MD MD - Upper Marlboro, WhtMale 15-20, UP4833, initials 'ELT' on jacket, Dec'73

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astridxx said:
Richard, the cops probably tried to contact people at CYF back in 1973 when they found this kid's body, right?
Click to expand...

you'd hope they would have contacted the CYF but you never know. juvenile records are notoriously sealed but you'd think if a kid escaped and then a kid was found dead nearby someone would put 2 and 2 together.

you'd think.

ETA - unless of course the facility wanted to deny that kids were escaping and whitewashed it.
 
webrocket said:
you'd hope they would have contacted the CYF but you never know. juvenile records are notoriously sealed but you'd think if a kid escaped and then a kid was found dead nearby someone would put 2 and 2 together.

you'd think.

ETA - unless of course the facility wanted to deny that kids were escaping and whitewashed it.
Click to expand...

Then I wonder how we could figure that out.. :/
 
The way things are TODAY, if a boy leaves CYF without being properly released, the County Police would be notified immediately.

It is hard to say what the situation was back in 1973 regarding kids running away from Boys Village. AND it would be hard to say what police would do even if they were notified right away. They might not have looked very hard and even when a dead boy is found, might not link him to the Boys Village Cheltenham (now called Cheltenham Youth Facility or CYF).

It is possible that IF the boy was at Boys Village, he might have been placed there afer being picked up for some infraction or crime and might not even have his real name. If he was picked up with no Identification, no known relatives in the area, etc,- and he could have given a false name. He would be kept there until an adult parent or guardian could be located.

IF he were to have run away, Boys Village might not have had much information to report. And if police were to have gone to Boys Village with photos of the dead boy, it is possible that the people they showed the photos to had not actually seen him.
 
I'm gonna go on and email the contact listed for CYF. I'll share what I can dig up.
 
35a0xae.jpg



This seals the deal on the CYF theory for me.
 
Richard said:
The way things are TODAY, if a boy leaves CYF without being properly released, the County Police would be notified immediately.

It is hard to say what the situation was back in 1973 regarding kids running away from Boys Village. AND it would be hard to say what police would do even if they were notified right away. They might not have looked very hard and even when a dead boy is found, might not link him to the Boys Village Cheltenham (now called Cheltenham Youth Facility or CYF).

It is possible that IF the boy was at Boys Village, he might have been placed there afer being picked up for some infraction or crime and might not even have his real name. If he was picked up with no Identification, no known relatives in the area, etc,- and he could have given a false name. He would be kept there until an adult parent or guardian could be located.

IF he were to have run away, Boys Village might not have had much information to report. And if police were to have gone to Boys Village with photos of the dead boy, it is possible that the people they showed the photos to had not actually seen him.
Click to expand...

Do you know -- would this facility have been only for Maryland residents, or would a runaway from another state who got in trouble have been placed there, for instance while waiting for a parental unit to come pick him up?
 
carbuff said:
Do you know -- would this facility have been only for Maryland residents, or would a runaway from another state who got in trouble have been placed there, for instance while waiting for a parental unit to come pick him up?
Click to expand...


The Cheltenham Youth Facility (CYF) was called Boys Village in Cheltenham back when this young boy was found a few miles to the east of it.

Most of the boys (18 and under) are Maryland residents and they are held there temporarily while awaiting court appearances for various crimes.

Sometimes boys who have run away from another state, who get into some sort of trouble in Maryland, are also held there for a short period awaiting transportation back to their home state, or parents' state.
 
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washing...rries+Its+Pr.+George's+Neighbors&pqatl=google


Lax Security at Maryland Youth Facility Worries Its Pr. George's Neighbors
[FINAL Edition]
The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext) - Washington, D.C.
Author: Eugene L. Meyer
Date: Sep 23, 1989
Start Page: b.01
Section: METRO
Text Word Count: 863
In the parlance of the Maryland juvenile justice system, youths at Boys Village are "residents" rather than "inmates." But when they escape, it's all the same to anxious neighbors in the rural environs of southern Prince George's County whose only warnings are the sound of helicopters and the glare of spotlights.

Behind the escapes also lies a shift in the philosophy of handling accused juvenile offenders. Harry W. Langmead, deputy director for direct care services, said the department had abandoned "oppressive and repressive" methods-including putting difficult youths in cages-for a more open, humane approach. "In that shift, the security breach occurs," he said.

To bolster Boys Village security, state legislators pushed through a $493,000 supplemental appropriation this year. It will be used for stainless steel screens on windows; "sally ports," or wire mesh corridors, between cottage doors; a security bus; and a special vehicle to take food to cottages. A proposed $1.2 million fence around the entire complex was deemed too costly. As part of an internal shake-up, the two top administrators at Boys Village were replaced. Overseeing the facility now are Charles S. Paraskevaides, director of juvenile detention services, and Philip L. Colbert, a well-regarded administrator who formerly ran a state detention facility in Laurel.
 
