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E242: Little Lord Fauntleroy
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You've heard the case of the Boy in the Box, but have the heard the case of an unknown child known as "Little Lord Fauntleroy"? In this week's episode, we explore the case of this child, discovered in 1921 in a rock quarry pond in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Who was he? How did he end up there? And will time reveal the truth behind his identity?
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Transcript
Discovery of the Boy in Velvet
00:00:00
Speaker
Imagine a young boy dressed in an ornate velvet suit, found dead in a remote forest. His identity remains a mystery. His story turned into a haunting legend as the years passed. Who was this boy? Where did he come from? How did he end up alone in such a desolate place? These questions have puzzled investigators and captivated the public for decades. Marked by its lack of identifying information and the boy's solitary demise, this case has sparked numerous theories and speculations about his origins, circumstances surrounding his death, and the potential motives behind the tragic event. The case we're exploring today presents a unique opportunity to explore the complexities of long ago social class and the human fascination with the unknown. It's unlikely we'll ever find out the true reason this boy lost his life or who was behind killing an innocent child.
00:00:47
Speaker
But we continue to contribute to the ongoing conversations about this captivating and enduring mystery. As usual, we'll explore the circumstances surrounding the boy's discovery, the theories that have emerged, and the enduring mystery that continues to surround his identity. So buckle up and join us as we unravel the secrets of this community from many years ago.
Introduction of 'Coffee and Cases' Podcast
00:01:06
Speaker
This is the case of little Lord Fauntleroy.
00:01:42
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. 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.
00:02:21
Speaker
I keep saying, So, you know, it's fine. If you need me to say it, just point. Okay.
Life in 1921 Waukesha
00:02:33
Speaker
And she'll just fill in. But this case does take its way back to 1921. Okay. To a town with a strong agricultural and manufacturing base to Waukesha, Wisconsin, which we had to look up in his... I would have not pronounced it that way. I said Waukesha Little Lord Fauntleroy. or Waukesha. I wouldn't have said Waukesha, but here we are. Yep. This is why we look it up.
00:02:59
Speaker
Yup. Okay, so I was curious and I was like, I wonder what a typical day in 1921 would have looked like in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Many residents would rise early to start their daily chores, which I feel like in 1921 was probably a very standard. Because the farmers would tend to their livestock, you know, you're milking your cow, collecting your chicken eggs. They're preparing fields for planting or harvesting their crops depending on the time of year.
00:03:29
Speaker
those working in factories or businesses would be making their way to work. Also, it did say something about for strong carriages, which if you had a car. Well, not to and you probably ordered it from Sears and Roebuck. Along with their through their yeah their magazine. and Families would often gather for a hearty breakfast, and I actually did find online a common breakfast at that time was eggs, bacon, pancake, syrup. Oh, I'm in. That's a common breakfast for me today. I don't like pancakes. Or it waffles. I don't like syrup.
00:04:02
Speaker
um my good i I just can. Okay, carry on. Before I get upset. The afternoons were typically filled out of machinery in the factories, the farmers in the fields, and children did attend school and they learned basic things that you would associate with 1920s schools. Reading, writing, arithmetic. Some residents may have participated in community events like church services, town meetings, or social gatherings.
00:04:31
Speaker
Because again, I mean, that's what you got in your small towns. Obviously, family dinner was a big thing. And we had the typical meal of meat, taters, and a veggie, and sometimes bread. After dinner, people would often read the newspaper, maybe play board games, listen to their radio. what We may have had like, potentially local theater performances, or maybe movies during that. I don't want to win movie theaters really grew in popularity, but there were probably some, at least in a nearby town, if they were like a bigger city. Definitely. But I'm telling you that nightly entertainment of board games and reading and the radio, because you got books to listen to the radio while you're playing a board game, then maybe read a book back to those times. Of course, we're heading to bed early because we started our day bright.
00:05:30
Speaker
and early back in the day. And I do feel like if the town was described in 1921 as more community or family oriented than it potentially is today, but I think that we could say that about most.
