Noirdame79
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Link to the article: The Many Lives of Frédéric Bourdin
TX TX - Nicholas Barclay, 13, San Antonio, 13 June 1994
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Noirdame79
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I've had some brief (online) conversations with someone who claims to be a member of the family, who I think is probably legit. He lives in Utah, which is where Beverly is from and where Nicholas was born. When Jason went into drug rehab after Nicholas's disappearance, he stayed with those relatives and was out of Texas until not long after Bourdin arrived and was masquerading as Nicholas.
One thing I noticed right off, and I'm not being cruel here, but this family is not very well-educated, which is sad. I think one of the reasons why Nicholas going missing wasn't taken seriously was because he and his family were probably viewed as white trash, coupled with drug use and domestic disturbances. Second, the issue of denial reared its head again when I was conversing with this person (presumably a cousin). As with Beverly, Carey, and Brian (Carey's ex-husband), this guy downplayed the drug addiction issues and outright ignored the domestic violence, which was well-documented and confirmed by neighbors. To be fair, he lives in another state, but his refusal to acknowledge (along with the aforementioned others) that Nicholas was not living in a stable environment and that his mother and brother should have done better by him was concerning. It seems like a lot of people looked the other way (except for Nicholas's teachers, who had notified Child Protective Services just before he went missing), which is so frustrating, this is yet another case of a child falling through the cracks. He also made a rather strange statement about how no one is looking for Nicholas now (although I think the PI, Charlie Parker, is still looking into it) and that everyone is so busy pointing fingers at Jason (whom he insists would never have harmed anyone). Once again, I really got the sense that the family is more concerned with protecting Jason than looking for Nicholas. Whether you believe that someone in the family had anything to do with his disappearance or not, you have to admit that does come across as rather strange.
One thing I noticed right off, and I'm not being cruel here, but this family is not very well-educated, which is sad. I think one of the reasons why Nicholas going missing wasn't taken seriously was because he and his family were probably viewed as white trash, coupled with drug use and domestic disturbances. Second, the issue of denial reared its head again when I was conversing with this person (presumably a cousin). As with Beverly, Carey, and Brian (Carey's ex-husband), this guy downplayed the drug addiction issues and outright ignored the domestic violence, which was well-documented and confirmed by neighbors. To be fair, he lives in another state, but his refusal to acknowledge (along with the aforementioned others) that Nicholas was not living in a stable environment and that his mother and brother should have done better by him was concerning. It seems like a lot of people looked the other way (except for Nicholas's teachers, who had notified Child Protective Services just before he went missing), which is so frustrating, this is yet another case of a child falling through the cracks. He also made a rather strange statement about how no one is looking for Nicholas now (although I think the PI, Charlie Parker, is still looking into it) and that everyone is so busy pointing fingers at Jason (whom he insists would never have harmed anyone). Once again, I really got the sense that the family is more concerned with protecting Jason than looking for Nicholas. Whether you believe that someone in the family had anything to do with his disappearance or not, you have to admit that does come across as rather strange.
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Noirdame79
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As I mentioned before, Child Protective Services had been notified just prior to Nicholas going missing, which means there was going to be an investigation and possibly even an arrest. Then there was the juvenile court hearing, scheduled for June 14. Someone was abusing Nicholas, IMO, and that person was afraid of being exposed. Either CPS was going to find out and/or this person was afraid that something might come up at the hearing, and Nicholas might reveal what was going on. The walls were closing in. I only recently started to put this theory together, after revisiting the cases of Alissa Turney and Aundria Bowman/Alexis Badger. When the victim attempts to leave and/or tell, that is often the most dangerous time for them, as the abuser fears losing control and the truth coming out.
From the way this cousin I talked to online and another person who claims to know the family portrays it, you would think that the only issues involved Nicholas's behavior, another disturbing trend I have noticed as the family continually portrays him in a negative light. They want people to believe that Beverly and Jason were clean at the time of the disappearance, and the trauma of losing Nicholas led them to use again, but this goes against the documented evidence and eyewitness accounts. They also insist that Jason was incapable of violence. Beverly stated in the documentary that it "wasn't in Jason's makeup" to hurt Nicholas. However, she told the private investigator Charlie Parker shortly after Jason passed away that Jason's personality changed when he was doing drugs and drinking and he became"crazy" and "scary". She also told Parker that Jason once beat up his father when he was high on cocaine.
