VT VT - Russell Bovit, 30, Walden, 6 May 1986 *merged*

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Russ Bovit
Missing since May 6, 1986 from Walden, Caledonia County, Vermont.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: September 24, 1955
Age at Time of Disappearance: 30 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'0; 160 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Bleeding warts on both hands, scar from surgical procedure for removal of polytoid cyst at base of spine.
Clothing: Casual dresser: jeans or work-clothes. No known ID or jewelery on person.
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance
Bovit was last seen on his dairy farm in Walden, Vermont on May 6, 1986. His car, a light blue 1974 Renault, was spotted a day later, stuck in some mud about four miles away from The Last Resort Farm where he lived on a back road leading to Cole's Pond near the Walden-Danville town line. People living in the area near where the car was left abandoned did not report it to police immediately because they thought it had been left by a drunken driver. When they realized no one was coming to retrieve the Renault, they called police. Blood was found on the passenger side of the car as well as in the trunk. However, there wasn't any sign of Russ.

Blood also was found on his mattress, which had been flipped to hide the stains. The blood matched the blood found in the car.

The last time Russ was seen by anyone was about 9 p.m. on May 6, 1986 when he was watching television at home. Deborah Dawson and Randolph Wilson were the last to see Russ at the farmhouse that night. Earlier that day, he had been seen at Lyndon State College where he was a part-time student. Russ had scheduled an appointment for 8 a.m. for the following morning with a real estate agent to talk about purchasing a condominium in Stowe. He never made it. Police were notified on May 11, 1986 that Russ had disappeared.

The night he disappeared, he left behind his wallet, credit cards, belongings, clothing and a large sum of money. That's why police believe robbery was not the intention and that Russ met with foul play. Private detectives, hired by Russ' parents, determined Russ had been murdered by a man who died three months after Russ disappeared.

In addition to hiring private detectives, the Bovits even went so far as to hire out a two-man submersible from Elmira, N.Y. to search lake Willoughby because of a tip that Russ's body had been placed in a U-haul trailer and deposited into the lake. Nothing was found.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Vermont State Police Troop B Criminal Division 802-748-3111

NCIC Number: M-197911888
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Vermont State Police
ID-Wanted.org
The Caledonian-Record News
Burlington Free Press - 10/30/05
The Doe Network: Case File 375DMVT

Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/375dmvt.html
 
Garth Drew Out Of Prison Again
BY ELLEN CRONIN Staff Writer
The Caledonian Record
Thursday August 23, 2001
ST. JOHNSBURY VERMONT ... Two months to the day after he attacked a motorist here, the Vermont Department of Corrections released murderer Garth Drew from prison.

It is not the first time Drew, who as a teen-ager shot another teen over an alleged drug dispute, has gotten furlough.

Nor was this summer the first time he got into trouble while out on release. He robbed a judge while he was on furlough two years ago.

On Tuesday, Drew was released from the prison in Newport and taken to the Vermont Department of Corrections field office in St. Johnsbury. It is not known whether authorities immediately let him return to his apartment on Drouin Street.

A call Wednesday from The Caledonian-Record seeking information from Richard Turner, director of the corrections department, was not returned.

Drew, 32, remains under a sentence of 15 to 30 years for the 1986 murder of James Parker of Danville.

Drew, who started his adult criminal career at age 14 with an armed robbery, graduated to murder at age 17. He shot Parker over a supposed dispute involving $600 worth of marijuana.

Plus, Drew's name has been linked to the disappearance of Russ Bovit, a 31-year-old Walden man who vanished under violent circumstances a few months before the Parker murder.

As part of his plea deal, Drew told authorities Bovit's body was in Lake Willoughby. Authorities took the tip seriously enough to bring in divers and high-tech sonar equipment. But no body was found.

Drew -- who has been denied parole -- was released by corrections officials in the late 1990s -- and he soon committed a new felony.

Rita Villa, a judge who presently heads the state's traffic court system, gave him a place to stay at her Burlington home. He was there about 18 months before moving back to the St. Johnsbury area, where he was from originally.

The day he moved out, he stole a $7,500 silverware set from the judge, pawning it for $700. Burlington police caught him. In 1999, he was sentenced to another five years.

But again, corrections officials soon gave him furlough rather than keeping him in prison. Drew returned to St. Johnsbury and settled on Drouin Street.

On June 21, he went after a stranger, James Lang, 23, who had driven on his (Drew's) street. Lang told police Drew physically attacked him.

Drew got 60 days in jail for disorderly conduct -- a sentence that technically was added to the end of his murder sentence and the theft sentence involving the silverware.

Two months after the sentence started, he again got furloughed. ...

Link:
http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/f1703f624
 
They Believe He Was Murdered: Parents Still Grieving Over Son Who Disappeared 18 Years Ago

BY GARY E. LINDSLEY,
Staff Writer, The Caledonian Record
Saturday May 22, 2004
WALDEN VERMONT
His note pad yellowed with age, Robert Bovit at times didn't even have to flip through the pages to talk about May 6, 1986, and what has happened since. He knows it all by heart.

Bovit has kept copious notes about that date and what may have happened because that is the day his son, Russ, disappeared.

He and his wife, Carolyn, who live in Ridgewood, N.J., were in St. Johnsbury Thursday for the first time in six years.

With tears welling up in her eyes, her voice quivering at times, Carolyn and Robert told how much it hurt to come back to Vermont and specifically, the Walden area.

The Bovits believe Russ was murdered the night of May 6, 1986.

His car, a light blue 1974 Renault, was spotted a day later, stuck in some mud about four miles away from The Last Resort Farm where he lived on a back road leading to Cole's Pond near the Walden-Danville town line.

