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

[The Forgotten Ones]

I found some old articles about the creamery in that era and it got me thinking. With the war, the company ramped up its operations and added new features. I imagine much of their products were shipped out by train, and maybe some of it by truck for more local distribution? (I've included a few examples via newspapers dot com)

With Jackie's scent being tracked to the area near the creamery, it makes me wonder if there could have been someone involved in the shipping process who saw Jackie and saw an opportunity to perhaps avoid the draft. MOO

 

[Ciriii57]

Found these quotes that an author of a book called "Bloodline" which covers Jackie's case had found in the Minneapolis Star-Journal in articles from 1945, I had not seen them linked before and I find them ominous.
First Jackie's mother had several theories...I wonder if these involved people closer to home?
Secondly, the Sheriff says "There is something in the community we haven't figured out". What the hell does that mean?!! It sounds to me like despite all of the theories regarding abduction etc that in reality the people in that community had secrets?
I have always been a bit suspicious of the 2 boys tbh. Their story doesn't really add up and since they were in the vicinity of where Jackie was it strikes me that they should have been looked into. Also the brother who hung himself...I have to wonder if this was the same brother who was supposed to collect him from school that day? Why didn't he? Or should we be asking ourselves...Did he in fact?

Notes & Highlights for Bloodline by Jess Lourey

Kindle Notes & Highlights shared to Goodreads by Jess Lourey - click to view.

www.goodreads.com

I also did a search on FamilySearch for another J Theel from the navy to disocunt him if I found a birth certificate. I didnt find the specific person who the teacher saw but there is quite a large number of Theels in Santa Barbara and San Diego and many have the initial "J" so I am ready to discount this.
I also find it totally baffling that the teacher, despite believing this to be the student that she essentially lost, didn't cry "Little Jackie, it's me Mrs ... your family's been missing you all thisi time, give me your number, here's mine...etc. "

 

[Satch]

Found these quotes that an author of a book called "Bloodline" which covers Jackie's case had found in the Minneapolis Star-Journal in articles from 1945, I had not seen them linked before and I find them ominous.
First Jackie's mother had several theories...I wonder if these involved people closer to home?
Secondly, the Sheriff says "There is something in the community we haven't figured out". What the hell does that mean?!! It sounds to me like despite all of the theories regarding abduction etc that in reality the people in that community had secrets?
I have always been a bit suspicious of the 2 boys tbh. Their story doesn't really add up and since they were in the vicinity of where Jackie was it strikes me that they should have been looked into. Also the brother who hung himself...I have to wonder if this was the same brother who was supposed to collect him from school that day? Why didn't he? Or should we be asking ourselves...Did he in fact?

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Notes & Highlights for Bloodline by Jess Lourey

Kindle Notes & Highlights shared to Goodreads by Jess Lourey - click to view.

www.goodreads.com

I also did a search on FamilySearch for another J Theel from the navy to disocunt him if I found a birth certificate. I didnt find the specific person who the teacher saw but there is quite a large number of Theels in Santa Barbara and San Diego and many have the initial "J" so I am ready to discount this.
I also find it totally baffling that the teacher, despite believing this to be the student that she essentially lost, didn't cry "Little Jackie, it's me Mrs ... your family's been missing you all thisi time, give me your number, here's mine...etc. "

Indeed,

The teacher claiming to have seen Jackie years later. I don't find her credible at all! Sheriff's response needs clarification!

Satch

 

[Satch]

What goes through my mind in this case,

Somebody, perhaps a World War II vet took Jackie in because they wanted to raise a kid. But still kidnapping was probably involved.

Satch

 

[Proton]

Indeed,

The teacher claiming to have seen Jackie years later. I don't find her credible at all! Sheriff's response needs clarification!

Satch

I don’t have much of an opinion on whether she actually saw him or not. My heart wants it to be true, much like hers probably did. I’m sure she felt so much guilt over what happened and possibly just wishful thinking.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Miss Dorothy Gladke was Jackie Theel's first-grade teacher. It was also her first day of school as a first-grade teacher in the Paynesville School District. She allowed Jackie to walk home at lunchtime by himself the day he disappeared. Jackie's mom, Bernice, had sent a note with Jackie telling the teacher he was to wait for his brothers to walk home with him. This newspaper clipping and others are archived at the Paynesville Historical Society.

They walked together for a short distance before going their separate ways, the teacher asking Jackie if he knew his way home and him pointing in the direction in which he thought he lived.

However, Jackie would end up going in the wrong direction and that was the last time anybody definitively saw the boy. He disappeared, apparently without a trace, carrying the bag of chips and a school registration card. He had left his new school supplies at his desk.

