Found Deceased MA - Henry Bedard, 15, found murdered, Swampscott, 16 Dec 1974

[Tommy2step]

There's no shortage of viable theories here. They all are logical and make sense in relation to the circumstances and what facts are known. But there is just something off here. You have a relatively small community, residential neighborhood...not much crime... I've gone back and forth, but it's starting to feel random or at least someone not in his circle. With reward money out there, you would figure someone is coming forward. But almost 50 years later...crickets. Its possible that someone noted Henry's patterns and routines and followed him over time. Isn't SV located next to abandoned rr tracks?? Even if trains aren't running, people follow tracks up and down the line. This might have been a crime of opportunity...some recent cases like we the Iowa hotel murders and murder of Sister Robin are being looked at more recently as being random and of opportunity.

 

[Sneaker33]

I am inclined to believe it was not random and the killer and possibly witnesses are local. Someone brought this case up on a local and extremely vocal FB page. I did not see any responses which is extremely rare for the group. Just speculating.

 

[Tommy2step]

What FB page was this? Do you have a link? Sounds like no one wants to talk and have been coerced to stay silent. Pretty sad if this is the case...Letting someone walk around for 45 years with no consequences for the killer. Goes back to the possibility of a local with some amount of influence...police, related to police, town or county politics, person or related to person of prominence, son of an attorney,

 

[UnlicensedPI]

I am inclined to believe it was not random and the killer and possibly witnesses are local. Someone brought this case up on a local and extremely vocal FB page. I did not see any responses which is extremely rare for the group. Just speculating.

Are you talking about the Nest post? There were a few responses.

 

[Betty P]

I am inclined to believe it was not random and the killer and possibly witnesses are local. Someone brought this case up on a local and extremely vocal FB page. I did not see any responses which is extremely rare for the group. Just speculating.

While not ruling anything out, I agree it seems unlikely this was a random event by some stranger. The crime scene was remote, you had to know it was there to access it. Henry was also spotted just a few minutes before he went up there. Seems the city worker would have noticed if he was being followed from that side. The killer probably approached from another direction, probably got there (SV) before Henry arrived.

The odds seem remote of some stranger passing through town and finding SV.

It's a shame locals don't want to discuss it online, but hopefully, they're sharing info with LE. After all these years, maybe they're more inclined to come forward.

 

[Betty P]

Are you talking about the Nest post? There were a few responses.

Here? This FB link is ok to post. It's a town news site:

Swampscott Nest

 

[UnlicensedPI]

Here? This FB link is ok to post. It's a town news site:

Swampscott Nest

Yes.

Swampscott PD also made a post and plenty of people commented on it. It sure doesn't look like anyone is forcing people to keep silent...
Swampscott Police Department

(Edit to add) People are commenting about there being rumors, but not what they were. I wonder what the rumors were at the time. Sometimes, the rumors are true.

 

[Betty P]

Yes.

Swampscott PD also made a post and plenty of people commented on it. It sure doesn't look like anyone is forcing people to keep silent...
Swampscott Police Department

(Edit to add) People are commenting about there being rumors, but not what they were. I wonder what the rumors were at the time. Sometimes, the rumors are true.

There probably were a lot of rumors at the time. Probably a lot of suspicions that didn't produce anything solid for LE. JMO, its possible the number of people who knew enough to have strong suspicions is fairly small. Perhaps the suspect isn't obvious, e.g. not like a jealous former boyfriend or the class bully, etc.

What if the suspect wasn't someone who hung out with Henry and pals at SV, but someone who knew he and others hung out there, maybe someone older who went there when he was younger? Not sure why, but I still have a (small) hunch that it was someone a couple of years older than Henry, someone who had a car or access to one. Someone who could have followed him around in a car that afternoon, parked down the street from SV.

ETA: Yes, sometimes rumors are true.

