NY NY - Mitchel Weiser, 16, & Bonita Bickwit, 15, Narrowsburg, 27 July 1973

[Stella]

Is it possible that they were victims of serial killer Robert Garrow? Same month, same area where he went on his killing spree.

 

[Two for the road]

Is it possible that they were victims of serial killer Robert Garrow? Same month, same area where he went on his killing spree.

Anything is possible in this case. That's what makes it so hard to solve.

 

[Stella]

The Allyn Smith story seems plausible. People wonder, if the story was true, why didn't he, as a Navy veteran, help them. Simple; he was looking out for #1. If he called the police to report a drowning couple, he would've probably been arrested for drugs and failure to render aid (?). He admitted in his story that he and the driver were both heavily stoned at the time. Their drug induced attitude would've been along the lines of a lackadaisical, "oh, well...". In fact, he was so out of it, he couldn't recall the name of the lake/river they stopped at.
As far as Robert Garrow, he was shot dead by police while trying to escape. I don't know if he ever said anything to his lawyer but I hope there is DNA belonging to him somewhere, just in case remains are found.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Any chance they are these UIDs?

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #6

 

[Stella]

I don't think they resemble Mitch and Bonnie. I'm not even sure if they are in a DNA database to compare to the Sumpter couple. Does anyone know?

 

[Two for the road]

I don't think they resemble Mitch and Bonnie. I'm not even sure if they are in a DNA database to compare to the Sumpter couple. Does anyone know?

AFAIK, Bonnie has familial DNA from her sister. Mitchell has DNA from his baby teeth. But neither have dentals.

They are definitely not the Sumter Couple. The looks are very different and other vital stats are off.

 

[Carolina Jacks]

According to a NY times article. published on April 9th,1974.
Bonnies mom . Mrs. Bickwit. Received a phone call from her two best friends in the whole world in August of 1973. Mrs. Bromberg and Mrs. Berkowitz.
They both stated to Mrs Bickwit. That they had recently seen Bonnie and Mitch boarding a bus in Boston Massachusetts. Bound for Dover NewHamshire.
And Mrs. Bromberg and Mrs. Berkowittz. We're BOTH 100 percent certain that the two children they had seen ,were definitely Mitchel and Bonnie.
And these two ladies were Bonnie's mom's two best friends in the whole world.
So.. To me.. This is a confirmed sighting in August of 1973. Which means that they probably did make it to the concert.

 

[Carolina Jacks]

The Greatful Dead played two concerts on 7\31 and 8\1 1973 in Jersey City NJ. After that the tour stopped for 6 weeks. Until resumming on 9\7 and 9\8 in NY city. So.. It would seem likely that Mitch and Bonnie were probably following the band. For at least one week after Watkins Glen was over. I've heard that they both ,eventually made it back to the finger lakes region of NY State. Near Watkins Glen. Where they resided for many years .

 

[Carolina Jacks]

It's possible that the Allyn Smith story is true.
Except the drowning part. Maybe Bonnie and Mitch made it out of the water after the VW van had left.
If everyone was high on LSD at the time . Their judgement and memory would be completely clouded . Especially 25 years later.
He may have thought they had drowned , but they didnt. It's unlikely that they both would have drowned . Allyn said Bonnie went into the river first. And got swept away. Then Mitch jumped in to save her. It would only take 1 minute to be out of sight during the summer with so much vegetation growth and a moving river. Plus if Allyn was high on LSD his vision would probably be blurry.
They could have made it back to the road and hitched again.
If my theory is correct. Their next stop would have been Jersey City for the Dead concert on 7\31 and 8\1. Bonnie clearly stated in the letter to her mom. That she wanted to be on her own. In fact she even asked her mom for permission to start another life.
And Mitchel's sister said that when Mitch left the house for the last time . That, He was out of control.
But still. If Mitch wasn't planning on coming back. Why would he call his mom when he got to camp Wel-Met . To let his mom know that he got there safely ?
It's possible that after a period of 1 or 2 weeks on the road. That there was so much guilt inside their souls . That they just felt like they could never go home again. It's also possible or probable that Bonnie could have been pregnant. Which would have left even more guilt on their conscience.
They were both very smart kids . So making money wouldn't have been a problem. They would have had to create new SS numbers. Since their original s were never used . The birth of a Baby would give them access to one new SS number.
2 babies would be 2 new numbers.
They may have been in the van with Allyn ,but they didn't drown in that river.

