4-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing on August 23, 1912 while camping with his parents on the shores of Lake Swayze, Louisiana. A look back at a case worthy of a Hollywood movie …
Louisiana, 1912. 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar goes missing on a family vacation around Lake Swayze. Quickly, many devices are deployed to find the trace of the boy. His cap is discovered a few kilometers from Lake Swayze, but little Bobby Dunbar, he remains nowhere to be found. It was not until eight months later that the affair was unraveled. In Mississippi, investigators arrested William Cantwell Walters, a traveling handyman specializing in the repair of organs and pianos. The man has recently been traveling with a little boy whose description matches young Bobby. Hope is reborn for the Dunbars …
Interrogates, William Walters explains that his young sidekick is a certain Charles Bruce Anderson, the son of an employee of the family. His mother, Julia Anderson, is said to have agreed to let little Bruce travel with the handyman for a few days. However, Walters’ version does not convince the authorities. The police announce that they have found little Bobby Dunbar and the child has returned to his family. The media gladly relay this happy news, explaining that seeing his mother again, little Bobby would have shouted “Mum !before hugging him. Yet Lessie and Percy doubt. At first, Bobby’s parents are not sure who the little boy is, but after a few days Lessie formally identifies him with a birthmark.
The clash of two mothers
As the little boy is raised as Bobby Dunbar, Julia Anderson, Bruce Anderson’s mother, comes out of the silence. She claims that the child returned to Dunbar is her son, Bruce. To find out, the police present the single mother with five children, including the one she believes to be Bruce. However, the little boy has no reaction when he sees his alleged mother and the police do not reconsider his decision. In addition, Julia Anderson is a single mother whose word does not match that of the Dunbars. So the little boy remains a Dunbar. William Walters is convicted of child abduction. He will be released two years later and will maintain his version until his death in 1944.
The little boy spent his entire life as Bobby Dunbar and died in 1966. In 2004, his son, Bobby Dunbar Jr, agreed to take a DNA test as part of an investigation by the Associated Press. This did not reveal any blood connection between him and his uncle, Alonzo Dunbar, proving that the child recovered by the Dunbars was indeed Charles Bruce Anderson. It is still unknown today what happened to the real Bobby Dunbar.
Loading widget
Subscribe to the Closermag.fr newsletter to receive the latest news free of charge
© DR
3/12 –
William walters
William Walters during his trial for the kidnapping of little Bobby Dunbar.
© DR
4/12 –
Bobby dunbar
Bobby Dunbar on the left, Bruce Anderson on the right.
© DR
5/12 –
Bobby Dunbar case
Little Bruce Anderson, here in front of the car, was raised by the Dunbar family.
© DR
6/12 –
Bobby dunbar
Bobby Dunbar was camping with his family when he disappeared on August 23, 1912.
© Pixabay
7/12 –
Police
The police did not want to believe Julia Anderson’s version.
© Pixabay
8/12 –
Police
In the end, the investigation into the disappearance of little Bobby Dunbar was never successful.
© Pixabay
9/12 –
Jail
Incarcerated for 2 years, William Walters will maintain his version until his death in 1944.
© Pexels
10/12 –
Child
The bad little boy has been returned to the Dunbar family.
© Pexels
11/12 –
Lake
The Dunbar family were camping on the shore of Lake Swayze, Louisiana, when little Bobby went missing.
© Pexels
12/12 –
Child
It is still unknown today what happened to the real Bobby Dunbar.