The Lost Boys - Update

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So a few things have happened in the case of James Allen Crosby and William Edward Huff since my post on February 23, 2020.  Most of it you are already aware of.  

The Huff family requested that I reach out to the media to tell their story and so that William Edward Huff, whom they called Bubba and his friend, James Allen Crosby would not be forgotten.  I reached out to several media outlets and I was contacted by ABC News 4 correspondent Rachel Ellis.  She came out to Walterboro and interviewed the family and myself to talk about the boys.  

https://abcnews4.com/news/local/walterboro-family-members-still-seek-answers-in-decades-long-cold-case?fbclid=IwAR0hHRz1x9ONFWPat9B7bsunm-SoTXkkBRtXmlP4FU9jfqa8nkvol3uzQfw 

The day after the interview, the Huff family met with the Press and Standard and members of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.  The Huff family felt that they were treated well at that meeting and stated that the CCSO was going to look into the case again and follow up on some information that the Huff family had given them. 

As I continued my research, I was able to find additional articles, that I had never seen before in papers that were outside of the County and some were outside of the state.  There was additional information in these articles (shown below) that I was not aware and have offered up some new research avenues for me to take.   










I also took a different route in trying to find classmates of the boys.  After reviewing some more old newspapers I found the names of students listed on the honor roll during the time the time the boys would have attended Colleton-Walterboro Junior High School and when they disappeared.  The list of names is below.  If you are one of these people or know any of these people, please reach out to me about what you remember about James Allen Crosby and William Edward Huff and what happened when they disappeared.  This would be in 1972-1973.  You can reach me at thecoldonestruecrime@gmail.com or private message me on Facebook.  The smallest detail may hold the key.  

Amy Hankerson
Barbara Ann Brown
Bonnie Carter
Brenda Craven
Charles Tangemann
Chris Furlong
Clyde Harrison, Jr.
Cranny Boensch, Jr.
Cynthia Hoats
Derelle Jamison
Donna Williams
Donnie Nettles
Forrest Lohr
Frances Carmichael
Jackqueline Dowdy
Johnnie Smith
Julie Crosby
Karen Hollifield
Kay Beals
Kenny Rahn
Linda Beach
Margaret Griner
Mary Stewart
Pamelia (Pamela) Kinard
Paula Jackson
Randall Nettles
Ricky Benton
Robert Hiott
Robert Singleton
Robin Floyd
Roger Frick
Russell Jones
Sandy Walker
Sharon Duffie
Susan Beach
Susan Nettles
Tammie Crosby
Tammy Crosby
Timmy Beach
Lynn Sanders
Jill Searson
Maria Smith

When I reached out to the Press and Standard about this case, they connected me with Rita Shuler.  Ms. Shuler is a retired Special Agent/Supervisor of the Forensic Photography Unit from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).  If you don’t know who Rita Shuler is, you should.  She played a part in solving the murder of Elaine Fogle, a Walterboro cold case from 1978.  She is also an author and has written several books about cases in South Carolina.  Today I had the complete honor of meeting with her and discussing this case.  Our conversation opened some other ideas of what should be done next to help solve this case and I am excited to pursue them and excited to work with her further.   

I have submitted FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to SLED and the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.  I have heard back from SLED who stated they are checking their files.  I have not heard anything back from CCSO, but they have twenty (20) days to respond according to FOIA.  Although, I expect not to receive anything from them, especially if they truly are looking into this case again.  

To some this may not be a huge update, but to me all of this information is important.  It is important for me to continue looking into this and sharing what I can so people will keep talking about it and maybe one day it can be solved. 

M.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 18, 2020 at 4:34 PM

    I hope they find out who and why they done it

    ReplyDelete
  2. MommahashApril 29, 2020 at 3:37 PM

    I hate to even say this but it jumped out at me as I read the later articles. Maybe they weren't killed. 14 and 16 was plenty old enough back then to get a hold of serious drugs. Past trauma (Crosby), rampant drug culture, cutting school, maybe wanting to "escape". I was born just a few years after them and, I promise, drugs were very easy to come by. Just a thought

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M.May 7, 2020 at 8:39 AM

      It is definitely a possibility since we have on confirmation how they died, just rumors. That has come across my mind, but everything I have found in my research doesn't point in that direction, but I know teenagers can keep secrets so again, it is a possibility. Thank you for pointing that out!

      Delete

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