MI MI - Steven Kraft, 12, Benton Harbor, 15 Feb 2001

[CrimeSolver]

There is definitely a resemblance, but how close it is one cannot say because of the positioning and the poor quality of both photos, especially the horizontal one. All I can say is that both boys are blond and roughly of the same age and appearance.

It would be nice to positively identify the kid in this photo and all of the ones posted at Noreen Gosch's website, and hopefully explain away the photos as being the work of some creep or creeps who took pics and then let the boys go to live out their lives.

 

[SherlockJr]

The piece of furniture, or sectional, the boy in the google image appears to be inside a camper. The dining table folded down to be level with the seats and cushions from the seats and the back of the seats would cover the table and seats to make a bed. It looks like a red plastic water container under the bed which was used for camping also. Is there a way to determine which manufacturer used that plaid pattern for cushions and what years that plaid pattern was used in campers? The photo reminds me of a photo that came from a polaroid camera.

 

[Armchair14]

Sherlock:

You’re very observant. It would seem logical that whoever took the picture, for whatever reason, would use a self-developing camera for obvious reasons. If the photographer, and possible abductor, used an old Polaroid, I don’t know if that could make the photograph look older than what it is or not. CS and Cymro seem fairly certain that it is from a much earlier time period than when Steven Kraft had been that age and went missing. If so, then the kid in the Google Image photo is either now a man in his forties and hopefully doing just fine or is beyond human help.

It just seems a little odd to me that there should have been two kids separated in time by twenty years who should have appeared so similar in appearance, with their hair seemingly styled identically down almost to the last strand, its texture and the way it flows and such; the pseudo-sideburns (not covering the ear) positioned and angled identically and the locks falling over their foreheads in exactly the same way and spot on the right side. (The gag is distorting the boy's hair in the back of the GI photo.)

If you (or anyone) find any information out about your camper hunch and the décor as to time period, please report back.

Thanks again.

 

[buffetoflies]

I'd like to point out that the Devlin family cabin was in the area where this steven boy disappeared. Also, some people keep the same furniture for years and years and don't buy new stuff. For instance, up until my parents bought a new house in 1999 they had the same furniture they had in the late 60's. I can't see someone changing out the furniture in a cabin they only go to in the summer or a couple weekends a month changing the decor to go along with changing styles. As for the film, maybe they bought a bunch of rolls at one time and so they had older leftover film from 10 years prior to use up. Also, you can get clothes that look like that from thrift stores.

I don't want this kid to be Steven, I just had some thoughts I wanted to share.

 

[CarlK90245]

This photo looks to me like it might have been taken inside of an RV.

The wide cushions with no back rest, and the storage space underneath appear to be something designed to be converted to a bed. The cheap paneling is also typical of something that you would see inside of an RV.

 

[Cymro]

I agree it looks like an RV or possibly a mobile home and there are plenty of those on Craigs List right now that are straight out of the 70s inside.

Everything could be 20 years old or more at the time they came together, and I wasn't being sarcastic in suggesting that - but it does seem so unlikely.

 

[Chicken Hawk]

I think the photos look remarkably like the same boy. The hair and his nose looks the same to me. Of course it's hard to tell with the one where he is laying down, we can only see the side of his nose.

I agree with buffetoflies, there are probably lots of people who have older furniture, especially if it's a vacation type home. It does look like an RV or Travel Trailer of some sort.

As for the yellowing of the film, years ago my mom developed some older film she had and it came out looking yellow, very similar to the pic above. FWIW IMO

 

[Pete]

I have wondered what Devlin has to gain by denying it if he was involved in Steven Kraft's dissapearance? He s not getting out of jail ever though maybe he does not want everyone to know about whatever else he has done.

 

[Chicken Hawk]

I have wondered what Devlin has to gain by denying it if he was involved in Steven Kraft's dissapearance? He s not getting out of jail ever though maybe he does not want everyone to know about whatever else he has done.

That's a good point.

I just hope LE has checked out that photo and compared to Steven Kraft. Whether it's Devlin or not, IMO the photo resembles Steven. Probably not him but worth checking.

 

[Armchair14]

That's a good point.

I just hope LE has checked out that photo and compared to Steven Kraft. Whether it's Devlin or not, IMO the photo resembles Steven. Probably not him but worth checking.

CH:

Who is "LE," please?

Thanks

 

[CarlK90245]

CH:

Who is "LE," please?