While most websites etc, state that Nicholas went missing on June 13, 1994, that was actually the day he was reported missing. When Beverly called the police, she told them that she hadn't seen Nicholas since June 10. For whatever reason, she didn't report it for three days. When the police did begin investigating, they discovered that Nicholas had left all his belongings behind, and if Beverly is to be believed, she gave him $5 on the day of his disappearance, and he wouldn't have been able to get very far with that small amount. A person who claims to know the family stated that, regarding the phone call Jason made to the police in September 1994 (Nicholas was missing for three months by then), it was Beverly who told them that it might have been Nicholas who tried to break into the house (even though the police found no evidence to support that), as she thought he had run away and maybe came back to get some money, clothes etc. I don't know why this person seems to think that this somehow makes it less suspicious. Again, it contradicts what Beverly claimed in the documentary, that she believes that Nicholas was abducted (i.e. got into a car with a stranger), and her insistence that she realized after a few days that Nicholas hadn't run away because he was never gone for more than a day when he ran away in the past. Again, he was missing for three months by then, and I always thought this story was to divert suspicion and make it seem like Nicholas was a runaway. (She also told Charlie Parker that she didn't believe that Jason saw Nicholas during the September 1994 incident, which doesn't corroborate what this person claims).
Beverly worked nights, seven days a week, and slept during the day. That alone shows that she was not an attentive or present parent. Jason was probably more of a presence, and likely not a positive one, given his drug addiction. Neighbors confirmed the many domestic violence disputes and Nicholas's childhood friend Kevin Hendricks confirmed that Jason's presence in the house made it a volatile situation.
As mentioned in the documentary, in 2012, the man who was living in the house on Swallow Drive where Nicholas, Beverly, and Jason had lived at the time that he went missing, stated that there was a tarp buried in the yard, where his dog was obsessively digging. Why would a tarp be buried in the yard?
I hope that Nicholas's remains will be found one day or at least there will be some resolution in this case, and all the cases in recent years that have been solved or are in the process of being solved gives me hope.
Nicholas and his nephew Codey (Carey's son)
Nicholas with his mother Beverly (I think the man might be Uncle Pat, Beverly's brother)
Carey and Jason
Carey and Jason with Carey's children Codey and Chantal
From the way this cousin I talked to online and another person who claims to know the family portrays it, you would think that the only issues involved Nicholas's behavior, another disturbing trend I have noticed as the family continually portrays him in a negative light. They want people to believe that Beverly and Jason were clean at the time of the disappearance, and the trauma of losing Nicholas led them to use again, but this goes against the documented evidence and eyewitness accounts. They also insist that Jason was incapable of violence. Beverly stated in the documentary that it "wasn't in Jason's makeup" to hurt Nicholas. However, she told the private investigator Charlie Parker shortly after Jason passed away that Jason's personality changed when he was doing drugs and drinking and he became"crazy" and "scary". She also told Parker that Jason once beat up his father when he was high on cocaine.
While most websites etc, state that Nicholas went missing on June 13, 1994, that was actually the day he was reported missing. When Beverly called the police, she told them that she hadn't seen Nicholas since June 10. For whatever reason, she didn't report it for three days. When the police did begin investigating, they discovered that Nicholas had left all his belongings behind, and if Beverly is to be believed, she gave him $5 on the day of his disappearance, and he wouldn't have been able to get very far with that small amount. A person who claims to know the family stated that, regarding the phone call Jason made to the police in September 1994 (Nicholas was missing for three months by then), it was Beverly who told them that it might have been Nicholas who tried to break into the house (even though the police found no evidence to support that), as she thought he had run away and maybe came back to get some money, clothes etc. I don't know why this person seems to think that this somehow makes it less suspicious. Again, it contradicts what Beverly claimed in the documentary, that she believes that Nicholas was abducted (i.e. got into a car with a stranger), and her insistence that she realized after a few days that Nicholas hadn't run away because he was never gone for more than a day when he ran away in the past. Again, he was missing for three months by then, and I always thought this story was to divert suspicion and make it seem like Nicholas was a runaway. (She also told Charlie Parker that she didn't believe that Jason saw Nicholas during the September 1994 incident, which doesn't corroborate what this person claims).
