TX TX - Nicholas Barclay, 13, San Antonio, 13 June 1994

[Noirdame79]

Hmm, this makes sense, not just because it was confirmed that CPS was notified by school authorities of Nicholas possibly being an abused child, but it also could explain why Nicholas was small for his age (4'8, 80 pounds). I'm not sure if I believe that his sister knows what happened, but I think his mother found out at some point.


It's interesting that other than Kevin Hendricks, who was interviewed for The Imposter (2012) none of Nicholas's friends have been interviewed, especially considering he was supposedly playing basketball with his friends on the day he went missing. This could be chalked up to shoddy police work, especially since Nicholas had supposedly run away previously, and the fact that he wasn't reported missing for three days. The lack of information is very frustrating, especially given that his disappearance wasn't reported in the news. His friends could give information about Nicholas's personality and his home life, and provide confirmation about many of the things that have been said or reported about him. Hendricks did say that Nicholas and his mother seemed close before Jason moved in, and then the household changed and that Jason's presence may have pushed Beverly (who had battled a heroin addiction most of her adult life) into using drugs. "When this guy [Jason] moved in, he was bum, he was a drug addict, and he only cared about himself."

By the way, Jason had burn scars on his arms, due to an accident that happened when he was 13, involving a cigarette he was smoking and lawnmower fuel. The fact that Jason was smoking at 13 is further proof that Beverly was not a good parent. The burns left him very insecure, and along with predisposition, was probably one of the reasons he turned to drugs. I don't think Nicholas had much of a chance, growing up in a household surrounded by drugs and violence.

 

[Noirdame79]

I still look up this case to see if there's any new info. Sadly, there is nothing as of this writing. Thinking of you, Nicholas. I hope they find you.

 

[iluvmua]

View attachment 525891

I still look up this case to see if there's any new info. Sadly, there is nothing as of this writing. Thinking of you, Nicholas. I hope they find you.

I definitely think that his mother knows what happened to him but since his half brother died of an overdose I don't think we will ever find out what happened.

 

[no greed]

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.

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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?).

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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.

I used to live and work in San Antonio. I am confused by the statements that Nicholas was playing basketball at Ft Sam Houston. My mother worked at Ft Sam Houston. She lived within a mile of his home on Swallow Dr. It was about a 30 minute commute by auto between home and work. Why would he be so far from home for basketball? Public transportation between the two areas would be difficult and involve bus transfers. There is a public park and court near his home within walking distance that I used to play at during the 80’s. I am not saying Fort Sam did not have outdoor courts in the 90’s, but the only one I ever played at was a gymnasium. It was open to the public at times. Shaq went to HS at Fort Sam and played pick up ball there occasionally I was told. Just seems very odd he would have been that far from home as a 13 year old. Definitely not close to his hood or school friends. San Antonio did have a lot of gang violence in the early 90’s. The area he lived in was a stable middle class area with a good school district. Even those areas were being impacted by the gangs in 1994. Major reason why we moved away in 1992. I did not want my children of 9 and 7 being exposed to the peer pressure of gangs.

 

[iluvmua]

I used to live and work in San Antonio. I am confused by the statements that Nicholas was playing basketball at Ft Sam Houston. My mother worked at Ft Sam Houston. She lived within a mile of his home on Swallow Dr. It was about a 30 minute commute by auto between home and work. Why would he be so far from home for basketball? Public transportation between the two areas would be difficult and involve bus transfers. There is a public park and court near his home within walking distance that I used to play at during the 80’s. I am not saying Fort Sam did not have outdoor courts in the 90’s, but the only one I ever played at was a gymnasium. It was open to the public at times. Shaq went to HS at Fort Sam and played pick up ball there occasionally I was told. Just seems very odd he would have been that far from home as a 13 year old. Definitely not close to his hood or school friends. San Antonio did have a lot of gang violence in the early 90’s. The area he lived in was a stable middle class area with a good school district. Even those areas were being impacted by the gangs in 1994. Major reason why we moved away in 1992. I did not want my children of 9 and 7 being exposed to the peer pressure of gangs.

Is Fort Sam Houston a neighborhood or a park?

 

[no greed]

Is Fort Sam Houston a neighborhood or a park?

It is an army military base. My mother worked in a department that processed soldiers exiting the military service. A non military; civil service position. It is home to Brooks Army Hospital. The leading burn treatment center in the US military I have read. Not a highly populated or large facility. Not a place where you would expect very many teenagers. Several 20 & 30 something’s I expect. A lot of officers in the medical field associated with the hospital.

 

[Noirdame79]

I used to live and work in San Antonio. I am confused by the statements that Nicholas was playing basketball at Ft Sam Houston. My mother worked at Ft Sam Houston. She lived within a mile of his home on Swallow Dr. It was about a 30 minute commute by auto between home and work. Why would he be so far from home for basketball? Public transportation between the two areas would be difficult and involve bus transfers. There is a public park and court near his home within walking distance that I used to play at during the 80’s. I am not saying Fort Sam did not have outdoor courts in the 90’s, but the only one I ever played at was a gymnasium. It was open to the public at times. Shaq went to HS at Fort Sam and played pick up ball there occasionally I was told. Just seems very odd he would have been that far from home as a 13 year old. Definitely not close to his hood or school friends. San Antonio did have a lot of gang violence in the early 90’s. The area he lived in was a stable middle class area with a good school district. Even those areas were being impacted by the gangs in 1994. Major reason why we moved away in 1992. I did not want my children of 9 and 7 being exposed to the peer pressure of gangs.

Thank you for this information. As someone who is not a local let alone American, I appreciate it. When I was researching this, I found it strange that it was mentioned that Fort Sam Houston was where Nicholas was allegedly playing basketball the day he went missing, since it's so far away from his house and there's no mention of him taking transit or getting a ride. I don't know where this came from - if it was something Frederic Bourdin made up when he was impersonating Nicholas or if this was something that was mentioned or told to him by Nicholas's family members. There is no actual evidence that he was playing basketball that day. Beverly said she gave him 5 dollars and told him to be home by dinner. It makes much more sense for him to have gone to the outdoor court in his neighborhood. If he did go to the local park to play basketball, there is a potential problem with the story. If it was within walking distance of his house, why would he call home for a ride (and where would he have called from)? I supposed he could have wanted a ride home if he was very tired, but still. However, since this "story" came from his brother Jason, whom many, including myself, believe was involved in his disappearance (Beverly was allegedly asleep at the time, as she worked the night shift), I think it should be looked at with skepticism. The whole thing is sketchy.

I believe that 1) Nicholas was not playing basketball that day, or 2) if he did, he either came home, or Jason picked him up, and something happened from there. I also believe that Nicholas's "bad behavior" is somewhat exaggerated. I have no problem believing that he acted out, given the environment he was living in, but his family makes it seem as if he acted out for no reason (another major issue I have with this case). Speaking negatively of a missing child, in my opinion, is always a red flag.

Gang violence, which I don't personally think played a part in his disappearance, is an important thing to mention. Also, given the fact that his mother and brother were drug addicts (heroin and cocaine respectively), it does make me wonder if Jason was selling drugs on top of using, so there might be a connection there too. Maybe he had help disposing of Nicholas. We may never know, but I hope that some of the truth will come to light.