 

[dotr]

It's possible that the Allyn Smith story is true.
Except the drowning part. Maybe Bonnie and Mitch made it out of the water after the VW van had left.
If everyone was high on LSD at the time . Their judgement and memory would be completely clouded . Especially 25 years later.
He may have thought they had drowned , but they didnt. It's unlikely that they both would have drowned . Allyn said Bonnie went into the river first. And got swept away. Then Mitch jumped in to save her. It would only take 1 minute to be out of sight during the summer with so much vegetation growth and a moving river. Plus if Allyn was high on LSD his vision would probably be blurry.
They could have made it back to the road and hitched again.
If my theory is correct. Their next stop would have been Jersey City for the Dead concert on 7\31 and 8\1. Bonnie clearly stated in the letter to her mom. That she wanted to be on her own. In fact she even asked her mom for permission to start another life.
And Mitchel's sister said that when Mitch left the house for the last time . That, He was out of control.
But still. If Mitch wasn't planning on coming back. Why would he call his mom when he got to camp Wel-Met . To let his mom know that he got there safely ?
It's possible that after a period of 1 or 2 weeks on the road. That there was so much guilt inside their souls . That they just felt like they could never go home again. It's also possible or probable that Bonnie could have been pregnant. Which would have left even more guilt on their conscience.
They were both very smart kids . So making money wouldn't have been a problem. They would have had to create new SS numbers. Since their original s were never used . The birth of a Baby would give them access to one new SS number.
2 babies would be 2 new numbers.
They may have been in the van with Allyn ,but they didn't drown in that river.

Could it even be that they wanted to get away from the "witness" for whatever reasons, made like they were going swimming, then ducked out of sight?
Again wondering if they came under the influence of one cult or another, some are known to encourage members to distance themselves from family?

Speculation, imo.

 

[Carolina Jacks]

Could it even be that they wanted to get away from the "witness" for whatever reasons, made like they were going swimming, then ducked out of sight?
Again wondering if they came under the influence of one cult or another, some are known to encourage members to distance themselves from family?

Speculation, imo.

Yes. That is possible . Maybe the driver was driving erratic . If they were all High on LSD. I don't think that the driver would be in very good shape to be behind the wheel. It's totally possible that they ducked away into the brush down stream . For their own safety.

 

[Two for the road]

It's possible that the Allyn Smith story is true.
Except the drowning part. Maybe Bonnie and Mitch made it out of the water after the VW van had left.
If everyone was high on LSD at the time . Their judgement and memory would be completely clouded . Especially 25 years later.
He may have thought they had drowned , but they didnt. It's unlikely that they both would have drowned . Allyn said Bonnie went into the river first. And got swept away. Then Mitch jumped in to save her. It would only take 1 minute to be out of sight during the summer with so much vegetation growth and a moving river. Plus if Allyn was high on LSD his vision would probably be blurry.
They could have made it back to the road and hitched again.
If my theory is correct. Their next stop would have been Jersey City for the Dead concert on 7\31 and 8\1. Bonnie clearly stated in the letter to her mom. That she wanted to be on her own. In fact she even asked her mom for permission to start another life.
And Mitchel's sister said that when Mitch left the house for the last time . That, He was out of control.
But still. If Mitch wasn't planning on coming back. Why would he call his mom when he got to camp Wel-Met . To let his mom know that he got there safely ?
It's possible that after a period of 1 or 2 weeks on the road. That there was so much guilt inside their souls . That they just felt like they could never go home again. It's also possible or probable that Bonnie could have been pregnant. Which would have left even more guilt on their conscience.
They were both very smart kids . So making money wouldn't have been a problem. They would have had to create new SS numbers. Since their original s were never used . The birth of a Baby would give them access to one new SS number.
2 babies would be 2 new numbers.
They may have been in the van with Allyn ,but they didn't drown in that river.

RBBM, first, I believe that in the video his sister said that he called to say he was safe and I believe to ask for money.