Beverly worked nights, seven days a week, and slept during the day. That alone shows that she was not an attentive or present parent. Jason was probably more of a presence, and likely not a positive one, given his drug addiction. Neighbors confirmed the many domestic violence disputes and Nicholas's childhood friend Kevin Hendricks confirmed that Jason's presence in the house made it a volatile situation.
As mentioned in the documentary, in 2012, the man who was living in the house on Swallow Drive where Nicholas, Beverly, and Jason had lived at the time that he went missing, stated that there was a tarp buried in the yard, where his dog was obsessively digging. Why would a tarp be buried in the yard?
I hope that Nicholas's remains will be found one day or at least there will be some resolution in this case, and all the cases in recent years that have been solved or are in the process of being solved gives me hope.
Nicholas and his nephew Codey (Carey's son)
Nicholas with his mother Beverly (I think the man might be Uncle Pat, Beverly's brother)
Carey and Jason
Carey and Jason with Carey's children Codey and Chantal
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andthisismykindofluv
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I'm from the same area and I think about Nicholas often and if there will be resolution to his case. I think something happened to him and that he did not run away. Hopefully time will reveal the truth soon.
Noirdame79
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I don't really have anything new to add, but looking at recent videos on this case, I have come to the realization that Frederic Bourdin brought attention to this case. If he hadn't impersonated Nicholas, we wouldn't know anything about his case; his disappearance didn't even make the news. There were no news stories about him at the time. Regardless of what we think of Bourdin, he actually helped bring this case to national, if not international attention. I also don't think he has any reason to lie about what he thinks happened to Nicholas. He has served his time, has turned his life around (at least as far as he is capable), and has admitted to being a con artist in the past. Unless we get new information, we may never know, but as I said in my previous post, I do hope we will find out what happened, or at least Nicholas will be found.
Noirdame79
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This is the information I've found online regarding Jason's passing. The cause of his death is not mentioned, but I'm pretty sure this is him.
Noirdame79
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Nicholas's family did not care for the article that was written by David Grann. They felt they did not come off well. They also feel that Grann relied too much on Bourdin and misquoted them. The former is not really true, because Grann also interviewed Charlie Parker (the PI) and the two FBI agents who investigated the case after Frederic Bourdin's arrest and incarceration when they suspected that Nicholas was the victim of a homicide. There are details that Bourdin could not have known (such as the history of domestic violence and the notification of Child Protective Services). It's also telling that while it was confirmed that Nicholas's mother was an addict throughout her children's lives, Nicholas's sister made a point of mentioning that Beverly was a high-functioning addict - the kids never went hungry or went without basic necessities, but of course, there's more to being a parent than that.
Noirdame79
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More than a decade after The Imposter first came out, Netflix subscribers are going wild over the true crime documentary, which recently released on the streaming platform.
Directed by Bart Layton, The Imposter (2012) tells the true story of French con artist Frédéric Bourdin, who tricked authorities as well as a grieving family into thinking he was their son, Nicholas Barclay, who had gone missing three years prior in 1994. He claimed that he was kidnapped and brought to Spain, where he was sex trafficked. While Bourdin had the same tattoos as the missing boy, he was significantly older, spoke with a French accent and had different colored hair and eyes — yet family members still accepted him as Barclay.
Eventually, it was discovered by a private investigator and an FBI agent that Bourdin was a fraud. Now, viewers are taking to Twitter to express their disbelief over the “bonkers” documentary, and how he was able to get away with his impersonation in the first place.
What do you think? Post a comment.
With renewed interest in the doc, social media has lit up with baffled reactions from users watching the movie for the very first time years after its release. One astounded viewer said it best, writing, “Watching #TheImposter on netflix like omg.”
Another asked, “How is ‘I washed your brain’ not trending on Twitter? #TheImposter is baffling but incredible in terms of intelligence used. Pre internet life hits different when you remember the world described in a historical period.”
“Watching #theimposter and I can understand his sister’s reaction in wanting to believe it’s him but all those officials didn’t ask about his eye color changing?” a third person added.
