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

[ekardh]

Unfortunately, it happens often. People fall in or fall off rafts often, and their bodies aren't always recovered. According to Google, there was "significant flooding in nearby areas" in July 1973, so it's entirely possible that this is what happened to these poor souls.

I cannot find any source for significant flooding near the Susquehanna in July 1973. Do you have one?

 

[NJEverCurious]

I cannot find any source for significant flooding near the Susquehanna in July 1973. Do you have one?

I Googled "july 1973 precipitation narrowsburg ny" and the AI summary results stated that there was significant flooding in nearby areas. Unfortunately, I can't find a good source with data specific to that area for that month.

 

[moonglow123]

Yeah. It's just strange neither was ever found. I do get the point about bodies getting caught on things underwater etc. I just feel like (grim to say, but) at least one of them would've floated to the surface or been spotted at some point. It's also weird Allyn couldn't recall the rough spot. I know it had been 30 years, but if we took him at his word it was apparently a changing moment in his life he regularly thought about ... I do also wonder why, if he was telling this story to friends, none encouraged him to report it? So odd.

So sad reading about how the case never got the media and police attention it deserved. How different could things have been if LE contacted the organizers and really pushed their case immediately? They could've determined whether they actually arrived there and if anyone else saw them. So so sad.

 

[NJEverCurious]

I cannot find any source for significant flooding near the Susquehanna in July 1973. Do you have one?

It's not exactly what we're looking for, but here are some links that show flooding from Central NJ all the way up to VT, from July to early Aug. 1973.

My Central Jersey
The Hardwick Gazette (VT)
The New York Times

 

[Mysteries1974]

I'm not familiar with the Susquehanna, is it actually feasible for them to be swept away and no trace of their bodies to be found at all? It just seems strange neither would've ever been found. If it is true, I wish Allyn reported it sooner... sitting on that info for 30 years is wild.

Not familiar with the river but I do think it’s entirely possible they got swept away and ultimately drowned. While it is known that Allyn didn't call the police to report the drowning, perhaps the bus driver actually did call and the call logs/records were lost in intervening years.

Police during the 20th century were notorious for losing and or purging paper records/physical evidence. Also lot of evidence recorded on paper was lost when investigators started inputting them into online databases, affecting any future prosecution or developments.

It’s quite possible the bus driver did call the police and that records showing this are lost/unrecoverable. Also, based on the events that Allyn gave… it doesn’t seem like anyone on the bus knew Bonnie or Mitch’s names.

Even if police got a report that two teenagers drowned on the same night the two vanished, they wouldn’t immediately connect it to the disappearances. Also, I doubt the detectives who were making countless mistakes during the initial investigation into the disappearances would’ve connected the incidents either.

I know Allyn’s story seems fishy but I do believe he acted out of fear rather than malicious intent. He was on marijuana which was illegal at the time and probably didn’t want to get busted because he called the cops to report the drowning. If there were other people there who were also high, perhaps they also didn’t want to get caught.

Obviously, I can’t say that his story is true but I feel like people are too quick to dismiss it. It sounds like Allyn remembered the incident for years and when he saw something about their disappearances… he was finally able to put names and faces on the two teens he watched get swept away years earlier.

My personal theory is that the two got swept away and that Allyn as well as the others who were there all agreed that the bus driver would call the cops since he was (presumably and hopefully) sober at the time of the incident. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Allyn doesn’t know the bus drivers name… people got into random cars and busses all the time in the 70s without getting the name of the driver.

 

[moonglow123]

Not familiar with the river but I do think it’s entirely possible they got swept away and ultimately drowned. While it is known that Allyn didn't call the police to report the drowning, perhaps the bus driver actually did call and the call logs/records were lost in intervening years.

Police during the 20th century were notorious for losing and or purging paper records/physical evidence. Also lot of evidence recorded on paper was lost when investigators started inputting them into online databases, affecting any future prosecution or developments.

It’s quite possible the bus driver did call the police and that records showing this are lost/unrecoverable. Also, based on the events that Allyn gave… it doesn’t seem like anyone on the bus knew Bonnie or Mitch’s names.

