Dickie has two younger sisters, both of whom have stated in interviews their remembrances and hopes for resolution.
MN MN - Richard John ‘Dickie’ Huerkamp, 15, Mapleton, 2 Oct 1965
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I wonder if Ann (his sister) remembers if there was any damage or anything out of sorts with the bike, being her bike and all?
I’m not 100% certain due to the graininess of the photo, but I’m pretty sure that’s not Mutzie. (Nor Winifred) The guy in the kilt I believe is a local in town & was probably there with the search party.
The photo is a bit misleading due to its grainieness and lens focal length. It appears that the photographer was looking uphill at the fire truck. He might have been using a telephoto lens.
What appears to be a man in a kilt is actually a woman in a dress standing close to a man about her same height. She is slightly down hill from him (see their feet). The man's head is about the same distance above her head as his feet are above her feet.
Her right arm is raised to the top of her head, partially hiding her face.
It would be great if an original print of the photo could be located and posted.
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Oooh you are so right!! When it was passed on to me, it was stated don’t mind the man in the kilt, which isn’t unheard of at all in Mapleton as it’s a deeply Scottish community. In fact, the mascot back then was a bagpiper, the Mapleton Scots. So I didn’t think twice about it as I personally wore a kilt many times growing up there. Lol!
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Wow. Until I realized the skirt was too long, I absolutely thought that was a man in a kilt!
I have mentioned the importance of the missing shotgun and information about it in regard to this case. Here is some information about reporting or researching lost or stolen firearms.
To report a stolen firearm and understand the registry process, follow these steps:
Unfortunately, at this time we do not know such important information as the Make and Model of the missing shotgun or its serial number, or even what type of action (such as Automatic, Pump, Break, or Bolt action). Any of that info would be helpful even today in an attempt to track down Dickie's shotgun and possibly lead to a resolution in his disappearance.
To report a stolen firearm and understand the registry process, follow these steps:
- Contact Local Law Enforcement: Report the theft to your local police department as soon as possible. Provide details such as the firearm's serial number and any other relevant information.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=71e7...yZXBvcnQtZmlyZWFybXMtdGhlZnQtb3ItbG9zcw&ntb=1 - Report to ATF: Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) must report thefts to the ATF within 48 hours. You can also contact the ATF's Stolen Firearms Program Manager for assistance.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=71e7...yZXBvcnQtZmlyZWFybXMtdGhlZnQtb3ItbG9zcw&ntb=1 - Use Online Databases: Check databases like HotGunz to see if your firearm is reported stolen. This can help you determine if it has been sold or sold for parts.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=7d58...b3ctdG8tc2VlLWlmLWEtZ3VuLWlzLXN0b2xlbi8&ntb=1 - Legal Obligation: Reporting stolen firearms is a legal requirement to prevent misuse and assist law enforcement in recovering stolen weapons.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e5c4...1c&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG90Z3Vuei5jb20v&ntb=1 - Access to Records: Recent regulations allow federal firearms licensees to access records of stolen firearms in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e4c1...u=a1aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdG9sZW5ndW56LmNvbS8&ntb=1
These steps will help ensure that a firearm is reported stolen and can assist in recovering it if necessary.
Unfortunately, at this time we do not know such important information as the Make and Model of the missing shotgun or its serial number, or even what type of action (such as Automatic, Pump, Break, or Bolt action). Any of that info would be helpful even today in an attempt to track down Dickie's shotgun and possibly lead to a resolution in his disappearance.
B-flat Clarinet
It is stated in the description of the Richard Huerkamp Music Scholarship that Dickie played clarinet in his high school band. It is also mentioned in the recent 60-year anniversary article by Steven Shute that he and his family attended a high school football game the evening prior to his disappearance. Did Dickie play in the band that evening at the game?
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Back then, I know, but what were they thinking, destroying files of missing people never found? So thoughtless for the victims and their families.
I think it sounds like either a hunting accident occured (possibly with a second person) or he did drown in the river. Such a pity even his clothing wasn't found.
I completely agree with you that the lnvestigation files should have been retained. I don't know what procedures were in place regarding how long a missing person case file should be kept. Those administrative rules probably differ from one jurisdiction to another. Rules regarding a missing child case have likely changed since the 1960's.
