MN MN - Kevin Ayotte, 3, Sugarbush, 30 Sept 1982

[georgiagirl]

The Doe Network:
Case File 156DMMN

Left: Ayotte in 1982; Right: Age-progressed image of Ayotte at age 20 (circa 1999)

Kevin Jay Ayotte
Missing since September 30, 1982 from Sugarbush, Beltrami County, Minnesota
Classification: Non-Family Abduction



Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: May 12, 1979
Age at Time of Disappearance: 3 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'0; 50 lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Ayotte has a scar on the right side of his chin and a cleft chin.
<LI>Medical Conditions: Ayotte has a hearing impairment; his speech skills are limited.



Circumstances of Disappearance
Ayotte was last seen playing in the upstairs area of his family's summer home in Sugarbush, Minnesota on September 30, 1982. His mother went outside for a few moments; when she returned, Ayotte had disappeared. His brother was still in the residence.



Investigators
If you have any information concerning Ayotte's whereabouts, please contact:
Beltrami County Sheriff's Office
218-751-9111
You may remain anonymous when submitting information to any agency.

NCIC Number:
M-116824528
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case. Source Information: The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children

 

[georgiagirl]

http://www.cold-cases.net/index.php/weblog/kevin_jay_ayotte

 

[Hollow]

http://www.cold-cases.net/index.php/weblog/kevin_jay_ayotte

Georgia girl, this site is AWSOME!!! Thanx!!!(see link above)

 

[Cubby]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/ayotte_kevin.html

 

[Kat]

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/5812/0/
NamUs Profile:
Dental: NA
DNA: Sample submitted-tests complete
Fingerprints: NA

There is a detective named as a POC for Kevin's missing person case.

This month marks 28 years that Kevin has been missing. Come home soon sweetie.

 

[amber1]

Thinking of this little boy, he reminds me of someone special to me, I have a special place in my heart for him.
Any thoughts on his case?
I have noticed there are many little boys in the area who have vanished into thin air, thought to have died from exposure (more so than in other states from what I have seen). I do not know if that is because of the land scaping in MN or what, but it is quite odd.
What strikes me as odd is that when Kevin vanished, his spaniel puppy, Flash, went with him. Kevin was never seen again, and neither was the dog. Now, if Kevin had wandered away into the wilderness near their home and died of exposure, why would the dog not come back? He couldnt have gone too far from where he vanished at, he was just a toddler. And dogs are very smart, usually they would be able to find there way home.
I find the fact the dog did not come home and has not been found to this day a significant factor because in my mind it adds to the stranger abduction theory. I have no idea as to why this child would be taken, but if he wandered away and died of exposure, the dog would have been found. I think someone took this little boy and the dog. I believe this little boy was taken, I do not believe he wandered off.
His mother stated he also had a habit of taking off his diaper, no matter where he went. From all the searches they did, they never came across any diaper. Could this factor also contribute to the abduction theory? I think so!

And fellow sleuthers, I need your help! On May 21, 1984, Cheryl Ann Peters left her ROchester, MN home with just a bit of cash and a bag of clothes. She was nearsighted. She hitched a ride to the East Side Truck Stop in Albert Lea, MN. This is where she was last seen. I know for a fact she has been missing since Nov 1989. She was included in an article written about Kevin Ayotte, and I wanted to research more about this 15 yr old missing girl, but i cant find anything on her. I found one lil news article, and thats it. She is not listed, or mentioned anywhere. And in the little article she was mentioned in, they said her face appeared on bags and milk cartons everywhere. I have tried searching her as homicide or found, and I have not found anything! I want to know what happened to this girl! Was she found? Still missing? Could she be blue earth jane doe? If she is still missing, i'd like to do search UIDs. If anyone knows how to find out what the status of her case is, PLEASE let me know! Thanks

 

[amber1]

Missing Angels & Cold Cases Spotlight:
Kevin Jay Ayotte
http://deaniepeters-missingangels.blogspot.com/2012/11/kevin-jay-ayotte-missing-30-years.html

 

[looper]

Missing Angels & Cold Cases Spotlight:
Kevin Jay Ayotte
http://deaniepeters-missingangels.blogspot.com/2012/11/kevin-jay-ayotte-missing-30-years.html

It freaks me out a little that I lived within a very few miles of both Kevin and Jacob Wetterling at the times of their disappearances. But what bothers me most is that I was a college student at Bemidji State, beginning my junior year there when Kevin disappeared. I was well-informed, reading newspapers daily, waking to the local radio station and watching the evening newscasts. I don't recall hearing anything about his disappearance. That sickens me. Was it because the local authorities just assumed he just walked away? The college (and a tech college and bible college nearby) would be great sources for manpower to go traipsing through the woods and fields. That seems like a no-brainer to me. If the call went out on campus for searchers, HUNDREDS of kids would have headed out to help.

