James disappeared after he left a relatives house on his bicycle. He was killed by a child serial killer, Lew Lent, Jr.∼Lusher was a special needs student enrolled at Westfield Alternative School in Westfield, MA in 1992. He planned to ride his gray-green Huffy mountain bicycle from his father's residence in Westfield to his grandmother's house in Blandford, MA on November 6, 1992. He planned to view a bicycle race in Blandford. The trip was approximately 12 miles, but Lusher never arrived as was expected.
A server employed at Friendly's Restaurant in Westfield told authorities that Lusher visited the establishment on November 8, two days after he initially disappeared. A hunter discovered his bicycle abandoned near a pond in a wooded area of the city on November 11. The bike was brand new; Lusher had gotten it for his birthday three weeks before his disappearance. Authorities drained the pond and conducted an extensive air and ground search, but no evidence related to Lusher's whereabouts was located. He has never been heard from again. Authorities and his family initially believed he was a runaway, but they no longer believe he left of his own accord.
Convicted murderer Lewis S. Lent Jr. was placed near Westfield at the time of Lusher's disappearance. A photo of Lent is posted below this case summary. Lent was charged with the murder of another Massachusetts child, as well as the 1993 New York disappearance of Sara Wood. He is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearances of Kimberly Moreau, Monique Santiago and Tammie McCormick. Lent confessed to abducting and killing Wood, but recanted his statements afterwards. He was convicted of her presumed homicide at a later date.
Lent has never been charged in connection with Lusher's disappearance due to lack of evidence. He has since stopped cooperating with the investigation. Lusher's father does not believe Lent was necessarily involved; he says Lusher was disliked by many people in Westfield and may have been taken by one of them. Lusher's parents were divorced in 1992 and he lived iwth his father; they had a troubled relationship. Lusher's father describes his son as a moody, immature teenager who disliked school and had few friends.
Authorities tested Lusher's DNA against an unidentified Caucasian male discovered in Readsboro, Vermont in May 1997. The tests indicated a strong probability that Lusher and the unidentified individual were the same person, but the results were not conclusive. In April 2003, the John Doe was identified as Sean Lew Cutler, 28, who disappeared from New Jersey in 1996.
Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in Lusher's disappearance.
His body was never recovered.
A server employed at Friendly's Restaurant in Westfield told authorities that Lusher visited the establishment on November 8, two days after he initially disappeared. A hunter discovered his bicycle abandoned near a pond in a wooded area of the city on November 11. The bike was brand new; Lusher had gotten it for his birthday three weeks before his disappearance. Authorities drained the pond and conducted an extensive air and ground search, but no evidence related to Lusher's whereabouts was located. He has never been heard from again. Authorities and his family initially believed he was a runaway, but they no longer believe he left of his own accord.
Convicted murderer Lewis S. Lent Jr. was placed near Westfield at the time of Lusher's disappearance. A photo of Lent is posted below this case summary. Lent was charged with the murder of another Massachusetts child, as well as the 1993 New York disappearance of Sara Wood. He is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearances of Kimberly Moreau, Monique Santiago and Tammie McCormick. Lent confessed to abducting and killing Wood, but recanted his statements afterwards. He was convicted of her presumed homicide at a later date.
Lent has never been charged in connection with Lusher's disappearance due to lack of evidence. He has since stopped cooperating with the investigation. Lusher's father does not believe Lent was necessarily involved; he says Lusher was disliked by many people in Westfield and may have been taken by one of them. Lusher's parents were divorced in 1992 and he lived iwth his father; they had a troubled relationship. Lusher's father describes his son as a moody, immature teenager who disliked school and had few friends.
Authorities tested Lusher's DNA against an unidentified Caucasian male discovered in Readsboro, Vermont in May 1997. The tests indicated a strong probability that Lusher and the unidentified individual were the same person, but the results were not conclusive. In April 2003, the John Doe was identified as Sean Lew Cutler, 28, who disappeared from New Jersey in 1996.
Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in Lusher's disappearance.
His body was never recovered.