Second, SSNs weren't a requirement for everything back then and you could easily get a job without one. Jobs paid in cash so no paper trail would have been necessary. And it was honestly very easy to fake an identity back then.

I have oftened wondered if they really did just run away. I've always held the thought "what if Allyn Smith is actually Mitch?" I mean think about it, they have a reunion/memorial bringing up questions about their disappearance and then magically some guy from NJ (the last possible sighting of them) phones in with this story. It's like saying "they're dead, stop looking".

I wonder if Mitch's sister has ever thought about doing an ancestry DNA test to see if she has any unexpected family connections out there.

 

[Carolina Jacks]

First , I believe Allyn Smith is from Rhode Island not New Jersey. In fact I'm pretty sure I found his picture on social media .
Second, The last confirmed sighting of the children was in Boston MA. In August 1973 by Mrs Bickwits two best friends .

 

[Carolina Jacks]

Allyn Smith sat down in person . With law enforcement officers. For an interview.
If Mitch was Allyn. Don't you think the officers would have realized that . ? <modsnip>

 

[Two for the road]

Allyn Smith sat down in person . With law enforcement officers. For an interview.
If Mitch was Allyn. Don't you think the officers would have realized that . ? <modsnip>

<modsnip - personalizing>

And no. The last confirmed sighting of them was by a truck driver that dropped them off in Narrowsburg, NY. The sighting by her mom's friends in Boston was -not- confirmed by law enforcement. <modsnip - personalizing>

 

[dotr]

Sullivan County, NY Free Public Records | Criminal | Arrests | Court Search
Collected data of endangered children, runaways, family and non family abductions

• Missing: Mitchel Weiser
  Mitchel Weiser, Age Now: 60, Missing: 07/27/1973. Missing From Narrowsburg, Ny. Anyone Having Information Should Contact: Sullivan County Sheriff's Department (new York) 1-845-794-7100.
  
  
  July 24, 2017
  Source: Home
• Missing: Bonita Bickwit
  Bonita Bickwit, Age Now: 58, Missing: 07/27/1973. Missing From Narrowsburg, Ny. Anyone Having Information Should Contact: Sullivan County Sheriff's Department (new York) 1-845-794-7100.
  
  
  June 21, 2016

 

[CCJD]

According to a NY times article. published on April 9th,1974.
Bonnies mom . Mrs. Bickwit. Received a phone call from her two best friends in the whole world in August of 1973. Mrs. Bromberg and Mrs. Berkowitz.
They both stated to Mrs Bickwit. That they had recently seen Bonnie and Mitch boarding a bus in Boston Massachusetts. Bound for Dover NewHamshire.
And Mrs. Bromberg and Mrs. Berkowittz. We're BOTH 100 percent certain that the two children they had seen ,were definitely Mitchel and Bonnie.
And these two ladies were Bonnie's mom's two best friends in the whole world.
So.. To me.. This is a confirmed sighting in August of 1973. Which means that they probably did make it to the concert.

Is this the article?
2 Who Set Out for Watkin.s

"Or the call from a Mrs. Bromberg and a Mrs. Berkowitz who insisted they saw Bonnie and Mitchell in August on a bus from Boston to Dover, N.H.

“They were certain they had seen the children,” Mrs. Weiser said. “They said they had noticed the youngsters because they were so young looking., We spoke to the police in Dover and wrote to the newspapers there, but so far no one has reported anything.”

 

[dotr]

Is this the article?
2 Who Set Out for Watkin.s

"Or the call from a Mrs. Bromberg and a Mrs. Berkowitz who insisted they saw Bonnie and Mitchell in August on a bus from Boston to Dover, N.H.

“They were certain they had seen the children,” Mrs. Weiser said. “They said they had noticed the youngsters because they were so young looking., We spoke to the police in Dover and wrote to the newspapers there, but so far no one has reported anything.”

Maybe, hopefully, there is something more to this?
From link.. rbbm.
"And then there is the theme Bonnie wrote last spring entitled “Is the Traditional Marriage Dying?” The paper con eluded with Bonnie's observation that “people are looking for alternatives to traditional ways, other ways of being happy.”

The parents are hoping their children have found them, but four parents, “frantic with worry,” would like to know for sure."