Thanks

LE = "Law Enforcement"

 

[CarlK90245]

I have wondered what Devlin has to gain by denying it if he was involved in Steven Kraft's dissapearance? He s not getting out of jail ever though maybe he does not want everyone to know about whatever else he has done.

AFAIK, he is only convicted of kidnapping. Even though he probably will never be set free, a conviction for murder in addition to the kidnapping convictions would probably not only expose him to the possibility of a death penalty, but also might result in him being placed in much less desirable prison conditions.

 

[Chicken Hawk]

CH:

Who is "LE," please?

Thanks

Sorry about that Armchair 14 and thank you CarlK!!

 

[Armchair14]

Carl,

Thanks. Michigan was, I believe, the first state to abolish the death penalty, prior to the Civil War. Still, there might be some ramifications and even if this is Steven, it does not necessarily point exclusively to Devlin. If it is Steven, though, the picture might be of some use to LE.

I found the name of the FBI SA who is (or at least once was) in charge of the task force for Steven’s disappearance. I even found an email address for him online. I toyed with the idea of sending him the links to the pictures and this thread, but I guess I’m afraid of derision or ridicule: another worthless tip from people like us, armchairs sleuths. Maybe someone in LE will find them here on his or her own. As others said, it couldn’t hurt to at least check it out.

Thanks again.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

I think they well could be the same boy, and I would send it to the FBI SA. It couldn't hurt, and I seriously doubt he/she would ridicule a well meaning person trying to help them.

 

[CrimeSolver]

It couldn't hurt, and I seriously doubt he/she would ridicule a well meaning person trying to help them.

Agreed. I would give it a shot, Armchair. At least the FBI will have the tools to determine the age of the photo.

 

[Armchair14]

Whole and CS:

Well, there is another reason why I am hesitant to do that. If you look at the Google Image of the bound boy, it is attributed to “piratenews.org,” which I never heard of previously. I have now, unfortunately.

It appears to be an ultra-right wing conspiracy site with strongly anti-Semitic overtones. It is replete with the usual "new world order" conspiracy theories, and there is presently a disgusting “report” on it concerning rabbis allegedly committing obscene crimes while practicing circumcisions. It almost seems likes Der Stürmer reincarnated. (That was a Nazi-era “newspaper” published by Julius Streicher, one of Hitler’s early political cronies. Streicher was the most rabid anti-Semite in the Nazi movement and his newspaper was virtually pornographic, which included virulent attacks on Jewish people. He was hanged at Nuremberg after the war along with many top Nazis.)

As I said in my original post, I’m uncertain why this image comes up under Noreen Gosch’s name. I can only guess that it was once on her website, and she later took it down for some reason. If it had been on her website at one time, I have no idea where she would have gotten it from. Maybe someone mailed it to her anonymously and when she discovered the original internet source for the photo took it down in horror.

If this photo originated (at least online) with piratenews.org, I have no idea in what context. It might have been used in some “report” about “Jews abducting blond-haired ‘Aryan’ kids like this one for nefarious purposes,” and the entire photo might be a setup for that purpose and the boy is not Steven Kraft.

On the other hand, if this photo did once appear online at piratenews.org, maybe they got if from some other website (not their own) devoted to another agenda and it might be Steven. It’s just all so uncertain. But I’d have to believe that authorities would routinely monitor sites like piratenews.org and would already be aware of the photograph if it originally appeared there. They refer to the FBI as “Nazis,” which might be considered the height of irony.

 

[CrimeSolver]

I wouldn't let its placement at some despicable fringe website deter you. Good intentions are what matter.

As an aside, I remember seeing a docu on Streicher and his agit-prop rag a couple of years ago. Even I, German by birth, had never heard of him. What a vile creature he was.

 

[Armchair14]

CS:

Yes, you’re right. I didn’t think to do even the most elementary web search before making my last post, that is, putting Mrs. Gosch’s name and piratenews.org into the same search. When I just did, it became apparent that the connection between the two is that PNORG has latched onto Mrs. Gosch’s conspiracy theories in support of their own political agenda.

I am going to guess (just that) that the photo was first on Mrs. Gosch’s website and was then lifted onto PN’s as a “news report” which is why it comes up under Mrs. Gosch’s name but is attributed to PN. Perhaps when Mrs. Gosch discovered of what use it was being made, she took it down. I found no evidence of any active collaboration between Mrs. Gosch and PN.

Since it seems likely that it was originally on her site, we are back to square one.

 

[Lurkey Lou]

bumping for Steven, I always think about him around the holidays.