote, the background is running all the time for people who are grieving, thinking about new habits and how to interact now, end quote. We find ways to go on through the grief for our job, for our family, for our kids, but that doesn't make the grief any less hard to deal with. In that same article, it said, quote,
00:01:50
Speaker
We have that experience of being in a relationship the sense of who we are is bound up with that other person the word sibling the word spouse implies two people and so when the other person is gone we suddenly have to learn a totally new set of rules to operate in the world.
00:02:06
Speaker
the we is as important as the you and me and the brain interestingly really does encode it that way so when people say i feel like i've lost a part of myself that's for a good reason the brain also feels that way as it were encodes the we as much as the you and i end quote
00:02:25
Speaker
As years go on, the brain realizes that the Wii is just me now and the hurt dolls a little, but the memory of losing them never fades. Honestly think that there is no time limit we can put on grief. No one person grieves the same. Sometimes grief is easier when death was expected or when someone has lived a long and happy life.
00:02:43
Speaker
What takes the longest to cope with is death of someone young with so much left to give the world. What adds to that grief, I'm sure, is when we don't have answers about what happened to them. Because then we aren't just left to grieve. We're left asking now what? Or what if circumstances happen different? And with each year that passes, that desperation to know what happened to them really never goes away. That hole in your heart never fully heals. This is the story of Henry Bedard Jr.
Introduction to 'Coffee and Cases'
00:03:45
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:03:54
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:04:22
Speaker
Okay, so before we get into the case, there is a Henry jr and a Henry senior. Okay. Henry seniors, obviously the dad. But today we're going to be talking mostly about Henry jr. Okay. And I'm just gonna call you just gonna say okay and you'll just say senior when you're talking. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Life and Times of Henry Bedard Jr.
00:04:44
Speaker
Henry Jr. was born on June 25, 1958 to Henry Sr., obviously, and Gloria Bedard. And while this family wasn't super wealthy and they weren't, you know,
00:04:58
Speaker
upper class, they did have a really comfortable middle class life. And according to the true crime files, this family spent most of Henry's early years in Lynn, Massachusetts. And from everything I read, Henry really was at his core
00:05:15
Speaker
a family person. He loved his family with every fiber in him. He was extremely close to his parents. He was extremely close to his siblings. He had a sister named Cheryl. He had some brothers named John, Stephen, and Scott, and they were all just really tight knit.
00:05:35
Speaker
Growing up in Lynn, Massachusetts, when Henry was little, he loved playing with trucks. He loved spending time splashing about the beach and eating chocolate ice cream, both of which sound great. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. Sign me up.
00:05:48
Speaker
As he grew older, his interests, like most boys, turned to sports and he was a huge sports fan, particularly baseball and football. Well, he's in Boston, so the baseball makes sense. The baseball makes sense. In the 1970s, the Bedard family moved to the strangest
00:06:08
Speaker
name of a town I have ever heard in my life. And we come from a state where we pronounce Versailles, Versailles. Right. And I come from an area of the world where there's a town called Regina. So I know weird names. Odd town names. Yeah. Yeah. But this one is weird. They moved to Swamp Scott, Massachusetts. Swamp Scott.
00:06:34
Speaker
Yeah. And this was a suburb of Boston and Swamp Spot was a smaller town around that time, just about 13,000 people lived in the town. And it is like, when you think of a New England town, you're picturing Swamp Spot, like those, you know, houses that are like right on the water and the little piers and the sailboats and all of that stuff. That's not what I think of when I hear swamp.
00:07:03
Speaker
No, but it is what I think of when I think of idyllic New England towns. Yeah. Yeah. And this was ideal. Like I had those cute homes and I speeches, you know, a great place to raise a family. Mm hmm.
00:07:18
Speaker
I never read what exactly called their family to move there, but I'm sure they were happy to be living in such a beautiful place. The town was really safe. The most the police ever had to deal with was traffic tickets or parking tickets, nothing major.
00:07:37
Speaker
Henry's sister described him as someone whose smile could melt anyone's heart. And because of his likeability, I wasn't surprised when I read in nearly all of my research that Henry had a ton of friends by the time he was in high school. So true crime file said, quote, by 1974, the high school sophomore played on the varsity football team and with his good looks, sense of humor and confidence, Henry was never short of friends and had even started dating. So I just picture this all American kid, you know,
00:08:06
Speaker
Right. He's kind of got the trifecta then. So if he's good looking, he's got he's funny and he's good at sports.
00:08:14
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I'm sure girls were swooning after him and he's getting ready to be driving because he's 15. So like he's probably feeling like he's hot stuff right now. Yeah. That's what I was about to say. I'm sure he's feeling pretty pleased with himself. Despite the fact that Henry's family had the resources to support all of their kids, none of their children were spoiled. Allison Henry was described as a hard worker and he was independent.
00:08:42
Speaker
So he worked at his family's gas station on the weekends. He had already saved up $900 because he was really dedicated to owning a vehicle when he turned 16 and bought his driver's license. We're talking about in the seventies. Yeah. Yeah. That's a pretty good chunk of money. It is.