James disappeared after he left a relatives house on his bicycle. He was killed by a child serial killer, Lew Lent, Jr.∼Lusher was a special needs student enrolled at Westfield Alternative School in Westfield, MA in 1992. He planned to ride his gray-green Huffy mountain bicycle from his father's residence in Westfield to his grandmother's house in Blandford, MA on November 6, 1992. He planned to view a bicycle race in Blandford. The trip was approximately 12 miles, but Lusher never arrived as was expected.
A server employed at Friendly's Restaurant in Westfield told authorities that Lusher visited the establishment on November 8, two days after he initially disappeared. A hunter discovered his bicycle abandoned near a pond in a wooded area of the city on November 11. The bike was brand new; Lusher had gotten it for his birthday three weeks before his disappearance. Authorities drained the pond and conducted an extensive air and ground search, but no evidence related to Lusher's whereabouts was located. He has never been heard from again. Authorities and his family initially believed he was a runaway, but they no longer believe he left of his own accord.
Convicted murderer Lewis S. Lent Jr. was placed near Westfield at the time of Lusher's disappearance. A photo of Lent is posted below this case summary. Lent was charged with the murder of another Massachusetts child, as well as the 1993 New York disappearance of Sara Wood. He is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearances of Kimberly Moreau, Monique Santiago and Tammie McCormick. Lent confessed to abducting and killing Wood, but recanted his statements afterwards. He was convicted of her presumed homicide at a later date.
Lent has never been charged in connection with Lusher's disappearance due to lack of evidence. He has since stopped cooperating with the investigation. Lusher's father does not believe Lent was necessarily involved; he says Lusher was disliked by many people in Westfield and may have been taken by one of them. Lusher's parents were divorced in 1992 and he lived iwth his father; they had a troubled relationship. Lusher's father describes his son as a moody, immature teenager who disliked school and had few friends.
Authorities tested Lusher's DNA against an unidentified Caucasian male discovered in Readsboro, Vermont in May 1997. The tests indicated a strong probability that Lusher and the unidentified individual were the same person, but the results were not conclusive. In April 2003, the John Doe was identified as Sean Lew Cutler, 28, who disappeared from New Jersey in 1996.
Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in Lusher's disappearance.
His body was never recovered.
A server employed at Friendly's Restaurant in Westfield told authorities that Lusher visited the establishment on November 8, two days after he initially disappeared. A hunter discovered his bicycle abandoned near a pond in a wooded area of the city on November 11. The bike was brand new; Lusher had gotten it for his birthday three weeks before his disappearance. Authorities drained the pond and conducted an extensive air and ground search, but no evidence related to Lusher's whereabouts was located. He has never been heard from again. Authorities and his family initially believed he was a runaway, but they no longer believe he left of his own accord.
Convicted murderer Lewis S. Lent Jr. was placed near Westfield at the time of Lusher's disappearance. A photo of Lent is posted below this case summary. Lent was charged with the murder of another Massachusetts child, as well as the 1993 New York disappearance of Sara Wood. He is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearances of Kimberly Moreau, Monique Santiago and Tammie McCormick. Lent confessed to abducting and killing Wood, but recanted his statements afterwards. He was convicted of her presumed homicide at a later date.
Lent has never been charged in connection with Lusher's disappearance due to lack of evidence. He has since stopped cooperating with the investigation. Lusher's father does not believe Lent was necessarily involved; he says Lusher was disliked by many people in Westfield and may have been taken by one of them. Lusher's parents were divorced in 1992 and he lived iwth his father; they had a troubled relationship. Lusher's father describes his son as a moody, immature teenager who disliked school and had few friends.
Authorities tested Lusher's DNA against an unidentified Caucasian male discovered in Readsboro, Vermont in May 1997. The tests indicated a strong probability that Lusher and the unidentified individual were the same person, but the results were not conclusive. In April 2003, the John Doe was identified as Sean Lew Cutler, 28, who disappeared from New Jersey in 1996.
Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in Lusher's disappearance.
His body was never recovered.
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