MN MN - Jackie Theel, 6, Paynesville, 5 Sept 1944

[Gary L. Theel]

As you all know, I have been in contact with the editor of the Paynesville Press. It seems someone is smiling down on me :dance: , because he has sent me any and every newspaper article that has had Jackies name printed in it, to include my Grandparents obituaries. Much to my delight, not only did it have the names of the investigating agencies and the persons in charge of the investgations from the individual agencies. It also has the names of the two mysterious "boys" who seen him gitting into the "lite grey colored car". I have not had the opportunity to follow up on them yet, but as I understand it, AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE!!!! :woohoo: . I'm trying very hard not to get too exited about this glimmer of hope, but it is difficult when this seems to be the first ray of light that has been shed on this case since my search began. AS ALWAYS, Thank You All for the help and encouragement you have offered to me in my journey and search for answers. Keep the suggestions coming. All leads are followed up on. :clap:

 

[Richard]

As you all know, I have been in contact with the editor of the Paynesville Press. It seems someone is smiling down on me :dance: , because he has sent me any and every newspaper article that has had Jackies name printed in it, to include my Grandparents obituaries. Much to my delight, not only did it have the names of the investigating agencies and the persons in charge of the investgations from the individual agencies. It also has the names of the two mysterious "boys" who seen him gitting into the "lite grey colored car". I have not had the opportunity to follow up on them yet, but as I understand it, AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE!!!! :woohoo: . I'm trying very hard not to get too exited about this glimmer of hope, but it is difficult when this seems to be the first ray of light that has been shed on this case since my search began. AS ALWAYS, Thank You All for the help and encouragement you have offered to me in my journey and search for answers. Keep the suggestions coming. All leads are followed up on. :clap:

Gary,
Sounds like you have some very good paths to search now. Please keep us posted, and let us know if we can help in any way.

 

[nicbok]

Just bumping this up to see if there's any updates from Gary?

 

[kimberdawn]

Just wanted to say I am keeping Jackie's family in my thoughts and prayers- hopeing they find much needed answers to this long ( too long) mystery.

 

[Richard]

With schools starting up again, remember Little Jackie Theel who disappeared on his first day of school 5 September 1944.

 

[camracrazy]

Has anyone researched the Jackie Theel at this address:
Jackie Theel
58 Elm Blvd
Babbitt, MN 55706-1214
Tel.: (218) 827-3211

Wouldn't that be something if he had remained in MN all this time?

Also, since he may have been seen getting off a Navy ship, maybe someone could try and get his naval records?

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq19-1.htm

From that site:
"Through the Freedom of Information Act, the public has access to certain military service information without the authorization of the veteran, or the next-of-kin of deceased veterans. Examples of information which may be available from official military personnel files without an unwarranted invasion of privacy include: name, service number, rank, dates of service, awards and decorations and place of entrance and separation. If the veteran is deceased the following may also be available: place of birth, date and geographical location of death and place of burial."

 

[emma l]

Good sleuthing camracrazy! I'm pretty sure no-one has researched that Jackie and I see theres a phone no there, but what would you say?!!!!!

I did notice that Gary Theel has posted here- (Jackies nephew) and that he had a lead in that he managed to find out that at least 1 of the witnesses who claims he saw Jackie getting into a car is still alive. I wonder if theres any news on this?

 

[mysteriew]

Have you tried contacting the area newspapers and asking them to run a memorial article? Many of the people who would have been adults back then, who may know something will be in the end stage of their lives now. If they ever knew something or had suspicions of someone, they may be more willing to step forward now, if they are reminded of the circumstances, if they know family is still searching.

 

[camracrazy]

Snipped:
The map in the story refers to the railroad north of Paynesville as the "Soo Line". While this is now the official name of that railroad, back in 1940 it was the line's popular nickname. The official name in 1940 was "Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Sault (pronounced Soo) Saint Marie". It would be interesting to see what the train schedule was like for that line back on 5 September, 1940. Quite possibly it had regular stops that were published in the newspapers.

Here is the website for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society: http://www.sooline.org/home.html

If you click on "Contacts" it tells you how to place an ad in the Soo quarterly magazine. It could be that someone reading the magazine could have an old train schedule. Or, you could join the mailing list at:
SooLineHistory-subscribe@egroups.com

Maybe someone on that list could help.

 

[Richard]

Here is the website for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society: http://www.sooline.org/home.html

If you click on "Contacts" it tells you how to place an ad in the Soo quarterly magazine. It could be that someone reading the magazine could have an old train schedule. Or, you could join the mailing list at:
SooLineHistory-subscribe@egroups.com

Maybe someone on that list could help.