00:09:02
Speaker
And I even read that he actually would volunteer to open the gas station on his own on the weekends so that his dad could sleep in. Cause his dad didn't really get to do that a lot. So Henry would open on the weekends. I know. Henry's sweet too. I know. And something else that's going to make you love him even more is Henry's favorite time of year was quickly approaching Allison and that was Christmas.
The Disappearance of Henry
00:09:31
Speaker
I know. And we all know that I love nothing as much as I love Christmas and Easter. I also love Easter.
00:09:40
Speaker
But, you know, like I love buying gifts for people. Yeah. The movies, the songs, it just can't be topped. Yeah. So Henry's the same. Oh yeah. Like very, very much into the Christmas spirit, wanted to make sure he purchased the perfect gift for everyone on his Christmas list. He just was in it. Me too. And when I read that, I literally was like, yeah, I love you more now because I love Christmas.
00:10:10
Speaker
Yeah.
00:10:12
Speaker
So it was Monday, December 16th, 1974, and everything was right in the world. Henry had walked his younger brother to school that day from their home at 21 MacArthur Circle and then headed to Swamp Spot High School. I really hope their mascot is something really cool. Like Swamp related. Like a creature from the Black Lagoon. Yeah, something like that. It's probably the Wildcats. Probably. Bulldogs.
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, it just literally says swamp Scott big blue Well, what's a big blue I I don't know
00:10:57
Speaker
They missed an opportunity. Let's be honest. It really did. But he goes to school that day. He attends all of his classes. Most sources say. OK. But the cool thing is I don't know if this was an everyday thing or like this was a special day. Maybe it's before summer or Christmas break. They got out of school at two fifteen. That would be a dream. Yeah. That also sounds like heaven.
00:11:22
Speaker
And instead of following his usual route and walking home with his friends, Henry actually caught the bus to a shopping center.
00:11:29
Speaker
And I mentioned earlier that Henry and his family were close, and I just think this next little bit is such a cute family thing. But I read that someone in their family had found a single role of film, because remember, we have to take the roles to be developed now. Right. And the family was dying to see what the pictures were from, because they didn't remember. And so Henry volunteered to take the role to CVS to have it developed. Aww. I know.
00:11:59
Speaker
And he was thinking to himself, I'm sure I'm going to drop this film off. I still have a little bit of Christmas shopping left to do so I can use this time to wrap up my Christmas shopping because he hadn't bought his sister a gift yet. And he wanted to get that done before leaving the shopping center needs to get Cheryl the perfect perfect gift for Cheryl.
00:12:18
Speaker
And he did find the perfect gift for her and he took his time searching and then finally decided he was going to buy her a new bottle of her favorite perfume. So he purchased that and it was in the bag and left the store. Yeah. Practical and thoughtful.
00:12:33
Speaker
Henry left the shopping area around three o'clock that afternoon. So, I mean, it didn't take him too awfully long to run these errands after school, like 45 minutes with the best ride.
Discovery and Investigation
00:12:43
Speaker
And we know he left the shopping center around three because police Lieutenant Peter Cassidy stopped his vehicle to let Henry cross the road.
00:12:50
Speaker
And Cassidy said that he rolled down the window to talk to Henry, but Henry just stopped to wave and then Went on I guess typically the two would have stopped just to have a quick conversation. It's a small town. So right But instead of exchanging pleasantries that day Henry just waved and went on and Cassidy later said that it appeared to him Henry was in a hurry Hmm so Hmm where he was going someplace to be supposed. Yeah somebody or something
00:13:21
Speaker
Maybe. Henry was actually seen by several people on his outing that afternoon for a little while. So at 340, just a mile south of that shopping area, Henry was spotted by a group of city workers as he took a shortcut through the Department of Public Works or the DPW yard. And this time he actually did pause for a second to talk to the guys that were working there.
00:13:47
Speaker
Um, he wished him Merry Christmas. And then as he walked away, he was like held up his bag and was like, well, I gotta go. I have to finish my Christmas wrapping. Okay. There's a couple of things that don't make sense to me right now. Okay. Number one, that's quite a distance, a mile that he's walked from where he was. But number two, cause I was just thinking I'd be exhausted. But number two is I do think it's odd that he did not stop
00:14:16
Speaker
to talk to the police lieutenant who he normally stopped to talk to, yet he did stop to talk to these public city workers. Also, it's weird. It took him 40 minutes to walk them out. What happened in between that time? Right. Did he meet somebody in between?
00:14:38
Speaker
Maybe that's why he rushed and didn't talk to the lieutenant and he stopped to meet whomever it was in between. And that took some time. And now he's not in as much of a rush here at 340 because he's already met somebody.
00:14:56
Speaker
You know, if that's the case, nobody has ever come forward saying that they met with him in between that time. But I think it kinda does make sense when we get to theories that he could have met someone. So keep that in mind. Okay. According to Case Gone Cold, the workers said their goodbyes and they watched Henry walk up a hill behind the DPW yard.
00:15:24
Speaker
And at apparently at the top of this hill was like a plateau area and it was known as swamp scott view And it was a popular hangout for teens in the summer and spring months like, you know the warmer months But he went that way Presumably to go home Okay We're still unsure why henry decided to take this route home because it wasn't a shortcut for him. It wouldn't have been
00:15:53
Speaker
a typical way for him to go home. But little did those DPW workers know that as they watch Henry disappear from sight, it would be the last time anyone would ever see him alive. Wow. That same day, again, time.