And living about 8 miles from JW's abduction site, as a young man, planning on having children soon, I was (and am) deeply following any information about it. I had a god-son, almost the same age, and it made me so scared of something like that. I remember other cases being reported on, but again, I never heard anything about Kevin's case. I still followed news information from Bemidji and my ex-in-laws (my outlaws?) lived there. So you'd think if Kevin's case got any media coverage, I would have heard. It saddens me to think that his case didn't get much attention. And I'll throw in a comment about the Paynesville pedophilia cases preceding Jacob's abduction. Those were not widely reported in the St. Cloud Times newspapers or the local radio stations. I honestly think that they and the law enforcement were more worried about creating panic, instead of alerting the public to the obvious danger there. It is a really conservative area there. I think they were more concerned about driving away prospective new residents from the areas. That entire tri-county area was exploding with construction and new population. Unfortunately, the nearest TV stations were in the Twin Cities and they rarely reported on news outside of their metro area at that time.

My own thoughts on Kevin's case, is that he probably did just walk off. The terrain of the area is very rural, swampy, the weather could be cold (obviously I don't have that specific weather data for that day), he would succumb easily. To those that use the family dog's disappearance as a sort of indicator that he was kidnapped, it could be, but only to an extent. The dog certainly would have followed him. But we didn't have instant media coverage back then, no internet to post a picture of a lost or found dog to. Depending on the age of the dog, it may not have found its way home. Or farmers or hunters could have found that dog and took it into their own home. If they weren't aware of Kevin's case, they may have just kept it. There are lot of lower-income people who would have kept the dog and leave it at that. Or if someone did find it, they may have not said anything, fearing that they would be suspected in the kidnapping. But I will also say, there are a lot of "backwoods" weirdos up in that vicinity. The parking lots of the off-sale liquor stores would be busy after the assistance checks arrived in the mail. In my 4 years there, I saw many people who I would not want to see in the middle of the night, out on some dark, country road, if I had a flat tire. So you just never know....

 

[littlet8]

Amber1 - i have some answers for you. She was found 7 years after reported missing and was laid to rest. I sent you an email through the address on your blog. If you would like more information, i would be happy to talk to you about her case.

 

[DeeMarie]

Missing Minnesotans: Kevin Ayotte

Note: The dog flash did come back.

http://kstp.com/news/missing-minnesotans-kevin-ayotte-bemidji-beltrami-county-sheriffs-office/4377957/?cat=1

 

[Rayemonde]

Missing Minnesotans: Kevin Ayotte

Note: The dog flash did come back.

http://kstp.com/news/missing-minnesotans-kevin-ayotte-bemidji-beltrami-county-sheriffs-office/4377957/?cat=1

Good find. It does sound like he just wandered off, then.

From link:

It's a rural area, a safe place with lots of woods. But there are bogs, a river and a lake nearby.

Nobody noticed Kevin leave the house.

"It wasn't out of the norm,&#8221; said Kleszyk. &#8220;Kevin had walked away several times, wondered around the property and he usually was found pretty quickly. The dog was gone as well."...

"On Oct. 5, the dog showed back up,&#8221; said Kleszyk. &#8220;But no Kevin, just the dog.&#8221;

The Ayotte family's Springer Spaniel puppy named Flash came home. The dog's coat was carefully combed looking for clues about where it had been.

Kleszyk says veterinarians also pumped its stomach.

"They were able to determine that the only thing it had eaten in the last few days was swamp grass," said Kleszyk.

Articles in the Pioneer show that police then put a tracking collar on the dog. They took it to different places and released it hoping it would go to Kevin, but it ran home every time.

 

[Rayemonde]

In Minnesota, there are black bears, grey wolves and mountain lions. One of them could have taken the boy out of the search area. Or he could have just wandered further than expected and drowned in the swamp


Wildlife of Minnesota

 

[human]

It freaks me out a little that I lived within a very few miles of both Kevin and Jacob Wetterling at the times of their disappearances. But what bothers me most is that I was a college student at Bemidji State, beginning my junior year there when Kevin disappeared. I was well-informed, reading newspapers daily, waking to the local radio station and watching the evening newscasts. I don't recall hearing anything about his disappearance. That sickens me. Was it because the local authorities just assumed he just walked away? The college (and a tech college and bible college nearby) would be great sources for manpower to go traipsing through the woods and fields. That seems like a no-brainer to me. If the call went out on campus for searchers, HUNDREDS of kids would have headed out to help.