S/w the current head of CYF who directed me to the past head of BV in the 70s. He got back to me and said he didn't recall of any such incidents but with the youth's name DJS or the facility could advise.

.... hey bro, I don't HAVE his name. *head desk* (and yes, I said he was unidentified)


You know, I wonder.... maybe he was just recently let out of CYF.... and decided to walk home or wherever...

No one knows a cause of death, do they?




EDIT: (sorry I'm all over the place).... I just spoke with the case manager who will pull the file and let me know what she can/ She said the general public isn't allowed to know the cause of death (I think), so no luck with that.
 
SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER PSYCHED. Just spoke with ME who said he died of pneumonia and he was a suspected drug abuser (the track marks or puncture wounds in arms).

I'm going to contact some news outlets to ask if they'd like to feature this story to maybe get in new tips -- they didn't run pictures in the paper or on the news back in the day.


This just in from ex-head of BV --- the kids there were allowed to wear street clothes at the time. When I mentioned the BV theory to the ME she said "yeah but I doubt they'd just let them walk out the door."
 
This is one of those cases that I feel like we'll never solve. No one in NAMUS matches him, no one in NCMEC matches him. I don't think they kept good databases of runaways or street kids in the 70s. *sigh* It's almost hopeless. I want to believe he had a family that cared about him and he just got caught up in the wrong crowd...
 
The area where he was found was - and still is - a very remote location. It is wooded and there were no houses or buildings near it.

If he was from the immediate area, he could have been at home, or at the home of a friend, rather that in this place. December is not a good time to be walking around in thin clothing. Sleeping outside would be out of the question if there was any alternative available to him.

It sounds like he could very well have left the Boys Village with the clothes on his back, and started walking in the direction of the nearest road to hitch a ride somewhere. Route 4 turns into Pennsylvania Ave further north and runs right into Washington DC (right past the White House).

Route 4 headed north, connects to the Washington Beltway and from there he could have gone west to Virginia, or east to Annapolis, or north to Baltimore. But instead, he is laying in the woods with pneumonia. Perhaps he did not arrive at this junction untill very late at night and there were no cars traveling by to pick him up. He was tired and sick and went into the woods to sleep until morning....?

If he actually was from the area, he would have known that the County Seat of Prince Georges County, MD - Upper Marlboro - was only about a mile or two east of the place he was found. So, either he actually was a stranger in the area and did not realize how close he was to town and possible shelter - Or he was intentionally avoiding the town. Either explanation could indicate that he had recently (probably the same day) run away from Boys Village.

Could he have been hiding in the woods because police cars and helicopters were looking for him?
 
The only problem with the BV explanation is the head of BV in the 1970s has stated that he recalls no such incident and he would have remembered.

Although, I do like the "maybe he just left BV to go home" explanation.


side note: if anyone of the genealogy specialists here would like to give me pointers on how to search by first initials of first. middle and last names only please let me know. I'll be more than happy to scour the databases for men with ELT initials born to women in Maryland in 1953-1958
 
Going back over the information we have: Shalom is the name of a rather well-known rehab center in Miami. I don't know whether it was around yet in 1973. I kind of think so. With indications of drug abuse, that might be a worthwhile path of research.

If he was hitching rides from a warmer climate, with inadequate clothing, that would be a good way to get pneumonia. Trying to get home before Christmas, maybe? That makes me think if he was reported missing at all, it could be at least a couple of years earlier. I'm going to look at younger kids missing from the northeast...not that there's a lot to go on.

This kid just makes me want to cry...
 
It would be nice to know just how many boys entered Boys Village each year, how many ran away, how many were re-apprehended, and how many were simply unaccounted for.

The former director of Boys Village probably WOULD remember if one of the boys ran away and was immediately found dead near the facility. But, does he remember each and every runaway situation and each boy who left there and just disappeared?

Boys Village was and is a place where kids come and go daily. Some are there only a day or two, while others are there for a few months. I think it quite possible that one boy could have fallen through the cracks back in 1973.

Here is a possible scenario: A boy is picked up as a homeless person, possibly for drug possession, or suspected theft. He gives a false name and is put into Boys Village on a weekend when the "B" team is working. A day or two later, he "escapes" by running away and dies of pneumonia, complicated by exposure to cold and wet conditions. All that is left of him at Boys Village is an entry of a false name in a log book. No parents or relatives have even been notified of his location and so they do not report him missing in the area, and do not see any posters distributed locally.
 
I have had no luck with ex-director. If anyone wants to try him, PM me and I will gladly give you his email address.
 
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