View Full Version : Clifford Sherwood gets my vote...
JohnMill 07-22-2004, 03:19 PM for maybe the most mysterious and the case I would most like to see solved.
Some questions this site: http://www.gomcs.org/canada/0051-cdn.htm - states that Clifford was last seen in the company of his father. While his father was viewed as the main suspect in the UM profile one question does remain:
"What happened to the other boy Clifford was with when he went missing". Clifford was with another boy (I forget his name) and he too was never seen again according to the segment and if you read the newspaper clippings that they show during the segment it seems that the police at the time believed that both boys disappeared together.
I could buy that Neffie Sherwood abducted his son and perhaps can even buy that the 12 years he dropped from sight was raising Clifford using his military name Edward Thorne but what happened to Clifford's friend that day? I highly doubt that Clifford's father abducted him too - From the scenerio that both boys disappeared it seems likely that their disappearance had nothing to do with Mr. Sherwood at all and more to do with the possibility of both boys being murdered. Was it ever established who the corspe was that Mrs. Sherwood was asked to view in the late 50s? - Was it even identified as Clifford or perhaps his companion?
Equally puzzling is the fact that Robert Stack mentions that a person with Clifford's name (although with the middle and proper name reversed) was later issued a driver's liscense and had the same birthday as Clifford.
Although I suspect that the elderly Mrs. Sherwood has now passed on her message to Clifford "Come home my boy, I love you" is heartbreaking and tear inducing material.
Later.
PS: Another first for UM, when I watched it today I noticed a new Stack voiceover - possibly from when LIFETIME re-editted UM noting that the computer enhanced photo of Clifford (also seen on the website) is how he would look "ten years ago" or when the segment originally aired - interesting.
Mystery-Lover 07-22-2004, 03:59 PM Yeah, I saw this case on Lifetime today 7/22/04. I think that the friend that was with him was named Butch. The other boy who actually made it inside the school was named George (I forget his last name). I think that the mother should have looked at the lower torso of the little boy who was approximately nine years of age. Even though she had that feeling that it wasn't Clifford, she should have looked at the dead body anyway just to make sure, and it could have brought closure to the case.
But I feel that Clifford is still alive, just like his mother Frances Sherwood. Her daughter found that picture of Clifford with his father, and he looked a little bit older then nine. And his mother didn't recognize the clothes he was wearing in the picture. I do believe that the father did abduct Clifford somehow, even though he was supposed to be all the way on the other side of Canada. I don't know what else to say about this case. This is one of the most puzzling cases I have ever watched on Unsolved Mysteries. Maybe not the most bizarre case, but one of the most puzzling cases. :confused:
nohwheregirl 07-22-2004, 07:57 PM Yeah, this case was surprisingly weird. why why why didn't they say anything about the other boy???? Wasn't his last name Gumly?
the idea that Clifford is still alive lost alot of credibility when the mother chose not to try to identify the remains. I know that, as a mother, you can't give up hope. However, what has to be done has to be done, right?
The dad was a total nutjob, and i wouldn't be surprised if he took the Clifford, but i agree that the disappearence of his friend doesn't fit into that picture. I really wish they would have done a better job on this segment.
JohnMill 07-22-2004, 11:10 PM If the torso remains are still able to be accessed then perhaps DNA or some sort of tests can be done on them that just were not available in the fifties to determine who the body is. But you would probably need samplings from either Clifford or George Gummy to assess if the remains belong to either boy.
Later.
Mystery-Lover 07-23-2004, 10:57 AM I think that the kid who disappeared with Clifford Sherwood was the kid named Butch, not George Gumly or Gumbly or whatever. George was the kid that got to school that day, while Clifford and Butch did not.