However, people living in the area near where the car was left abandoned did not report it to police immediately because they thought it had been left by a drunken driver.

When they realized no one was coming to retrieve the Renault, they called police.

Blood was found on the passenger side of the car as well as in the trunk. However, there wasn't any sign of Russ.

Blood also was found on his mattress, which had been flipped to hide the stains. The blood matched the blood found in the car.

Lt. Leo Bachand, the Vermont State Police Troop B Criminal Division commander, said there have been some leads over the years. The last, he believes, was about four or five years ago.

Bachand said none of the leads have proved to be helpful to the investigation.

"It's an open criminal investigation," he said.

"Any lead that comes in, we follow up on it. We hope to bring (the case) to a conclusion."

The last time Russ was seen by anyone was about 9 p.m. May 6 when he was watching television at home. He was 30 at the time of his disappearance.

Deborah Dawson and Randolph Wilson were the last to see Russ at the farmhouse that night.

Earlier that day, he had been seen at Lyndon State College where he was a part-time student.

Russ had scheduled an appointment for 8 a.m. May 7 with a real estate agent to talk about purchasing a condominium in Stowe, according to Carolyn Bovit.

He never made it.

Police were notified May 11 Russ had disappeared.

Dawson and Russ became romantically involved around 1975. At the time, she owned the Last Resort Farm.

In 1979, the couple broke up and Russ developed a romance with Judy Lieberman, who moved to the farm to live with him.

Dawson sold the farm to Russ in 1979, keeping a piece for herself. She lived at the cottage and continued to work the farm.

In 1985, Russ and Lieberman broke up and she moved out. That same year, Wilson and Dawson became involved with one another and he moved in with her at the cottage.

In February 1986, Russ sold the farm back to Dawson with the stipulation he could remain at the farm unto May 18.

He disappeared 12 days before he was supposed to leave the farm.

The Bovits, frustrated with a lack of any headway by state police, hired private detectives to investigate their son's disappearance.

The night he disappeared, he left behind his wallet, credit cards, belongings, clothing and a large sum of money.

That's why police believe robbery was not the intention and that Russ met with foul play.

The private detectives, according to the Bovits, determined Russ had been murdered by a man who died three months after Russ disappeared.

In addition to hiring private detectives, the Bovits even went so far as to hire out a two-man submersible from Elmira, N.Y. to search lake Willoughby because of a tip that Russ's body had been placed in a U-haul trailer and deposited into the lake.

Nothing was found. A total of $60,000 was offered by the Bovits. No one came forward. That's why Robert Bovit believes the person responsible for his son's death is dead.

"We think this man killed our son," he said. "The question is why? There may have been some marijuana. They must have been growing some on the farm."

Robert Bovit said he had spoken to Dawson after Russ' disappearance.

"She was scared," he said. "I understand why she was nervous now."

The Bovits don't make frequent trips to Vermont. They find the trips to painful because there hasn't been any closure.

"We are up here to be close," Carolyn said.

The Last Resort Farm was renamed the Caledonian Farm. It carries that name to this day.

Dawson and Wilson could not be reached for comment. ...

Link:
http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/c9877664b
 
Vanished, Part 1


Walden, Vermont - April 30, 2008
Spring has returned to this Walden farm-- just like it has every year since the previous owner vanished 22 years ago.
"He was a cow man and he was into his land, and he was a fine farmer from what I heard," says Dwayne Langmaid.

8251843_BG1.jpg


http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8251843
 
Status Missing
First name Russell
Middle name
Last name Bovit
Nickname/Alias Russ
Date last seen May 11, 1986 00:00
Date entered 05/19/2009
Age last seen 30 to 31 years old
Age now 58 years old
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Male
Height (inches) 71.0 to 73.0
Weight (pounds) 155.0 to 165.0

Dental Status: Dental information / charting is available and will be entered later
DNA Status: Sample is currently not available
Fingerprint Information Status: Fingerprint information is currently not available

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/2031/4

Using May 11 as LKA , Russell has been missing 28 years today.
 
Missing Person
Russell Bovit
11 May 1986

31 year-old male
Walden, VT
Vermont State Police
View Russell Bovit on NamUs

Bovit.JPG


Russell “Russ” Bovit was reported missing by friends after not showing up to a scheduled appointment to purchase property on May 11, 1986. Russ was last seen by two friends on his dairy farm in Walden, VT—Last Resort Farm—on the evening of May 6, 1986 and was not reported missing until May, 11.

Russ’s vehicle, a light blue 1974 Renault was found stuck in the mud 4 miles from his residence, and it did not appear that an effort was made to remove it. Blood was located in the trunk and passenger side of the car , as well as on Russ’ mattress, tests determined that the blood was from the same person.

A convicted murderer, Garth Drew, told investigator’s that Bovits body was placed in a U-Haul trailer and dumped in Lake Willoughby. Investigators searched the Lake but did not find any evidence to this. It was believed that Russ was murdered, but robbery was not a factor. Russ’ parents hired private investigators and it is believed that he was murdered by a man that died three months later and that drugs were involved. It should be noted that Russ reportedly did not use drugs or drink alcohol.

If you have any information on this, or any other missing person, please contact Lieutenant Kirk Cooper.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit, or by clicking the Tip Submit image, or by texting keyword VTIPS to 274637 (CRIMES).
 
The moment is interesting. Sell your share of a great property and a week later disappear from the planet? That is so weird...
You could put your own blood on your car and on your mattress to fake your own death... but why leave a large sum of money?
All sources simply say "a large amount of money." The authorities could be withholding the exact amount to verify the legitimacy of the informants.

If I were faking my own death, I'd take the money and trust that the blood in my car and on my mattress would be suspicious enough...
either way
rest in peace
 

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