MD MD - Kenneth Hager, 11, Baltimore, 9 April 1947

[CastlesBurning]

Details updated 8/19/20:

Kenneth Warren Hager – The Charley Project

 

[CastlesBurning]

I have to wonder...when Kenneth disappeared two years prior, was it really a "bad boy" that was with him, or a young man? If he was only 9 at the time, no doubt an older teen or early 20s person might still seem young to him but be older than he actually knew. It's not uncommon for kids to have literally no clue how old someone is, unless it's a peer.

 

[Coffee56]

KENNY april 8, 1953 - Newspapers.com

 

[Satch]

What a sad case!

Would like to know what Kenneth's level of communication was as a poster asked in the thread. He could not talk, according to reports but asked his mother for "a piece of ice" before walking out the door and said that two years previously "a bad boy burned him." He had ID name-tags in his clothes. Among things that frighten me is "Kenneth would not have gotten into a car unless asked." This sounds like he could have VERY EASILY been abducted. (He liked car rides.) Interesting that he knew how to get around to and from his old neighborhood. It would seem that most severe epileptics have that high level of awareness skills.

Did Kenneth have any siblings? This tragic case screams abduction. The paper clipping above, says that he had his medical conditions from a fire cracker explosion that damaged his nerves.

Satch

 

[Satch]

Huge report on Kenneth's case here- (Credit - Facebook) Transferred and shared via Google Docs for easy reading and viewing:

Kenneth Hager- Missing

Satch

PS. The date of the report published to Facebook is April 2, 2016. If Ken were alive today he would be about 85 years old. The original article may be a few years older than 2016.

 

[Cimatico]

Enhanced image from source Kenneth Warren Hager – The Charley Project

 

[Satch]

What a sad case!

Would like to know what Kenneth's level of communication was as a poster asked in the thread. He could not talk, according to reports but asked his mother for "a piece of ice" before walking out the door and said that two years previously "a bad boy burned him." He had ID name-tags in his clothes. Among things that frighten me is "Kenneth would not have gotten into a car unless asked." This sounds like he could have VERY EASILY been abducted. (He liked car rides.) Interesting that he knew how to get around to and from his old neighborhood. It would seem that most severe epileptics have that high level of awareness skills.

Did Kenneth have any siblings? This tragic case screams abduction. The paper clipping above, says that he had his medical conditions from a fire cracker explosion that damaged his nerves.

Satch

Correction from above It should read the following:
"It would seem unlikely that most severe epileptics have that high level of awareness skills."

Satch

 

[30Anne]

I agree with Satch, Kenneth would have very likely hopped into a car driven by a stranger, if the stranger had noticed him looking at the car and could have said something as simple as "Say sonny would you like a drive in my car?" This is my theory on what happened to Kenneth. He was picked up by a stranger who had a car taken to another state, endured abuse on the way, but likely left alive because the stranger/abuser who abandoned him knew that he would never been identified due to his intellectual disability. Kenneth was found wandering around in the different state and couldn't tell anyone where he came from and the authorities placed Kenneth in a asylum for intellectually disabled people, where he remained until he died. These places were not known for keeping great records either. It was touching to read that 3 of his brothers had DNA testing done all those years ago, when it was not cheap.

 

[ALeighton]

Kenneth Hager is/was my uncle. I was born 40 years after he vanished. My mother is his baby sister, born 6 years after he left. I grew up with my siblings, much like my mother, with only stories of Kenny. I have spent about half my life researching and looking into what happened.
His case is still very much open and unsolved. We have heard different scenerios and assumptions of what may have become of Kenny from that day. We have researched and reached out to psychics and the cold case detectives over the years. However, he is still very much in our thoughts and prayers daily. I am aware that with it being sooo many decades ago, we will possibly never get real answers. My grandparents have both passed and 2 of Kennys brothers have passed, and quite frankly, anyone involved or anyone that knew what happened most likely isnt around anymore either. But with everything comes stories. Stories circulating through families and friends and neighbors, much as stories circulating through my own family. Someone knows or has heard something, throughout their life. All I ask, is if you or anyone you know was from Baltimore, look at his photo. Look at his eyes. Look at his face. When you look at my family, there is no denying resemblance. If he even looks remotely familiar to you, or fits into any story you heard growing up, no matter how far-fetched it may be, please reach out. No one just disappears.

