MN MN - Ken, David, & Dan Klein, ages 4, 6, 8, Minneapolis, Nov 1951

[pageantmom]

I think the theory of one boy drowning and the other two rescuing him sounds very likely. But the kidnapping sounds more likely to me...I know some people think it would be nearly impossible to abduct three children at once, but it would seem that it would be quite easy if the kidnapper gained the trust of the children or lured them with something...or....terrible to think about- if none of that worked, the kidnapper could simply grab one of the children and tell the other children he would kill that child if the others didn't follow him.

 

[Betty P]

https://newspapers.com/clip/17037390/star_tribune/

This article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune on 14 Nov 1951 notes that there was an intake rack about 2 miles below the St. Anthony Dam near where they went missing. Police said if they had drowned, they would have found them there.

The article also mentions searchers finding two of the boys hats as well as a report from a woman who lived nearby who said she saw boys fitting their description throwing their hats and coats into the river. Seems a little far fetched, but who knows?

I also looked at the map of the area. The distance from the Klein home to the banks of the Mississippi is pretty far, nearly a mile away. It seems unlikely a 4 year old could walk that far without getting really tired.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I honestly think that the boys were abducted.

 

[Tlee]

Ya and we don't live that far away from the Minneapolis Police Department. If they didn't know we were looking for this information it was because they didn't want to know. Its hard to believe with all the hours, the numbers of people involved and media attention that this has received throughout the decades that Minneapolis police wouldn't have kept this as a active case and kept all the files and associated evidence together and close at hand. Its hard to believe they could so consistently be more of a wall than a door or even a window. I think I am the only one in my family who has not made the trip down there in person to be shoed away. We have spent a lot of time, for most of us all of our lives, effort and not just here but following leads all around the country and money on this and it is not that there were no leads, its just that there was little to no follow up by the Minneapolis Police, BCA or FBI. We are still waiting for the Minneapolis Police Department.
We are still involved in investigating this crime even at this very moment. We have those who also have invested their personal time and considerable expertise in this cold case. I would like to say much more about them as they deserve more than me or my family could ever give them, but under the circumstances I worry about their careers.
I will say there was a neighbor who was on the short list, he is dead now, but from what he said when questioned and by his alleged actions at the time he was certainly a person of interest and the residents he lived in is still of great interest to everyone except those who have the power to do something.
I do want to Thank you all for your thoughts and your caring we do appreciate it very much.

I do not have access to a map of that area in 1951
Where there churches in the area ?

 

[Tlee]

The dogs tracked my brothers three times, not always to the river, but always near the north side police station. The river was searched by boat, foot and air. The water level was lowered and the water clarity was good. Things like toilet seats, tires and other assorted trash were found. It was stated at the time that if they had been there they would have been found. Just too many to lose completely without trace and the trail the dogs followed didn't actually end at the river. Hats were found, but it looked suspicious to investigators. My brothers case had been conveniently and wrongly closed by the Minneapolis Police department and other agencies though legally it should had remained open as a missing persons case. The Minneapolis police have also managed to misplace or lose pretty much everything they had connected to this case which is kind of funny considering this case has been pursued by our family, retired officers, investigators, sleuths, writers and occasionally reporters for all these years and has appeared in the local media ever so often. Yet they claim they have no idea where any of the boxes or files could be, nor will they take the time to look. I guess its all about who you are, not what the State or Federal Constitutions say our rights are or maybe there is a reason they don't want it solved, who knows? We will keep trying to push on, obviously against the odds and we will keep trying to get justice for our family. My parents are both deceased now. My Mom kept watching for them to the end. When my parents health made them move to town my Mom worried that they (our lost boys) may not be able to find them if they moved. After they moved to town every time a vehicle would slow down my Mom would hope it was one of her lost sons returning, I know this because I can still hear my Mom say in a excited voice, maybe one of the boys are here, wouldn't that be something? I was also there to see the tears.
This makes what the Minneapolis police and other agencies have done or not done all these years all the more wrong to me personally. No wonder Minneapolis has a ugly history of human trafficking.