Another wrote, “Well this is bonkers,” while one more said, “Just when you think you can’t watch anything more crazy on Netflix. Watch #TheImposter.”
Yet another stumped user chimed in, “#theimposter has got to be the most asinine, outlandish sequence of events. At the end of it all the poor kid was never found and the truth most likely won’t ever come out.”
If Twitter convinced you to check out The Imposter, it’s easy to watch. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
decider.com
Directed by Bart Layton, The Imposter (2012) tells the true story of French con artist Frédéric Bourdin, who tricked authorities as well as a grieving family into thinking he was their son, Nicholas Barclay, who had gone missing three years prior in 1994. He claimed that he was kidnapped and brought to Spain, where he was sex trafficked. While Bourdin had the same tattoos as the missing boy, he was significantly older, spoke with a French accent and had different colored hair and eyes — yet family members still accepted him as Barclay.
Eventually, it was discovered by a private investigator and an FBI agent that Bourdin was a fraud. Now, viewers are taking to Twitter to express their disbelief over the “bonkers” documentary, and how he was able to get away with his impersonation in the first place.
What do you think? Post a comment.
With renewed interest in the doc, social media has lit up with baffled reactions from users watching the movie for the very first time years after its release. One astounded viewer said it best, writing, “Watching #TheImposter on netflix like omg.”
Another asked, “How is ‘I washed your brain’ not trending on Twitter? #TheImposter is baffling but incredible in terms of intelligence used. Pre internet life hits different when you remember the world described in a historical period.”
“Watching #theimposter and I can understand his sister’s reaction in wanting to believe it’s him but all those officials didn’t ask about his eye color changing?” a third person added.
Another wrote, “Well this is bonkers,” while one more said, “Just when you think you can’t watch anything more crazy on Netflix. Watch #TheImposter.”
Yet another stumped user chimed in, “#theimposter has got to be the most asinine, outlandish sequence of events. At the end of it all the poor kid was never found and the truth most likely won’t ever come out.”
If Twitter convinced you to check out The Imposter, it’s easy to watch. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
‘The Imposter’ on Netflix: Why Everyone’s Suddenly Going Wild For This “Bonkers” Documentary 10 Years After Its Release
“Just when you think you can’t watch anything more crazy on Netflix,” one astounded viewer tweeted of the true crime doc.
decider.com
AzKhaleesi
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I just watched The Imposter after hearing about this case on a podcast. I am blown away. How did this NOT get solved?!? The police really messed this up. I wish Cold Case would pick it up. I am 100% convinced his brother did it. Maybe not on purpose but maybe in a coke fueled rage or whatnot. I think that's why he avoided seeing his "brother" when Bourdain showed up. And why else would he say "good luck" like that makes zero sense.
If my brother went missing and we got him back - A) I'd know right away if it were him and B) if it weren't I'd be shouting it off the rooftops. But no he avoided and felt guilty then dies of a drug overdose a little while later? Doesn't add up. Sounds like guilt to me. Not as in "oh I feel bad" but more like "*advertiser censored* they're on to me" ... or maybe a little of both.
I want to know with all the technology why that back yard hasn't been dug up... the WHOLE back yard, or get one of those scanner things. This case really frustrates me.
If my brother went missing and we got him back - A) I'd know right away if it were him and B) if it weren't I'd be shouting it off the rooftops. But no he avoided and felt guilty then dies of a drug overdose a little while later? Doesn't add up. Sounds like guilt to me. Not as in "oh I feel bad" but more like "*advertiser censored* they're on to me" ... or maybe a little of both.
I want to know with all the technology why that back yard hasn't been dug up... the WHOLE back yard, or get one of those scanner things. This case really frustrates me.
Noirdame79
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You and me both! I hope there will be answers someday. I feel horrible for Nicholas.
Mysteries1974
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I was always hopeful maybe Nicholas could still be alive but I really don’t think so anymore. As someone mentioned above, the time he disappeared was when CPS had been notified and when he had his juvenile court hearing. Nicholas was more than likely exposed to violence at home, especially with his brother around.