I think that these links might prove useful in this very old and intriguing case. Of course, there are many possibilities and theories concerning what happened to Jackie on 5 September 1944, but when all things are considered, it is a very likely possibility that he was abducted.

A very thorough search was made for Jackie, and 61 years have now passed, during which Jackie's body could have been found, if he had died in Paynesville. That Jackie, a boy of five years old, might have had run away, kept his own name, joined the Navy, and lived to an old age, although an interesting theory, is probably not too likely.

Two more likely scenarios would be that Jackie was either abducted by someone driving by/through Paynesville in a vehicle, or that he walked to the train station and was abducted by person or persons riding the rails.

Gasoline, oil, and tires were under strict rationing in 1944, and driving of motor vehicles was at a minimum. IF a person or family owned a car in 1944, it was probably only one, unlike today, where a family owns an average of three or four vehicles. This should be considered when trying to envision a possible auto abduction theory.

Rail travel, especially by hobos and migrants, was a normal reality in Minnesota in 1944. September is the start of the harvest season, and many farmers' sons were serving in the armed forces. Migrant workers were in abundance, looking for farm work. Many of the small towns in Minnesota were "Railroad towns" which sprung up along the train lines, and every town had a place where these migrants congregated, camped, and sought work.

I feel that, although Jackie had walked away from school in the wrong direction, he soon realized his error when he came to the big highway. At that point, he could have walked back to school, or seeing where he was, walked in the direction of the railroad, which ran right by his home. Dogs later did pick up his scent near the Creamery (near the train station) and tracked him West, along the railroad tracks where they lost his scent.

 

[docwho3]

I realize this is probably not a match (due to it being in the late 1950's) but its late & I feel like sharing so even if this isn't a match I hope its still interesting for someone.

When researching something else I ran into a story about 'the boy in the box' murder victem. He was thought to be only about 4 to 8 years old but 'could have been older' because he was so malnourished at time of death.
I had closed the window with the webpage when my tired brain suddenly connected 2 things:
1.One of the last allegedly confirmed tips was that the boy had been sold to a couple and then been murdered & that another child who was allegedly there when the murder took place said the boys name was Jonathan,

Someone with access to sensitive information about the case leaked to the media that the men had traveled to Ohio for an interview with a witness and returned with a name for the boy - Jonathan.
The Times has confirmed through sources that those reports were accurate, as was the rest of the story that the boy had been sold to a wealthy Main Line couple and was killed by a so-called “caregiver” who slammed him into a bathroom floor after he had vomited.
The alleged killer died in or about 1985. Her husband had preceded her in death. The witness in Ohio was a child living in the Main Line home at the time of the boy’s killing. She called Philadelphia police on Feb. 25, 45 years to the day after the discovery of the boy.

http://www.northeasttimes.com/2002/0731/boy.html

Jonathon isn't a far name from 'John',

2.and I think one of the webpages described the boy as :
'To anyone who lived in the Philadelphia area in the 1950s, the widely-distributed post-mortem photo of the blonde-haired boy is "a picture that is indelibly emblazoned in our memory," Avery said'
http://www.vidocq.org/northeast/boybox.html

And this pic of Victor John Theel looks like light colored hair to me
http://www.charleyproject.org/images/t/theel_victor.jpg

More articles here but scroll down to find them
http://www.iper1.com/iper1-odp/scat/id/Society/Crime/Murder/Boy_in_the_Box

I know, I know, time for me to rest . ..yawwwwwn.

 

[Paradise]

The picture of the boy in the box will haunt me forever. I just find the way he looks in the pictures where they have him "posed" so chilling. Here's some more info on the boy in the box...I think this is an interesting thought that he might be Jackie Theel.

WS Thread:
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21461&highlight=Boy+Box

America's Unknown Child:
http://americasunknownchild.net/default.htm

CourtTV Story:
http://www.courttv.com/news/hiddentraces/boyinthebox/boyinthebox_page1.html

Full site devoted to the case, it has some great newspaper articles:
http://boyinthebox.bravehost.com/

Bust of what the boy's father possibly looked like:
http://www.fallenwall.org/bitb2.html

 

[joellegirl]

Jackie Theel was born on Feb 15, 1938 and was six years old when he vanished in 1944.. The boy in the box was found in February 1957, when Jackie would have been 19 years old. It is an interesting thought, but I don't think they could be one and the same.

 

[docwho3]

Jackie Theel was born on Feb 15, 1938 and was six years old when he vanished in 1944.. The boy in the box was found in February 1957, when Jackie would have been 19 years old. It is an interesting thought, but I don't think they could be one and the same.

I agree that you are probably right & I only tossed it in as a long shot and maybe also to remind myself that just such a fluke link may one day pay off.

