Shadows of the 1970s: Unsolved Massachusetts Child Murders, Disappearances & the NAMBLA Question

In the 1970s, Massachusetts was shaken by a series of chilling child disappearances and murders, most of them involving young boys. The crimes remain unsolved, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and broken families. Overlaying these tragedies is the disturbing backdrop of the 1977 Revere boy-sex-ring indictments, a scandal that shook Boston and revealed a network of men preying on vulnerable boys. Out of that climate, the North American Man/Boy Love Association—NAMBLA—was formally founded in December 1978. This timing has fueled speculation for decades. Were these unsolved cases tied in some way to NAMBLA or its early members? The truth is that no public evidence exists to directly connect the organization or identifiable members to any of the murders or disappearances of that era. Still, the proximity in time and place makes it impossible not to consider the possibility when we revisit these cases.

In August of 1973, fifteen-year-old James “Jimmy” Teta vanished from Revere. Just two days later, his body was discovered across the state line in Rindge, New Hampshire. He had been raped and strangled. Jimmy was remembered as a lively, well-liked teenager who never made it home that summer day. His murder has haunted two states for fifty years, with investigators periodically revisiting the case, but no one has ever been arrested. The brutality of the crime and the fact that his body was transported out of state raised early suspicions that he was targeted by someone with predatory motives.

The following spring, another child vanished from Revere. Ten-year-old Leigh Savoie disappeared on April 7, 1974. He was last seen walking toward Suffolk Downs, a familiar landmark in the neighborhood. Leigh has never been found. His family still searches for answers decades later, and organizations like NCMEC continue to circulate his image in the hope that someone, somewhere, remembers something that can bring resolution. The fact that two boys disappeared from the same city within a year intensified the sense of fear in Revere.

That same year, on March 18, 1974, twelve-year-old Michael O’Gorman left his home in Gloucester and was never seen alive again. For five years, his disappearance was a mystery. Then in 1979, his skeletal remains were discovered near a Route 128 rest stop in Manchester-by-the-Sea. The site suggested that Michael may have been killed soon after he vanished, his body hidden within walking distance of a busy highway. Despite renewed attention in the years since, his murder remains unsolved, a reminder of how easily children could slip through the cracks of the justice system in the 1970s.

Just months after Michael vanished, tragedy struck in Brockton. In June 1974, six-year-old David Jon Louison disappeared. His remains were not recovered until 1980, six long years later. David’s murder remains unsolved. Investigators did consider convicted pedophile Wayne Chapman, who was later linked to the disappearance of other boys, as a possible suspect. Chapman even allegedly confessed involvement in one case but never faced charges in David’s. His name continues to linger like a shadow over several unsolved Massachusetts cases from this era. The tragedy of David’s death inspired the founding of the David Jon Louison Center in Brockton, a shelter for families that carries his name and story forward.

In December of 1974, another boy was taken. Fifteen-year-old Henry Bedard Jr. of Swampscott was brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat. His body was discovered in his neighborhood. Despite the violence of the crime and the devastation it caused his family, Henry’s case remains unsolved nearly fifty years later. Local law enforcement has periodically reopened the investigation, but no one has ever been charged.

By August 1976, the community of Lawrence was rocked by the disappearance of ten-year-old Angelo “Andy” Puglisi. Andy had gone swimming with friends at a local pool near his apartment complex. While other children returned home that summer evening, Andy did not. His case sparked widespread searches and eventually became the subject of the documentary Have You Seen Andy? For decades, convicted pedophile Wayne Chapman has been considered a prime suspect, but again, no charges were filed. Andy’s disappearance remains one of Massachusetts’ most haunting cold cases.

The decade closed with yet another devastating disappearance. On September 30, 1978, four-year-old Andrew Amato vanished from his home in Webster. He was last seen playing outside. Despite exhaustive searches, Andrew has never been found. His case is still open, and his face still circulates on missing child posters through NCMEC.

When you line up these cases, the pattern is impossible to ignore. Between 1973 and 1978, at least seven boys in Massachusetts disappeared or were murdered under circumstances that remain unsolved. Each case alone is heartbreaking. Together, they paint a picture of systemic failure—a society that could not or would not protect its most vulnerable.

This was also the period when law enforcement uncovered the Revere sex-ring, leading to 24 indictments announced in December 1977. The ring involved young boys lured with money, drugs, and promises of attention. It was from this atmosphere of scandal and backlash that NAMBLA was born the following year. Critics point to the timing and wonder if the cases of Teta, Savoie, O’Gorman, Louison, Bedard, Puglisi, and Amato intersected with these networks. But speculation is not evidence. The only proven case where NAMBLA appeared directly in a homicide was decades later: the 1997 murder of Jeffrey Curley, in which NAMBLA literature was found in the possession of one of the killers.

That leaves us here, still searching, still remembering. Seven children. Seven families denied justice. The rumors and suspicions about NAMBLA may never be fully put to rest, but the truth is simpler and harsher: Massachusetts failed these boys. Their cases deserve the full weight of renewed investigation, not just whispered theories.

Justice may be delayed, but it is not forgotten.