This time would’ve been quite dangerous for him and whoever was abusing or harming him probably did something to quiet him forever. Someone above also mentioned Aundria Bowman and how the time she disappeared was also dangerous for her (she told the police her adoptive father was molesting her).
This case reminds me a lot of the Bowman case. For one, her adoptive parents played the roles of two grieving parents for years after Aundria’s 1989 disappearance even though they both knew she had died and her remains were buried in the backyard of their home for three decades.
Aundria’s adoptive mother, Brenda, called police in the months after her disappearance to claim that she had been sighted by multiple people in the time after she vanished. Her biological mother, Cathy, does not believe these sightings were true and that Brenda made them up to give credibility to Aundria running away.
I think Nicholas’s mother did this same thing in September of 1994 when it was claimed that he might’ve returned and attempted to break into his homes garage. I don’t think it was him or that it even happened. In fact, unless anyone besides his brother or mom can confirm that he disappeared on 06/13/1994, I wouldn’t give much credit to that at all. I saw somewhere he might’ve been gone for three days before his mom contacted police.
Dennis Bowman claimed Aundria stole $100 and ran away from their home on 03/11/1989. She had actually died the day before he filed the runaway report on her and he had already dismembered and buried her in the backyard of their house.
I think the answers in this case are close to home. I do not believe Nicholas ran away and has managed to live under the radar all this time. I also do not believe he was abducted by a stranger or someone else.
This time would’ve been quite dangerous for him and whoever was abusing or harming him probably did something to quiet him forever. Someone above also mentioned Aundria Bowman and how the time she disappeared was also dangerous for her (she told the police her adoptive father was molesting her).
This case reminds me a lot of the Bowman case. For one, her adoptive parents played the roles of two grieving parents for years after Aundria’s 1989 disappearance even though they both knew she had died and her remains were buried in the backyard of their home for three decades.
Aundria’s adoptive mother, Brenda, called police in the months after her disappearance to claim that she had been sighted by multiple people in the time after she vanished. Her biological mother, Cathy, does not believe these sightings were true and that Brenda made them up to give credibility to Aundria running away.
I think Nicholas’s mother did this same thing in September of 1994 when it was claimed that he might’ve returned and attempted to break into his homes garage. I don’t think it was him or that it even happened. In fact, unless anyone besides his brother or mom can confirm that he disappeared on 06/13/1994, I wouldn’t give much credit to that at all. I saw somewhere he might’ve been gone for three days before his mom contacted police.
Dennis Bowman claimed Aundria stole $100 and ran away from their home on 03/11/1989. She had actually died the day before he filed the runaway report on her and he had already dismembered and buried her in the backyard of their house.
I think the answers in this case are close to home. I do not believe Nicholas ran away and has managed to live under the radar all this time. I also do not believe he was abducted by a stranger or someone else.
He actually went missing on June 10th but was not reported missing until June 13th.
Noirdame79
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I don't believe he ran away either. When you realize that Beverly waited three days to report him missing, the whole "he ran away to avoid the hearing on the 14th" theory is far less plausible, as three days would have been longer than his pattern of running away (24 hours). He left all his belongings behind other than the clothes he was wearing and the small backpack he was carrying; Beverly gave him $ 5 before he left the house. It wouldn't have gotten him very far. Stranger abductions are quite rare, a child is usually "taken" by someone they know.
When I first began looking into this case, I thought Beverly was involved in Nicholas's disappearance; now I'm not so sure. According to the 2008 article by David Grann, she was considering giving up Nicholas to the courts, and she was working nights, seven days a week; she could not be an attentive or present parent for that reason. Jason was likely more of a presence. That poor boy must have known that he was unwanted, and then he had Jason throwing his weight around; the latter's addiction to cocaine must have made him a violent and unpredictable personality. I think now that Beverly either found out or suspects that Jason killed Nicholas, but doesn't want to admit it. This would explain her behavior when Frederic Bourdin was impersonating Nicholas, including her reaction at the airport. Maybe part of her wanted to believe Bourdin was her son, even though she knew he couldn't be. Perhaps she wants to protect her other son (whom she seems to have positive things to say about for the most part, despite his addiction), but again, I can't help but notice how protective the family is about Jason but throws Nicholas under the bus, even though they claim they were the only ones looking for him. The fact that they don't seem to realize that the environment Nicholas was living in and the main adult role models contributed to his behavior is very troubling, it seems that they lack self-awareness. As I mentioned before, an extended member of the family told me that the family stopped looking for Nicholas long ago. I hope it's not true, but it wouldn't surprise me. Charlie Parker, the private investigator who exposed Bourdin, is still looking into the case but hasn't given any updates as of now.
