MA MA - Leigh Savoie, 10, Revere, 7 April 1974

[TrueCrimeAuthor11b]

Jumping in because I love research.

It's incredibly unclear writing, but it appears that Paskell's girlfriend was Leigh's mother. At least that's how I read what appears to be his obit.

You are absolutely correct

 

[CJSavoie]

Leigh Savoie, Revere
Missing since April 7, 1974 at age 10. Photo on right is age-progressed to approximate his appearance at age 50.

Faces of the missing: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cases involving Massachusetts children and teens

This case still hasn’t been solved, but I don’t believe it’s just because the file was lost by the police for awhile. There are a lot of details that have been left out that had they been revealed at the time of his disappearance, they would have probably found him right away. The first thing that I will say is that if he is still alive and someone is looking at his age progression photos, they won’t recognize him by them. At the time of his disappearance, he looked identical to his brothers. They do no look anything like his age progression photos now. His brothers look just like their father did, and now his nephews and great nephews all look alike as well. The age progression photos should be redone to know what he would actually look like at this point if it’s going to continue to be left as a missing persons case.
As for other details, there was a lot of circumstances that happened prior to his disappearance that should have been looked into to relook at suspects, primarily possibly family members, not strangers as the suspects.
And yes, my last name is the same as his because I’m married to one of his nephews.

 

[carolann0308]

Has your family researched this on their own? If people know something they should call a detective and discuss. Far too many unsolved mysteries are just secrets awaiting to be told. Chances are whoever did this, did it again.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Still missing:

Missing kids in Massachusetts

 

[TSL7584]

48 years missing

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Words are failing me today on this case. Too much tragic about it.

 

[Diane Redfern]

Here there's a very interesting (and sad) incident that may be linked to Leigh's disappearance:
Investigators believe it’s possible Leigh’s disappearance is connected to a sexual assault case that occurred later in the year of Leigh’s disappearance. In September of 1974, 9 year old Cliff Pisano was accompanied by three friends as he sold used racing programs near the T-shop. Pisano and his friends were approached by a man in a white car who asked if one of them could clean his car for $10.

Pisano ended up going with him and the man reportedly took him to a remote area that looked over Logan Airport. He remembers the man dragging him on the rocks. Pisano was sexually assaulted, beaten, and eventually left for dead. Pisano survived his attack was found the next day by a man. Pisano was seriously injured and spent 5 weeks in a coma fighting for his life.

He got out of the hospital a few months after the attack. Pisano’s assailant was eventually apprehended and charged with the crime. Pisano testified against the man who was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to prison time for it. Pisano says he wasn’t even aware the Leigh had disappeared that same year. There wasn’t much media exposure to his case at the time.

Investigators in Leigh’s case are aware of the attack on Pisano and the man who was eventually arrested for the crime. It’s unclear whether the individual is a suspect in Leigh’s abduction or not. Investigators have stated they haven’t ruled out foul play or anything else in Leigh’s disappearance.
Source: Leigh Frances Savoie

 

[BrownBear]

Adding NamUs link

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[jgfitzge]

It looks like the user by the name of CJLavoie joined for one day on 12/21/21 and posted comments mentioning LE should look closer at family members on this case. They mentioned they were married to a nephew. That seems to be the only message ever posted in Websleuths. I am not sure if anything occurred personally inhibiting subsequent postings. However, if you read this please check back in as a few users did pose questions to you. On the other hand, I have seen this occurring in other threads where somebody will join one day post something, say they are a friend or family member with information then for whatever reason never follow up. I am not sure of the motivation in those cases.

