Left and Center: Louis circa, 1984
Right: Age Progressed to age 40
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: June 7, 1984
Missing From: Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: February 15, 1977
Age: 7 years old
Height and Weight: 4’0″ and 44 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Blonde hair, Blue eyes, Louis has learning and emotional disabilities, he was diagnosed as being hyperactive and is required to take twice daily doses of Ritalin to control it, if he doesn’t take his daily dose then he may suffer from memory lapses, he was missing four front teeth at the time of his disappearance, Louis has two circular shaped burn scars on the right side of his chest, Louis is known to walk slowly and often leans forward when he does, when Louis speaks he is known to put his hands on his hips
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A short sleeved green striped or navy and white striped shirt, long blue pants or a pair of jeans with a red tag on the rear pocket that says “Doggie”, an elastic belt with trim and a buckle shaped like a train, pink socks, and a pair of brown shoes
NCMEC Number: 601804
Details of Disappearance
Louis Mackerley was last seen in Allentown, Pennsylvania on June 7th 1984. He came home from school that day and told his babysitter that he was going to walk two doors down from his family’s home in the 300 block of Chew Street to play with friends during the afternoon.
The owner of Marco’s Doggie shop reported that Louis came into his store at approximately 4:00 pm and spent around 45 minutes waking and browsing the store. He told the owner that he was in the store to escape from two teenager boys who were allegedly chasing him. He left the store at approximately 4:45 pm and walked east on Gordon Street that afternoon.
Witnesses reported that they saw Louis walking between Fourth Street and Gordon Street about a block away from his home in the 360 block of Chew Street at the time. Louis’s parents believe that Louis may have been walking to the Chew Street home of an elderly woman that he liked to visit.
Authorities did question the two boys who were chasing Louis that day but they are not believed to have been involved in his disappearance. Authorities got reports that Louis was seen talking to an unidentified male and female in a park located near Jordan Creek. This was located approximately 1 block away from his residence. While the story has not been confirmed, authorities have not ruled out this as a possible scenario.
Authorities have suspected that something happened to Louis that day. Louis’s parents were both subjected to lie detector tests and were ruled out early on in the investigation as suspects. Rumors had risen that they abused and or neglected Louis but child services investigated the rumors but found that they could not be proven.
Authorities believe that its possible that an unidentified couple may have been responsible for his disappearance. In January of 1984, Louis told the school nurse and phycologist as well as his parents that he was molested by an unidentified couple who were known as Frank and Elizabeth. His accounts about the attack did change but it’s possible there were separate attacks. He stated that they molested him on the railroad tracks.
He also said that they took him to an apartment, molested him, and took him back to his road. He stated that they threatened to harm him if he told anyone about the incident. While the authorities were notified about the attacks an investigation could not occur because Louis could not provide the last names or anything to identify his purported attackers. It’s unknown if they had anything to do with Louis’s disappearance.
Authorities believe that Louis was abducted on the day of his disappearance. In 1988, a man named David Riggs stated he founded an organization called “Search seven” to help search for missing children which included Louis. He was arrested and charged for accosting 7 young boys in West Virginia and offered them to wear bikini underwear in exchange for pay. The boys did not take him upon the offer though.
Riggs pleas guilty to two counts of attempted child abduction and one count of sexual abuse. He served a year in prison. He was investigated as a possible suspect in Louis’s abduction but was deemed unlikely and ruled out in the investigation. No evidence was found to link him to the case.
The purported organization he made is not registered as an organization and does not have a license. Riggs has previously served time for child abuse related crimes and was at one point a doctoral candidate at Columbia University.
At the time of his disappearance, Louis was described as friendly and talkative but a rather timid and loner child who had a fear of sleeping alone. He was described as having a short attention span and had trouble paying attention in school. Due to his learning disabilities, Louis was due to enter a special class for his needs in fall of 1984. He was born near Stanhope, New Jersey and moved to the Allentown area the previous year.
After his disappearance, his parents struggled with money. They moved to the house of the elderly lady that Louis liked to go to in the instance that he may come back remembering that house. The elderly female moved to a retirement home afterwards. The Mackerley family could not afford the payments and filed for bankruptcy in 1989. They moved to Effort, Pennsylvania later on.
Louis’s disappearance remains unsolved and authorities suspect that he was abducted. He was one of the first missing children to have his face displayed on the side of a milk carton. His family continues to hope he’s alive. He has never been located.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Allentown Police Department 610-437-7721
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children