Composite Sketch 07-27-2004, 06:05 AM No, George went missing the same day as Clifford. Butch was the one that made it to school safely and was the last person to see either boy.
dynoguy88 07-27-2004, 12:05 PM 2 years from now, we will know more information about this case. Tex Sherwood's military records and other information will be available 20 years after his death which is 2006. The family couldn't get a hold of the information because they couldn't prove that they were related to Tex. That is because he changed his name and lied about his age to join the military and fight in world war 1.
This case has always gotten to me. Tex was certainly an annoying b*stard. Family members said that he started breaking things and going nuts every time they asked him about Clifford.
synthisislab 03-21-2006, 12:41 AM I wonder if anyone saw this case featured on Friday's episode 3/17/06 and know if Ms. Sherwood is still alive and when are they going to open Tex Sherwood's military file. (The segment said 2006 and I was wondering what date this year that they will be available) This is a very mysterious case because Clifford and his friend Butch were both missing and the torso of the child was not identified.
dynoguy88 03-21-2006, 01:04 AM I wonder if anyone saw this case featured on today's episode and know if Ms. Sherwood is still alive and when are they going to open Tex Sherwood's military file. (The segment said 2006 and I was wondering what date this year that they will be available) This is a very mysterious case because Clifford and his friend Butch were both missing and the torso of the child was not identified.
Ohh! Thanks for reminding us. Yes, Clifford's family should receive the information they need this year. If Clifford's mother has passed on, he still has 4 sisters that would like to get into their fathers file. Maybe if we look at the city's web site where Frances Sherwood lived, there might be some news archives. I would assume some of this information would be open to the public since this is the oldest missing childs case in Canada's history.
crystaldawn 03-21-2006, 10:38 AM Here's an old post of mine where I found an article about Clifford Sherwood. As of 2002 his mother was still alive and looking for him.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=124206&highlight=clifford+sherwood
JimmyHendricks 03-21-2006, 07:07 PM I love how his mother says that she still believes Clifford is still alive, and will believe it until evidence is presented that he isn't........
......apparantly a torso of a dead 9 year old boy matching Clifford's description isn't enough, I guess.
Clifford (and his friend George) were kidnapped and killed by some psychopath on their way to school. Because his mom couldn't accept the fact that he might be dead, this whole side story with Tex kidnapping him was contrived.
Notice how the UM segment never really mentions that Clifford AND his friend went missing that day. Why would Tex kidnap George as well? It's because he didn't.
The whole case (and segment) lost all credibility when Frances refused to identify the body of the young boy, because she "just knew it wasn't him". Why? Well, she....just knew, of course.
This whole case should have been put to rest years ago. Wouldn't you think that Clifford would be trying to find his mom if he were alive today? It's not like he was kidnapped when he was 2 and doesn't remember her.
synthisislab 03-21-2006, 07:50 PM Excellent points, Jimmie.
dynoguy88 03-21-2006, 11:42 PM ......apparantly a torso of a dead 9 year old boy matching Clifford's description isn't enough, I guess.
Ummmm...the segment never mentioned that the torso matched Clifford's description, just that it was of a young boy. In fact, the corpse happened to be the LOWER torso of a boy, not the top. So even if Frances Sherwood DID try to identify the body, how could she tell if it was Clifford?
bbvman35 03-22-2006, 12:01 PM Here is a theory. What if Cliffords Dad hired someone to kidnap him. The guy grabbed both boys in either not knowing which one was Clifford or in fear the boy would tell someone. After realizing they had to do something with the other boy, they killed him and maybe that was the other boys torso. Just a theory.
LooksLikeCRicci 03-22-2006, 12:06 PM Here is a theory. What if Cliffords Dad hired someone to kidnap him. The guy grabbed both boys in either not knowing which one was Clifford or in fear the boy would tell someone. After realizing they had to do something with the other boy, they killed him and maybe that was the other boys torso. Just a theory.
HEY! I always wondered that, too! What I can't get past in this case is the picture of Clifford where he looked much older than he did at the time he disappeared. If he really was killed, how do we explain this picture? Was it a doppelganger?
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