A 15 year old boy's remains are found after he vanished while running errands
On a cold December afternoon in 1974, Henry Bedard Jr., a 15-year-old Caucasian male, was filled with the holiday spirit. After a normal day of classes at Swampscott High School on December 16th, the sophomore caught a bus to Vinnin Square to do some Christmas shopping. He stopped at a CVS to buy a bottle of perfume for his sister, a gift she would never receive. Henry was last seen walking along Paradise Road, where he exchanged a friendly wave with a local police lieutenant who noted the boy seemed to be in a hurry. A little later, around 3:40 p.m., he chatted with workers at the Department of Public Works, wished them a Merry Christmas, and showed them the present he had just bought before heading into a wooded area known as Swampscott View, a popular hangout for local teens. He never came home.
When Henry failed to return for dinner, his family grew worried and organized a search. Their frantic efforts were hampered by a heavy rainstorm that swept through the area that night. The next day, their worst fears were realized. On December 17, 1974, Henry's body was discovered in the woods off Suffolk Avenue, behind the DPW building. An autopsy would later reveal he had been brutally beaten to death, struck at least five times with a blunt object. Near his body, investigators found what they believed to be the murder weapon: a Hank Aaron model baseball bat with unique, possibly hand-carved markings on the handle.
The murder of the well-liked student-athlete, who played football and worked at his father's service station, shocked the small seaside community of Swampscott. An intensive investigation was launched by Swampscott Police and the Massachusetts State Police. They processed the baseball bat for evidence, finding it was stained with human blood and had partial fingerprints, but the forensic technology of the era was limited. They were unable to determine a blood type or match the prints. Despite interviewing numerous people and chasing down leads for years, investigators have never publicly identified any suspects or a motive for the vicious crime.
For nearly five decades, the case remained cold, a persistent wound for the Bedard family and the town. However, the investigation has remained active, and the hope of finding answers has not faded. With major advances in forensic science, law enforcement officials have taken new steps to solve the long-standing mystery. In October 2025, acting on new information and a court order, investigators exhumed Henry Bedard Jr.'s body. The hope is that modern DNA testing and other advanced forensic techniques might finally uncover evidence from the killer, bringing closure to a case that has haunted a community for half a century. No arrests have ever been made.