00:05:42
Speaker
every town. I would probably say that exactly about every place. We've sadly grown apart. We're much more isolated. At the same time, we have phones that connect us with people. But I think that's part of the reason we're isolated. yeah Oh, it definitely is. Yeah. Because how many people don't even know the names of their neighbors or... Yeah. Or couldn't tell like their husband's phone number. Right. Yeah. just i Actually, I had to think for a second, but I know Rodney's.
00:06:10
Speaker
So it's in that world that we find ourselves this week.
The Unclaimed Child in the Pond
00:06:14
Speaker
So imagine with me, March 8, 1921, that probably started out much like any other day, but that normal morning soon turned into something much more sinister because we did find the remains of a young boy that were discovered floating in a pond.
00:06:27
Speaker
near the O'Loughlin Stone Cup in town. So according to all things interesting, on that morning a man named John Burlick, an employee of that store, stumbled upon a horrific site when walking near the quarry pond. So it was on this walk that he found the body of a small child just floating in the water. oh And he did immediately alert the authorities, so the sheriff showed up. And I think I read somewhere that the coroner may have came also. With the assistance of the Milwaukee Police Department, the county officials conducted a pretty thorough investigation for the time to try to identify this deceased child. So they recorded the boy's fiscal characteristic, noting that he was likely between the ages of five and seven. Oh my gosh. Yeah, so a baby.
00:07:14
Speaker
he was quite sure he had blonde hair and brown eyes and but Kind of rare. I mean, I don't know, but I feel like blond-headed people typically have lighter color eyes. It was also noticed that the little boy was missing a tooth in his lower jaw. I'm assuming the tooth fairy had... Yeah, because that's about the age you're losing teeth. So I wonder had there been somebody reported missing or... He Well, was quite sure not he officially, had but we'll blonde talk about hair and it. brown Okay. eyes and We'll talk about it. Okay. So he did appear well nourished, which ah ok I feel like most of the time when we talk about kids, these type of situations, they typically don't look the most cared after. But he did look like he had been well fed. He had no signs of physical abuse other than the indication that he'd been struck in the head with a blunt force object. But other than that one wound, there was not bruising where somebody had grabbed him or you know anything like that.
00:08:15
Speaker
I wonder, and I'm sure you'll talk about it, if the the strike in the head could be something, if he could have fallen or if it were an intentional blow to the head. Yeah, that's going to be something we talk about. yeah The boys' remains were submerged in the water and they had likely been there for a while. But even though investigators were able to determine all of this, they could not determine the identity.
00:08:53
Speaker
And they even described his, he had this unusual attire on and that's how he got this nickname but just sword photo to roy yeah because had on a high quality blouse and this like gray sweater from the Bradley knitting cup.
00:09:10
Speaker
And it was, I'm pretty sure velvet he had on black stockings and wear patent leather shoes. So elegant clothing that suggested that he came from, you know, this affluent family, but nobody's coming forward and saying, Hey, I'm missing my kid. And he's been missing for some time. So one would think that there would be reports. It's weird because there's some
00:09:35
Speaker
I guess discrepancy about how long he could have been in the water. The coroner said anywhere from maybe I think it was like a week to several months. Even a week? Is a long time for you. I mean maybe unless they're like one of those families that's so rich you don't take care of your own kids. Oh like you've got a nanny and maybe and maybe nanny was mad at maybe the parents have been out of town. Yeah.
00:09:58
Speaker
And know and nat not mad or Nanny thinks that parents took the kid and like the parents think that the
The Mysterious Woman in Red
00:10:07
Speaker
Nanny has the kid. Who knows? Again, like we said, inspired by his attire, he was dubbed Little Lord Fauntleroy. I'm just gonna let her say it every time. Who is a character in a book? So, yeah, this is why Maggie was talking about the case and she was like, Little Lord, and I was like, Little Lord Fauntleroy because of the literary reference. And I was like, yep, that's it.
00:10:33
Speaker
Investigators could only speculate, like I said, how long the child had been in the pond. So the timeframe between a week and six months, which to me, Allison, I think is a pretty big gap. Yeah, that's very big. Because I know, you know, forensics wasn't it obviously what it is today, but I would think they would have some way to narrow down timeline based on the amount of decomposition. Definitely. Or so even swelling, because if we're in water, yeah Um, man I don't, I don't know. And I mean, it would be cold. So I guess the cold may be preserved in, cause it was constant in March. Yeah.
