Fort Jackson's only known missing person case has been reopened 42 years after a boy went missing while his dad was mowing the grass outside his home in the officers' housing area.
The following was first published in the Fort Jackson Leader on May 29 and later provided to the media in a press release:
By Susanne Kappler
What started out as an ordinary spring Sunday on Fort Jackson ended up as a day shrouded in mystery that still occupies hearts and minds 42 years later.
On April 23, 1972, Maj. Joe Woodward, then the staff judge advocate on post, was mowing the grass outside his home in the officers' housing area. His 9-year-old son, Michael, was playing outside nearby. At some point, just before noon, Michael disappeared without a trace. The case of the missing boy attracted widespread media attention, but despite the efforts of local and national law enforcement agencies, Michael was never found and the case went cold.
Forty-two years after Michael's disappearance, the case is open again because of the perseverance of two former investigators and the insistence of Patrick O'Connor, deputy director for emergency services.