00:16:14
Speaker
here just but that same day Allison two young boys were on their way to a friend's 10th birthday party so these people are little when they took a shortcut that took them through swamp Scott view so they're going the same way by this point it was four in the afternoon still December the 16th so we're only 20 minutes yeah yeah
00:16:36
Speaker
As they passed through, they stumbled upon an empty wallet that had nothing in it, and a bag with a bottle of perfume that was inside, and that was lying on the ground. Okay, Henry would not have left that, so... Right. But obviously, these boys don't know he was... Right. ...that anybody was in the woods. Right. And they're 10, and they're probably thinking, like, oh, we just found these... Look at these amazing treasures we just found! You know, that's probably a good find for them.
00:17:05
Speaker
And they actually place both the items on top of a small edge out of sight because they're coming back to get them later and they make a plan to come get them the next day. They arrive at the birthday party and they tell their friend whose party it was Cliff Goodman about all these this lucky discovery these treasures that they found and that they're going to get them the next day when school lets out. OK.
00:17:29
Speaker
I read in every article, it wasn't until 5 30 that Henry's parents started to worry about their son because he's a teenager. He's independent. They knew he was dropping off that film. They knew he had planned on shopping for Christmas gifts. Yeah. So that could have taken longer than 45 minutes. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, especially if he met up with friends, maybe they got an ice cream or he caught a movie.
00:17:55
Speaker
But one thing that Henry never did was miss dinner without letting his parents know well in advance. And he hadn't told them not to expect him home for dinner. So when he didn't show, they began to worry. At least really out of character. Yeah. That standard where you're like, okay, this is not him. We need to call somebody.
00:18:16
Speaker
And by 7 PM, they are in full panic mode as any parent would be. This wasn't like Henry. He would be home if everything was okay. So in an effort to calm their nerves, they began making calls, you know, checking with his friends. I'm sure if you had a girlfriend at that time calling to see if anybody had seen him, but no one had seen Henry since much earlier in the day around school time. Wow.
00:18:41
Speaker
So when those efforts did not produce any results, they gathered family and friends and threw together an informal search party. And they split up and went through parks, anywhere that they thought Henry might have been, any path they thought he might have taken home. I don't know if they checked the overview though. That's what I was getting ready to say because that's not the normal path you said. That's not the shortcut.
00:19:08
Speaker
you know if somebody if he took a different way home then they wouldn't have even known to check and I think if it had perhaps been summertime then maybe they would have thought oh let's check up there right but it's December and it's Massachusetts so I don't think people are going to be hanging out up there so I'm like you I don't think that would have been somewhere where they would have thought to check
00:19:30
Speaker
Sadly though at the same time they start looking for Henry the rain hit and this is not just a sprinkle of rain This is like a full-on storm, but the searchers didn't give up They searched through all of that rain anyways for any sign of Henry and at this point They were worried that maybe Henry had injured himself somehow maybe he'd fallen and he couldn't get home and
00:19:54
Speaker
And they're like, you know, if he needs medical attention, we need to find him because the sooner the better. Right. Henry's parents eventually realized they needed more help. They were like, something seriously wrong. We found no traces of him. So at 915, they call the police to report their son missing, which is quite a bit of time now has passed, but still not. I mean, some of our cases have been, you know, days. We're talking maybe five hours. Yeah.
00:20:24
Speaker
And you know, I don't think that would be an easy call to make. I know that you almost would have to feel like you're giving up in a sense. You're admitting something is wrong. They were admitting, you know, Henry is not coming home. We're not finding him. But I know making that phone call and expecting police to jump right into action also has to be a little bit comforting. They're like, we can't find him, but the police surely will be able to find him.
00:20:53
Speaker
Sadly, though, the police did not jump into action. Instead, they told Henry what so many of our families have been told that Henry was likely a runaway and that he would return home on his own. Oh, but they know Henry. This is no, they know he's not like that. And I think that's a really
00:21:16
Speaker
Bizarre call to make when it's a town of like 13,000 people he stops and talks to the police lieutenant when you see them Yeah, I just think I don't know. I never agree with it in any case, but especially in small towns. Mm-hmm
00:21:33
Speaker
And his sister Cheryl said this quote that morning my parents had sent us all off to school Even though we were up all night looking for my 15 year old brother Henry who had been missing since the day before The police thought he was a runaway. We all knew in our hearts that Henry wasn't a runaway top of kid He had nothing to run away from in quote and really I mean unless Henry had and it's almost Christmas Yeah, and he loves Christmas
00:22:00
Speaker
Unless he had like a dark past we don't know about or major beef with somebody or his home life wasn't what all this research said. What did he have to run away from, you know? But finally, the next day when Henry still wasn't home, everyone in town, police included, were on the lookout for him. I read that searchers came in, scent dogs came in. They looked through neighborhoods, parks. I read in one article that even a helicopter was brought in to assist in the search.
00:22:30
Speaker
but they found nothing.