00:11:08
Speaker
But- Which means that happened in February, or even January, so definitely cold. Yeah, that's a good point. So on the show, we have covered a few cases that are similar to this one. I feel like the boy in the box comes to mind. Definitely. There's another one that I think we did that are kind of similar. And just like in those cases, we're left wondering with this one, like we said, who wouldn't be missing their child? Even kids that don't have the best home life, you're eventually that child is going to be missed. But as far as the investigation could tell, no one was missing this little boy. So in an effort to gather more information, either as to who the child was or what happened to him, the police actually held like a viewing for him so people could come in. So a public display of
00:12:02
Speaker
of this child's body yeah to try like a funeral to try to get people to come in. And hundreds of people did come and view the body. There were groups that came in, but no one really could offer any information about who he belonged to or what his story was. wow But we did end up having Cory worker come forward. And I feel like Cory is right there with rural furrow.
00:12:30
Speaker
rural. It's just hard to say. Hard to say, yeah. Like I could say Rory, but I don't know, just Cory. A mouth doesn't want to make that. So a Cory worker came forward. So now in my head, I'm like, okay, he was found in the Cory. Yeah. So we're like, kind of. So did somebody see something or have a link? And this guy did see some things. So he provided the police with a pretty significant lead into this investigation. So he actually told them he saw a young woman in a red sweater just kind of wandering around the quarry in the pond about five weeks before the corpse was discovered, which fits the timeline and things. And he said that he went up to her and was like, hey,
00:13:18
Speaker
Basically, do you need something? Like, what are you doing here? And she said, according to him, that she anxiously inquired with him whether or not he had seen a little boy in that area. So she says, have you seen a little boy? And he's like, no, I haven't seen anything. And then she gets into a car with a man and they leave.
00:13:42
Speaker
But I feel like if this is a concerned parent, like, hey, have you seen my kid? Then when we are like, hey, we found a kid, then you'd be like, oh, right. And let's maybe they're out from out of town potentially, maybe.
00:14:05
Speaker
Okay, here's what I'm thinking in my head. It would have been odd. I understand why this worker, I remember seeing a woman because my guess is that there were no women, yeah, or few who worked at this quarry. But I do have to say that I find it odd because in my mind, and I have absolutely no idea if this is accurate or not, because I've never been to a rock quarry.
00:14:31
Speaker
But I would assume that a quarry is quite large in size. I guess kind of depending because there was a rock quarry. We lived, we lived on top of a rock quarry in Frankfurt, like up on the hill and then it was down below. And so I think it just kind of depends on the size. This one wasn't small, but it wasn't huge. Because in my head I was thinking the fact that she was around pond specifically where the child was found. Yeah it's like right seems odd if it is a large place that she went directly to this spot and that's where um I see what you're saying like it's weird that she would pick the same spot in a potentially large area that's where this child is found right why not somewhere else in this area right a point now the sound of the dress and the fact that they left in a car
00:15:28
Speaker
tells me that they're wealthy. I haven't thought about that. So I'm also thinking these are the things that are going on in my head right now. Just kind of like us, I think police are starting to connect the dots and they're thinking, oh, maybe this is our big break. We have this eyewitness coming forward with all this information about this woman in the same area that the boy was found. But despite these extensive efforts, the couple was never located. So they never went to police. This couple didn't Police was never able to find them. But then I read somewhere else that the police were later told that the same woman, the red sweater woman, had died by suicide in the same pond where this boy had been found. So later on, ah somebody came and reported to them that she had committed suicide in this pond. They attempted to recover the body, so I read that they dragged the pond.
00:16:26
Speaker
And they used dynamite to try to have the body come up to the surface, but nothing, they never found a body. So, okay, this woman, the tips that a woman had died by suicide in the same pond, these are coming after the discovery of the little boy's yeah body.
Theories of Foul Play or Accident
00:16:45
Speaker
Which I think, if it's true. Right, because but there's no body to prove it, so we don't even know. And no couple that we've really been able to find.