Noirdame79
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The house on 14111 Swallow Drive, where Nicholas lived with his mother Beverly, and later his brother Jason. This photo was from when the house was for sale in 2009; it is currently occupied.
Fort Sam Houston. This is where Nicholas was supposedly playing basketball (this was mentioned during a news story when Fredric Bourdin was pretending to be Nicholas, and the female reporter was at one point standing in this area. Did that information come from Beverly or Boudin?).
If Nicholas did go out to play basketball on the day of his disappearance (which was on June 10; his mother didn't report him missing until the 13th), I'm guessing it was on an outdoor court, probably on school grounds.
Fort Sam Houston. This is where Nicholas was supposedly playing basketball (this was mentioned during a news story when Fredric Bourdin was pretending to be Nicholas, and the female reporter was at one point standing in this area. Did that information come from Beverly or Boudin?).
If Nicholas did go out to play basketball on the day of his disappearance (which was on June 10; his mother didn't report him missing until the 13th), I'm guessing it was on an outdoor court, probably on school grounds.
Mysteries1974
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After years of reading this case and reading all of the statements from his family members, I fully believe his brother either intentionally or accidentally killed Nicholas and someone helped him cover it up. He was then reported as a runaway which was an easy cover. He was about to have a court hearing so it seemed more than plausible at the time.
So were they going to take him out of Beverly's care?
Noirdame79
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The court hearing was supposedly the result of Nicholas stealing tennis shoes and whether or not he should remain at home or be sent to a juvenile facility. Whenever this is mentioned, it's always implied that Nicholas was the problem, but he didn't have the best role models. Child Protective Services had already been notified because his teachers suspected child abuse. The hearing could have exposed the drug use and domestic violence, and CPS might have found evidence of this as well. This is one of the reasons why I suspect that his brother killed him.
Noirdame79
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The Chameleon (2010) is a drama film loosely (and fictitiously) based on this case, specifically about Frederic Bourdin's impersonation of Nicholas. I haven't seen it but it appears to have gotten mostly negative reviews, in part because the movie seemed disjointed, and in part because there were several producers involved who clashed on what type of film it should be. It was not theatrically released in North America and went directly to DVD. On the film's IMDB message board (which has since been moved to The Movie Chat website) someone claiming to be Nicholas's sister complained about the movie not being factual and was angry at the attention given to the character based on Bourdin. Someone (rightly) explained to her that it wasn't a documentary, it was fictionalized. Another poster asked her what she thought of the 2008 David Grann article of the same name. She claimed Grann "mixed up words", specifically from her daughter (who was only quoted once in the article), and claimed that he relied mostly on Bourdin, but in fact, Grann interviewed the private investigator Charlie Parker, and most notably the FBI agents who investigated, which is where the information about the CPS notification came from. Bourdin couldn't have been aware of that, or what happened during Beverly's polygraph exams, or about the prior police reports of domestic violence, including two that took place after Nicholas's disappearance where Beverly called the police on Jason, and the phone call Jason made to report Nicholas breaking into the garage, which many find suspect.