Uncovering the Truth
00:22:34
Speaker
Now, if you're anything like me, you're probably thinking, well, we know something happened at Swamp Scott View because those little boys. Yeah. Yeah. But those boys, remember they have a plan. We're going to go back and we're going to get all of these items that we found. Maybe their parents will be like, where'd you get that? Well,
00:22:57
Speaker
They go to get the treasures and they hike up to the peak or plateau.
00:23:06
Speaker
to get the wallet and the perfume, but they found something else along with those items. And I'm sure that something has haunted them their entire lives. Oh no, these little 10 year old kids. Yep. Buried under a pile of leaves was Henry's severely beaten body. A Louisville slugger baseball bat was just feet away from his body. And when the boys saw his body, they ran to a nearby home and the homeowner called the police.
00:23:34
Speaker
Do we think that it was there the whole time or how had they missed it before? Well, that's what I'm wondering. That was only 20 minutes, right? From the time he walked up there to the time they came. I don't know how long it takes to beat someone to death. But to do that and then conceal. Yeah.
00:23:59
Speaker
the body and then get out of the way. So nobody sees you. And they found the perfume and the wallet. And if it's that easy to find the baseball bat, then why wouldn't they have found it the day before, like the day before? Yeah, that's what I'm curious about. And I don't think for my research that it was raining at that point, because, you know, maybe the rain could have, you know, some of that or like driven them to go faster, like to be in a hurry.
00:24:28
Speaker
Yeah, but it made it sound to me when I was researching, they're there at four and the rain doesn't start until around, you know, like seven when those search parties are going out or 730. Interesting. Yeah. Upon initial investigation, authorities believed due to the extent of injuries to Henry's skull that he had actually been shot. Wow. So he was being that severely.
00:24:52
Speaker
Mm hmm. And Cheryl remembers vividly the moments leading up to when she found out her brother was dead. This is a pretty long quote, but I thought it was really powerful from her. She said, quote, on my way home from school in Boston, I pulled into UVA's gas station on Paradise Road to get some gas before going home.
00:25:09
Speaker
There was a large group of people standing around. Most of them were staring at me in a peculiar sort of way. I recognized most of the faces. After all, Swamp Scott was a small town. At the time, I thought nothing of it and proceeded to head home. As I pulled into the driveway, I felt a strange silence around the house. None of the neighborhood kids were playing in the cul-de-sac.
00:25:26
Speaker
I stepped out of the car and cautiously headed towards the house. As I got closer, I saw my father coming out of the side door looking tired and worn. As I drew closer, I sensed something was terribly wrong. His first words as he reached out to embrace me were, your brother's been shot in the head. He's dead. Oh my goodness. And she went on to say that she collapsed against her father. Oh yeah. It was just the grief was just too much.
00:25:56
Speaker
It actually wasn't until days later that the family and the community would learn how Henry really died. Once autopsy reports came back, it was clear that Henry had been hit in the head multiple times with a blunt object and the baseball bat had his blood on it. So they deduced that was the object.
00:26:15
Speaker
According to true crime files, autopsy findings indicated that Henry had died from quote, brain lacerations and numerous fractures. And the autopsy said that he had been hit at least five different times by distinct blows to the head with a cylinder object. So the baseball bat. Wow. Wow. That's a lot of hate.
00:26:40
Speaker
Right there. Yes. Yeah. And that I'll talk about in theories too, but I just think there is something so much more, obviously any death is senseless in this sense, you know, when someone is murdered. Um, but I think just the brutality of beating someone to death versus, you know, you shoot them one time and they're dead. Whereas if you beat them, they're slowly dying.
00:27:07
Speaker
Mm-hmm. And the closeness that the perpetrator has to yeah, it's a whole different thing. I think yeah, I agree in the months following Henry's murder police interviewed nearly 100 people and Nine unnamed teenagers agreed to take polygraph tests and they passed and to my knowledge those nine kids have never been identified well, I guess because they were minors at the time and
00:27:31
Speaker
Within months, even the $10,000 reward that people had put together stopped generating clues. So very quickly police are almost at their rope's end.
00:27:46
Speaker
Six months after the murder investigators sent the bat to the state police lab in Boston for analysis when it was looked at a technician found a partial fingerprint and then later on in 1998 it was looked at again and this time they pulled a second partial print. The problem here however was that Henry wasn't fingerprinted when they found him.
00:28:08
Speaker
Oh no. So we don't even know if it's Henry's or not. Right. So we couldn't determine like you said if it's Henry's or if it belonged to the killer. My question is though I mean those could still be ran through a database. Right. I'm also confused how it's only a partial print that's on a bat. Because to me if you're holding if you're gripping a bat you've got your whole hand wrapped around it.
00:28:37
Speaker
Well remember though it's raining. So I don't know if that could have.
00:28:44
Speaker
done anything to the fingerprint. I mean, I know it would for trace evidence, right? Like footprints or scuffs in the mud that showed a struggle or something like that. But before we get into what we think could have happened to Henry, there's a couple of things I do wanna discuss, specifically this bat in more detail, because I think like we're talking about right now, there are just a lot of answers that are potentially held in this Louisville Slugger baseball bat. Uh-huh, exactly.
