Account
Dec 22, 2009
Jan 12, 2024
Louis
Boggs, Sr.
112
67
72 inches
180 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the winter of 1979, the life of 67-year-old Louis Boggs, Sr., a lounge operator in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, took a mysterious and unsettling turn. On the evening of January 29th, Boggs was at his establishment, Louis's Lounge, on Florida Boulevard. He received a telephone call, and after a brief conversation, he announced he had to leave to run an errand. In a move that was highly out of character, he left behind his .357 magnum firearm and the bank bag containing the night's earnings. He was seen driving away in his green and yellow 1975 Ford LTD and was never heard from again. His son reported him missing, sparking an investigation into his sudden and strange disappearance. The initial search for Boggs led investigators to his home, where they discovered a disturbing scene. Bloodstains were found inside his residence in the 5700 block of Glen Oaks, suggesting that a violent event had taken place. The investigation took a significant turn two weeks later when Boggs's Ford LTD was located in a wooded area in Chipley, Florida. Inside the vehicle, authorities found his stepson, Clifford Earl Lewin, who had been living with Boggs. A search of the car's trunk uncovered more grim evidence: a shovel caked with dirt, a knife, clothing, and papers, all stained with human blood. The trunk liner itself was also bloodstained. While DNA testing was not available at the time, forensic analysis confirmed that the blood found in the car and at Boggs's home was Type B, the same as his. The soil on the shovel was found to be consistent with the type of soil found near the Mississippi River. It was reported that Boggs's son said his father would have never willingly lent his car to anyone. The evidence gathered pointed suspicion toward Clifford Earl Lewin. Investigators learned that the relationship between the two men had been strained. Boggs had previously had Lewin committed to a psychiatric hospital in 1978, an act that reportedly angered Lewin. Lewin had allegedly made threats, stating that if his stepfather tried to commit him again, his body would be found in the river. Based on the circumstantial evidence, Lewin was charged with first-degree murder. His 1981 trial was historic for Louisiana, as it was the first time a person stood trial for a presumed murder without the victim's body ever being found. After initially pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Lewin changed his plea to not guilty. In a non-jury trial, he was acquitted of the murder charge. Though acquitted in Boggs's disappearance, Lewin was later convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison for an unrelated incident involving the planting of a pipe bomb that injured a police officer in Florida. The case of Louis Boggs, Sr. officially remains an unsolved mystery. Despite a strong suspect and a murder trial, the lack of a body and a conviction has left his family and the Baton Rouge community without answers for decades. His disappearance stands as a haunting cold case, a story without a final chapter, leaving only questions about what truly happened after he took that fateful phone call.
Jan 29, 1979
Baton Rouge
Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish
3374
East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office
Baton Rouge
Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish
70807
8900 Jimmy Wedell Drive,, Louisiana
2253895000
County
Law Enforcement
79-2201
East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office
6771
Gray or Partially Gray
Brown
Brown
No
05/15/2026
