Just Another Missing Kid (Dec. 1982)

On July 10, 1978, Eric Wilson - a 19-year from Ottawa and student at Tufts University - left home to drive to a summer college course in Colorado. When he went missing four days afterward ... See full summary »

Director:

John Zaritsky

Stars:

Ian Parker, Jim Conway, Raymond Hatch

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Ian Parker	...	Himself - Host
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Conway	...	Himself
Raymond Hatch	...	Himself
Marilyn Wilson	...	Herself
Peter Wilson	...	Himself
William Wilson	...	Himself

Storyline

On July 10, 1978, Eric Wilson - a 19-year from Ottawa and student at Tufts University - left home to drive to a summer college course in Colorado. When he went missing four days afterward in Nebraska, his family tried to persuade local and U.S. police that he wasn't simply a runaway and hadn't simply forgotten to call home. The program examines the lengths to which they had to go to find out what happened to Eric, and the byzantine nature of the legal system which seemed less interested in pursuing justice than in avoiding the expenses involved in the investigation and potential trials.

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Plot Keywords:

missing person | criminal justice | murder | loss of son | private detective | 

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Genres:

Documentary | News

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally produced for the Canadian television series The Fifth Estate.

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Connections

References All in the Family (1971)

User Reviews

Just Another Missing Kid

This is the best documentary I've ever seen. It is forgotten and impossible to get, but I'm sure if it were available again it would be judged among our best documentaries. It tells as chilling a tale as I have seen told on film. A young boy "goes missing" during a cross-country teenage trip. It is clear that he has been killed, but the family is unable to get any information though the police. They hire a private detective who tracks down the boy's killers and reconstructs the crime. The interviews with the boy's mother and brother bring this sweet boy back to life. The chilling interviews with the killers give the detective his moment in the sun. He is brilliant, and the killers a portrayal of the banality of evil. Wonderful film. Horrible story.