 

[deadfoot13]

Sorry, long post...

This case has always fascinated me, primarily because I am a Deadhead, and this same scenario could have been me at any point in time during my teenage years. I came from a great family, had a terrific childhood, yet I jumped into the lifestyle with both feet and took many risks that could have ended poorly -- my background/faith/upbringing had no bearing on the choices I made. The Grateful Dead did not have a huge radio presence, so if these kids were fans, it's not unreasonable to think that they were turned on to the music by someone living in that "hippie subculture." That leads me to believe that they may have begun experimenting with drugs, which could also explain the friction they were experiencing within their respective families. I understand that just because you like a particular genre of music, or follow a band with a reputation for a giant party scene, it doesn't mean that you necessarily participate in that lifestyle, but it's a great likelihood -- kids are extremely impressionable at that age, and when you're in a setting where everyone is doing something, there's a good chance that you're going to follow suit just so you fit in. God, why else would there have been things like the mullet, and white patent leather shoes?!?

Dead shows were like a carnival -- fans would congregate in the parking lots and even take over streets, waiting for the show to start and partying the whole time with the people around them, hoping for a ticket if they didn't already have one ("miracles".) There was a whole contingent of people who traveled around the country from show to show, hitching rides and living off the generosity of others or from what they could steal. I had friends who left to follow the Dead to California, and never came back. Others would make it a point to seek out those we knew in different cities to keep in touch (and surprisingly enough, it's not that hard to find people you know in a crowd of 150,000 people -- I can recall running into the same people over and over at different shows, even if I didn't know them personally.) Deadheads formed a community that became like a loosely-knit extended family, and you shared everything with each other -- food, partners, drugs, clothes. In all of the years I attended shows, I rarely saw a fight happen -- it was all about going with the flow, and getting your groove on, as hokey as that sounds. Whether it was the music or the drugs that inspired you, the goal was to hear those notes float through the air and let the music move you in an almost spiritual way.

I live in upstate NY, near Binghamton, and am extremely familiar with the Finger Lakes area. I agree that if the kids were hitching from Narrowsburg, they probably were headed up 97. From there the most logical route would be 97 to Hancock, where they could pick up 17/86. For someone unfamiliar with the area, the most direct and fastest route from there to Watkins Glen would be 17/86 to route 14. The Delaware River runs next to 97, and although it does have areas of rapids, it's a fairly tame river in the summer months -- I have inner-tubed sections several times, and it's quite the lazy floating trip. The Susquehanna runs along 17/86, and same thing -- during the summer, it doesn't run particularly fast. During the Spring both rivers can become dangerous and there is frequent flooding, and we have had our share of flooding in the Fall, but in late Summer it's not normally an issue (except for Hurricane Agnes in 1972, that was pretty wild...) Those are the biggest rivers in the area; if the driver overshot picking up route 14, they would eventually run into the Chemung River, but that's really just like the other two. Same thing with the many creeks and streams that dot the landscape from there to here -- it's very unlikely that there would be flash-flooding or fast-moving water even after a heavy rain.

I don't think it's likely that they went overland instead of hitching on the main road -- 97 pretty much ties Narrowsburg to Hancock, and they would have had to go well out of their way to get into the forest. The only reason to do that would be if they were trying to hide from someone, but from the sounds of it, they had a sign with their destination displayed and weren't trying to be subversive about where they were going. I guess it might be possible that they got off the highway in Owego and headed overland to Watkins Glen, but I would think after flogging their way through forest and underbrush and climbing hill after endless hill that would have gotten old pretty fast and they would have stuck to the first road they came across. It really lessens the chance of getting a ride, as you didn't get a lot of traffic out in the sticks other than farmers.

Someone up-thread mentioned them possibly living in Burdett, near the Finger Lakes National Forest -- it's a very rural area, and would have been quite possible to live a quiet life with plenty of privacy. Burdett is in between Seneca & Cayuga Lakes, and kind of between Watkins Glen and Ithaca. While Watkins Glen isn't really a city (even today, it's more of a sleepy village that caters to folks touring the wine trail and racing fans), Ithaca is good-sized and kind of known for its acceptance of the "granola culture." There are plenty of employment opportunities, and a large, transient population due to the colleges. What I'm saying is that it's easy to be anonymous there. The area around Burdett is largely agricultural, with many farms and vineyards -- it's quite possible to live off the land comfortably. Trying to locate someone who has reinvented themselves would be harder than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack -- I've spent my entire life in the area and there are still back roads that I newly discover on my adventures.