00:29:14
Speaker
The investigation in the coming days and weeks had a lot of challenges. So remember the search parties were faced with pouring rains that didn't stop for several days. So, you know, like we said, that trace evidence was gone. Um, but the bat, not only do we have those fingerprints or the partial prints, it also had very distinct marks on the handle. And I posted pictures for you. I think they're on the next page Allison.
00:29:42
Speaker
When you look at it from one angle, it appears to be the letter K with other weird lines. But if you turn the picture so that you put the straight part of the K on the bottom, like you turn it 90 degrees, then that could be the Roman numeral six. Yeah. Yep. I totally do. And when I was talking about the case with Anthony, I showed him the picture of the baseball bat.
00:30:11
Speaker
And he, from the beginning, before I even said anything, he was like, that's a Roman numeral six. And I was like, well, it could be a K two. And he said, no, if it was a K the top. Oh, right. Side would be at a different angle. It would be steeper, I guess. And then I read in one of these articles that.
00:30:37
Speaker
It's apparently a thing for baseball players to carve their jersey numbers into their bats. One for sentimental reasons. Part of it almost looks like you, I can clearly see a number one. Yeah, I think that's printed in the bat, I think. Is it like the, the number of the bat as it was made or whatever? I guess. Okay. Cause that looks too professional to be. Yeah. And then the Roman numeral is like,
00:31:08
Speaker
On top of it. Mm hmm. And then there's a scratched out part right. But like I said I did read that a lot of baseball players carve their numbers into bats. And then you know as you get older your jersey number changes. So sometimes they would correct the bat. And so I'm wondering if that scratched out part was maybe you know an old number. And now they're number six. You know.
00:31:33
Speaker
And if that's the case, I mean, even if it's a K or it's a number six, a Roman numeral, a Roman numeral six, um, I feel like that's very distinguishable. That's really, so there's some parent out there or a kid out there. Well, they're not kids now, but at the time that that's their baseball bat and they know it is right. Well, they just never, obviously.
00:32:02
Speaker
Right. They're not going to come forward, obviously. But I would even think if you're on a baseball team, I would think Anthony would be like, Oh yeah, that was Corey's bat or whatever. He would recognize that.
00:32:19
Speaker
And also, we've already talked about this a little bit, but I think something else that is distinctive about this case is that we beat Henry to death. That is just a different form of murder. It's not even in the top three
00:32:37
Speaker
The United States for homicide. So obviously number one is firearms. Number two is like stabbing, you know cutting piercing and number three is suffocation and I actually found on a CSH org a little chart that's down below the bats and the striking It's way down there. I
00:33:01
Speaker
to only 217 people in the United States in the year 2016. I'm pretty sure that's when this data was from word beat to death compared to it with firearms. It was like 14,000 people. Yeah. So uncommon cause of death. Plus, I mean, obviously his, yeah, it seems very personal because it was so brutal.
00:33:28
Speaker
I mean, this isn't like, you know, you rob somebody so you like hit him in the stomach. You know what I mean? So they're incapacitated and you take their money or whatever. I mean, this was to his head. And not just one to knock him out or something like that. I mean, even though money, it seems was taken from the wallet, it seems to me like the motivation was to kill him.
00:33:54
Speaker
Yeah, and in theory, so we'll go ahead and pop into theories.
Theories and Suspicions
00:33:59
Speaker
Theory one is that Henry was killed by someone that he knew. And a lot of people say in this theory that it's somehow motivated by robbery, like the robbery was the motivation. But again,
00:34:13
Speaker
Like I just don't see that Henry is a smart kid. And so you're like, I feel if someone said, Hey kid, give me your wallet and I have are holding a baseball bat and they're trying to murder you with it, that he would give them the money. Right. Absolutely. He would, I would think.
00:34:33
Speaker
But there are many people and I do think that it was someone that he knew that killed him and there are many people that believe it was someone in his own circle. So if you remember from early on everybody reported or everybody that saw Henry reported that he appeared to be in a rush. And so a lot of people think he was going to meet someone.
00:34:52
Speaker
Now I wonder was, like you said, was the meeting in between the three o'clock and the 340? Or was he supposed to meet this person at Scott's view at 340? Or could he even potentially have been running away from someone? And that's why he seemed in a hurry when he left the police officer, but he thought he was away by the time he got to the
00:35:17
Speaker
City workers. I feel like one of those two has to be the case because like I said it seems odd to me that he would quickly pass by as though he's in a hurry someone who he normally spoke with but yet just a few minutes later be all chatty with a different group of people and not seem in a hurry so yeah I would think I think you could be right he was
00:35:46
Speaker
hurrying away from somebody and then was like, okay, they're not following me anymore. Now I can slow down. But if he's worried about someone catching up to him, I would definitely stop and talk to a cop. That's true. Because then I'd be like, okay, either they're going to continue on because they're not going to come over and bother me if I'm talking to a cop, right? Or maybe they'd be too afraid to hurt me because they know I'm friendly with a cop.
