MI MI - Terry Lea Thompson, 14, Flint, 5 December 1980

[Mysteries1974]

I submitted this case to NamUs and noticed it is nearly ready to be put up. It involves a fourteen year old boy named Terry Thompson who disappeared while walking home from school in Flint, Michigan on 12/05/1980. I couldn’t find any evidence he had ever been recovered and he was featured in a NCMEC newspaper listing in 1987. He has a scar on his chin.

He will be MP101998 when he appears on NamUs

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up. Any further information available?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

http://www.uspostalbulletins.com/PDF/Vol109_Issue21658_19880211.pdf

He was definitely still missing as of '88

 

[Mysteries1974]

Bumping this thread up. Any further information available?

Finally found some news articles about his disappearance. One from eight days after he disappeared and another from early 1981.

He disappeared at 3:00 pm on 12/05/1980 and was last seen walking home from Holmes Junior High School. He is epileptic and had no prior history of running away. At the time of his disappearance, he lived with his parents at 606 West Flint Park Boulevard.

Some of his relatives claimed they saw him in an area on the east side on December 31st 1980, nearly a month after he vanished. He was known to spend time at Devils Lake so the waters were searched in December when footprints were discovered around a hole in the ice. No body or clothing was recovered.

We know Terry was still missing as of 1988 per the article @victoriarobinson642 found. I can’t find any information after that. The second article from 1981 includes an additional photo of Terry.

The Flint Journal 12/13/1980

The Flint Journal 03/13/1981

 

[Mysteries1974]

There was some sort of post about Terry on Facebook that I can’t access now. Very strange case. He vanishes without an absolute trace while walking home from school and is still missing after nearly ten years.

I’m inclined to believe he is still missing and his case is in a file cabinet somewhere in the Flint City PD. I could be wrong but it seems so

 

[Mysteries1974]

Terry is still missing according to his cousin. I posted about his case in a community FB group asking if he was still missing. His cousin responded and stated he’s still very much missing and was never found.

She posted a colorful photo of Terry which I’ll include below. His NamUs is still restricted on my end but hopefully it’ll be up soon

 

[Mysteries1974]

Okay so, we now know Terry Thompson is still missing and was never found. I’m in contact with his family who’s been helping to fill in the gaps.

One of his sisters contacted the Flint PD last year to inquire about her brother’s case and was told they had nothing on him. This leads me to believe the case was purged or lost for some reason. I’ve directed them to file another report with the Flint PD or the Michigan State Police.

Terry was epileptic and did not have his medication with him when he disappeared meaning it’s possible this contributed to his fate.

It’s also possible he fell into Flint Park Lake which is referred to as “Devil’s Lake” by locals. The lake was on the path Terry normally took to and from school. He was also known to spend time at the lake.

There were footprints found leading to the lake but none leading away. One of the news articles I posted stated that footprints were found around a hole in the ice in the water. A search of the waters happened after he went missing but no evidence was found during the search.

Foul play is also always a possibility. Since he was last known to be walking home from school, there’s always a chance someone abducted him or coaxed him into their car. Maybe he was harmed by someone close to him.

I’m gonna put his description below to help with potential matches to UIDs. So far, the only one I’ve found is the St. Joseph County John Doe found in 1993.

Name: Terry Lea Thompson
Missing Since: December 5, 1980
Location: Flint, Michigan
Born: May 6, 1966
Age: 14 years old
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Race: White
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 130-135 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Terry has epilepsy and requires medication which he did not have when he went missing. He has a scar on his chin
Clothing Description: A dark blue hooded sweatshirt
Details: Terry was last seen in Flint, Michigan on December 5th 1980. He left Holmes Junior High School at 3:00 pm to walk back to his home located at 606 West Flint Park Boulevard but never made it.