Was there vehicle access to where the dogs stopped or just walking area and water?

 

[Tlee]

Donald what is address of suspicious neighbor residence?
Wouldn't hurt to watch and c if ever comes up on the market .....
Is this the rumored basement someone was talking about?

 

[Tlee]

I think the theory of one boy drowning and the other two rescuing him sounds very likely. But the kidnapping sounds more likely to me...I know some people think it would be nearly impossible to abduct three children at once, but it would seem that it would be quite easy if the kidnapper gained the trust of the children or lured them with something...or....terrible to think about- if none of that worked, the kidnapper could simply grab one of the children and tell the other children he would kill that child if the others didn't follow him.[/

The one thing that bugs m to no end is the chatichism books of two of the boys found on the brush
They had to be taken off their person so

They set them there knowing they may get wet or
They were told to bring them with them by someone

Kids going to the park didn’t run out of house and take and grab chatachisns books and go study

 

[Filly]

There's a new book out about this case. I believe it just came out this week and focuses on the strife of the older brother who went to meet up with his brothers in the park.

Sorry having trouble linking to name of book.

 

[mynoyb]

There's a new book out about this case.

New book revisits 68-year-old case of three missing Minneapolis boys

" Jack El-Hai’s new book, 'The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search.' "

 

[Richard]

Daniel James Klein

• 

Daniel, circa 1951

• Missing Since 11/10/1951
• Missing From Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Age 4 years old
• Height and Weight 2'11, 35 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A red snowsuit, blue overalls, a blue shirt, brown rubber boots, a brown plaid woolen cap and brown or red mittens.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Daniel has a scar near his eyebrow and a scar in the center of his forehead.
• ---------------------------------------

• David John Klein

• 
• David, circa 1951
• • Missing Since 11/10/1951
  • Missing From Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Classification Lost/Injured Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Age 6 years old
  • Height and Weight 3'6, 55 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown sheepskin coat, blue jeans, black overshoes, black mittens and a red and gray corduroy cap.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, gray eyes. Daniel had warts on both hands at the time of his disappearance. His front teeth are large and crooked, and he has a scar on his thumb and a scar on the right side of his lower lip.

----------------------------------------------------

Kenneth Thomas Klein Jr.

• 
  
  
  • 

Kenneth, circa 1951

• 
  
  
  • Missing Since 11/10/1951
  • Missing From Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Classification Lost/Injured Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Age 8 years old
  • Height and Weight 3'7, 55 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A red jacket, a yellow plaid shirt, blue jeans, overshoes, black mittens and a red stocking cap with black trim.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Kenneth has a mole on the front of his body and a quarter-inch round birthmark on his body. He has a scar on the left side of his forehead.

------------------------------------------------------

Details of Disappearance
Daniel and his brothers, David and Kenneth, disappeared together from Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 10, 1951. The boys left their home in the 2900 block of Colfax Avenue north at 1:30 p.m. to go to Fairview Park at Lyndale and 29th Street, four blocks away. They were never heard from again.

Investigators believe it's likely the Klein brothers drowned in the Mississippi River. The river runs near Fairview Park, and a tracking dog traced their scent to the riverbank, where it lost the trail.

Searchers found two of the children's caps in the river near the dam, and two Roman Catholic catechisms belonging to the boys were found on a brush pile near the riverbank. However, an extensive search of the river turned up no other sign of them or their remains.

The search was called off on November 16, and none of the brothers were ever found. The Klein children's parents continued to hope they were alive, and up until the 1990s they advertised in the newspaper asking for any information leading to their whereabouts.

Daniel, David and Kenneth left behind one older brother, and their parents had four more sons in the years after they disappeared. Their cases remain unsolved.
Investigating Agency

• Minneapolis Police Department 612-673-2853

-------------------------------------
Source:

charleyproject.org/case/daniel-james-klein

charleyproject.org/case/david-john-klein

charleyproject.org/case/kenneth-thomas-klein-jr

 

[Richard]

The date was 10 November 1951. I know that there was some significant snow fall in Minneapolis that month - certainly by Thanksgiving day.