00:16:55
Speaker
Could it be like a grieving mother and she wanted to be in the same place as the boy? Or could it be a sign of guilt because of something that happened? Or it could be a lie. So who knows? Just like our case last week. We just don't know. Detectives initially theorized that the couple had sent the little boy off while they were doing the naughty and that he had accidentally fallen into the pond and drowned. But the coroner's examination revealed that, oh yeah,
00:17:24
Speaker
on the back of the head and it also said that there was not a lot of water in his lungs so suggesting that he was probably dead before being placed into the pond which i guess he could have fallen and then hit his head on something and then like rolled into the pond but again like i don't know though even then i feel well it would have to be a very hard hit to the head i feel like that would make you expire that swiftly, that if you did hit your head and fall into the pond, you wouldn't have gulped in water or something like that. so
00:18:06
Speaker
In an article called The Boy in the Water, Wisconsin's Mysterious Little Lord Fauntleroy on American Hauntings, a breakthrough in the case occurred when we got yet another person that's coming forward with information. This time it was the owner of Liberty Department Store and he contacted the police and was like, I am a thousand percent sure that the boy's clothing, so what he was wearing, he was discovered, had been sold at his store during a sale in January. Oh, okay. So about two months before the discovery, but again, like he could have been in there for six weeks, six months at the beginning of March, so the timeline could wind up there. Another potential lead arose when a Chicago man insisted that the boy was his nephew, so it was his sister's son. Okay. He claimed that the sister's ex-husband had kidnapped their two children and threatened to kill them.
00:19:05
Speaker
And so he's like, this is my nephew right and my ex-brother-in-law has killed him. right But the police investigated and were able to determine that was not true. Those two children were safe and they hadn't been harmed. Now, I'm curious with the department store if they did follow up with that one, because I know when my grandmother was younger, she worked at a department store in a small town in Kentucky.
Failed Identification Efforts
00:19:28
Speaker
And they would keep written records of who had purchased certain things. And it was like a ledger book because, you know, it was payment and all of that because you didn't have the receipts in normal way. I'm curious if this were a sale in January, if this department store would have had any receipts. I did read that they followed up on the department store and they weren't able to say start with certainty that it had actually been purchased there. and The boy's picture was widely circulated in newspapers throughout the Midwest. But again, we have no body coming forward to identify him. um Again, and we had hundreds of local residents that were interviewed. Hundreds of people were invited to see this body, but he still remained nameless. No one recognized him. And the investigation just keeps coming back to square one. right Like we get a lead, we're back to square one. Get a lead back to square one.
00:20:27
Speaker
The police distributed the boy's picture in a lot of newspapers and they ended up offering an initial reward of, I read $250 for information regarding his identity or his killers. um and They ended up increasing that to $1,000, which today is around like $17,000. That's significant. But still nobody comes forward and defeated. The sheriff finally says, you know what, we're going to lay his remains to rest. So they transport him to Weber Funeral Home for a burial.
00:20:57
Speaker
And actually a local woman named Minnie Conrad organized a fundraiser to help with feed her home. This is again the community coming together. And on March 14th of 1921, they put his little small white casket into the ground at Prairie Home Cemetery. And the heading on his, or the name, I guess, on his um headstone said, our darling. Or no, someone had written that on the casket, that which is so sad. And so up until her death, she would actually leave this mini Conrad flowers on his grave every year until she died.
00:21:34
Speaker
And I feel like somebody needs to continue that. You need a mini Conrad, some sort of memorial or something to thank her.
Homer LeMay Hypothesis and Burial
00:21:47
Speaker
And 1949, a medical examiner from Milwaukee actually hypothesized that the boy could be Homer LeMay, a child who had disappeared around the same time. Okay. But Homer's father claimed that Okay, so I guess it's because Homer's father claimed that he had been adopted by a Chicago couple and then taken to Argentina where his name had been changed to Norton. And then he allegedly died in a car accident while he was in Argentina, but police couldn't find evidence to support that. And so they're like, maybe this boy is him. Maybe all that is. Maybe all that's Hogan.