 

[ALeighton]

What a sad case!

Would like to know what Kenneth's level of communication was as a poster asked in the thread. He could not talk, according to reports but asked his mother for "a piece of ice" before walking out the door and said that two years previously "a bad boy burned him." He had ID name-tags in his clothes. Among things that frighten me is "Kenneth would not have gotten into a car unless asked." This sounds like he could have VERY EASILY been abducted. (He liked car rides.) Interesting that he knew how to get around to and from his old neighborhood. It would seem that most severe epileptics have that high level of awareness skills.

Did Kenneth have any siblings? This tragic case screams abduction. The paper clipping above, says that he had his medical conditions from a fire cracker explosion that damaged his nerves.

Satch

Kenny was the 3rd oldest of 6 kids when he left home. the youngest child, baby #7, my mother, was born years later......Kenny often kept his head down and didnt speak. He was mentally a lot younger than his actual age. keep in mind, back around the time he left was when they were testing for epilepsy, so we dont really know how severe he was, other than knowing he had outbursts, nerve damage, and a child-like mindset, younger than a normal 11-12 year old.

 

[ALeighton]

The poster "Desilita" says that there is a Doenetwork unidentified victim case that bothers her because she says it has details that match Kenneth. She only says it is "the fourth or fifth one down." I can't for the life of me figure out which case she's talking about. Anyone?

I kept in contact with Ms Des for a short time but lost contact with her. Her family was neighbors with my (kennys) family. I could never figure out that UID listing she mentioned.

 

[mtlupy]

I kept in contact with Ms Des for a short time but lost contact with her. Her family was neighbors with my (kennys) family. I could never figure out that UID listing she mentioned.

I have a few guesses on which UID she was referring to. I pulled up the Doe Network website on the Wayback Machine as near as possible to when she made the 2005 comment: Wayback Machine.

From there, I went to the "Unidentified Victims" page. I initially went to the "Geographic Index" and found one remote possibility: The Doe Network: Case File 289UMMD. However, this individual was listed as Hispanic and has since been identified.

Next, I went to look at the picture indices. I can't say for certain, which of the 35 indices she was looking at, but it says "CLICK HERE," to start at Index 1, so I think it's safe to assume she did just that. On this page, I found two stronger possibilities.

First, the 6th listing: The Doe Network: Case File 3UMPA. This individual remains unidentified to this day: 3UMPA. Based on the limited initial details and the relatively short distance between Baltimore and Sunbury, I suspect that this is the UID in question. However, I find it important to note that the original age range was listed as 25-40 (Kenneth would have been 51 in 1986), and the current age range is listed as 16-21.

Here is the second possibility, the 4th listing: The Doe Network: Case File 2UMIA. He also remains unidentified to this day: 2UMIA. I don't think that he's the UID she was referring to because there are more details provided, and he was found all the way on Iowa, but it's possible.

I could be totally off as well, but it's the best I can offer. I think without Desilita remembering something she saw online back in 2005, we'll never know for sure. All that being said, I don't think that either of these two still unidentified individuals are Kenneth. I think it's far more likely that he'll be found in Maryland.

 

[mtlupy]

Oh, I also found the original forum if anyone needs it: The Official Find Carrie Culberson Message Forum - Kenneth Warren Hager - April 9, 1947 - MD

 

[mtlupy]

I agree with Satch, Kenneth would have very likely hopped into a car driven by a stranger, if the stranger had noticed him looking at the car and could have said something as simple as "Say sonny would you like a drive in my car?" This is my theory on what happened to Kenneth. He was picked up by a stranger who had a car taken to another state, endured abuse on the way, but likely left alive because the stranger/abuser who abandoned him knew that he would never been identified due to his intellectual disability. Kenneth was found wandering around in the different state and couldn't tell anyone where he came from and the authorities placed Kenneth in a asylum for intellectually disabled people, where he remained until he died. These places were not known for keeping great records either. It was touching to read that 3 of his brothers had DNA testing done all those years ago, when it was not cheap.

