Circumstances of Disappearance
Jimmy and his friends, Thomas Rios and Leah Johnson were last seen in Sayre, Oklahoma on the night of November 20, 1970.
Jimmy had a part time job at Hartmans Seventh Street Grocery store. Owned and operated by Pete and Bess Hartman, the Seventh Street Grocery was a little neighborhood grocery store and meat market. Jimmy worked there after school and on Saturdays. At least a part of Jimmy's earnings went towards payment on a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. With a little help from his Mom and Dad, Jimmy had just purchased the Camaro six days prior to his disappearance. The '69 Camaro was dark blue with a white vinyl top. It had a white stripe around the nose and 2 stripes extending up the hood on both sides of centerline.
One of Jimmy's hobbies was hunting. He had a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 pistol, and had many hunting buddies. One of his hunting buddies, Doug, went to school at Elk City which was located about 15 miles East of Sayre (Jimmy was a junior at Sayre High School). Doug played on Elk City's football team, which on Friday night November 20, 1970 was involved in an Oklahoma class 2A high school playoff football game against Watonga.
On this night, Jim was going to get off work a little early. Even though it was payday, Jim elected to leave his check until the following day. Pete Hartman remembers Jim waving back as he walked to his car, he was smiling as he hollered back "see ya tomorrow". When Jimmy left the house that night, he told his mom he was going to the football game at Elk City. But, before he left for the evening, he backed his car up close to the back door and loaded up some shotguns into the trunk with the help of one of his younger brother's.
In actuality, after talking to some of Jimmy's friends, it became evident that Jimmy was not going to go the football game, but instead he was going to go hunting down Turkey Creek road with Thomas Rios and Leah Johnson. Jimmy had also invited one of his best friends, named Wayne, to go along, but Wayne declined because that many people in a small car made it too crowded.
Jim never came home that night, nor did Leah Gail Johnson, or Thomas Michael Rios. Jimmy's car has never been located.
In the days after the kids disappeared, a red (possibly orange) Corvette was found abandoned out on Turkey Creek road. The car had been burned, and the glass had been broken. This car was a stolen vehicle with California plates.
There are many theories about what happened to the trio that night. Some people believe the kids were kidnapped by drug smugglers who were using the Delhi airport as a drop point for illegal drugs.
That's what I found.
