Scott Andreas Sims went outside to play in Wichita Falls, Texas, in December 1961 and vanished without a trace.
About Scott Andreas Sims
Scott Andreas Sims was born to Donald and Ellen Douglass on July 1, 1950. Those who knew him called him Andy. Andy’s parents divorced when he and his older brother, Donald Jr., were younger. Ellen married William “Bill” Sims, and the boys took his last name.
In 1961, Andy resided at 4600 Stanford Avenue in Wichita Falls, Texas, with his family. Donald Sr. lived in California, remarried, and had more children.
Bill Sims accepted Ellen’s children as his own and was incredibly close to Andy.
Andy was well-liked by the people who knew him. He was a Tenderfoot with the Boys Scouts Troop 22 and was not the type of child to get into trouble. He attended fifth grade at Jefferson Elementary School.
The Disappearance of Scott Andreas Sims
On December 9, 1961, at around 12:30 p.m., Ellen called home to check on the boys. Donald answered, and Andy was still home at that time. Between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m., Andy left his residence to go outside to play. Usually, he would have ridden his bicycle, but it was broken, so he walked. It was the last time anyone saw Andy.
Andy was not back when Ellen got home from work around 2:30 p.m. Ellen and Donald searched for him for hours but could not find him. Ellen called the police at 8:00 p.m.
Bill Sims was in Louisiana for the National Guard at the time of Andy’s disappearance.
A witness reported seeing a boy matching Andy’s description at the Boy Scout Troop 22 Hut near Lake Wichita around 3:00 p.m.
Local kids told investigators that Andy liked to play in the caves near Fairway Boulevard. However, several searches of the Wichita Falls area and a thorough investigation yielded no results. Authorities dragged Lake Wichita dragged many times, but they never found Andy.
When he heard about his son’s disappearance, Donald Douglass, Sr., constantly communicated with Wichita Falls police.
To this day, Andy remains missing.
Donald Sr. passed away in 2001. His son Steve Douglass, a former policeman and Andy’s half-brother, decided to research his family’s history. He knew he had a half-brother named Donald but only found out about Andy during his research. Donald Sr. never mentioned Andy.
When Steve learned Andy vanished in 1961, he started his investigation. He spoke with Wichita Falls newspaper, Time Record News, in 2008 when he traveled there with his longtime colleague and friend, Becky Wolfe.
“As a police officer, I find it very difficult to believe that he simply wandered off and succumbed to the elements and they never found a body,” Douglass said.
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
I first read about this case a long time ago. Andy’s face is one of the sweetest I’ve ever seen. Recently, I came across his case again and just knew this was the time to write about it.
This case is so mysterious because Andy literally vanished without a trace. No crime scene. No evidence. Nothing.
It’s hard to say what happened to him, but here are a few of my theories:
- Andy was abducted by a stranger and killed, and his body was disposed of where it will never be found.
- Andy’s disappearance had something to do with a member of the Boy Scouts. A boy matching his description was seen near the Boy Scout hut around 3:00 p.m. the day Andy disappeared, but there were no sightings after this one.
- Bill Fortune, Andy’s Cubmaster, and a few other people thought a relative picked Andy up. Why would they think that, I wonder? Maybe Donald Sr. was that relative and took him somewhere, OR he knew the relative who did. For what reason, I have no idea. Maybe home life wasn’t as idyllic as people thought, so Donald Sr. protected his son. Maybe this is why he never mentioned Andy. I find it strange that he never discussed his own son.
I found an old Wichita Falls newspaper dated December 31, 1961. Teenagers were going around assaulting children of those stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base. The children bullied were also teenagers, but maybe the bullies had picked on Andy that day, and things went too far. Perhaps they decided to pick on someone younger.
Perhaps one of the strangest things about this case is that Andy went OUTSIDE in broad daylight to play, and yet there was only ONE possible sighting of him. It was at 3:00 p.m. If that was him, where was he between 12:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.? He was walking, so there should have been more sightings. What about his neighbors? His disappearance occurred on a Saturday at Christmas time. Even back then, people were out and about preparing for the holidays. So, I’m wondering if someone came along offering him a ride, and he accepted. That person, of course, was the wrong person.
What do you think happened to Andy?