SheWhoMustNotBeNamed
Former Member
Missing Since: April 28, 1973 from Gadsden County, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 12 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American male.
Details of Disappearance
Lanier was last seen at 3:00 p.m. on April 28, 1973 in Gadsen County, Florida. He was is a taxicab with his grandfather, Isley McCullough, and two unidentified African-American male passengers who were both in their early twenties. McCullough operated a taxi service in the area.
At 6:00 p.m. that day, McCullough's 1973 Chevrolet was found abandoned behind the Old Bethel A.M.E. Church on High Bridge Road in Gadsen County. There were smears of human blood inside the vehicle. The money box was in the trunk; it had contained $450, but it was empty when it was found. There was a spent bullet imbedded in the front seat. There was no sign of McCullough or Lanier at the scene and they have never been heard from again.
Two days later, Lanier's undershirt, a small wooden club, and a ball-peen hammer were found neatly piled under a tree on the old Belyeu property near the bridge. The property was located adjacent to what became Niagara Wires. After this discovery, an intense search was mounted for Lanier and McCullough. One witness reported seeing two Caucasian men in the area where the car was found, but this sighting has not been confirmed.
Many of the witnesses in the Lanier/McCullough disappearances have died since 1973, and much of the evidence has been misplaced. Investigators believe McCullough was hauling sugar for moonshire bootleggers in the area in 1973. He allegedly got into an argument with a moonshiner and threatened to tell the police about his activities; the moonshiner threatened to kill McCullough if he did. The moonshiner's still was raided April 27, 1973 and McCullough and Lanier disappeared the following day. None of this information has been confirmed and it has not been established that it was connected to the disappearances.
Foul play is suspected in McCullough and Lanier's cases; authorities are investigating their cases as homicides. Their cases remain unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Gadsden County Sheriff's Department
850-627-9233