The Imposter (2012) the documentary directed by Bart Layton, is how most people came to know this case. Nicholas's family was reportedly very hesitant to take part in the documentary because of the way they felt they were portrayed in Grann's article; they had also lost most home videos of Nicholas in a fire. After they were reassured that it would be fair, they agreed and shared what little home video footage had survived. On the film's message board, someone who claimed to know the family attacked the film for the insinuation that Jason or anyone in the family may have killed Nicholas, and said that the private investigator, Charlie Parker (the only person who is still looking for Nicholas and who was the first person to realize that Bourdin was an imposter) is only out for fame. This person also claimed that Jason died three years after Bourdin was incarcerated, which is not true. Bourdin was arrested in February 1998 and was sentenced in September of 1998. Jason died in November 1999. It was also claimed Carey (Nicholas's sister) "received a call from Nicholas (Frederic) before Nancy Fisher (the FBI agent) called her, he told her that they were trying to say he wasn't him and that they were going to take him away again." Nancy Fisher stated that she called Carey and told her that Bourdin wasn't her brother and that she shouldn't take him home, but Carey said, "I don't remember her putting it in those words". Carey never mentioned that supposed phone call she got from Bourdin in the documentary; considering she is so angry about being conned by him, why didn't she mention it? It would have further explained why she took him home with her. This person who supposedly knows the family also wrote, "Jason called the police to report that someone had tried to break into the garage at the house they were living in. When the Police came Nicholas's mother suggested it might have been Nicholas, she thought he had run away and may have tried to come back and didn't have a key or maybe to get things he had in his room, clothes, money, etc." Three months later? Nicholas had never been gone for more than 24 hours when he ran away in the past. It also doesn't explain why Jason didn't try to see if Nicholas was all right instead of calling the police. Moreover, it doesn't fit Beverly's story in the documentary that "I thought someone offered him [Nicholas] a ride, and that he got in the car. I think he would have gotten into a car with someone he didn't know." I don't know who this person is, but they were desperate to defend the family's actions and explain away why they didn't realize (or appear to realize) that Bourdin wasn't Nicholas. So much is off with the family.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit did two episodes inspired by this case. The first was Stranger, a season 10 episode that aired in January 2009
The second episode inspired by this case is Complicated, from Season 19, which aired in October 2017
The Imposter (2012) the documentary directed by Bart Layton, is how most people came to know this case. Nicholas's family was reportedly very hesitant to take part in the documentary because of the way they felt they were portrayed in Grann's article; they had also lost most home videos of Nicholas in a fire. After they were reassured that it would be fair, they agreed and shared what little home video footage had survived. On the film's message board, someone who claimed to know the family attacked the film for the insinuation that Jason or anyone in the family may have killed Nicholas, and said that the private investigator, Charlie Parker (the only person who is still looking for Nicholas and who was the first person to realize that Bourdin was an imposter) is only out for fame. This person also claimed that Jason died three years after Bourdin was incarcerated, which is not true. Bourdin was arrested in February 1998 and was sentenced in September of 1998. Jason died in November 1999. It was also claimed Carey (Nicholas's sister) "received a call from Nicholas (Frederic) before Nancy Fisher (the FBI agent) called her, he told her that they were trying to say he wasn't him and that they were going to take him away again." Nancy Fisher stated that she called Carey and told her that Bourdin wasn't her brother and that she shouldn't take him home, but Carey said, "I don't remember her putting it in those words". Carey never mentioned that supposed phone call she got from Bourdin in the documentary; considering she is so angry about being conned by him, why didn't she mention it? It would have further explained why she took him home with her. This person who supposedly knows the family also wrote, "Jason called the police to report that someone had tried to break into the garage at the house they were living in. When the Police came Nicholas's mother suggested it might have been Nicholas, she thought he had run away and may have tried to come back and didn't have a key or maybe to get things he had in his room, clothes, money, etc." Three months later? Nicholas had never been gone for more than 24 hours when he ran away in the past. It also doesn't explain why Jason didn't try to see if Nicholas was all right instead of calling the police. Moreover, it doesn't fit Beverly's story in the documentary that "I thought someone offered him [Nicholas] a ride, and that he got in the car. I think he would have gotten into a car with someone he didn't know." I don't know who this person is, but they were desperate to defend the family's actions and explain away why they didn't realize (or appear to realize) that Bourdin wasn't Nicholas. So much is off with the family.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit did two episodes inspired by this case. The first was Stranger, a season 10 episode that aired in January 2009
The second episode inspired by this case is Complicated, from Season 19, which aired in October 2017
- Both episodes revolve around a storyline of an imposter presenting herself as a girl who'd gone missing years prior.
- It is revealed at the end of both episodes that the missing victim was murdered by their sibling.
- In both episodes, it is revealed that one of the victim's relatives was aware that the sibling murdered the victim, but chose to conceal the act to shield the sibling from any consequences of her/his actions.