PA PA - Michael McCool, 14, Philadelphia, 28 June 1978

[proctorelites]

HOMICIDE DETECTIVES IDENTIFY “JOHN DOE” VICTIM IN 1978 COLD CASE MURDER AND SEEK PUBLIC’S HELP IN DEVELOPING INVESTIGATIVE LEADS

So the Long Beach John Doe 1978 posted previously is Kenneth Nevada Williams- they finally identified that doe in Sept 2022. It was a good choice though!! Shows people are searching the files and archives hunting for Michael. McCool!

 

[Sweetluv]

Bump!!!
Did the brother ever give a description of the two males?

 

[Sweetluv]

June 28, 1978...thinking of Michael!

 

[Sweetluv]

Bumping!

 

[Sweetluv]

Sadly, there is very little info on Michael.
All that's really known is he was last seen by his brother talking to 2 males. Where was this..at work or on his way home? Where these men on foot or in a car? How far was the Acme to his home?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Poor boy. It sounds like he was last seen at work, not at home, doesn't it? Did he disappear during his shift or leave and disappeared afterwards before he could go home? Who saw him talking to the men, and why is there no description of the men nor was there an attempt to make reconstructions of these men?

I wonder if police files are still available for more information. This just feels like a case where there should be more details but the details are missing.

 

[Sweetluv]

Poor boy. It sounds like he was last seen at work, not at home, doesn't it? Did he disappear during his shift or leave and disappeared afterwards before he could go home? Who saw him talking to the men, and why is there no description of the men nor was there an attempt to make reconstructions of these men?

I wonder if police files are still available for more information. This just feels like a case where there should be more details but the details are missing.

Michael's older brother seen him talking to 2 men in the afternoon..but no description or location. Vague!
Agreed, access to police files would be helpful with this case. So little info

 

[Sweetluv]

How far of a walk from Acme to his house?
If Michael's brother seen him talking to 2 men, where was this?
Was a sketch done of the 2 men?

 

[DD Byrd]

How far of a walk from Acme to his house?
If Michael's brother seen him talking to 2 men, where was this?
Was a sketch done of the 2 men?

Where are you seeing that his brother saw him with the 2 men? I'm only seeing that his brother saw him in the afternoon, and that he was seen talking to 2 men, but not that it was his brother who witnessed it. While not a sure thing, if his brother was the one who saw him with the men, we could then at least know if the brother recognized them from anywhere. I assume if the brother knew them directly (and their names, etc.) they'd have been identified already.

 

[summergirl1]

Michael McCool

Michael McCool, age 14, vanished from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1978. He lived in on Albert Street in the Kensington neighborhood and was last seen leaving his home to go to the Acme S…

whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com

 

[Quilty]

How far of a walk from Acme to his house?
If Michael's brother seen him talking to 2 men, where was this?
Was a sketch done of the 2 men?

My best guess is that the Acme was the one at Westmoreland and Aramingo that opened in 1975. I’m not sure where on Albert Street he lived, but it would have been maybe a little over a mile between Albert St and that location. Depending on his route, he could have walked down Aramingo, which was and is a pretty substantial and busy roadway. Other routes would have taken him through densely populated residential streets.

 

[Sweetluv]

Thanks @summergirl1 for the above article! Gives a little more insight...

 

[summergirl1]

Michael McCool

• 
• 

Michael, circa 1978; Age-progression to 46 (circa 2010)

• Missing Since06/28/1978
• Missing FromPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth02/15/1964 (55)
• Age14 years old
• Height and Weight5'0 - 5'4, 100 - 110 pounds
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Michael has a scar near his right eye. He has a dimple on his chin.

Details of Disappearance
Michael left his family's residence on Albert Street in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the morning of June 28, 1978 to head for his place of employment, Kensington Acme, where he worked bagging groceries. His older brother saw him briefly that afternoon.

Michael was last seen with two unidentified adult males. He never arrived home and has not been seen again. It is not known if the two men were connected to his disappearance. His case remains unsolved.

This post says it was "Kensington Acme"..

 

[Quilty]

This post says it was "Kensington Acme"..

It’s possible there were other Acme markets within the Kensington neighborhood proper in 1978, but I could not find record of any outside of this one in the adjacent Port Richmond neighborhood, approx a mile from Albert Street. I don’t believe there was a store named “Kensington Acme” that was unrelated to the regional chain of Acme grocery stores. I read this to be an Acme market in Kensington, if that makes sense.

It’s frustrating that so little information is available, including a photograph of Michael closer to 14.

 

[Sweetluv]

I believe the Acme would have been on Aramingo and Westmoreland St (?) We need an updated photo of Michael at the time of his disappearance and a description of the 2 men.

 

[Sweetluv]

The article states he left for work in the AM and was seen in the afternoon talking to 2 men.
Where was he seen? Coming home from work or in the Acme?
June 28 was a Wednesday. Weather report states it was about 92 degrees and no rain. I would think alot of people were out and about...but since 1978, no apparent witnesses have come forward since the one sighting in the afternoon.