The possibilities you mention, as well as other different scenarios were probably considered by investigators. Some were even mentioned in interviews, but with doubts expressed dismissing them.
Without solid evidence that a capital crime had been committed, like a kidnapping, murder, or illegal burial, Dickie's cases was never reclassified as a homicide. It remained simply an unsolved missing person case.
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Agree, there really isn't evidence pointing in one direction, unless you count the tracking dogs stopping at the river. I personally lean more toward accident than foul play, but some things (like his friends suddenly leaving and the weird letter) stand out. However I do rule-out a voluntary "running away" scenario. JMO. Do you have an opinion?
I would strongly consider several possible scenarios:
- An accidental shooting by another
- An abduction of opportunity
- An accidental fall (in a well, crevasse, river, etc.)
- a homicide elsewhere with a staged disappearance while hunting
I really don't see a "running away" scenario being logical or likely.
IF... he intended to run away, he probably would have headed north - not south - to Mankato to catch a bus elsewhere. And he certainly wouldn't take the shotgun along. His description and disappearance were well publicized and no solid sightings or leads came of it.
I am a firm believer in the proper use of tracking dogs. Having trained and worked with several scenting dogs, I have seen them do truly amazing things. But I am also aware of conditions which can either help or hinder a tracking situation.
If my best tracking dog was given a specific person's scent, he could follow a two day old track of that person through a fairground filled with people. Every person has a unique scent and the experienced dog with a good handler will stick with it to the exclusion of all others.
However - the dog has to be given that scent. If he is simply taken to a spot and allowed to pick out a scent to follow, you cannot assume that he got the correct scent. In Dickie’s case, over 300 people wandered all over the area looking for him a day before the dogs were brought in.
From what was reported, no definite conclusions can be drawn regarding the dog search.
stone-turner
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I have avoided speculation on abduction – probably for several reasons. One reason is because I think an abductor seldom perpetrates a single act. I hadn’t heard of any other missing children or young men. So, when I was viewing the photocopied newspaper articles that I typed in, another headline caught my eye. It was on the same page as the article stating that Dickie Huerkamp's search was at a "dead end".
"Mankato Free Press October 28, 1965
Seek Another Missing Youth
Another missing boy was reported to the Blue Earth county sheriff Wednesday night.
He is Richard Kollman, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Kollman of Lime township. The boy is believed to be on a Honda motorcycle, white and blue license MC 188-28, probably traveling south: It has a broken headlight.
The sheriff’s office reported he had been gone since earlier in the day but did not know exactly how many hours. He is five feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 165 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.
Anyone seeing him is asked to contact the sheriff’s office 345-4562."
Lime Township lies just north of Mankato, MN and is approximately 22 miles straight north of where Dickie’s bike was found. I did a cursory online search about this family but I couldn’t quickly find any information about this missing Richard. His surname could have been “Kollmann.” Does anyone know if this young man was ever found?
"Mankato Free Press October 28, 1965
Seek Another Missing Youth
Another missing boy was reported to the Blue Earth county sheriff Wednesday night.
He is Richard Kollman, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Kollman of Lime township. The boy is believed to be on a Honda motorcycle, white and blue license MC 188-28, probably traveling south: It has a broken headlight.
The sheriff’s office reported he had been gone since earlier in the day but did not know exactly how many hours. He is five feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 165 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.
Anyone seeing him is asked to contact the sheriff’s office 345-4562."
Lime Township lies just north of Mankato, MN and is approximately 22 miles straight north of where Dickie’s bike was found. I did a cursory online search about this family but I couldn’t quickly find any information about this missing Richard. His surname could have been “Kollmann.” Does anyone know if this young man was ever found?
I believe that the young man in the article was Richard Kollmann, son of Bernard Norbert and Frances Kollmann of St Joseph, MN. He passed away on 1 August 2024. I do not know the specifics about the time he went missing.
I mentioned in post 164 of this thread an abduction/murder which took place in 1972 in Wisconsin that had some similarities to Dickies case. The perpetrator was identified through DNA in recent years and he was a Minnesota resident at the time.
There was also a case of abduction and murder of a 14 year old boy, Michael Fisher, in Superior, Wisconsin which occurred in June 1966, only 8 months after Dickie's disappearance.
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