Photo courtesy of Help Find Tyler Facebook Page
Tyler was a mild-mannered 16-year-old boy from Edmonds, Washington. He left his house at about 6:30 on the night of April 19th, 2016. He told his parents he was going to a youth meeting at a church less than a mile from his house. Sometimes, he would take his bicycle to these meetings, and other times, he would run. This time, he would never make it to the meeting, and he wouldn’t return home.
The family called the police by 3:00 a.m. that morning when they realized he had never come home and something was wrong. He left wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and running shoes. He was not dressed for the weather, and everyone was worried. The youth pastor informed the police that he hadn’t received a text message from Tyler that evening, so he wasn’t looking for him and didn’t realize he was missing. Normally, since he walked or rode his bike, Tyler would text the youth pastor and let him know he was on his way. But that night, he didn’t receive a text message. This was strange. Tyler’s phone was at the house. Later, someone down the road turned over video footage from their home surveillance system. It showed Tyler going in the opposite direction of the church. Did Tyler leave on his own accord? It would seem he did.
Missing person’s flyers go up all over the area, and a couple of weeks later, a man calls in a tip. He said he believed he had picked up Tyler hitchhiking along the road that night. Tyler had gotten off of the ferry and was hitchhiking. Tyler told the man that he was going to go hiking in the Olympic National Park. The man said he had a black backpack with him. (Please note that the backpack was not seen in the surveillance footage from earlier).
A short time later, the backpack was found near High Steel Bridge. Strangely, it had a couple of emergency blankets, a little bit of food, and a pair of sweatpants. We know that Tyler loved camping and hiking; a seasoned camper would have taken better provisions. They also found a ferry receipt in the bag. I contend that the receipt should be suspect. Did someone verify that the backpack was actually Tyler’s? If bought with cash, the receipt could technically belong to anyone.
Theories abound online as to what could have happened to this child. Most people think he ran away on his own accord and left the backpack by the bridge himself. After writing about 300 cases, my mind goes in a different direction. Did they thoroughly investigate the man who brought this tip? Could he have been a predator? Was the backpack conveniently placed in that location to establish a false narrative?
One online theory says that he may have traveled to this location because he was planning on committing suicide. I have a few questions. Did anyone check his internet search history? Did he show signs of depression online? Was he lured out by a predator? Did he leave a toxic home environment? Sadly, there is no information available online in this case. His Facebook page hasn’t even seen a new post since 2021. Why isn’t someone publicly pushing to solve this? Whatever the case, I don’t think this boy had the wherewithal, the contacts, or the cash to live on the lamb for 8 years. If he is still alive, somebody either has him in an abusive situation or assisted him in a benevolent manner. Whatever the case, somebody knows what happened to this teenage boy that night in April. It’s been 8 years. It’s time to come forward.
For more information on this case, check out Synova’s True Crime Tuesday Video:
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Madhouse Madison County:
Chaos rules in a small Southeastern Missouri County. Madison County spans 500 square miles and has a population of approximately 13,000 people. The county seat is Fredericktown with a population of approximately 4,000 people. This rural county should be a safe place in beautiful Americana, but it hides a dark secret. Fredericktown is one of the most dangerous places to live in America. Check out this quote from neighborhoodscout.com.
“With a crime rate of 31 per one thousand residents, Fredericktown has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One’s chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 32.”
I started researching one case sent to me by a desperate grandmother. That case led me to fifteen more. Then I realized this county has had murder, corruption, and chaos since before the Wild West days. This book will start with a lynching by a Fredericktown mob in 1844. Hold onto your seats when you read this one. You’re in for a wild, chaotic ride through rural Missouri.
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