 

[Richard]

I agree that you are probably right & I only tossed it in as a long shot and maybe also to remind myself that just such a fluke link may one day pay off.

In this case, where Jackie was only six, and the other little boy about that same age but some 13 years later, it is most unlikely that there would be a match. However, there was a recent match between a missing woman and a Jane Doe, in which a LOT of the information was way off, particularly the age.

 

[joellegirl]

I agree that you are probably right & I only tossed it in as a long shot and maybe also to remind myself that just such a fluke link may one day pay off.

I've actually had the same ideas with other cases, where it would be such a long shot but I think well, crazier things have happened. So I know what you are saying. Sometimes, like you said, a fluke link is what it will take to solve a cold case.

It is a good thought, if only the cases of Jackie and the Boy in the Box weren't separated by so many years.

It's frustrating to think that many of the cases we all discuss here probably have just one simple missing link that is needed to solve them, but that one thing, like one person who knows something speaking up, is so hard to find.

So keep on thinking-as long as people like us keep trying to find the answers in these cold cases they have a chance to be solved.

 

[docwho3]

I've actually had the same ideas with other cases, where it would be such a long shot but I think well, crazier things have happened. So I know what you are saying. Sometimes, like you said, a fluke link is what it will take to solve a cold case.

It is a good thought, if only the cases of Jackie and the Boy in the Box weren't separated by so many years.

It's frustrating to think that many of the cases we all discuss here probably have just one simple missing link that is needed to solve them, but that one thing, like one person who knows something speaking up, is so hard to find.

So keep on thinking-as long as people like us keep trying to find the answers in these cold cases they have a chance to be solved.

Ty. Back to the case: Someone downthread mentioned the possibbility of a soldier kidnapping a child for leave - I think. I looked up the town name & the year. There were a few entries on a webpage about rail mishaps. One of the trains later wrecked with a load of soldiers on it. (There is a little confusion as to exact year of the accident but it shows soldiers went through.) This causes me to think that the soldier perp idea is a bit more likely than it might first seem. I forgot to copy the web address but I might be able to find it again if needed.
I know its not much. Hope it helps.

 

[Richard]

Ty. Back to the case: Someone downthread mentioned the possibbility of a soldier kidnapping a child for leave - I think. I looked up the town name & the year. There were a few entries on a webpage about rail mishaps. One of the trains later wrecked with a load of soldiers on it. (There is a little confusion as to exact year of the accident but it shows soldiers went through.) This causes me to think that the soldier perp idea is a bit more likely than it might first seem. I forgot to copy the web address but I might be able to find it again if needed.
I know its not much. Hope it helps.

The railroad seems to me to be a very likely way that little Jackie was taken from Paynesville.

I tend to doubt that a soldier traveling by rail would have been the perpetrator. Of course, it could happen, but generally soldiers had a place to be, an time to be there, and were always in uniform. Often they traveled in groups and had to be accountable for their actions and presence.

It is a much greater possibility that a migrant worker or hobo traveling the rails, and answering to nobody could have taken Jackie. They were all over Minnesota during and before the War looking for work on the farms, and September is the start of the harvest season. With so many young men in the military, and a large need for food in wartime, there was a resultant need for migrant workers.

 

[Marilynilpa]

The railroad seems to me to be a very likely way that little Jackie was taken from Paynesville.

I tend to doubt that a soldier traveling by rail would have been the perpetrator. Of course, it could happen, but generally soldiers had a place to be, an time to be there, and were always in uniform. Often they traveled in groups and had to be accountable for their actions and presence.

It is a much greater possibility that a migrant worker or hobo traveling the rails, and answering to nobody could have taken Jackie. They were all over Minnesota during and before the War looking for work on the farms, and September is the start of the harvest season. With so many young men in the military, and a large need for food in wartime, there was a resultant need for migrant workers.

It seems that in a case like this, there are three possible motives - sex, money, or fear. Sex isn't out of the question, no matter how perverted that seems. Money could be a motive, if Jackie was taken for the purpose of selling him to someone. Fear could be a motive if Jackie, wandering around lost, happened to see something he shouldn't have and was taken so he couldn't tell anyone.

What you say about it possibly being migrant workers or hobos riding the rails certainly seems feasible. These are people who passed in and out of towns all the time, without anyone paying them a great deal of attention.

 

[Richard]

Bumping this up in memory of little Jackie Theel.

I believe that the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Sault St. Marie Rail Road played a part in Jackie's abduction. It was known as the Soo Line even back then. If any Railroad buffs could dig up a train schedule for September 1944, perhaps one could check to see if any trains went through town around the time Jackie went missing.