MA MA - Leigh Savoie, 10, Revere, 7 April 1974

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing Since: April 7, 1974 from Revere, Massachusetts
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: October 5, 1963
Age: 10 years old
Height and Weight: 4'4, 60 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Light brown hair, brown eyes.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: Cut-off blue shorts, a white t-shirt with the phrase "Try It, You'll Like It" imprinted on the front, and sneakers.

Details of Disappearance

Savoie was last seen in the area of Suffolk Downs race track in Revere, Massachusetts on April 7, 1974. He often frequented the area as a shoe shiner. Savoie has never been heard from again.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Massachusetts State Police

508-820-2121

Charley Project

NCMEC​

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[hmg]

Ten year old Leigh Savoie was last seen at a Beachmont Square restaurant in Revere, Massachusetts on April 7, 1974. That day he was on his way to Suffolk Downs, a racing track in Revere where he regularly worked as a shoeshiner to earn money for candy and other treats. The owner of the restaurant reported that Savoie ate a sandwich before asking the him if he could watch Savoie's shoeshine kit for a few minutes. Savoie then left the restaurant never to be seen again.

Hundreds of jockeys, security guards, and other personnel at Suffolk Downs were questioned along with all of Savoie's friends and neighbors. Police were unable to obtain any leads pertaining to where Savoie might have gone and the case eventually went cold. Now though officials hope Savoie's case will be reignited by a new $5,000 reward as well as an age progressed photo of the boy. At a press conference on Thursday, Suffolk DA, Daniel Conley, announced that thanks to the newly granted reward money and a renewed interest in missing persons cases after the finding of Jaycee Lee Dugard the Suffolk County DA is reopening the search for the long missing boy.

Leigh Savoie was 4 feet 4 inches tall and weighted 60 pounds when he disappeared. He had brown hair and brown eyes. When last seen, he was wearing blue pants, a white shirt bearing the words, "try it, you'll like it," and a blue sweater. He would now be forty-five. Anyone with information about the disappearance of Leigh Savoie is encouraged to call Lt. Det. Jack Lannon at 617-727-8817.
http://newenglandunsolved.blogspot.com/2009/09/missing-leigh-savoie-from-revere-ma.html

Doe Network- http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/331dmma.html
NCMEC- http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

 

[maureen]

Bumping for Leigh---my Dad used to go to this track.

 

[hmg]

New lead in Leigh Savoie case: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news...ed/unsolved-the-disappearance-of-leigh-savoie

Another little boy, the same age as Leigh, was beaten and sexually assaulted while working at Suffolk Downs in 1974. Police are investigating whether this incident could be related to the case of Leigh Savoie.

 

[CastlesBurning]

If he was a regular over there, with his shoeshining, you'd think that somebody somewhere would recall seeing him or talking to him...funny that they talked to all those people and got no leads...?

 

[KateB]

http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/909064/1

Leigh's photo is shown age-progressed to 50 years. He was last seen in the vicinity of Suffolk Downs race track in Revere, Massachusetts, where he was known to shine shoes. Leigh was last believed to be wearing cut off blue shorts, sneakers and a white T-shirt with the words, "Try it, you'll like it."

41 years ago, today.

 

[JerseyGirl]

still missing:

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/06/110_missing_children_from_mass.html

 

[Jmoose]

I read someplace (local newspaper) a while back that stated his file was missing and the authorities were no longer looking for this kid.

In Stacy Horn's book The Restless Sleep, which is about NYC's Cold Case Squad, it says that a lot of the evidence in some decades old cases has disappeared, either thrown away or hopelessly misplaced. I wonder if that's what happened to Leigh's file? I always thought that evidence was sacrosanct, and that it would be respected, but I suppose in the days before DNA testing, anything that might contain some but was otherwise deemed unimportant coukd have been thrown out to make room. This boy's disappearance bothers me-especially if his file and other potential evidence is missing

 

[carolann0308]

My BF grew up in Revere and was just a couple of years older than Leigh. He remembers nothing about the disappearance, no school warnings, newspaper stories, even his widowed mother didn't warn him about the dangers of walking around alone. He sold tip sheets at the track at the same time Leigh went missing, he was on;y 14 years old. He said he never felt uncomfortable or threatened in any way. It just goes to show how much life has changed between 1974 and today. He is now an engineer with a masters degree, and wonders how strange it was that kids had such freedom back then.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Leigh Savoie, Revere
Missing since April 7, 1974 at age 10. Photo on right is age-progressed to approximate his appearance at age 50.

Faces of the missing: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cases involving Massachusetts children and teens

 

[UnderSea]

Bumping for Leigh.

This came out before this thread was even started and has no new details. It may be the one JMoose mentions though. Bolding mine.

"When Albert Paskell heard recently that police were backtracking to find victims of Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, a Montana child molester who prowled eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut in the 1970s, he started wondering.

Did the detectives know about his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Leigh Savoie, who disappeared in 1972 while shining shoes in Revere, Mass.? Paskell made some calls.

What he discovered left him stunned: No one, it seemed, knew about Leigh.

Not the Revere police, who told Paskell the case was closed and the files couldn't be found. Not the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the official clearinghouse for unsolved abduction cases like Leigh's.

And not the police in Webster, Mass., which had become ground zero in a nationwide search for victims of Bar-Jonah, its former resident."

WHY ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

 

[jgfitzge]

Bumping for Leigh.

This came out before this thread was even started and has no new details. It may be the one JMoose mentions though. Bolding mine.

"When Albert Paskell heard recently that police were backtracking to find victims of Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, a Montana child molester who prowled eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut in the 1970s, he started wondering.

