The disappearance here does not make sense, leading me to think it was a cover up for something else.
was there anyone who actually saw them walking away?
Was it just the staff members word that they had gone with them and then somehow disappeared? If so, how did they explain that happening? How many staff were involved and did any other resident go along for this outing? .
Staff saw them walking away from the baseball field back to their group home. Back then you had to walk along a trail that went through the woods to reach the homes.
.[/QUOTE]Many people with epilepsy do not have to wear a helmet, since it can be controlled with medication. Williams must have been a severe case where his was not controlled and so even with medication he would be likely to fall, that’s why it was necessary for him to wear the helmet. .[/QUOTE]
This was 1975, medication for epilepsy was still being developed, it wasn't as good as it is now. Williams was wearing a helmet not only because of the epilepsy but he was prone to have tantrums and bang his head.
.[/QUOTE]Even if they were labeled as lower functioning, that does not mean they were incapable of understanding and communicating things.
Were they verbal? Were they possibly able to be a threat of reporting something? .[/QUOTE]
Yes, they were verbal but it's HIGHLY unlikely that even if they saw something untoward anyone would believe anything they had to say. New Lisbon was essentially abandoned by the state at the time, there were rampant abuses going on there. The state knew there were severe problems but they refused to do anything about it. Again, remember, this was 1975. LE didn't really pay attention to the word of "retarded" people or children, both were equally dismissed as being unreliable and too immature to be trustworthy. No one would have paid attention to anything the boys said.
.[/QUOTE]Did they have a close relationship where they were able to plan and orchestrate running away together?.[/QUOTE]
No, they lacked the intellectual sophistication to plan and orchestrate running away. Not to mention IF they did run away they would have been caught very quickly. New Lisbon was essentially in the middle of the woods. It still is today, it's a very small village that is relatively isolated. Theoretically they could have wandered off into the woods and gotten hopelessly lost and because of the vast area of woods they could have kept walking in their confusion, going further and further into the woods. But as soon as the boys were reported missing (which was that first day) there was a massive search conducted in the woods. If they were still in the woods, alive, they would have been found.
.[/QUOTE] Even if they did, what would happen with Williams going without his medication? If they were so bad, they would most likely become unmanageable.
.[/QUOTE]Its always possible that they were abducted by a predator, but since they were supposed to be supervised by staff, I feel it’s more likely the danger came from the staff and not a stranger.[/QUOTE]
This is very unlikely. The staff was abusive and irresponsible but they were not killers.
I know all of this information because my mother and one of her friends worked at New Lisbon (the friend worked there at the time of the disappearance) and I have their experiences and observations to rely on. I grew up near New Lisbon and I am very familiar with the area, both as it was then and as it is now.