Sources for this article come from the Paynesville Historical Society, which has a file of old newspaper clippings from the days after Theel disappeared. Newspaper sources include the Paynesville Press, St. Cloud Times and the Minneapolis Star.

When Jackie did not arrive home for lunch on Sept. 5, 1944, his mother first called friends for help. When Jackie had not been found by 3 p.m., she notified Paynesville Mayor Russel Portinga.

This photo taken sometime in the week that Jackie Theel went missing in September of 1944 shows his first-grade class and teacher, along with his empty desk with his name tag. This newspaper clipping and others are archived at the Paynesville Historical Society.

The boy who went missing after his first day of school in 1944

Victor John 'Jackie' Theel was just 6 years old in 1944 when he went missing, apparently without a trace, walking home from his first day of school in Paynesville, Minnesota.

www.postbulletin.com

 

[cenazoic]

It was also her first day of school as a first-grade teacher in the Paynesville School District. She allowed Jackie to walk home at lunchtime by himself the day he disappeared.

That’s a hell of a thing. But it also makes me think she didn’t really see him later; the guilt must have been overwhelming.

 

[Richard]

Jackie's teacher, Dorothy Gladke passed away ten years ago at the age of 90.


Dorothy Marie (Gladke) Minerich, age 90, passed away 3/2/14 after struggling with Alzheimer’s disease for 10 years. She spent her life in child development and teaching. Preceded in death by husband, John; brother and sisters. Survived by ...

LINK:

Dorothy Marie Gladke Minerich (1923-2014) - Find...

Dorothy was born in Browerville, Minnesota to Joseph L. Gladke and Mary Cech. Dorothy was married to John Steven Minerich, Jr. in 1950 in Browerville, and they had five children. -------------------------------------------- Minerich, Dorothy age 90, passed away 3/2/14 after struggling with...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Richard]

We shall meet, but we shall miss him
There will be one vacant chair
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our ev’ning prayer... (George Frederick Root)

LINK:

George Frederick Root – The Vacant Chair

(Verse 1) / We shall meet but we shall miss him / There will be one vacant chair / We shall linger to caress him / While we breathe our ev’ning prayer / When one year ago we

genius.com

 

[jenkotila]

That’s a hell of a thing. But it also makes me think she didn’t really see him later; the guilt must have been overwhelming.

Good evening! I am the writer who wrote the latest newspaper piece about Jackie Theel for Forum Communications Vault series. First of all - thank you all you Websleuths for the insight I received by reading through this thread. I was hoping to clear up some things that I think have been misunderstood, one of which is the thought about the teacher that saw an adult Jackie Theel getting off a Navy ship. I do not think that it was Jackie's teacher Dorothy Gladke that was the "former Paynesville teacher." I think it was a different former teacher from Paynesville. However, I cannot verify that information. I do not think that the Paynesville Press in its 2004 article would have said "a former teacher" if it would have been Gladke, it would have said, "Jackie's former teacher ..." They were interviewing Jackie's sister Annabelle, who received the letter, and I think she would have said Gladke if it had been her who wrote to Annabelle about the adult Jackie sighting.

My speculations about what happened to Jackie:
1. There was a very strong scent of Jackie at the filling station on the west side of Paynesville, near where he was supposedly seen getting into the car. I think perhaps he had turned around and gone to the filling station hoping to find someone to help. The soldier's car broke down on the highway and he also walked to the filling station for help, found Jackie and took Jackie back to the car with him. This would explain the time difference between Mrs. Pete Thompson seeing Jackie around 1:30 and the boys seeing him getting into a car around the same spot at 4:45.
2. Why weren't the bloodhounds brought down to Willmar to see if they could pick up Jackie's scent at the three repair garages that the soldier and his "brother" were at attempting to get the car's starter fixed? Nobody knows how the Willmar PD verified that it was indeed the soldier's brother, dressed in a sailor suit like Jackie.

 

[The Forgotten Ones]

​

A page from the 1956 Paynesville Bulldogs yearbook (via classmates dot com). There are fewer and fewer people around today who remember little Jackie. His older sister, Annabelle, who is often quoted in news stories about her brother's disappearance, passed away in December.

Annabelle Elizabeth (Theel) Krupke - Daniel Funeral Home & Cremation Service

www.danielfuneralhome.com

 

[cenazoic]

They were interviewing Jackie's sister Annabelle, who received the letter, and I think she would have said Gladke if it had been her who wrote to Annabelle about the adult Jackie sighting.

Welcome to Websleuths, and thank you for sharing your insights!

I’m curious about this though - did Jackie attend kindergarten? It seems there’s only two people who could have been ‘former teachers’, Mrs. Gladke and a theoretical kindergarten teacher, whose name should be easy-ish to track down.