Even if police got a report that two teenagers drowned on the same night the two vanished, they wouldn’t immediately connect it to the disappearances. Also, I doubt the detectives who were making countless mistakes during the initial investigation into the disappearances would’ve connected the incidents either.

I know Allyn’s story seems fishy but I do believe he acted out of fear rather than malicious intent. He was on marijuana which was illegal at the time and probably didn’t want to get busted because he called the cops to report the drowning. If there were other people there who were also high, perhaps they also didn’t want to get caught.

Obviously, I can’t say that his story is true but I feel like people are too quick to dismiss it. It sounds like Allyn remembered the incident for years and when he saw something about their disappearances… he was finally able to put names and faces on the two teens he watched get swept away years earlier.

My personal theory is that the two got swept away and that Allyn as well as the others who were there all agreed that the bus driver would call the cops since he was (presumably and hopefully) sober at the time of the incident. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Allyn doesn’t know the bus drivers name… people got into random cars and busses all the time in the 70s without getting the name of the driver.

That's fair, you're not wrong... It does seem like such a random scenario to completely make up. I am surprised he never tried to conduct any research on their story. I know it was harder back then, but I would definitely make an effort to see if I could find any reports of a drowning or matching missing persons cases... especially if it sat on my conscience for so long.

I don't entirely dismiss it. It is just strange. I wish they'd had more urgency, tried harder at the scene, made reporting it their absolute first priority... I understand the marijuana, but it's still sad to not feel particularly distraught or panicked about two young people fighting for their lives. But I agree, it's possible the driver did call but it was written off as a prank or something.

And I wish he could remember exactly where he saw them. I know it had been a long time, but roads and highways don't change that drastically. I'm surprised he couldn't stumble upon the location from tracing the likely path the van took from the concert.

More police attention was definitely needed at the time... even by the time Allyn reported it. As far as I know no one else was able to corroborate Bonnie and Mitch even making it to the concert, right? If we had even one more person that could recall seeing them at the concert, I'd find Allyn's account more plausible. There were obviously so many people there, but I'm sure at least a few people could've recalled seeing them there if they made it.

 

[deadfoot13]

I Googled "july 1973 precipitation narrowsburg ny" and the AI summary results stated that there was significant flooding in nearby areas. Unfortunately, I can't find a good source with data specific to that area for that month.

Narrowsburg is about an hour southeast from where they would have first met the Susquehanna River on their way to the concert, assuming that they traveled on or along the highway -- the Susquehanna River and the highway meet in Windsor, NY and follow each other to Waverly, NY before the river heads south. The river between Narrowsburg and Windsor is the Delaware River.

If they made it to the concert and disappeared on the way back home, it's likely that they met the Susquehanna River in Waverly. There are multiple routes from Watkins Glen and they could have reached the highway in any number of towns from Corning to Waverly, but that section of road follows the Chemung River. Both rivers, from Corning to Windsor, follow the highway (Route 17, now Interstate 86) along the NY/PA border, and they are flanked by secondary roads with plenty of places to access the water for fishing/swimming, even today.

Hurricane Agnes came through the area in 1972. My parents could not recall significant flooding in 1973 in the area from Windsor to Corning, or in the Finger Lakes (my dad worked for NYSEG and didn't remember being out on a lot of storm damage that summer,) but that doesn't mean that the river wasn't up and running faster than normal.

The Susquehanna River is not typically a raging river, but it is still a river. There are deep spots and weather events in other areas can affect its flow. It's populated with little islands and the foliage is dense along its banks, plus it's full of debris and stringers. A young man, Eli Vanderpool, disappeared from the Waverly area in 1985 and some of his remains were found on an island downstream in PA in 2005, so if Mitchel and Bonita really did drown in the river, their remains could be a fair distance away.

MOO, I have lived in the area all of my life.

