TX A.W. Steed, 53, Sulphur Springs, August 31, 1986

[Atombudd]

A. W. Steed

• 
• 

A.W., circa 1986

• Missing Since 08/31/1986
• Missing From Sulphur Springs, Texas
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 08/08/1933 (88)
• Age 53 years old
• Height and Weight 5'8, 140 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A western-style shirt, blue jeans, a silver dollar belt buckle with his initials "AW," Red Wing work boots and a Jules Jorgensen wristwatch.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. A.W. wears a full set of dentures.
• Details of Disappearance
  A.W. was last seen in Sulphur Springs, Texas. He and his family were going to spend the long weekend camping out at his parents' cabin on Lake Fork in Alba, Texas, and he spent the day of August 30, 1986 setting up a camper trailer, fishing and spending time with his family. That night, A.W.'s wife, Carolyn, called his ex-wife, Magdalene Steed, and said that instead of joining their children and grandchildren at the lake, they were spending the night at home in Sulphur Springs and would be at Lake Fork the next morning.
  
  According to Carolyn, she and A.W. went to the local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) post that evening, then went to their home in the 300 block of Woodcrest Drive after midnight. They got into an argument because the dog had soiled their bed. A.W. wanted to go out gambling, but Carolyn wanted to go to bed. He walked away from the residence without her at around 1:00 a.m., leaving behind all three of his trucks, and never returned. After she woke up at 7:00 or 8:00 a.m., she called Magdalene and the police. His family didn't really get concerned until Tuesday, when he didn't show up for work.
  
  A.W. ran a tractor supply store, Steed’s Tractor and Equipment, with his son Gary in Emory, Texas at the time of his disappearance. On Tuesday, Carolyn went to the business and asked Gary if he'd seen his father. At this point, Gary went to his father's house and noted that the carpet had recently been shampooed and was still wet, there were wet sheets also, and there was oil poured on the floor of the carport.
  
  A.W. was a frequent gambler and, shortly before he went missing, he told Magdalene, whom he was still friendly with in spite of their divorce, that he was "more in debt than he had ever been." He said Carolyn had racked up a large outstanding gambling debt and someone had forged his signature on a third-party check for $9,500, which had made his bank account overdrawn. He stated Carolyn was not paying their bills and he asked for Magdalene's advice on how to take her name off of the couple's checking accounts and credit cards. He also said he had caught Carolyn with another man, but that he was trying to make their marriage work.
  
  Foul play is suspected in A.W.'s case. He was declared legally dead in 1994.
  
• A. W. Steed – The Charley Project
  
• What happened to A.W. Steed?
  
• 3423DMTX - A.W. Steed

 

[lightofmine99]

There's been an update to his Doe Network profile but I'm not sure what it is.
3423DMTX - A.W. Steed

"Still Looking for A.W. Steed" (Dec 2022)
ARCHIVE

 

[Diavola]

What does A. W. stand for?

 

[lightofmine99]

What does A. W. stand for?

Honestly? Probably nothing. Back in "those days" it was common for people (especially boys) to have initial names that don't actually stand for anything. An example of this is Johnny Cash.

Now why people said, "Let's name our kid D.T. What does D.T. stand for? Heck if we know." I don't know.

 

[Diavola]

Honestly? Probably nothing. Back in "those days" it was common for people (especially boys) to have initial names that don't actually stand for anything. An example of this is Johnny Cash.

Now why people said, "Let's name our kid D.T. What does D.T. stand for? Heck if we know." I don't know.

Lol really? I didn't know that.
But A.W. isn't really pronuncable. I can understand if it's like K.C. so it's pronounced like a name like Kacey.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

A. W. Steed – The Charley Project

 

[Rush4087]

What does A. W. stand for?

A wild guess is “Ancil” and then the middle name might’ve been “William” or “Walter”. These are names found elsewhere in the family tree (uncles, etc). It appears that A.W. Steed had a twin brother, J.W. Steed, and an older brother, Ray Steed.

I think both “A.W.” and “J.W.” are easily pronounceable nicknames that the boys were probably referred to their entire lives. I checked lots of obits (including for the father and mother, Ocie and Cyra), but could only ever find the twins listed by their initials, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have first and middle names.

State of Texas birth records are behind a paywall for me, but I think it was common back then, in Texas, and in other parts of the southern US, to refer to boys and men by their initials.

Jmo, but I think it’s more likely they had first and middle names than that their parents named them using only two letters. Also, if you were going to name somebody using two letters, why bother with a period following each? I think they are initials. Maybe somebody from the family will read this thread and provide clarification.

From everything I’ve read about A.W.’s disappearance, I think if it happened today and in a town/county with a larger, more sophisticated police force, I think A.W.’s second wife Carolyn - and possibly the person she was having an affair with (if that rumor was true) - would be considered by LE as POI (s).

Jmo