Melvin Horst Missing since December 27, 1928 from Orrville, Ohio.
Melvin Horst
Missing since December 27, 1928 from Orrville, Wayne County, Ohio.
Classification: Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: 1924
Age at Time of Disappearance: 4 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: N/A
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair; blue eyes
The Doe Network: Case File 501DMOH
Circumstances of Disappearance
Melvin resided with his family near Vine Street and Paradise Street in Orrville, Ohio in 1928. He went to play with four neighborhood friends during the late afternoon hours of December 27, 1928.
Melvin was wearing a coat and a hat; he was also carrying a red toy truck he received as a recent holiday gift. His friends said that they played in a vacant lot off of Chestnut Street near the railroad tracks. The boys told authorities that Melvin announced it was late and he had to walk home sometime during the evening hours. He was apprximately one block from his family's house at the time. Melvin never arrived and has not been heard from again.
Melvin's parents, Raymond and Zola Horst, called him inside for dinner at approximately 4:30 PM. They became concerned when he did not respond and began looking for their son in their neighborhood. The Horsts summoned authorities by 7:00 PM and an extensive search was initiated by 8:30 PM that evening. Many of Orrville's 4,500 residents assisted in the process, which was led by Raymond's brother, Roy Horst, the Village Marshal. No sign of Melvin was uncovered.
Melvin's disappearance made nationwide headlines and the media followed his story closely at the time. He vanished during the United States' Prohibition era and a bootlegger and his son were arrested for Melvin's alleged abduction in 1929, one year after he was last seen. A friend of the accused parties told investigators that he saw them lure Melvin into their home on the day he disappeared. The family lived around the corner from the Horsts at the time. The bootlegger and his son were convicted of Melvin's abduction and spent three months in jail before authorities learned that their witness lied about the events. The men were found innocent of involvement in Melvin's case during a second trial shortly thereafter.
The witness who claimed the bootlegger and his son were responsible for Melvin's disappearance was subsequently arrested along with his own father in 1930. Both men confessed that they murdered Melvin inside of a garage after he caught them drinking whiskey. Neither of the suspects admitted being the actual murderer and it was later determined that their confessions were coerced by law enforcement officers. There have been no arrests in Horst's case since 1930.
Some people believed that Melvin had been abducted, murdered or died as the result of an accident. Others thought that one of Roy Horst's enemies attempted to scare the marshal by instigating his nephew's disappearance. No evidence has been located to support any of the theories. Authorities have stated that they never officially closed Melvin's case, but they doubted that any new information would lead them to his whereabouts. It is unlikely that any skeletal remains that may be located in the future could be identified as Melvin's body, as poor dental records were kept at the time he disappeared.
Orrville Police Department 330-684-5025
NCIC Number: N/A
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
Source Information:
The Akron Beacon Journal
link
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/501dmoh.html
Melvin Horst
Missing since December 27, 1928 from Orrville, Wayne County, Ohio.
Classification: Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: 1924
Age at Time of Disappearance: 4 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: N/A
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair; blue eyes
The Doe Network: Case File 501DMOH
Circumstances of Disappearance
Melvin resided with his family near Vine Street and Paradise Street in Orrville, Ohio in 1928. He went to play with four neighborhood friends during the late afternoon hours of December 27, 1928.
Melvin was wearing a coat and a hat; he was also carrying a red toy truck he received as a recent holiday gift. His friends said that they played in a vacant lot off of Chestnut Street near the railroad tracks. The boys told authorities that Melvin announced it was late and he had to walk home sometime during the evening hours. He was apprximately one block from his family's house at the time. Melvin never arrived and has not been heard from again.
Melvin's parents, Raymond and Zola Horst, called him inside for dinner at approximately 4:30 PM. They became concerned when he did not respond and began looking for their son in their neighborhood. The Horsts summoned authorities by 7:00 PM and an extensive search was initiated by 8:30 PM that evening. Many of Orrville's 4,500 residents assisted in the process, which was led by Raymond's brother, Roy Horst, the Village Marshal. No sign of Melvin was uncovered.
Melvin's disappearance made nationwide headlines and the media followed his story closely at the time. He vanished during the United States' Prohibition era and a bootlegger and his son were arrested for Melvin's alleged abduction in 1929, one year after he was last seen. A friend of the accused parties told investigators that he saw them lure Melvin into their home on the day he disappeared. The family lived around the corner from the Horsts at the time. The bootlegger and his son were convicted of Melvin's abduction and spent three months in jail before authorities learned that their witness lied about the events. The men were found innocent of involvement in Melvin's case during a second trial shortly thereafter.
The witness who claimed the bootlegger and his son were responsible for Melvin's disappearance was subsequently arrested along with his own father in 1930. Both men confessed that they murdered Melvin inside of a garage after he caught them drinking whiskey. Neither of the suspects admitted being the actual murderer and it was later determined that their confessions were coerced by law enforcement officers. There have been no arrests in Horst's case since 1930.
Some people believed that Melvin had been abducted, murdered or died as the result of an accident. Others thought that one of Roy Horst's enemies attempted to scare the marshal by instigating his nephew's disappearance. No evidence has been located to support any of the theories. Authorities have stated that they never officially closed Melvin's case, but they doubted that any new information would lead them to his whereabouts. It is unlikely that any skeletal remains that may be located in the future could be identified as Melvin's body, as poor dental records were kept at the time he disappeared.
Orrville Police Department 330-684-5025
NCIC Number: N/A
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
Source Information:
The Akron Beacon Journal
link
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/501dmoh.html