I'm still confused as to whether the kids were "lost" on the way to the concert, or on the return trip.

I have a couple of theories... If the guys in the VW Bus were partaking of (LSD, heroin, bennies, whatever else was popular in 1973) and Mitchel & Bonnie were not wanting to indulge, then they may have been left behind at the river because they were being wet blankets. I hitchhiked home from parties more than once because my date was a dud, or my date left with someone else. It's a crappy thing to do, but sometimes young people do crappy things. Conversely, maybe the kids had indulged a little too much and were annoying, so they were left behind at the river. The fact that either of the possible rivers probably weren't flowing dangerously fast could account for the VW Bus guys not being too worked up about the kids being in the water. Being under the influence could have also made it seem less of an emergency and the driver may have even talked himself out of being worried by the time he "got to the next town." I don't have a plausible explanation for what happened to the kids after that -- if it was on the way to the concert, then I would assume that they continued hitching and arrived there.

Knowing the Deadhead community, and how these kids would have been embraced and accepted, my feeling is that they decided to follow the band and headed off with others traveling in the same direction. It's completely believable that they were spotted by the parent's BFFs -- there were fans who "toured" with the band for decades. It was like a mobile commune of sorts. My guess is that they followed the band for a while, and either wound up on the West coast or succumbed to a drug overdose at some point. I don't really believe that they were murdered, Deadheads might be inclined to steal you blind, but they're a pretty peaceful lot, seriously. The worst thing that ever happened to me at a show was a girl banging me in the head with her elbow by mistake. I even managed to sleep right out in the open in a parking lot, waking up to a stray dog sleeping on top of me, but otherwise unmolested. I'm more inclined to believe that they encountered bad drugs along their journey, or truly reinvented themselves and continued their lives somewhere else than NYC.

 

[dotr]

Sorry, long post...

This case has always fascinated me, primarily because I am a Deadhead, and this same scenario could have been me at any point in time during my teenage years. I came from a great family, had a terrific childhood, yet I jumped into the lifestyle with both feet and took many risks that could have ended poorly -- my background/faith/upbringing had no bearing on the choices I made. The Grateful Dead did not have a huge radio presence, so if these kids were fans, it's not unreasonable to think that they were turned on to the music by someone living in that "hippie subculture." That leads me to believe that they may have begun experimenting with drugs, which could also explain the friction they were experiencing within their respective families. I understand that just because you like a particular genre of music, or follow a band with a reputation for a giant party scene, it doesn't mean that you necessarily participate in that lifestyle, but it's a great likelihood -- kids are extremely impressionable at that age, and when you're in a setting where everyone is doing something, there's a good chance that you're going to follow suit just so you fit in. God, why else would there have been things like the mullet, and white patent leather shoes?!?

Dead shows were like a carnival -- fans would congregate in the parking lots and even take over streets, waiting for the show to start and partying the whole time with the people around them, hoping for a ticket if they didn't already have one ("miracles".) There was a whole contingent of people who traveled around the country from show to show, hitching rides and living off the generosity of others or from what they could steal. I had friends who left to follow the Dead to California, and never came back. Others would make it a point to seek out those we knew in different cities to keep in touch (and surprisingly enough, it's not that hard to find people you know in a crowd of 150,000 people -- I can recall running into the same people over and over at different shows, even if I didn't know them personally.) Deadheads formed a community that became like a loosely-knit extended family, and you shared everything with each other -- food, partners, drugs, clothes. In all of the years I attended shows, I rarely saw a fight happen -- it was all about going with the flow, and getting your groove on, as hokey as that sounds. Whether it was the music or the drugs that inspired you, the goal was to hear those notes float through the air and let the music move you in an almost spiritual way.