Hm, your comment makes me think of this Doe: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). The Crownsville State Hospital was a psychiatric center.

 

[Quiteage]

From all descriptions it seems Kenny was autistic. He had very limited communication, didn’t look people in the eye, had a tendency to wander away, and had epilepsy, all things associated with autism. I would be interested to know if he was ever diagnosed autistic, since it is only mentioned that he was mentally disabled, although autism as a condition had only just been defined and wasn’t well known yet, so it is possible he was never diagnosed. My biggest question though is if he had danger awareness, as he would be at substantial risk for accidental drowning if he didn’t (especially since he has seizures). I doubt he was found alive and never identified since his name was sewn into his clothes.

 

[PrivateInspector007]

Looking at a map of where the family used to live on 2100 block of east Chase Street and 1600 block of Lansing Avenue the houses are pretty close to each other. Corner of Dundalk and Eastern Avenue is further away and by walking is nearly an hour and 45 minute walk. They said he took off before and went downtown which is closer to his house. I wonder if he hopped on a bus or something? Also, looking at the neighborhoods today both look really bad, maybe it was different in the 1940s/1950s. Did police ever research known criminals in the area at the time?

 

[spartanx]

I don't believe this whole story... he's 11 years old, mentally handicapped, epileptic and can't talk... his mother left him outside for 45 minutes without checking on him... weird... even though he ran away two years ago and the police found him with burn marks on his arms... he can't talk, but did he tell his mother that some bad guys burned his arms? something smells really bad... here the guilty ones are the adults, knowing that he was a child with special needs, they just leave him like that without any supervision?... weird

whatever it is
rest in peace

 

[mtlupy]

I don't believe this whole story... he's 11 years old, mentally handicapped, epileptic and can't talk... his mother left him outside for 45 minutes without checking on him... weird... even though he ran away two years ago and the police found him with burn marks on his arms... he can't talk, but did he tell his mother that some bad guys burned his arms? something smells really bad... here the guilty ones are the adults, knowing that he was a child with special needs, they just leave him like that without any supervision?... weird

whatever it is
rest in peace

I'm fairly certain this poor boy ended up in one of our "asylums," where no one actually got any peace. That's the most likely explanation imho.

 

[mtlupy]

Looking at a map of where the family used to live on 2100 block of east Chase Street and 1600 block of Lansing Avenue the houses are pretty close to each other. Corner of Dundalk and Eastern Avenue is further away and by walking is nearly an hour and 45 minute walk. They said he took off before and went downtown which is closer to his house. I wonder if he hopped on a bus or something? Also, looking at the neighborhoods today both look really bad, maybe it was different in the 1940s/1950s. Did police ever research known criminals in the area at the time?

The way this is written seems to say that Lansing and Chase intersect, but they run parallel to each other, so that doesn't make sense. The two locations are about a mile away. 2100 East Chase is also the old A. Hoen & Co. factory, not a house. However, there are houses on that block.

ETA: Adding this info for people who are new to the case and might not follow.

 

[Vivette]

What a sad case!

Would like to know what Kenneth's level of communication was as a poster asked in the thread. He could not talk, according to reports but asked his mother for "a piece of ice" before walking out the door and said that two years previously "a bad boy burned him." He had ID name-tags in his clothes. Among things that frighten me is "Kenneth would not have gotten into a car unless asked." This sounds like he could have VERY EASILY been abducted. (He liked car rides.) Interesting that he knew how to get around to and from his old neighborhood. It would seem that most severe epileptics have that high level of awareness skills.

Did Kenneth have any siblings? This tragic case screams abduction. The paper clipping above, says that he had his medical conditions from a fire cracker explosion that damaged his nerves.

Satch

He could have just pointed at the ice, and when asked about the burns he might have just said "bad boy". I doubt he was able to say a lot more.