 

[ekardh]

Take it for what you will:

I also hitched a ride to Watkins Glen that summer from Rutland Vermont, with $20 in my pocket. I was fortunately picked up by a young girl we were both 18 yrs old, and I stayed with her on lake superior and we drove to the concert together only to split up. She had the common sense to leave. The music was memorable but THere were way to many violent people at that concert unfortunatly. It was not a 2nd woodstock. When i read the touching account of these two teens i am deeply sorry. The BIG question i have is WHY wouldn’t the police have given this Smith person who claimed they were swept away by the river a lie detector test and why didn’t they comb the river and why didn’t they pursue this deeper. I remember it as being a very dry summer and the rivers of VT and NY were low with little current. (being a fisherman i knew this), It did pour for a couple of hours that day at the concert but there were no flash floods like recent years have seen around the country.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Take it for what you will:

I also hitched a ride to Watkins Glen that summer from Rutland Vermont, with $20 in my pocket. I was fortunately picked up by a young girl we were both 18 yrs old, and I stayed with her on lake superior and we drove to the concert together only to split up. She had the common sense to leave. The music was memorable but THere were way to many violent people at that concert unfortunatly. It was not a 2nd woodstock. When i read the touching account of these two teens i am deeply sorry. The BIG question i have is WHY wouldn’t the police have given this Smith person who claimed they were swept away by the river a lie detector test and why didn’t they comb the river and why didn’t they pursue this deeper. I remember it as being a very dry summer and the rivers of VT and NY were low with little current. (being a fisherman i knew this), It did pour for a couple of hours that day at the concert but there were no flash floods like recent years have seen around the country.

Knowing how the police operated back then, there could be a few reasons for why they didn’t investigate further. Assuming the bus driver called from a rest stop or gas station, it’s possible he couldn’t remember where they had been or maybe he didn’t give enough information that would push them to investigate the call.

If this were to happen today, police would have less trouble connecting the disappearance of two teens to a phone call reporting the drowning of two teenagers on the same night. Since it was 1973… it’s possible miscommunications and lost records played a significant part in this information not being investigated until 2000.

As for them not giving him a test in 2000… I’m not sure. Probably because they don’t even have proof that his story is true and they don’t have any reason to suspect him. People make up weird stories all the time for attention and they end up having nothing to do with it.

I’m not saying that his account is true but I do feel that people dismiss it too quickly. My opinion is that the two met with foul play or that Smith’s story is what happened.

 

[moonglow123]

Take it for what you will:

I also hitched a ride to Watkins Glen that summer from Rutland Vermont, with $20 in my pocket. I was fortunately picked up by a young girl we were both 18 yrs old, and I stayed with her on lake superior and we drove to the concert together only to split up. She had the common sense to leave. The music was memorable but THere were way to many violent people at that concert unfortunatly. It was not a 2nd woodstock. When i read the touching account of these two teens i am deeply sorry. The BIG question i have is WHY wouldn’t the police have given this Smith person who claimed they were swept away by the river a lie detector test and why didn’t they comb the river and why didn’t they pursue this deeper. I remember it as being a very dry summer and the rivers of VT and NY were low with little current. (being a fisherman i knew this), It did pour for a couple of hours that day at the concert but there were no flash floods like recent years have seen around the country.

I know they drove around to a bunch of different locations and Smith said none of them was the right location. I would've kept trying until I found it. Again, I know it had been 30 years but if it was a foundational moment in his life I assume he would've recognized it once he saw it.

 

[NJEverCurious]

I know they drove around to a bunch of different locations and Smith said none of them was the right location. I would've kept trying until I found it. Again, I know it had been 30 years but if it was a foundational moment in his life I assume he would've recognized it once he saw it.

I don't know. I see your point, but there was a place that was very significant in my life just five years ago, and when I went back to try to find it, I couldn't recognize the location. Maybe he was traumatized by what he saw and couldn't recall the location accurately. I guess anything is possible.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Knowing how the police operated back then, there could be a few reasons for why they didn’t investigate further. Assuming the bus driver called from a rest stop or gas station, it’s possible he couldn’t remember where they had been or maybe he didn’t give enough information that would push them to investigate the call.

If this were to happen today, police would have less trouble connecting the disappearance of two teens to a phone call reporting the drowning of two teenagers on the same night. Since it was 1973… it’s possible miscommunications and lost records played a significant part in this information not being investigated until 2000.