And living about 8 miles from JW's abduction site, as a young man, planning on having children soon, I was (and am) deeply following any information about it. I had a god-son, almost the same age, and it made me so scared of something like that. I remember other cases being reported on, but again, I never heard anything about Kevin's case. I still followed news information from Bemidji and my ex-in-laws (my outlaws?) lived there. So you'd think if Kevin's case got any media coverage, I would have heard. It saddens me to think that his case didn't get much attention. And I'll throw in a comment about the Paynesville pedophilia cases preceding Jacob's abduction. Those were not widely reported in the St. Cloud Times newspapers or the local radio stations. I honestly think that they and the law enforcement were more worried about creating panic, instead of alerting the public to the obvious danger there. It is a really conservative area there. I think they were more concerned about driving away prospective new residents from the areas. That entire tri-county area was exploding with construction and new population. Unfortunately, the nearest TV stations were in the Twin Cities and they rarely reported on news outside of their metro area at that time.

My own thoughts on Kevin's case, is that he probably did just walk off. The terrain of the area is very rural, swampy, the weather could be cold (obviously I don't have that specific weather data for that day), he would succumb easily. To those that use the family dog's disappearance as a sort of indicator that he was kidnapped, it could be, but only to an extent. The dog certainly would have followed him. But we didn't have instant media coverage back then, no internet to post a picture of a lost or found dog to. Depending on the age of the dog, it may not have found its way home. Or farmers or hunters could have found that dog and took it into their own home. If they weren't aware of Kevin's case, they may have just kept it. There are lot of lower-income people who would have kept the dog and leave it at that. Or if someone did find it, they may have not said anything, fearing that they would be suspected in the kidnapping. But I will also say, there are a lot of "backwoods" weirdos up in that vicinity. The parking lots of the off-sale liquor stores would be busy after the assistance checks arrived in the mail. In my 4 years there, I saw many people who I would not want to see in the middle of the night, out on some dark, country road, if I had a flat tire. So you just never know....

Paynesville was in the papers. Lots of info. And Kevin was as well.

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping

 

[Squirrel85]

Missing Minnesotans: Kevin Ayotte

I live in Minnesota. It is rare to come across a bear, wolf, or wildcat. You have to be deep in the woods, even though, the occasional bear does show up on people's decks. Other than that, they keep to themselves. I have been camping in the most Northern part of Minnesota, during berry season, and I have never seen a bear, wolf, wildcat, badger, etc. I have come across old bear poop. Bears, wolves, and wildcats don't cross busy roads.

Anyway, I am guessing Kevin wandered into a bog, and was sucked into it. I think if a wild animal had consumed him, they would have found clothing or blood. I also think the dog would have at least tried to protect the boy. They would have also found him in the river or in a lake. And, the dog had swamp grass in its belly, when the vet pumped its stomach.

In this article, it states that it was common for Kevin to take off his diaper and shoes. And, they didn't find either one, during their search. Kevin Jay Ayotte – The Charley Project

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Kevin as we approach the 38th anniversary of his disappearance...

Have You Seen Us?: Kevin Jay Ayotte: Missing Since September 30th, 1982

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In this 1982 Pioneer file photo, Kevin's mother, Joann Ayotte, talks Friday, Oct. 1, 1982, with family friends outside her small log cabin home. Behind her is Terry, 9, one of her two other sons. This photo was taken on the third day of searching for missing 3-year-old Kevin Ayotte who apparently wandered off from his home Thursday evening about 20 miles northeast of Bemidji Sugar Bush Township

If you were a schoolchild sipping milk during the 1980s, it's likely you saw the face of 3-year-old Kevin Jay Ayotte who vanished in 1982 from his home in Sugar Bush Township.

Kevin Kay Ayotte is pictured at age 3 before his disappearance in 1982.

*I came across this article by happenstance. I’ll just bet one of my kids saw this little face on a milk carton sitting in their cafeteria. This article is very long as it spans 40 years, so I hope I posted enough to interest you.
3-year-old disappears in a matter of minutes - what happened to little Kevin Jay Ayotte? | Grand Forks Herald

 

[armywife210]

I'm from Bemidji, I lived there until I was 26 and married an Army Officer in 2001. My dad was born there, as were my brothers and I. One of my brothers still lives there, and I have a very large extended family and most of them also still live there. Anyway, I was 8 years old, my dad and his business took days off from work to search for this little guy. I wonder what became of him.

 

[spartanx]

I read that sugarbush is a remote and soft swampy place with nearby forests.. would it be possible for me to walk there? Being so small, it's a bit difficult. If someone took it, it's possible, although I don't think it was a family member, it must have been someone else. As for the dog, it's difficult for it to take them to the body if the dog isn't trained for that. .. rest in peace little one

 

[DS2021]

Bump