00:36:15
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know. And then I wonder why did he go home this way or attempt to go home this way? Because we know that wasn't a shortcut for him. The route he normally would have taken was completely different from that. And another student that was his friend and he often walked home with
00:36:37
Speaker
said that they never used that way to go home. And Henry's mom even told reporters quote, I just want to know why he was up there that day. So it's not in his norm. Like it's not his normal routine. And while this boy is a popular hangout,
00:36:57
Speaker
In the warm months, it wasn't popular in the winter, because like I said, we're in Massachusetts, it's cold, it's December. So what type of quote unquote hanging out is going on up there in the wintertime? I think if you're meeting someone up there, it's because you don't want people to see you. And I don't know what type of activities he would have been in just from this short episode that he would need to go unseen.
00:37:26
Speaker
I'm trying to like get into, you know, everything you've told me about Henry and he doesn't seem the secret of sneaky type. And so then I'm thinking, you know, it could be anything though.
00:37:42
Speaker
it be innocent and we're thinking, oh my gosh, what was he, you know, was he, you know, into some untoward activities? But I mean, it could have been something like, you know, a kid in school said, oh, you know, my mom has this piece of jewelry that she doesn't use anymore. I live near, you know, this swamp Scott view. Hey, after school this day,
00:38:07
Speaker
you know, around $4.30 or $4.20 or $4.00 or whatever. How about you meet me there and I'll sell it to you and maybe plan on giving it as a gift. You know what I mean? And Julie was meeting the person there, but then the real purpose behind it was for them to hurt him. I mean, it could be anything, I guess. Yeah. I mean, he could be, you know, buying cigarettes from a friend or, you know, something. Yeah.
00:38:32
Speaker
But I just wonder why he was there. And then like we've talked about where was he in this chunk of time and why did no one see him for that 40 minutes from the time he left Cassidy. And then when he saw those workers. So what was going on in that time. And that's what makes me think he maybe met somebody along the way.
00:38:58
Speaker
Multiple sources said that there was some rumors that on the day of Henry's death, he'd been seen by a teacher. I feel like this is almost the game of the telephone. You know, it's not a primary source. Right. But there was a rumor that a teacher had seen Henry and another student arguing about money at school.
00:39:22
Speaker
And even a couple reports went on to say that Henry and the same student were absent from their last class, but most everything else that I read said that they attended class all day. So.
00:39:36
Speaker
We know that he went to the shopping center after school. He was seen alive. He was by himself. And after that, several people saw him and he wasn't killed, you know, right after leaving school. It was several hours later. So even if Henry and this mysterious student had both missed class, which I did not see anywhere where this teacher came forward and said, yes, I saw this. Or like the school came forward and said, yeah, we checked records and they were both absent.
00:40:07
Speaker
I don't know how that narrative really changes unless we're going with the theme of this was intended to be a robbery. Right.
00:40:19
Speaker
Why would Henry be borrowing money from people? This dude had $900 saved up. Maybe the other guy borrowed money from him. Maybe the robbery was the motive and they hoped that he had this $900 in his wallet, which I don't think he would do that. He just doesn't seem naive enough to carry $900 in the wallet. Yeah, he definitely doesn't. So again, I just think the
00:40:46
Speaker
Robbery motive is a bit of a stretch. I don't see 15 year olds getting so mad that they would murder someone over money I think that murdering him was The goal from the beginning and I don't even know Well, then I guess that goes into the second theory which was he's killed by a stranger because if that's the case then it didn't even matter that it was Henry if it's killed by a stranger if someone's just wanting to kill, you know
00:41:15
Speaker
I just don't buy this theory though. And I think it's the stranger. Yeah. Because it is so brutal because I feel like in other cases and I've always questioned this because
00:41:34
Speaker
It seems completely nonsensical to me because I would think in other cases that we've covered, you know, if somebody is like killing just to kill, then they'll kill just to kill, but leave, you know, $300 laying on the kitchen counter and they don't grab it. And in my mind, I'm thinking you've just committed this atrocious murder. You know, what's stopping you from taking this money too? But yet it happens in Henry's case, which is bizarre.
00:42:04
Speaker
You know what I mean? So I think if this is some stranger who's killing just to kill, I don't know if they would make him empty his pockets or go through his pockets to get the money or whatever. But the injuries themselves, not that a stranger couldn't commit a murder and it'd be horrendous and seem personal and all of that. But I don't know. Something about it feels too personal.
00:42:34
Speaker
And I did try to find the statistics on, you know, how many people know their victims when they're beaten to death. But I don't know if that was too specific for Google, but it was pulling up some really weird things on Reddit. And I was like, I don't want to go down this route. Yeah.
00:42:55
Speaker
Well, I think that would be interesting to know too. And the stranger theory, this is not, you know, a cesspool of hard crimes that are happening in Swamp Scott. I mean, the police are adding tickets for parking violations or speeding tickets or running a stop sign. We're not investigating murders every other day. Right. So that's
00:43:17
Speaker
part of why I think it would be really random for this to be a stranger did they just wander into this town which was part of the initial rumor you know it was just some nut from Lynn said a bunch of people in town so they just randomly wander in here which I mean I know his family had connections to Lynn so was there perhaps you know like a vendetta there and then people have also been super curious as to what was on the camera roll that he dropped off
00:43:48
Speaker
Every time I read that in my research though, I was like, I read it as he didn't randomly have this. I read this as they're cleaning out their junk drawer in their kitchen and the dad's like, oh look, this random film. I wonder what's on here. Henry, take it to the CVS. Well, and obviously the murder can't be linked to that because how would they even know that there's a camera rolling back then? Yeah. You wouldn't know what was on it and what pictures turned out and which ones didn't until
00:44:17
Speaker
You know, you picked your film back up. So yeah, I don't think that's connected to anything. And my issues with this theory, like we said, the baseball bat is extremely personal. So why beat someone for money when they likely would have just given it to you to save their own life or, you know, you hit them one time to knock them out and then you take their money and go, you know, I know I just went on this big, long, you know, spiel about why it's not a stranger.