 

[ifindedout]

May or may not be significant, but later that year, a few miles up Route 1A in Swampscott, Henry Bedard would be found murdered:

Found Deceased - MA - Henry Bedard, 15, found murdered, Swampscott, 16 Dec 1974

Henry Bedard was 15 years old in December 1974 when he was found murdered just off a main road, up on a rocky ridge, in Swampscott, MA. It was a spot kids gathered at during warmer months. It was not on his route home. He had left school for the day, had done several errands in town, was...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Sneaker33]

Sure, I have been researching a book for a year plus on missing boys in the 1970s and I cannot draw any parallel between bar jonah and Savoie. Bar Jonah was gay. He was a predator who preyed on boys only. He didnt date, was never married. Bar Jonah considered himself best friends with Wayne Chapman who admitted to raping 100+ boys in New York, Rhode island and Massachusetts. He set one on fire and was convicted in 1977. He was the main suspect in the disappearance of Andy Puglisi. Bar Jonah and Chapman operated together. Did time together, etc. The third one was Charles Pierce, who was also locked up with Bar Jonah and Chapman. He was a carnival worker who killed a young girl in Massachusetts and is a major suspect of mine in a murder in Chicago. Pierce died in '99 Chapman is out and still alive living in a nursing home in CT.

I just was reading up on Bar Jonah and he has been listed as bisexual and deceased. He had a girlfriend named Pam ( not inserting last name) to whom he had a broken engagement.

I was also confused over the wording on the article because it sounded like Mr. Paskell was saying Leigh's mother (his girlfriend) previously dated Bar Jonah. This seems incorrect as Bar-Jonah is listed with a birth year of 1957 making him 6 years older than Leigh although not impossible.

Very sad case. I believe the Savoies were married and living together with several other children in 1974 at the time of Leigh's disappearance.


One MA child serial killer was listed as a carnival worker. Does anyone know if there were any carnivals going on in the area at the time? I do not know if the amusement rides were still in operation at nearby Revere Beach and who may have worked there.

 

[spartanx]

I have the impression that he went with someone he trusted, maybe he offered him some money for a small job... he was a good kid collecting money... maybe the illusion of money faster led him to leave behind his shoeshine kit... Although it seems to me that a 10-year-old child alone on the street is not good at all... Americans are very trusting or they don't really love their children... they always get lost or kidnapped due to some carelessness of their parents...
wherever you are little one
rest in peace

 

[CJSavoie]

It looks like the user by the name of CJLavoie joined for one day on 12/21/21 and posted comments mentioning LE should look closer at family members on this case. They mentioned they were married to a nephew. That seems to be the only message ever posted in Websleuths. I am not sure if anything occurred personally inhibiting subsequent postings. However, if you read this please check back in as a few users did pose questions to you. On the other hand, I have seen this occurring in other threads where somebody will join one day post something, say they are a friend or family member with information then for whatever reason never follow up. I am not sure of the motivation in those cases.

I'm sorry that I never followed up with any additional posts after my first one, as life has the ability to get in the way. As for talking to the police about additional information, the case has been in the cold case file for awhile and only gets pulled back out when it's handed to new cops for a short while. I will say that we (my husband and I) are the only family members still trying to actively help solve this case.

 

[CJSavoie]

I just was reading up on Bar Jonah and he has been listed as bisexual and deceased. He had a girlfriend named Pam ( not inserting last name) to whom he had a broken engagement.

I was also confused over the wording on the article because it sounded like Mr. Paskell was saying Leigh's mother (his girlfriend) previously dated Bar Jonah. This seems incorrect as Bar-Jonah is listed with a birth year of 1957 making him 6 years older than Leigh although not impossible.

Very sad case. I believe the Savoies were married and living together with several other children in 1974 at the time of Leigh's disappearance.


One MA child serial killer was listed as a carnival worker. Does anyone know if there were any carnivals going on in the area at the time? I do not know if the amusement rides were still in operation at nearby Revere Beach and who may have worked there.

Mr and Mrs Savoie were married at the time but not living together. They did have several other children. They stayed legally married until Mr Savoie passed away in 2016, though they hadn't live together since 1971 and were considered separated and estranged.
They didn't chose to share that information about their marriage issues with the police when Leigh disappeared, though they both blamed the other one and held resentment to the point of the other children not talking to their father ever again after the disappearance. None of Mr Savoie's children or grandchildren were listed in his obituary and they weren't informed of his death until after his services were over.