Did the detectives know about his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Leigh Savoie, who disappeared in 1972 while shining shoes in Revere, Mass.? Paskell made some calls.

What he discovered left him stunned: No one, it seemed, knew about Leigh.

Not the Revere police, who told Paskell the case was closed and the files couldn't be found. Not the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the official clearinghouse for unsolved abduction cases like Leigh's.

And not the police in Webster, Mass., which had become ground zero in a nationwide search for victims of Bar-Jonah, its former resident."

WHY ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

That is really curious, if true, about Bar Jonah's girlfriend being the mother of Leigh Savoie. Just one correction, his disappearance took place in April, 1974, not 1972.

 

[jgfitzge]

In reading the little information there is on this case, a couple of points come to mind...

The "Try it, You'll Like it" written on his shirt, was a key line from a popular Alka Seltzer commercial at the time, in high school I used to work with a guy who said it all the time..

It is a mile from Beachmont Square to Suffolk Downs. If you walked it would take you about 20-25 minutes.

I do not see any mention of him arriving at Suffolk Downs. It seems he either had a pre-arranged meeting at the restaurant or something got his attention where he had to step out.

 

[TrueCrimeAuthor11b]

That is really curious, if true, about Bar Jonah's girlfriend being the mother of Leigh Savoie. Just one correction, his disappearance took place in April, 1974, not 1972.

Bar Jonah was not the boyfriend. You read that wrong as did I, at first. There was atleast 3 active serial molesters/rapists operating at that time in that area

 

[margarita25]

Bar Jonah was not the boyfriend. You read that wrong as did I, at first. There was atleast 3 active serial molesters/rapists operating at that time in that area

Hi, welcome.

This is the statement from the article:

“Did the detectives know about his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Leigh Savoie, who disappeared in 1972 while shining shoes in Revere, Mass.? Paskell made some calls.

What he discovered left him stunned: No one, it seemed, knew about Leigh.“

WHY ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

I’m not sure how else to read this? Please clarify, thank you.

Also, can you please provide some information re: the other serial molesters/rapists operating in that area during that time? Thanks in advance.

 

[UnderSea]

Jumping in because I love research.

It's incredibly unclear writing, but it appears that Paskell's girlfriend was Leigh's mother. At least that's how I read what appears to be his obit.

 

[jgfitzge]

Jumping in because I love research.

It's incredibly unclear writing, but it appears that Paskell's girlfriend was Leigh's mother. At least that's how I read what appears to be his obit.

You appear to be correct here. Looks like he started the relationship with Leigh‘s mother well after the boys disappearance.

In reading all sources , the date he went missing was April, 1974, not 1972.

 

[jgfitzge]

Hi, welcome.

This is the statement from the article:

“Did the detectives know about his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Leigh Savoie, who disappeared in 1972 while shining shoes in Revere, Mass.? Paskell made some calls.

What he discovered left him stunned: No one, it seemed, knew about Leigh.“

WHY ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

I’m not sure how else to read this? Please clarify, thank you.

Also, can you please provide some information re: the other serial molesters/rapists operating in that area during that time? Thanks in advance.

in the little research I did it appears that the Revere police lost the file on Leigh Savoie for several years and mistakenly the case.

Again, there appears to be some discrepancy in the dates. Everything I’ve read says he went missing in April 1974.

The one known serial pedophile/murderer in the eastern Massachusetts area around the late 70s early 80s was Wayne Chapman. He was released recently despite all efforts to keep him incarcerated.

 

[TrueCrimeAuthor11b]

Hi, welcome.

This is the statement from the article:

“Did the detectives know about his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Leigh Savoie, who disappeared in 1972 while shining shoes in Revere, Mass.? Paskell made some calls.

What he discovered left him stunned: No one, it seemed, knew about Leigh.“

WHY ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

I’m not sure how else to read this? Please clarify, thank you.

Also, can you please provide some information re: the other serial molesters/rapists operating in that area during that time? Thanks in advance.

Sure, I have been researching a book for a year plus on missing boys in the 1970s and I cannot draw any parallel between bar jonah and Savoie. Bar Jonah was gay. He was a predator who preyed on boys only. He didnt date, was never married. Bar Jonah considered himself best friends with Wayne Chapman who admitted to raping 100+ boys in New York, Rhode island and Massachusetts. He set one on fire and was convicted in 1977. He was the main suspect in the disappearance of Andy Puglisi. Bar Jonah and Chapman operated together. Did time together, etc. The third one was Charles Pierce, who was also locked up with Bar Jonah and Chapman. He was a carnival worker who killed a young girl in Massachusetts and is a major suspect of mine in a murder in Chicago. Pierce died in '99 Chapman is out and still alive living in a nursing home in CT.

 

[TrueCrimeAuthor11b]

Sure, I have been researching a book for a year plus on missing boys in the 1970s and I cannot draw any parallel between bar jonah and Savoie. Bar Jonah was gay. He was a predator who preyed on boys only. He didnt date, was never married. Bar Jonah considered himself best friends with Wayne Chapman who admitted to raping 100+ boys in New York, Rhode island and Massachusetts. He set one on fire and was convicted in 1977. He was the main suspect in the disappearance of Andy Puglisi. Bar Jonah and Chapman operated together. Did time together, etc. The third one was Charles Pierce, who was also locked up with Bar Jonah and Chapman. He was a carnival worker who killed a young girl in Massachusetts and is a major suspect of mine in a murder in Chicago. Pierce died in '99 Chapman is out and still alive living in a nursing home in CT.

To answer your question I believe it should be read as Paskell is the Boyfriend of savoies mom, Not Bar Jonah.