00:44:46
Speaker
But the baseball bat, because it is personal, might be the only clue that makes me think it could potentially have been a stranger. Because if you're, you know, the local baseball team hero, or even on the team, you're not gonna leave your bat there. Like why wouldn't you have taken the bat?
00:45:14
Speaker
unless you know that nobody's ever going to link it back to you. And maybe that's why no one's came forward and said, oh, that's Billy's bat because it's no one from the town's bat. I do find the location a little strange for a random murder. So the area from what I took it as when I was reading
00:45:38
Speaker
is a wooded area. So popular, like we've said in the summer, but I find it strange that someone not from the area would find this place and potentially lure him up here because I mean, I think he had to have been lowered up there some way because that's just not his typical way home unless it's, you know, an unseasonably warm December day. And he's like, I'm going to take a longer scenic route home, which didn't sound like his personality because they didn't check there. So,
00:46:08
Speaker
I don't know. And then again, was he already dead when those boys came through at four o'clock? That just seems 20 minutes to do a murder. So violent seems like such a short amount of time. And there were obviously homes close by because those boys were able to quickly run to a neighbor's house to have them call the police. And they, they did interview people that lived close by to there and nobody reported hearing screams or anything.
00:46:37
Speaker
So their house is close, but where he's found is wooded. Right? So what you said, it's more. Yeah, I'm going to look up what this looks like. Well, cause I'm thinking in my head now, the question that I asked earlier was his body there the whole time. Could it have been the case that
00:47:04
Speaker
Maybe they robbed him, they pulled out his wallet, they knocked the stuff out of his hands, but then they took him. Was there any sign of a struggle? Well, we wouldn't know because of the rain had washed all that away. Yeah. And I don't know. I don't know if 20 minutes, like you said earlier, is 20 minutes really enough time to
00:47:31
Speaker
First of all, rob someone, incapacitate them, murder them, hide their body, cover it up with leaves. Yeah, and from what I'm just Googling, I think it would be wooded, but it's not gonna be like when we picture walking up a hill back home, like that top of wooded area, just like a north eastern wooded area. Could they have taken him
00:48:01
Speaker
and then brought him back. But then, I mean, you're risking a lot because you're coming back to the scene. There's another potential of being seen again. I would almost wonder if he was in one of those houses close by for a while. And that could potentially be the case. They went up there, you know, after those little boys had already left.
00:48:28
Speaker
under the pretense that Henry's going home, but then they attack him once they get up there. Yeah. I do think it's someone in the neighborhood for sure, though, in that town. Yeah, I do think it's someone who knew him.
Impact on Henry's Family
00:48:43
Speaker
In 2015, Henry's sister wrote a heartbreaking remembrance piece about her brother. And today, Sleuthhounds, I thought I would leave you with her words instead of mine.
00:48:53
Speaker
Quote, it has been 41 years now, and that one day remains so vivid in my memory. And to this day, that deep root of pain has surfaced time and time again, and I once again find myself having to bury some of the thoughts and feelings for fear of losing my mind. Henry's death changed many lives. It's changed the course of all of our lives forever. The circumstances surrounding his death tore our family apart, each of us retreating into our own cocoon, never discussing his death as a family.
00:49:23
Speaker
As a result, I never really knew how my parents and brothers felt or how they dealt with their feelings. I can only observe how it has affected their lives. There's nothing more devastating than the loss of a loved one. It truly changes you as a person and your perspective on life. All hardships tend to send us inward searching for truth answers to life's questions. Sometimes tragedy brings us all together. Sometimes it tears us apart.
00:49:47
Speaker
Henry's death was the beginning of a journey I never wanted to take. I may never understand the circumstances, nor do I try anymore. I often wonder what life would be like if he were still with us. And so now, 41 years later, a very different person, my faith in life, its beauty, magic, and mystery, has slowly been restored through the love of God and my beautiful daughter. However, the core of my being has never fully recovered from the loss of such a magnificent brother as Henry," end quote.
00:50:16
Speaker
Anyone who may have information about Henry's murder or the baseball bat that was found at the crime scene should call Detective Sergeant Jay Lock at 781-595-1111 or send an email to jlock and that's j-l-o-c-k-e at swampscotpolice.com.
00:50:37
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:51:07
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
00:51:29
Speaker
It's love notes for Maggie and Alison. So this past week, we got a lots more five star reviews. We love. Yes, we love those. They were either just starred reviews and not written, or they were international listener reviews. So we haven't seen what they say yet, because those always take like weeks to come in. And then we have to search different websites to see them. But say lovey.