00:22:28
Speaker
and They end up having a press conference where they're asking the black public and all these people to get behind it Exuming him, but the sheriff at that time in the corner said We don't think It's not worth it. Yeah. To get him out of his final resting place. And so to this day, he's still there with this simple tombstone that says a known boy and tells us where he was found. And I mean, really, Alison, that's it. I mean, we have some theories and I guess we can talk about them. Okay. There are really three. The first one,
00:23:09
Speaker
I wouldn't even say this is a theory, but I've read it in some research, so I'll mention it briefly, but some people said that it could be suicide. Given his age, five to seven, yeah come on. I mean, could it happen, I guess? yeah It definitely can. I feel like the factors that lead to increased suicide rates among that population today were not factors in 1921. So I think that one to me is easily rolled out. I think two and three
00:23:47
Speaker
probably are the most likely. So one being that it could be an accident. okay And there are a lot that stand behind this one. And I do have to agree that his death could have been an accident. I don't know that this is the theory that I would firmly stand behind, but when do we really ever have theories that we firmly stand behind? But I do think it could be it could have been an accident. Whether that is the parents accidentally did something with the blunt force trauma and accidentally caused a death and they just leave him there in a panic, you know, like they don't want to go forward to police here or maybe not even parent like his caretaker or something. Or ah you had mentioned before, you know, he fell or something like that. I mean, I guess we could have a type of accident. I don't think he accidentally fell into the water and drown because he didn't have enough water in his lungs for it to be a drown.
00:24:40
Speaker
So, I mean, I guess it could be an accident. And then the third theory would be that there were some big red flags like that, blunt force trauma. I just feel that this type of injury couldn't happen by accident, a blunt force trauma. So theory three is foul play. But just why? I mean, maybe because his family was rich, are we trying to get money? But then there was nobody that came forward saying like, Hey, you know, to claim that,
00:25:11
Speaker
the reward for information money or I don't know. I don't know. You're right. Okay. Here are my thoughts. Okay.
Unsolved Mystery and Theories
00:25:20
Speaker
My thoughts are I keep going to the no water in his lungs, which again to me, if it were an accident, they're at the quarry and he hit his head. I would think that there would still be that the death would not be immediate. I would think that that would be rare if it happened that way.
00:25:41
Speaker
And then you would have water in the lungs. Whether it were an accident by someone else, and that he's taken here to the quarry, or it was intentional, his death, someone had to bring him there. And that's what I was about to say, like, how do you end up there accidentally? I don't think you do. Someone has to bring you there. Or else, again, if this one guy who saw the woman in the red sweater would have seen a scuffle or a commotion or something. So I don't think whatever happened to him happened there necessarily. And they if it you have that blunt force, is there blood there at the scene of the crime? Right.
00:26:23
Speaker
Again, you would think if it happened right there, there would be and then and that would have been noticeable, except that it happened months earlier. So it could have been washed away by rain or it could have been that's true degraded in some way. My gut tells me that obviously he met with foul play. Again, whether, ah because in my mind, even if the death were an accident, the act of trying to dispose of his body is a crime that is criminal. So whatever happened to him there in my gut, there's criminal behavior involved. And if it were say someone of high standing and wealth,
00:27:07
Speaker
and they are linked in some way to this death. I don't think that number one, there wouldn't be the need for money, nor do I think that they would come forward because then you have that negative stigma. Yeah, the scandal linked to your name. And so I think there would have been, even if it were a young woman, a lot of pressure maybe from the family or whomever just to not i and not come forward. Oh, I like that theory.
00:27:37
Speaker
The case of little Lord Fauntleroy remains one of the most enduring mysteries in American true crime. Despite extensive investigation and numerous theories, the identity of this young boy and the circumstances surrounding his death continue to elude us. The discovery of his body in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1921 sent shockwaves through that community. The boy's elegant attire suggests that he came from a wealthy family, yet no one could identify him.
00:28:02
Speaker
Despite numerous public appeals and extensive searches, no one came forward to claim the remains. Over the years, various theories have been put forth to explain what happened to him. Some believe he may have been a victim of kidnapping or a crime of passion. Others speculate that he could have been a runaway or an orphan who had found his way there. However, none of these theories had been definitively proven.
00:28:24
Speaker
The Little Lord Fauntleroy case serves as a chilling reminder of the mysteries that can surround even the most seemingly straightforward crimes. While the boy's identity may never be known, his story continues to haunt the imaginations of those who have been captivated by this enduring mystery.
00:28:42
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.
00:29:12
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.