Gone Without A Trace
The Carroll family has been dealing with an unresolved mystery for nearly 60 years, and it has plagued them every day of their lives. One of loss, grief and heartbreak.
It was the year 1961 when George Carroll, a devoted father and husband, went missing without any trace left behind leaving the grieving family with years worth of confusion.
Years Of Yearning
His family had been wondering what had happened to him for decades. His four children, expecting and wishing that he will one day return through the door as if everything had been a nightmare.
60 years later, Mike, his youngest son, would make a surprising discovery in the basement of his old family house. One that would finally solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.
Who Was This Man?
George Carroll was born in 1934 and has always aspired to join the military since he was a child. He enrolled after graduating from high school, despite not being the top student in his family and having a desire to fight for his country.
Of all, he could never have anticipated himself fighting in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Thankfully, he was unharmed during the fighting.
Start Of A Happy Life
George returned to the town of Lake Grove on Long Island, New York, after serving in the army.
He lived in a sweet small house on Olive Street, enjoying a peaceful life and planning his own family. Life was beautiful and enjoyable.
Happy Family
George married a beautiful girl, Dorothy and had four children, Patricia, Jean, Steven, and Mike, the youngest.
The children were all very young in 1961, ranging in age from nine months to one year. They were a happy family. But, sadly, their lives were about to be altered in ways they had not anticipated.
The Disappearance
The Carroll household would be entirely turned upside down in the fall of 1961. George suddenly vanished from the family home one day and did not return.
The kids were upset, and they couldn't understand why their father had abandoned them.
Unresolved Questions
The disappearance of George shocked the close-knit family and the surrounding community. There were so many unresolved questions.
The children recall their mother telling them that he had gone out to get cigarettes and never returned. However, it appeared that George had forgotten his wallet at home, casting doubt on the story. Why would he go out and buy smokes while leaving his wallet at home?
Odd Explanation
He always felt it was odd how Dorothy dismissed his disappearance so swiftly and didn't seem too concerned. Furthermore, his father's leaving his wallet behind wasn't like him.
Their mother avoided any questions regarding their father. He claimed in an interview that she would always tell the kids to stop asking questions, so they ultimately stopped.
Rumours And Speculations
Because George's disappearance was shrouded in mystery, suspicions began to circulate within the family.
Some of George's relatives assumed he had chosen to flee to Korea, where he had served in the war. It was speculated that he had a long-distance Korean girlfriend. However, there was another, more sinister possibility.
Sinister Story
Several people speculated that George was dead and buried beneath the house. At the time the family house was undergoing renovation.
The family was working on a basement addition to the house at the time of his disappearance. The ideal location for a body to be hidden.
No Police Report
Further adding to the mystery, there was another suspicion revolving around Dorothy. She never filed a missing person's report after George's disappearance.
As a result, the whole thing was pushed under the rug and never made it to the attention of the local cops. Why wouldn't his wife alert the authorities about his disappearance? Is it possible that she was involved in some way?
Moving On
Despite their difficulties, the youngsters tried to carry on with their lives. Their father's memories, on the other hand, loomed over every day like a black shadow.
There were simply too many unresolved questions to simply move on and forget about their father. However, the same couldn't be said for their mother. Dorothy got married shortly after the incident and moved in with her new husband.
Divorce
But their marriage didn't last for long. While the children hoped to restore some stability in their lives, their mother's troubled marriage ensured that they would not be able to do so.
Dorothy divorced her second husband in 1983 after two decades of fighting and harassment. Mike claims that his mother divorced Richard because she suspected that he was having an affair.
Restraining Order
Dorothy relocated to New Mexico after her divorce to start over. During this time, the children, who were now adults, also went their separate ways.
Richard, on the other hand, would not let Dorothy get away so lightly. She was compelled to file a restraining order against him in 2000. Dorothy didn't seem to have any luck with men.
Doubts Surrounding Mother's Story
The Carroll children began to doubt their mother's account as they got older.
Despite her assurances that their father had simply gone out for cigarettes and never returned, something about her narrative didn't feel quite right. The fact that she didn't want the kids to ask questions sounded suspicious as well.
Wondering
Mike, the youngest son, purchased the family house on Olive Street when his mother died in 1998. After living there for so many years, he began to wonder if the rumours were true after all.
Is it possible that his father is buried beneath the house? To say the least, it was a terrifying thought.
Always In Thoughts
The rumours about his father's disappearance had always been at the back of Mike's mind.
“It didn’t just come up overnight. It’s something that’s been talked about for years,” he told the local media, “This is something as we grew up, you know, we heard multiple stories.”
Started Digging
Mike, tired of wondering, decided to look for answers on his own and began excavating the basement. Unfortunately, he had to stop the project after realising he was digging in the wrong location.
“I got to the point where it became dangerous because I was afraid my house was going to cave in. So I stopped digging,” recalled Mike.
Determination
Despite the setback, Mike had no intention of abandoning his search for the truth.
He couldn't continue living his life without knowing what had happened to his father. He'd figure out a way to get to the bottom of the matter.
Mysterious Lump
Mike and his family continued digging in other portions of the basement, removing the thick layers of concrete with great effort. The family engaged construction contractors to ensure that everything was done safely.
Mike hired an expert who knew how to use a radar that used electromagnetic radiation to penetrate the ground. The radar picked up a mysterious lump around six feet down during this scan.
Psychic's Help
Mike sought answers from a psychic with the encouragement of his sisters. The family wanted to receive a sign from the supernatural confirming their father's murder or confirming his spirit's presence in the house.
Despite not communicating directly with George, the psychic said that they had a strong sense that something terrible had happened.
Unsettling Feeling
Mike decided to keep contacting paranormal experts in the hopes of finding his father's body. When one psychic arrived in the basement, she pointed to an area on the floor where she felt a strong surge of energy.
Mike, unfortunately, suffered a stroke during this period, and his sons were left to carry on the inquiry.
Human Remains
“I told my kids, ‘Guys come on over here and help me out. You’ve been watching me do this; you get in there,’” Mike explained. “I think they felt bad for me because they knew this was important to me.”
Mike's two sons decided to explore the spot the psychic had pointed out after months of searching and excavating. What they found shook the family.
Finally Solved
They discovered what appeared to be human remains there. Mike called the cops right away, and they arrived the next day to examine the bones. They carried out a DNA test to confirm.
After weeks of investigation, Suffolk County police were able to confirm that the skeleton was indeed George's. The mystery was finally solved.
Family At Ease
Despite having to demolish his basement, Mike is relieved to finally know what happened to his father, even though the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown.
Mike told the Media, “I took a chance. I could have done this whole thing and found nothing, and then I would have had a whole messed-up basement. But I’m really glad we found what we found. It puts my family at ease.”