In the warm summer evening of July 27, 1981, seven-year-old Michael Lee Hanset, a young boy from Portland, Oregon, told his family he was heading to the movies with friends. He left his home on Southeast Belmont Street and was last seen playing a few blocks away in Colonel Summers Park, located at Southeast 17th Avenue and Taylor Street, sometime between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. When Michael did not return home that evening, a massive search was initiated. Law enforcement officers went door-to-door with his photograph, combing the neighborhood for any sign of the missing boy, but no trace of him was found. The initial investigation explored various leads, including reports of Michael being seen in the company of an unidentified man in the park on the evening he vanished.
There were also reports that placed him in a parking lot at Southeast 14th Avenue and Morrison Street the following day.
Early in the investigation, authorities considered a man named Eugene Thomas Ward as a person of interest. Ward, a former Portland resident, was wanted at the time for first-degree sexual abuse. However, investigators later determined that he was not in Oregon at the time of Michael's disappearance and was eventually ruled out as a suspect. The focus of the investigation then shifted to Larry Lee Lerch, an escaped convict with a history of child sex abuse, forgery, burglary, and assault. Lerch had walked away from a corrections work camp in Tillamook in May of 1981. He drew attention to himself by making disturbing comments to his sister about the Hanset case, claiming to have seen Michael in the park on the day he disappeared. Lerch also told her he saw a white laundry bag with what appeared to be human feet sticking out of it in a dumpster near a local market. His family reported this information to the police.
Following the tip from his family, police arrested Lerch on charges related to his prison escape and questioned him about Michael's disappearance. After initially denying involvement, Lerch confessed to abducting and murdering the young boy. He admitted to luring Michael to his apartment on Southeast Morrison Street, where he strangled him. Lerch stated that he then placed Michael's body in a laundry bag and disposed of it in a dumpster. A search of Lerch's apartment uncovered blonde hair strands that were consistent with Michael's hair. Investigators also found fecal stains on the carpet, which can be an unfortunate physiological reaction to strangulation. Based on Lerch's confession, authorities launched an extensive search of the Rossman Landfill in Oregon City, where the contents of the dumpster had been taken. Despite weeks of sifting through garbage, Michael's body was never recovered. Larry Lerch was charged with Michael's murder on September 2, 1981, and after a trial in April 1982, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The case of Michael Lee Hanset is a heartbreaking story of a young life cut short and a family left without the closure of laying their child to rest. Although a conviction was secured, the inability to locate Michael's remains leaves a lingering sense of sorrow and unanswered questions for the community and his loved ones.Last Seen: Jul 27, 1981