As for them not giving him a test in 2000… I’m not sure. Probably because they don’t even have proof that his story is true and they don’t have any reason to suspect him. People make up weird stories all the time for attention and they end up having nothing to do with it.

I’m not saying that his account is true but I do feel that people dismiss it too quickly. My opinion is that the two met with foul play or that Smith’s story is what happened.

I’ve since learned it wasn’t an actual bus but rather an orange Volkswagen. Allyn Smith claims that he was picked up by the driver along with Bonita and Mitchell.

Smith said there were two other people in the back of the bus, an older couple who were covered by sleeping bags and stuff. He said this couple did not go to the river when the two teens allegedly got swept away by the current.

He told his wife and some close friends about the drowning when he came home. His wife says he was shaken up by it. When Allyn saw a cable tv episode asking for the public’s help in solving the cold case in 2000, he called the number and told investigators that he saw the pair get swept away.

Robert Garrow drove an orange Volkswagen van which sticks out to me. Perhaps Garrow picked up Smith, the two missing teens, and the unidentified couple since they were all presumably hitchhiking. As someone pointed out earlier, it’s possible the couple under the sleeping bags were dead and were therefore additional victims of Garrow.

If that happened, maybe Garrow convinced Smith to help him kill the two teens and dispose of all the bodies. Alternatively, perhaps Garrow intended on killing all of them but spared Smith and made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone. Smith, obviously not wanting to be prosecuted for his role in the crimes agreed to this. This is all speculation of course.

If Smith was involved in this, I’m sure that left him shaken up. Maybe he felt guilty so when he saw the television program in 2000, he decided to call and give some phony story to make their deaths sound more accidental. As people have previously speculated, perhaps he was doing this to confess that they were dead without implicating himself or anyone else. In 2024, he added the part about the couple to send investigators on a wild goose chase for more witnesses that won’t talk because they can’t. Again, this is all speculation.

It’s entirely possible some other person besides Garrow in an orange Volkswagen van picked up Smith and the two teens. I myself am finding it a bit hard to believe that 25 people aside from Allyn Smith witnessed the drowning and didn’t try to help or come forward in later years. I know their disappearance lacked publicity for the longest time but over the last decade it’s definitely received enough attention that I feel some of these witnesses would come forward to corroborate Allyn’s story.

It’s very weird. I don’t understand why Smith would make up a false story about the two drowning unless he is trying to cover for someone else or himself. The only other reason I could see him potentially making a false claim like that is if he wanted attention but he reads as someone who doesn’t want to be bothered by the media or police.

 

[deadfoot13]

Take it for what you will:

I also hitched a ride to Watkins Glen that summer from Rutland Vermont, with $20 in my pocket. I was fortunately picked up by a young girl we were both 18 yrs old, and I stayed with her on lake superior and we drove to the concert together only to split up. She had the common sense to leave. The music was memorable but THere were way to many violent people at that concert unfortunatly. It was not a 2nd woodstock. When i read the touching account of these two teens i am deeply sorry. The BIG question i have is WHY wouldn’t the police have given this Smith person who claimed they were swept away by the river a lie detector test and why didn’t they comb the river and why didn’t they pursue this deeper. I remember it as being a very dry summer and the rivers of VT and NY were low with little current. (being a fisherman i knew this), It did pour for a couple of hours that day at the concert but there were no flash floods like recent years have seen around the country.

I don't mean to be contradictory, but Lake Superior is above Wisconsin/Michigan, around 700 miles northwest of Watkins Glen. Watkins Glen is at the southern tip of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of NY.

Combing the river would be an enormous task today, let alone in 1973, even if they could make a solid guess as to where the kids allegedly went in the water. It runs all of the way to the Chesapeake Bay. It can get low in areas during times of drought (the section below the Court St. bridge in Owego becomes little more than a trickle in summertime,) but I personally can't find anything out there detailing where those areas are or if levels in 1973 were lower than normal.

MOO.

 

[moonglow123]

I’ve since learned it wasn’t an actual bus but rather an orange Volkswagen. Allyn Smith claims that he was picked up by the driver along with Bonita and Mitchell.

