On a tragic day in 1912, the Dunbar family experienced a heart-wrenching event that would captivate the nation’s attention and leave them searching for answers. During a family outing to Louisiana’s Swayze Lake, their beloved four-year-old son, Bobby, vanished without a trace. The desperate search for Bobby yielded no results, and it seemed as if he had been lost forever.
The Mysterious Return
Months passed, and hope dwindled for the Dunbar family, until a startling development emerged. Eight months after his disappearance, a boy claiming to be Bobby Dunbar was found in the company of a traveling handyman named William Cantwell Walters in Mississippi. However, this apparent rescue marked the beginning of a profoundly unsettling mystery.
Walters vehemently denied that the boy in his care was Bobby Dunbar, insisting instead that he was his nephew, Bruce Anderson. He claimed to have been traveling with the boy with the permission of Bruce’s mother, Julia, for over a year. Julia further complicated matters by confirming that she had given permission for Walters to travel with Bruce, but only for a few days.
A Media Circus
As newspapers scrambled to cover the story, a media circus ensued, captivating readers across the country. The fate of the little boy hung in the balance, and conflicting accounts added to the intrigue. Some claimed that the boy woke up after being rescued and immediately recognized Lessie Dunbar, Bobby’s mother, reaching out to her and calling her “Mother.” However, another account suggested that Lessie Dunbar was uncertain whether the boy was her son, saying, “I do not know. I am not quite sure.”
The Villains and Accusations
Walters and Anderson faced public scrutiny and were portrayed as villains in this haunting saga. Walters was ultimately found guilty of kidnapping Bobby Dunbar, although his conviction was later overturned on appeal. Julia Anderson, on the other hand, faced accusations of being a “loose” woman due to having three children with two different men.
In a dramatic twist, the court ruled that the boy was indeed Bobby Dunbar and ordered that he remain with the Dunbar family. Raised as a Dunbar, the child lived his life as Bobby. “A lot of people still believe I was eaten by an alligator,” he remarked in 1924. “I can assure you I was not.”
Unraveling the Truth
Almost a century later, in a quest to uncover the truth about Bobby Dunbar’s mysterious disappearance, a DNA test was conducted. The results were shocking, revealing a different reality about his identity.
The Intriguing Mystery Continues
If you’re fascinated by unsolved mysteries and want to delve deeper into the enigma surrounding Bobby Dunbar’s disappearance, join us as we uncover the untold secrets of this haunting case.