Thirteen-year-old Michael Craig Mcghee was last seen on June 11, 1976, in Redondo Beach, California. His disappearance was initially treated as a runaway case by police, as he had a history of running away from home. Michael, who was described as a troubled child, had been habitually truant from school and was a suspect in several local crimes.
A week before he vanished, Michael met Patrick Wayne Kearney while hitchhiking. Kearney, who would later be identified as a prolific serial killer, invited Michael on a camping trip to Lake Elsinore. Michael was unable to go at that time but told Kearney to ask him again in a week. On June 11, Kearney went to the Mcghee residence. Michael's older sister, who was supervising him, told Kearney that Michael was grounded and could not go. However, Michael snuck out of the house and left with Kearney. He was never seen or heard from again.
Following his arrest, Patrick Kearney confessed to murdering Michael Craig Mcghee. Kearney stated that he shot Michael in the back of the head, sexually assaulted his body postmortem, and then dismembered his remains. Kearney claimed to have picked Michael up while he was hitchhiking from Inglewood to Torrance and that he killed him after the boy boasted about his own criminal activities and asked about the alarms in Kearney's home. Kearney told investigators that he disposed of the body and that it would never be found. Michael Craig Mcghee's body has never been recovered, and he is presumed to have been a victim of homicide.
Last Seen: Jun 11, 1976