 

[spidersleuth]

All good points. It's possible. If the bat was already there, it wouldn't have been premeditated. Most likely a disagreement that really escalated with someone who felt really threatened or already had a violent temper. If the bat had been left there, though, you'd think some of the other kids, especially Henry's friends, would have recognized it. Could be they hadn't been there in quite a long time. Working the previous summer at his dad's gas station, Henry probably didn't have time to hang out there much. I wish we could hear more from kids who hung out there, more about how often, what times of day, did they camp out there, how many kids hung out there, etc. Was it kids hanging out, playing cards? Smoking? Drinking beer? Or more tame activities? Did they hike there or ride bikes? Anyone drive up there in a car to hang out?

Hey I am from Swampscott and while I graduated 20 years later the spot by the water tower at SV was a popular place to smoke cigarettes and drink beer for kids who lived in that neighborhood. To get to and from school if you lived up there most kids would cut through the golf course which put you up on Parsons Drive and then you can cross Paradise road up into the Sv Neighborhood. Definitely a place to smoke pot and drink beer.

 

[Tommy2step]

Don't think I'm going to post anymore on this case. I was trying to come up with alternate theories, but it seems like people aren't interested in entertaining other possibilities or are dismissive of them. Lets hope this gets solved someday.

 

[Betty P]

Don't think I'm going to post anymore on this case. I was trying to come up with alternate theories, but it seems like people aren't interested in entertaining other possibilities or are dismissive of them. Lets hope this gets solved someday.

Any idea is worth considering. There aren't too many clues in this case and Henry's family and friends have been waiting a long time for answers.

 

[spidersleuth]

Also Vinnin Square is technically both Salem and Swampscott. The town line is maybe two blocks from CVS where Henry bought the perfume. Paradise road (Rt. 1a) runs into Salem and off 1a there are many neighborhoods. The walk from those Salem neighborhoods to SV is about a mile. If KM lived in that part of Salem, which of course I do not know, it was only a quick bike ride away.

But either way. Swampscott is only 1.5 square miles, bordered by Lynn, Salem, and Marblehead. It could have been easily someone from a neighboring town.

 

[Sneaker33]

While not ruling anything out, I agree it seems unlikely this was a random event by some stranger. The crime scene was remote, you had to know it was there to access it. Henry was also spotted just a few minutes before he went up there. Seems the city worker would have noticed if he was being followed from that side. The killer probably approached from another direction, probably got there (SV) before Henry arrived.

The odds seem remote of some stranger passing through town and finding SV.

It's a shame locals don't want to discuss it online, but hopefully, they're sharing info with LE. After all these years, maybe they're more inclined to come forward.

What FB page was this? Do you have a link? Sounds like no one wants to talk and have been coerced to stay silent. Pretty sad if this is the case...Letting someone walk around for 45 years with no consequences for the killer. Goes back to the possibility of a local with some amount of influence...police, related to police, town or county politics, person or related to person of prominence, son of an attorney,

It was a FB page for either Lynn or Salem memories. I have belonged to several but I think it was on a Lynn one. It may have been noone had anything to add but seeing as Henry once lived and attended school in Lynn thought someone might say they knew him. I also noticed things got quiet after a post about Susan Taraskiwicz ? Spelling. She was murdered in 1992, worked at Logan. Had been harrased at work. Thought to havecsee

 

[PerhapsIt'sYou]

But if there were kids hanging around drinking, where did the bat come from? It was just there?

 

[Butterfly5253]

Oh last thing I have to post. Does anyone know what these carvings could mean on the handle of the bat? I saw them but not even sure what I am seeing.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

Why would they decide to "warn" CC in 2011?
Help For Family Left Homeless by Fire

 

[UnlicensedPI]

More info on the fire...
It was accidental, started in the kitchen.
UPDATED: Fire Erupts in Pine Street Home

 

[Butterfly5253]

Unless he meant because she is still investigating? She recently relaunched the investigation with the police on the Swampscott Police Facebook page so she is still active it seems. She was active back in 2011 when they first launched the Facebook page. Also, she did the Chronicle special and I think that was in 2011? I don't know...

 

[Boston Corbett]

Chronicle was uploaded to YouTube in 2011 but is dated 2/17/2005.

 

[PerhapsIt'sYou]

I don't believe there is a cover up by 'powerful' families in this case.