John Hundley and James McQueary, Jr. vanished without a trace from Fairfax, Ohio in 1964.
About the Case
John Hundley and James McQueary Jr., both 9, were last seen walking in the 4700 block of Wooster Pike in Cincinnati, Ohio, after leaving Frisch’s restaurant around 4:00 p.m. on October 15, 1964. The boys crossed the intersection and chatted with friends. They headed to John’s home in nearby Fairfax but never arrived. The boys were reported missing around 8:30 p.m.
James and John were best friends and rarely seen without the other. At first, the police thought the boys ran away. However, as time passed, this theory did not stick, and investigators believed foul play was involved.
Before the boys’ disappearance, a four-year-old girl was murdered in August 1964. Police thought the two cases were related but found no evidence to support a possible connection.
Three years after the two vanished, a 17-year-old Marine in California confessed to stabbing the boys to death. He resided in Fairfax in 1964. However, he later recanted the confession, passed a polygraph test, and told police he lied to get out of the military.
The boys are listed on the FBI website for missing persons. The case remains unsolved.
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
There is not much info on this case, but that’s to be expected as old as it is. I decided to write it because of time issues, and I do not want these boys to be forgotten.
The boys were last seen on Wooster Pike. I don’t know what this was like in 1964, but today, it appears to be a rather busy street, lined with businesses. People saw the boys talking with friends. Who were the friends? Did something happen between the boys and their friends?
I do not think the boys ran away. They probably would have been found shortly after. They were only nine years old and did not have the means to leave – no car or money. If they had taken public transportation, somebody would have seen them. The money they had was probably enough to eat at the restaurant. Not many nine-year-old kids carry a lot of cash on them.
I’d be interested in knowing what John’s home life was like. If he genuinely wanted to run away, it must not have been very good. Could something have happened to the boys by one or both of John’s parents?
The most logical explanation is abduction. But, how do you abduct TWO boys without being seen? Did the boys know their abductor and willingly got into a car with him? Nobody saw them after they left the intersection, so I think this is possible.
It’s been 52 years since the boys vanished. It is time the families had answers.