Was there snow on the ground when the boys disappeared? Did snow affect the search effort for them?

What was the weather like that day? Was there any ice on the river yet?

 

[Richard]

 

[Betty P]

The date was 10 November 1951. I know that there was some significant snow fall in Minneapolis that month - certainly by Thanksgiving day.

Was there snow on the ground when the boys disappeared? Did snow affect the search effort for them?

What was the weather like that day? Was there any ice on the river yet?

Here's a link to the Weather Underground historical weather for that day in Mpls.

Fort Snelling, MN Weather History | Weather Underground

The low temperature at about 6 am that morning was around 33 degrees, but by noon the temperature had risen to 48 degrees. No precipitation that day.

 

[Elainera]

Here's a link to the Weather Underground historical weather for that day in Mpls.

Fort Snelling, MN Weather History | Weather Underground

The low temperature at about 6 am that morning was around 33 degrees, but by noon the temperature had risen to 48 degrees. No precipitation that day.

That's 0 to 9 degrees in Celsius. Very cold. If they had fallen in the river they would very quickly become hypothermic, the cold shock rendering them immediately unable to use their limbs properly, the heavy winter clothes dragging them down. In cold water such as this bodies also take a long time to surface (float) due to slowdown of decomp and creation of gases needed to raise the body. They will then only surface when the water gets warmer.

 

[Filly]

I can't breathe.

There's more and I honestly feel way more to it than what has shown.

Revealed.

Kids. Brothers. Catheticisam books. No ensurance. Proof?

Prayers sent to Our Lady! Its all I can do.

 

[Al Ka]

Three Minneapolis boys went missing in 1951. They're still gone.

On November 10, 1951, three brothers—Kenneth Jr., David, and Danny Klein—left their north Minneapolis home to go to Farview Park, just a few blocks down the street.

Their older brother, Gordon, age 9, was supposed to catch up with them after he re-stitched his old knife sheath, which may just be the most 1951 sentence ever written.

In the decades to follow, that delay would haunt young Gordon Klein. There was no way he could have known that when he arrived at their meeting spot under the old oak tree, his little brothers would be gone. Police, dogs, and even the Boy Scouts hunted for them and only found two woolen caps (which may or may not have been theirs) discarded on the Mississippi River ice. No bodies. No clues. No nothing.

That was the long and short of the story when Jack El-Hai came into the picture. The freelance journalist contacted the family and wrote a piece about the disappearance in 1998. But like the Kleins, he was also haunted by how much he didn’t know. He’d end up revisiting the case decades later and publishing a book on the subject (The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search.)

El-Hai also tried something new, with the help of TPT: Long Lost, a true-crime podcast companion to his book. Four episodes are out, with more on the way.
---
You can find Long Lost on its website, or on your preferred podcast listening app.

Three Minneapolis boys went missing in 1951. They're still gone. | City Pages


Long Lost Episode 1: Look Everywhere

Long Lost Episode 1: Look Everywhere - TPT Originals

 

[Playwithmatches]

this is a WILD theory but could one of the boys be the boy in the box?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

this is a WILD theory but could one of the boys be the boy in the box?

The youngest Klein boy was 4 and went missing in 1951 and the boy in the box was 4 - 6 years old and found in 1957 (and not skeletal remains) so it's impossible, in my opinion.
I can't believe how tragic this case is, though. Would be great to see it solved.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I'd like to know more about the river at the time. Was it like Elainera above says (and investigators said, very possible they drowned and weren't found) or like Betty P above says and they should have been found?

There have been cases of 3 children abducted at once (for example, the Beaumont children in Adelaide, Australia in 1966).

But I can also think of a recent case where a man was found after a few months in the river close to where he went missing. He was found through an organized search in the right place; he had not surfaced.
Of course it's not really fair to try to compare any two cases. Circumstances are always different.

 

[Richard]

• 
  
  
• Daniel, David, and Kenneth Klein Missing since 10 November 1951