A hot August day in 1976 started off as a perfect summer day in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but it soon turned into a nightmare.
Ten-year-old Andy Puglisi went missing from a public swimming pool.
Despite an extensive search and multiple investigations, Andy was never seen again.
Melanie Perkins, a childhood friend of Andy Puglisi, was with him on the day he disappeared.
They were playing together at the Higgins Memorial Pool in Lawrence, Massachusetts, shortly before Andy vanished.
Years later, she directed the documentary "Have You Seen Andy?" to investigate his disappearance and find out what happened to him.
What happened to Andy Puglisi??
The disappearance
On August 22, 1976, Lawrence's Higgins Memorial public swimming pool was bustling with various activities.
With temperatures soaring above 90 degrees, the pool was crowded with children excited to enjoy the summer heat.
As the afternoon went on, the pool area grew more and more crowded, setting the stage for a tragic event that would forever change the community.
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| Higgins Memorial Pool |
Melanie Perkins and Andy met at the pool late in the morning on August 22, 1976.
As usual, they spent the entire day playing at the pool.
Around 2:00 that afternoon, Melanie was hungry and decided to go home.
She usually walked by herself to her mother's apartment, which was less than 200 yards (180 meters) away.
According to her, she felt an uneasy feeling she couldn’t explain and was afraid to go alone that day.
Andy wasn’t ready to leave, so Melanie’s 11-year-old brother, Jeff, walked her home.
The last time Melanie saw Andy, he was sitting by the pool in his green bathing trunks, talking with friends.
Later, at around 3:30 P.M., Andy called home.
One of Andy’s brothers answered the phone, and Andy reportedly didn’t mention any problems at the time.
The last known sighting of Andy was around 5:45 P.M., when a lifeguard saw him walking around the pool area.
Between 5:45 and 6:00 PM, amidst the laughter and splashing of children, ten-year-old Andy Puglisi disappeared without a trace.
He never came home that evening.
The initial search was frantic and thorough, involving local police, volunteers, and tracking dogs.
However, despite these efforts, no trace of Andy was found, and the search was called off after six days.
Authorities first thought he might have run away because of his parents' divorce and feeling torn between them.
However as the investigation progressed, they soon began to suspect foul play.
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| Andy and his younger sister |
Initial Investigations and Suspects
The most likely explanation for Andy's disappearance is that he was kidnapped, but the big question is: who took him?
Here are some people who were suspected in Andy's disappearance, but so far, there's no solid evidence connecting them to his case.
Wayne W. Chapman
Wayne W. Chapman was arrested in September 1976, shortly after Andy's disappearance.
During a routine traffic stop in Junius, NY, Chapman was found with disturbing items.
This included child pornography, rope, tape, handcuffs, a fake police badge, and a starter’s pistol.
The police were alarmed by these findings and detained Chapman for further interrogation.
Chapman was already known to law enforcement for his involvement in other criminal activities.
He was charged with the sodomy of several children in Providence, RI,.
He was also linked to the murder of six-year-old David Louison, who had disappeared from Brockton, MA, in 1974.
Despite these serious charges, Chapman was never formally charged in connection with Andy's case.
Chapman's behavior and the evidence found with him led many to suspect he was involved in Andy's disappearance.
Over the years, law enforcement conducted multiple searches based on his confessions and leads.
However, none of them provided solid evidence linking Chapman to Andy's case.
Charles E. Pierce
Charles E. Pierce, who was convicted of multiple child rapes and murders, was mentioned in connection with Andy's disappearance.
This was because of his troubling history and links to other predators.
In March 1979, Pierce confessed to murdering 13-year-old Michelle Wilson.
He was also linked to the disappearance of Janice Pockett from Tolland, CT.
Despite these other crimes, the connection to Andy Puglisi remained weak, and no clear evidence was found linking Pierce to Andy's case.
Nathaniel Bar-Jonah
Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, also known as David Brown, was another person mentioned in connection with Andy's disappearance..
Bar-Jonah, a known sexual predator and cannibal, had a disturbing history of violence against children.
Bar-Jonah was arrested in 2000 after he was found with bone fragments, a list of boys, and disturbing "recipes" in his possession.
The evidence suggested that he might have cannibalized his victims.
Bar-Jonah's connections with other predators, including Wayne W. Chapman, raised concerns about his possible involvement in Andy’s case.
Despite these suspicions, no concrete evidence linked Bar-Jonah to Andy's disappearance.
Recent developments & Ongoing efforts
Andy’s friend and filmmaker, Melanie Perkins, played a key role in investigating Andy Puglisi’s case.
In 1998, while researching for a documentary about the case, Melanie Perkins met with two locals, Alan and Tony.
They described finding a rectangular hole dug in the woods near the pool a year or two after Andy's disappearance when they were children.
They said the hole was "perfectly rectangular, with a flat bottom and flat sides."
It looked like something had been taken out of it, like a chest, a crate, or maybe even a coffin.
The hole was filled two days later, and neither of them reported it until they heard about Perkins' documentary.
Perkins added that she had heard rumors a year after Andy's disappearance that the police planned to dig in the area described by Alan and Tony.
Her documentary, "Have You Seen Andy?", was released over two decades after Andy’s disappearance.
It provided new insights and uncovered fresh evidence.
Her relentless pursuit of the truth led to the case being reopened, and renewed attention was brought to Andy's disappearance.
Despite these efforts, no new evidence has definitively solved the case, and the search for Andy Puglisi continues.
If you have any information that could help solve this case, please contact local authorities.
In a separate missing person case, a mother and daughter who vanished in 1974 have recently been discovered.
Get the details of this case here.
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