One thing that seems off to me,
Charlie Project says, "a neighbor reported Jimmy's disappearance to police, after his parents spent all day searching for him." Wouldn't the parents be the ones to call the police with the initial report?
The case, according to Charlie Project, was active in 1998 with the family taking and passing polygraph tests. That seems a long time to take a polygraph test! Did anyone in the family take a previous polygraph test? What were the results? I am not placing any blame on the family, just observations related to this sad case.
Satch
Here are some things that are known and others that are contradictory:
JAMES HOWELL
DETAILS
When Debra went into the house for the hammer and nails, to help her brother build a birdhouse. She had no idea it would be the last time she would ever see her brother Jimmy.
There have been conflicting reports as to what happened that day.
From, the parents being home, when it happened, to them not being home.
Jimmy being chased away from a nearby field by an unknown man.
His stepfather said he had seen Jimmy with a neighborhood boy a short time later.
A woman from the neighborhood reported seeing Jimmy walking across a field with a gray pigeon under his arm.
His third grade teacher said,"It is not like James, something has either happened to him, or someone is encouraging him to stay away."
There were several searches, including mounted patrol, surrounding area police departments, Boy scout troups. A trip to Missouri, to check out relatives there. Also Des Moines, Iowa, where James was to visit his brother the day after his disappearance.
The FBI, were also contacted, as well as a possible helicopter search. No further reports were available about either of those.
In 1998 the police were able to clear family members of any involvement through polygraph examinations.
His sister Debra Flynn, 41 at the time of the article, told the Daily Gazette, the police were not helpful at the time. She said it took them a week before they actually got involved. Yet in the articles I have from the paper, the dates imply that they were working the case.
I, personally do not understand why it took until June 5th to make the front page of our paper. If I have my information wrong, I apologize. But I do not think so.
Debra had also contacted Unsolved Mysteries, but nothing came from her effort.
An odd thing happened shortly after James went missing, his dog came up missing as well. The dog would follow James to school and wait in the school yard until he came out.
About a year later, Debra spoke of a dark colored car, with dark windows, they pulled up near her and a friend. It started to follow them. It left when Debra's mother yelled for them. The car was never found.
In 1975 Debra was married, and had a different last name. Living in another part of town, and no phone. A neighbor send he had gotten a call from her brother. The man said he would be in town around 3:00. But he never came. Debra had asked both Steve and John, if they had called. They said they hadn't.
Taken from:
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t7419.htm
Satch
PS. This is also in one of the links above, but I thought it might be easier for us to see it posted here directly.