The child deaths in Bullhead City, AZ - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Fletch · 07-15-2004, 11:37 PM

Does anyone remember this old case?

Two kids playing in a "powder magazine" (an old shack from the mining days, IIRC) are locked in there and the shack is set on fire.

The Fire Dept. shows up, puts out the fire and discovers the bodies, along with a piece of wood that was used to hold the door shut.

A man and woman come forward and claim they saw two big guys lighting it on fire, but they are discredited by the police because of their own run-ins with the law.

The kids had also earlier found a hundred dollar bill near the shack, leading police to believe maybe they had witnessed a drug deal and that's why they were killed.

Later, a guy in prison came forward and said he knew who did it, but I think he later retracted his story...

Does anyone know if there have been any updates to this one?

JohnMill · 07-16-2004, 12:49 AM

I have not seen this and if it is from the earlier episodes and Lifetime airs it that is a rarity for me? - Is this another one deemed too hot for Lifetime?

Later.

crystaldawn · 07-16-2004, 07:14 AM

Yes, I remember that one. I have seen it on Lifetime, but its been a while. The boys name was Scott Johnson. What I found strange, is that while Scott's mom was interviewed for UM, they never even said the name of Scott's friend who was also killed in the shack, nor did any of his family participate in the show. I can understand the family not wanting to participate in the re-enactment if it was too painful, but to not even mention their son's name?

I know of no updates. When I did a search it came up a phone number of Scott and Andrea Johnson, Bullhead City. Could they be Scott's parents? I don't remember what they said his mom's name was.

UMfan77 · 07-16-2004, 04:12 PM

I've seen just about every single segment, but I've never seen this particular one and it would be very interesting to see. How long ago did this happen? I also wish that Lifetime would show some of the older, less seen segments. I get sick of watching the same ones over and over.

Fletch · 07-16-2004, 06:21 PM

It happened in the mid-70's I believe.

I have seen this case a bunch of times....I figured it was one of the more well-known cases.

Mijada · 07-16-2004, 06:28 PM

I remember this case. It happened in 1974. I also thought it strange that they never mentioned the other boys name or showed any pictures of him, especially with the case being unsolved, you would think that the other boys family would have wanted to participate in hopes of finding the killers.

justins5256 · 07-16-2004, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mijada
I remember this case. It happened in 1974. I also thought it strange that they never mentioned the other boys name or showed any pictures of him, especially with the case being unsolved, you would think that the other boys family would have wanted to participate in hopes of finding the killers.

Maybe the other family didn't believe the murder theory. Just a guess. This story has been on Lifetime, and isn't all that rare. I'm pretty sure I have it on tape.

Justin

CanadianUMFan · 08-18-2008, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Yes, I remember that one. I have seen it on Lifetime, but its been a while. The boys name was Scott Johnson. What I found strange, is that while Scott's mom was interviewed for UM, they never even said the name of Scott's friend who was also killed in the shack, nor did any of his family participate in the show. I can understand the family not wanting to participate in the re-enactment if it was too painful, but to not even mention their son's name?

I know of no updates. When I did a search it came up a phone number of Scott and Andrea Johnson, Bullhead City. Could they be Scott's parents? I don't remember what they said his mom's name was.

Scott's mother's name was Sue Johnson. They never mentioned the father's name or interviewed him. What stood out for me was that they never mentioned the other victim's name or interviewed his family. I too thought that that was very, very strange.

Necco · 08-18-2008, 10:43 AM

Maybe the other family had relocated after the tragedy and they were unable to get the necessary permissions for the broadcast.

By the way, the fire was April 3rd 1974, according to the guy doing the interrogating during the segment.
-Necco

justins5256 · 08-18-2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necco

Maybe the other family had relocated after the tragedy and they were unable to get the necessary permissions for the broadcast.

By the way, the fire was April 3rd 1974, according to the guy doing the interrogating during the segment.
-Necco

This is yet anther one of those strange segments that is made even more bizarre because there is a very obvious and huge omission that the segment itself doesn't even address, Kinda like the proverbial pink elephant in the corner that no one mentions or however that saying goes.

Reminds me of the Clifford Sherwood story. The other boy's disappearance is only mentioned in passing by the mother and on a newspaper clipping that is onscreen for all of 5 seconds.

Makes one wonder what the producers were thinking/not thinking or perhaps purposefully trying to omit in these stories.

I would venture to guess this case is still unsolved. I think it is/was solved officially as the deaths were ruled accidental at the time. I can't recall if UM mentioned the case being reopened.

HyeTev · 08-19-2008, 03:55 PM

One of the saddest cases for me... I skip over that one on the DVDs.

Dragon67 · 08-24-2008, 11:15 PM

According to news articles from Tuscon and Yuma (etc) at the time of the incident, the other boy was named Peter Hill, age 6.
Watching the vid.= three eyewitness whose account of two adult men setting or near the blaze match. Fire chief states that evidence leads to conclusion at least two people held door shut with a board.

The sheriff, at the time, Spears had twenty officers canvas the scene of the fire and also stated that 15 years previously the shack had been used for storage by skeet shooters.

The only plausable explanation that UM would not include the name of Peter Hill was due to his family being less than friendly (IMO), why ?

Also, why not give the name of the person who was accused at the time while he was in prison in NV ?

Cori aka ChrisSCrush · 08-25-2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragon67

The only plausable explanation that UM would not include the name of Peter Hill was due to his family being less than friendly (IMO), why ?

Maybe they were involved or suspected who was and didn't want to be dragged into anything that would prove dangerous for them.