00:51:58
Speaker
Either way, lots of love is coming your anonymous for now way. And you know, I wonder if our international listeners, if you are dying to get a shout out on the show, you could always message those to us. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Just send us an email with what you said. Or like a message on Facebook or Instagram. Yeah. We also have love notes going out to Suarez family creations, Jordan,
00:52:27
Speaker
Bay or be I know switch to birth says it's Bay and I love that name, but some people pronounce it be so either way we love you. Kendall Lauren Kelly. With which is a very unique spelling of Kelly i'm here for it.
00:52:44
Speaker
Dana, Marina, Marygold, vintage nest, and Francesca for reaching out to us on Facebook, Instagram, or email, or for recommending us to others on one of the platforms this week. Also, side note, make sure if you recommend us that you tag us in the post so that we can see it, because then we can give you the love that you are due. Otherwise we miss it. That's right.
00:53:11
Speaker
We also have Mad Love going out to both Allison and Sherry, who joined our CNC Patreon fam this week. We are so excited to have you both with us and hope that you are enjoying the bonus content. My full Patreon episode for February, it will have your jaw on the floor.
00:53:33
Speaker
And that's just a little teaser, yes, to get you intrigued if you're already a Patreon supporter and otherwise it's a teaser so you can join our Patreon. And if you have not joined, then what the heck are you waiting for?
00:53:50
Speaker
You can get all kinds of bonus content. There are solved cases over there. There are many episodes and the prices start for only $7 a month because your lucky dogs fill those $5 spots. Plus if you join us at the 12, 15, or $20 level,
00:54:06
Speaker
Then you get those quarterly swag boxes and those are coming out this month for this next quarter And your level obviously will determine the number of items that you get in your swag box So there's incentive to join at the higher levels, but all of the levels are fantastic. Yes, and Did we mail out? Already look at that look at that Yeah, so if you want to be part of the next round then you need to go ahead and join those tiers for March through May
00:54:37
Speaker
And here is a hint, we need your T-shirt size if you are in one of those tiers. So we need your T-shirt size for the people that are gonna be getting swag boxes.
Wrap-Up and Prize Announcements
00:54:47
Speaker
So if you want gifts or you just want the gift of bonus content, head on over to patreon.com slash coffee and cases, or click the link in our show notes to join the Patreon family today. Please do. And now for the drawing, for an Etsy shop item of your choice,
00:55:06
Speaker
that is available to those who attended our first live show. Your entries were calculated and we will use our handy online selection tool thanks to us being teachers. We got these, again, our little bag of tricks.
00:55:22
Speaker
to pick our winner and all of the entries we didn't have anybody with the same first name so when we announce your name then you know it's you if that is your first name and you have emailed us with an entry for this so with pictures or whatever so with that being said
00:55:48
Speaker
Here we go. I'm going to spin. And the winner is Kara. Super exciting. Yes.
00:56:02
Speaker
So now that we are celebrating CARA for winning our contest for those who attended our first live show, we want to go ahead and let everyone know that our next prize giveaway is going to be open to all of our listeners, all of you out there.
00:56:24
Speaker
There are multiple ways to earn entries. So how will we know that you've done these things? Well, you'll take a picture of course and email them to us at copy and cases podcast at gmail.com
00:56:39
Speaker
And if you've already done any of these ways to earn entries, they still count as long as you can send us a picture for proof. So here's how you will earn entries. Number one, recommend us on social media and tag at least two friends who you think would enjoy our show.
00:57:00
Speaker
So to tag, you just use the little at sign and you start topping out coffee and cases and we should populate on there. Yep. And the same then with your friends too. So go ahead and do that. Snap a little screenshot or a picture on your phone of where you've done that just in case something funky happens with Facebook and it doesn't let us know.
00:57:23
Speaker
Number two way to earn an entry is to write us a five star written review. And if you've done that previously, you can just go back and take a picture of it. Exactly. Number three way to earn an entry is to join our Patreon. This is a win-win. It's a win for us. It's a win for you because you get all that bonus content. So for this particular giveaway, unlike the one with our people who came to our live show,
00:57:53
Speaker
you'll actually earn a different amount of entries based on what Patreon level you join. So we do offer a $2 level. That does not have access to any of our bonus content. That's just if you want to support the show. That gets you one entry into our giveaway. Two entries if you were lucky enough to have joined us at the $5 level when we had the $5 level.
00:58:18
Speaker
or at the $7 level now, you'll get two entries. You get three entries if you've joined Patreon at the $12 level, four if you are at the $15 level, or five entries if you have joined Patreon or join at the $20 level. The link to Patreon, again, is in our show notes. And like Maggie said with the Five Star Written Review, if you've already joined our Patreon, just snap a picture that shows your level.
00:58:48
Speaker
And then the final way to earn entries into this second giveaway is to purchase something from our Etsy shop. And again, the link is in the show notes.
00:59:01
Speaker
Be sure when you email us proof of your entries that you also let us know what item you want from the SC shop if you win and if it's clothing, what size you want that item to come in and that's it. We will give you until March the 6th to enter and we will announce the winner on our March 9th episode. So mark your calendar so you don't miss the deadline for entry.
00:59:26
Speaker
And with that, all of our love is going out to each and every one of you. Until next week, Sleuth Hounds.