 

[jenkotila]

Welcome to Websleuths, and thank you for sharing your insights!

I’m curious about this though - did Jackie attend kindergarten? It seems there’s only two people who could have been ‘former teachers’, Mrs. Gladke and a theoretical kindergarten teacher, whose name should be easy-ish to track down.

I don't think the "former teacher" was one of Jackie's former teachers, just a former teacher from the Paynesville School District. From my understanding, kids didn't attend kindergarten in the 1940s before entering first grade.

 

[Richard]

It was stated in a number of articles that this was Jackie's first day of school. So First Grade was the starting point.

 

[Ciriii57]

I don't think the "former teacher" was one of Jackie's former teachers, just a former teacher from the Paynesville School District. From my understanding, kids didn't attend kindergarten in the 1940s before entering first grade.

I found it hard to believe his own teacher would recognise him, let alone one who never taught him. I don't know how close to the family this person was but I'm now even more highly skeptical.

What do you make of the sheriff's comment at the the time?

Rather than looking at the mysterious soldier should we look closer to home?

The soldier's car broke down on the highway and he also walked to the filling station for help, found Jackie and took Jackie back to the car with him. This would explain the time difference between Mrs. Pete Thompson seeing Jackie around 1:30 and the boys seeing him getting into a car around the same spot at 4:45.

It's a good idea to explain the timeline, but I don't think it makes sense. If you're gonna abduct a boy from his hometown then you're not gonna do it when your car's broken down and you have to take him with you to various garages where he could either be recognised or yell out.

 

[ifindedout]

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.

@Richard, according to the Official Guide of the Railways for March 1944 and March 1945, there was a passenger train at 2:49 PM going toward the Twin Cities. There were other trains calling at Paynesville, but not at the relevant time of day.
Timetable World (3/44)
Timetable World (3/45)

 

[bettyboop]

This case is sad of course, but also very intriguing. I am glad to see other websleuthers with new posts on this thread. @jenkotila , perhaps you would consider becoming a Verified Insider, which means you can relay more information without the need to provide a link. I would love to hear more of your thoughts on what happened to Jackie. JMO MOO

 

[Richard]

@Richard, according to the Official Guide of the Railways for March 1944 and March 1945, there was a passenger train at 2:49 PM going toward the Twin Cities. There were other trains calling at Paynesville, but not at the relevant time of day.
Timetable World (3/44)
Timetable World (3/45)

Thank you for finding the time table for the train line. The Creamery was close to the railroad tracks and train station, and that is a place where dogs seemed to sense Jackie's presence.

Travel about the state or even from one town to another was much more often done by train back in 1944. This was especially true because there was strict gasoline rationing in effect during World War II.

Jackie's house was close to the railroad tracks as well, and if he was lost or disoriented after leaving the school at lunch time, perhaps he heard the train and headed in that direction.

 

[ifindedout]

Thank you for finding the time table for the train line. The Creamery was close to the railroad tracks and train station, and that is a place where dogs seemed to sense Jackie's presence.

Travel about the state or even from one town to another was much more often done by train back in 1944. This was especially true because there was strict gasoline rationing in effect during World War II.

Jackie's house was close to the railroad tracks as well, and if he was lost or disoriented after leaving the school at lunch time, perhaps he heard the train and headed in that direction.

BTW the station was located here:

Bing Maps

Map multiple locations, get transit/walking/driving directions, view live traffic conditions, plan trips, view satellite, aerial and street side imagery. Do more with Bing Maps.

www.bing.com

It was still standing until at least 1985:

NETRonline: Historic Aerials - Viewer

Historic Aerial Photos and Maps

historicaerials.com

 

[jenkotila]

I found it hard to believe his own teacher would recognise him, let alone one who never taught him. I don't know how close to the family this person was but I'm now even more highly skeptical.

What do you make of the sheriff's comment at the the time?

Rather than looking at the mysterious soldier should we look closer to home?


It's a good idea to explain the timeline, but I don't think it makes sense. If you're gonna abduct a boy from his hometown then you're not gonna do it when your car's broken down and you have to take him with you to various garages where he could either be recognised or yell out.

The teacher would have been a teacher in the Paynesville School District for a number of years, and recognized the family resemblance - not necessarily that it was Jackie. This boy had several brothers. In one article, the quote was she saw someone who looked like a "Theel boy." Not only did Jackie have several brothers who could all be similar in appearance, there was a large extended family in the area. We all know how strong family resemblance can be, especially if from a small, rural community. In my small town, I could look at my daughter's classmates and know which of my classmates were the parents.