I live in upstate NY, near Binghamton, and am extremely familiar with the Finger Lakes area. I agree that if the kids were hitching from Narrowsburg, they probably were headed up 97. From there the most logical route would be 97 to Hancock, where they could pick up 17/86. For someone unfamiliar with the area, the most direct and fastest route from there to Watkins Glen would be 17/86 to route 14. The Delaware River runs next to 97, and although it does have areas of rapids, it's a fairly tame river in the summer months -- I have inner-tubed sections several times, and it's quite the lazy floating trip. The Susquehanna runs along 17/86, and same thing -- during the summer, it doesn't run particularly fast. During the Spring both rivers can become dangerous and there is frequent flooding, and we have had our share of flooding in the Fall, but in late Summer it's not normally an issue (except for Hurricane Agnes in 1972, that was pretty wild...) Those are the biggest rivers in the area; if the driver overshot picking up route 14, they would eventually run into the Chemung River, but that's really just like the other two. Same thing with the many creeks and streams that dot the landscape from there to here -- it's very unlikely that there would be flash-flooding or fast-moving water even after a heavy rain.

I don't think it's likely that they went overland instead of hitching on the main road -- 97 pretty much ties Narrowsburg to Hancock, and they would have had to go well out of their way to get into the forest. The only reason to do that would be if they were trying to hide from someone, but from the sounds of it, they had a sign with their destination displayed and weren't trying to be subversive about where they were going. I guess it might be possible that they got off the highway in Owego and headed overland to Watkins Glen, but I would think after flogging their way through forest and underbrush and climbing hill after endless hill that would have gotten old pretty fast and they would have stuck to the first road they came across. It really lessens the chance of getting a ride, as you didn't get a lot of traffic out in the sticks other than farmers.

Someone up-thread mentioned them possibly living in Burdett, near the Finger Lakes National Forest -- it's a very rural area, and would have been quite possible to live a quiet life with plenty of privacy. Burdett is in between Seneca & Cayuga Lakes, and kind of between Watkins Glen and Ithaca. While Watkins Glen isn't really a city (even today, it's more of a sleepy village that caters to folks touring the wine trail and racing fans), Ithaca is good-sized and kind of known for its acceptance of the "granola culture." There are plenty of employment opportunities, and a large, transient population due to the colleges. What I'm saying is that it's easy to be anonymous there. The area around Burdett is largely agricultural, with many farms and vineyards -- it's quite possible to live off the land comfortably. Trying to locate someone who has reinvented themselves would be harder than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack -- I've spent my entire life in the area and there are still back roads that I newly discover on my adventures.

I'm still confused as to whether the kids were "lost" on the way to the concert, or on the return trip.

I have a couple of theories... If the guys in the VW Bus were partaking of (LSD, heroin, bennies, whatever else was popular in 1973) and Mitchel & Bonnie were not wanting to indulge, then they may have been left behind at the river because they were being wet blankets. I hitchhiked home from parties more than once because my date was a dud, or my date left with someone else. It's a crappy thing to do, but sometimes young people do crappy things. Conversely, maybe the kids had indulged a little too much and were annoying, so they were left behind at the river. The fact that either of the possible rivers probably weren't flowing dangerously fast could account for the VW Bus guys not being too worked up about the kids being in the water. Being under the influence could have also made it seem less of an emergency and the driver may have even talked himself out of being worried by the time he "got to the next town." I don't have a plausible explanation for what happened to the kids after that -- if it was on the way to the concert, then I would assume that they continued hitching and arrived there.

Knowing the Deadhead community, and how these kids would have been embraced and accepted, my feeling is that they decided to follow the band and headed off with others traveling in the same direction. It's completely believable that they were spotted by the parent's BFFs -- there were fans who "toured" with the band for decades. It was like a mobile commune of sorts. My guess is that they followed the band for a while, and either wound up on the West coast or succumbed to a drug overdose at some point. I don't really believe that they were murdered, Deadheads might be inclined to steal you blind, but they're a pretty peaceful lot, seriously. The worst thing that ever happened to me at a show was a girl banging me in the head with her elbow by mistake. I even managed to sleep right out in the open in a parking lot, waking up to a stray dog sleeping on top of me, but otherwise unmolested. I'm more inclined to believe that they encountered bad drugs along their journey, or truly reinvented themselves and continued their lives somewhere else than NYC.

Thanks for the very interesting and insightful post!