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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Actual_Study_5112 on 2024-01-06 18:44:48+00:00.
Original Title: Angelo "Andy" Puglisi disappeared from a local swimming pool in Lawrence, Massachusetts on August 21, 1976. Did his home life play a role? Was a known child predator responsible? Or is there more to the story?
Angelo “Andy” Puglisi was born to his parents, Angelo and Faith Puglisi, on September 2nd, 1965. As the oldest of five children, he was described as “a good kid” who was “always willing to help.” At the time of his disappearance, he and his family lived at the Stadium Housing Projects.
His parents would later divorce in 1975, which resulted in his father moving to New Hampshire.
From an early age, Andy cared about others. One of his childhood friends, Melanie, remembered meeting him when he and her older brother were playing football. She asked to play, and at first, her brother said no. However, Andy stood up for her and said that if she couldn’t play, then he wasn’t going to play either. As he grew up, he would quickly become known for his kindness and gentleness.
In the 1970s, Lawrence, Massachusetts was considered one of the poorest cities in the United States. As of the most recent Census, nearly 20% of residents live in poverty. Despite this, life was good for Andy. He adored his parents and his siblings, and there were around 300 kids to play with in his housing project. A new public swimming pool, the Higgins Memorial Swimming Pool, had opened across the street, and it quickly became a popular hangout spot on hot days, especially for the local children. This would become the same pool that Andy would vanish from.
Disappearance
On the day of his disappearance, Andy went to the Higgins Memorial Swimming Pool. It is unknown when he arrived at the pool or what occurred that morning. However, there are a few confirmed events that help to establish a timeline:
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At 2 PM, his friend, Melanie Perkins, left the pool with her brother. Andy opted to stay, as he wasn’t ready to go home.
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At 3:30 PM, Andy’s mother, Faith, reported that Andy called home and spoke to one of his brothers. At that point, there weren’t any signs of anything wrong.
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At 5:45 PM, a lifeguard saw him leaving the pool. This was the last confirmed sighting.
Andy’s siblings came home soon after, and they quickly noted his absence. This resulted in his family and neighbors searching for him at the pool and the surrounding areas, which included a dump, nearby woods that lead to Interstate 495, and the housing development.
At some point, the police were called, and they launched a massive search that involved state troopers, military personnel, and volunteers. They worked day and night for six days, at which time the official search was called off.
At first, the authorities believed that Andy had run away since his parents went through a difficult divorce. Their theory was that he ran away because he felt torn between his parents. However, when he failed to turn up during the official search, investigators began to consider the possibility of foul play.
Later Developments
Since Andy’s disappearance, a few suspects have risen to the surface, including Charles Pierce and Wayne Chapman.
In September 1976, approximately one month after Andy’s disappearance, Wayne Chapman was arrested in New York State for a firearms violation during a routine traffic stop. At the time, he was driving a converted van that had been a blue truck, similar to the one Andy’s friend noticed near the pool the day he vanished. Once the authorities searched his van, they found child pornography, rope, tape, handcuffs, a fake police badge, a sock that appeared to be bloodstained, and a starter’s pistol. Police later suspected him in the disappearances of over a dozen children. He was charged with several crimes against children, including the rapes of two boys in 1975, which occurred after he lured them from the same swimming pool Andy disappeared from.
Chapman was never charged in connection with Andy’s disappearance. He served his prison sentence, after which he was civilly committed as a sexually dangerous offender. Despite his status, he was released in 2019, after which he was committed to a medical facility in Boston. He died in October 2021.
A second suspect, Charles Pierce, arose after he confessed to two different abductions in the 1970s; Janice Pockett, who disappeared in 1973 from Connecticut; and an unidentified boy from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Some believe that the unidentified boy was Andy, and although Pierce claimed he sexually assaulted and buried the boy near Janice, neither body has been located. He was convicted of rape and murder, and he was serving a 20-year prison sentence when he died in 1999.
In 1998, Melanie Perkins, a friend of Andy’s who was with him at the pool that day, began filming the documentary Have You Seen Andy? The documentary was released in 2007 and featured on HBO Cinemax. The following year, it won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism.
Since 2007, Melanie has worked to keep Andy’s case in the spotlight. Unfortunately, after the two main suspects died, the case stalled. As of this writing, Angelo “Andy” Puglisi remains missing.
For a more in-depth analysis, click here.
What do you think happened to Andy Puglisi?
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