Dragon67 · 08-26-2008, 07:34 PM

Too bad the episode was so shallow.

Missing information:

1) Was a gas can or any other vessel found with the boys to back the police claim the kids had been playing with matches and gasoline ?

2) No mention of Scott's father or Peter's family .

3) No background on the person who was named as one of the killers by a witness.

StackTime · 12-04-2008, 01:57 AM

One of the things that bothered me about this segment was Scott Johnson's mother insistence that Scott was smart enough to escape a burning room. I actually don't doubt her point at all, and I find the murder scenario much much more likely, but there are plenty of victims of accidental deaths (fire or otherwise) who are also intelligent enough to avoid it, if they can. In fact, I'm willing to grant that almost, if not all, of those victims portrayed on UM meet this standard. Her knee-jerk comments about it simply reduce her credibility as an objective person, in my opinion. I don't know.

07-15-2004, 11:37 PM	#1
Fletch Cabin fever Frequent Poster Join Date: May 10, 2002 Posts: 485	The child deaths in Bullhead City, AZ Does anyone remember this old case? Two kids playing in a "powder magazine" (an old shack from the mining days, IIRC) are locked in there and the shack is set on fire. The Fire Dept. shows up, puts out the fire and discovers the bodies, along with a piece of wood that was used to hold the door shut. A man and woman come forward and claim they saw two big guys lighting it on fire, but they are discredited by the police because of their own run-ins with the law. The kids had also earlier found a hundred dollar bill near the shack, leading police to believe maybe they had witnessed a drug deal and that's why they were killed. Later, a guy in prison came forward and said he knew who did it, but I think he later retracted his story... Does anyone know if there have been any updates to this one?

07-16-2004, 12:49 AM	#2
JohnMill Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 22, 2001 Posts: 85	wow another interesting one I have not seen this and if it is from the earlier episodes and Lifetime airs it that is a rarity for me? - Is this another one deemed too hot for Lifetime? Later.

08-24-2008, 11:15 PM	#12
Dragon67 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Mid-West Posts: 26	According to news articles from Tuscon and Yuma (etc) at the time of the incident, the other boy was named Peter Hill, age 6. Watching the vid.= three eyewitness whose account of two adult men setting or near the blaze match. Fire chief states that evidence leads to conclusion at least two people held door shut with a board. The sheriff, at the time, Spears had twenty officers canvas the scene of the fire and also stated that 15 years previously the shack had been used for storage by skeet shooters. The only plausable explanation that UM would not include the name of Peter Hill was due to his family being less than friendly (IMO), why ? Also, why not give the name of the person who was accused at the time while he was in prison in NV ?
	Last edited by crystaldawn; 08-26-2008 at 07:00 PM.

07-16-2004, 07:14 AM	#3
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	Yes, I remember that one. I have seen it on Lifetime, but its been a while. The boys name was Scott Johnson. What I found strange, is that while Scott's mom was interviewed for UM, they never even said the name of Scott's friend who was also killed in the shack, nor did any of his family participate in the show. I can understand the family not wanting to participate in the re-enactment if it was too painful, but to not even mention their son's name? I know of no updates. When I did a search it came up a phone number of Scott and Andrea Johnson, Bullhead City. Could they be Scott's parents? I don't remember what they said his mom's name was.

07-16-2004, 04:12 PM	#4
UMfan77 Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 1,064	I've seen just about every single segment, but I've never seen this particular one and it would be very interesting to see. How long ago did this happen? I also wish that Lifetime would show some of the older, less seen segments. I get sick of watching the same ones over and over.

07-16-2004, 06:21 PM	#5
Fletch Cabin fever Frequent Poster Join Date: May 10, 2002 Posts: 485	It happened in the mid-70's I believe. I have seen this case a bunch of times....I figured it was one of the more well-known cases.

07-16-2004, 06:28 PM	#6
Mijada Spencers mom Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 02, 2001 Location: eastern US Posts: 4,093	I remember this case. It happened in 1974. I also thought it strange that they never mentioned the other boys name or showed any pictures of him, especially with the case being unsolved, you would think that the other boys family would have wanted to participate in hopes of finding the killers.

08-18-2008, 10:43 AM	#9
Necco Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2006 Posts: 1,149	Maybe the other family had relocated after the tragedy and they were unable to get the necessary permissions for the broadcast. By the way, the fire was April 3rd 1974, according to the guy doing the interrogating during the segment. -Necco

08-19-2008, 03:55 PM	#11
HyeTev Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 155	One of the saddest cases for me... I skip over that one on the DVDs.

08-26-2008, 07:34 PM	#14
Dragon67 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Mid-West Posts: 26	Too bad the episode was so shallow. Missing information: 1) Was a gas can or any other vessel found with the boys to back the police claim the kids had been playing with matches and gasoline ? 2) No mention of Scott's father or Peter's family . 3) No background on the person who was named as one of the killers by a witness.

12-04-2008, 01:57 AM	#15
StackTime Here's the kicker Frank Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 17, 2008 Location: For heaven's sake don't buy these coins Posts: 248	One of the things that bothered me about this segment was Scott Johnson's mother insistence that Scott was smart enough to escape a burning room. I actually don't doubt her point at all, and I find the murder scenario much much more likely, but there are plenty of victims of accidental deaths (fire or otherwise) who are also intelligent enough to avoid it, if they can. In fact, I'm willing to grant that almost, if not all, of those victims portrayed on UM meet this standard. Her knee-jerk comments about it simply reduce her credibility as an objective person, in my opinion. I don't know.