Smith said there were two other people in the back of the bus, an older couple who were covered by sleeping bags and stuff. He said this couple did not go to the river when the two teens allegedly got swept away by the current.

He told his wife and some close friends about the drowning when he came home. His wife says he was shaken up by it. When Allyn saw a cable tv episode asking for the public’s help in solving the cold case in 2000, he called the number and told investigators that he saw the pair get swept away.

Robert Garrow drove an orange Volkswagen van which sticks out to me. Perhaps Garrow picked up Smith, the two missing teens, and the unidentified couple since they were all presumably hitchhiking. As someone pointed out earlier, it’s possible the couple under the sleeping bags were dead and were therefore additional victims of Garrow.

If that happened, maybe Garrow convinced Smith to help him kill the two teens and dispose of all the bodies. Alternatively, perhaps Garrow intended on killing all of them but spared Smith and made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone. Smith, obviously not wanting to be prosecuted for his role in the crimes agreed to this. This is all speculation of course.

If Smith was involved in this, I’m sure that left him shaken up. Maybe he felt guilty so when he saw the television program in 2000, he decided to call and give some phony story to make their deaths sound more accidental. As people have previously speculated, perhaps he was doing this to confess that they were dead without implicating himself or anyone else. In 2024, he added the part about the couple to send investigators on a wild goose chase for more witnesses that won’t talk because they can’t. Again, this is all speculation.

It’s entirely possible some other person besides Garrow in an orange Volkswagen van picked up Smith and the two teens. I myself am finding it a bit hard to believe that 25 people aside from Allyn Smith witnessed the drowning and didn’t try to help or come forward in later years. I know their disappearance lacked publicity for the longest time but over the last decade it’s definitely received enough attention that I feel some of these witnesses would come forward to corroborate Allyn’s story.

It’s very weird. I don’t understand why Smith would make up a false story about the two drowning unless he is trying to cover for someone else or himself. The only other reason I could see him potentially making a false claim like that is if he wanted attention but he reads as someone who doesn’t want to be bothered by the media or police.

I could buy this theory. It’s all so strange. I didn’t know Garrow drove a VW van himself.

I’m also surprised the Rolling Stone article drew no new witnesses or people that could remember seeing them or caught them in the back of photos. I know, I know, 50 years, but some people do have a particularly good memory for this stuff. Especially if the photos were something they looked back at regularly.

If Allyn didn’t do anything sinister, maybe he could’ve seen two different, similar looking kids that managed to pull themselves out of the river a little ways down? Optimistic, but…

Anyway, I know it’s all been discussed before but this is one of those cases that has stuck with me for so long, I like reading what ideas people have :/ It’s just so heartbreaking and perplexing.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I could buy this theory. It’s all so strange. I didn’t know Garrow drove a VW van himself.

I’m also surprised the Rolling Stone article drew no new witnesses or people that could remember seeing them or caught them in the back of photos. I know, I know, 50 years, but some people do have a particularly good memory for this stuff. Especially if the photos were something they looked back at regularly.

If Allyn didn’t do anything sinister, maybe he could’ve seen two different, similar looking kids that managed to pull themselves out of the river a little ways down? Optimistic, but…

Anyway, I know it’s all been discussed before but this is one of those cases that has stuck with me for so long, I like reading what ideas people have :/ It’s just so heartbreaking and perplexing.

I was surprised the Rolling Stone article didn’t point out the fact that Robert Garrow had an orange Volkswagen van and that Smith claimed to have been picked up by a man in an orange Volkswagen van.

The Susquehanna River is mostly known for being shallow but there are areas that have deep areas and pockets. It’s possible Bonita waded into deeper area and began struggling so Mitch jumped in and they both got swept away.

Still, I wonder if police have investigated a potential link between Smith and Garrow. Robert was killed in 1978 so obviously he was never questioned about Bonita and Mitchell. If Smith is involved, my feeling is that he felt guilty upon seeing the tv report about the case and gave some phony drowning story to cover up what really happened while telling the police that the two were dead.