Left and Center: James circa, 1992
Right: Age Progressed to age 33
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: November 6, 1992
Missing From: Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: October 15, 1976
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5’2″ and 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Blue eyes, James is considered a special needs child; he is hyperactive and he is mentally aged 12, his nickname is “Jamie” and various missing children agencies give this name
NCMEC Number: 774510
Details of Disappearance
James was last seen in Westfield, Massachusetts on November 6th 1992. He planned to ride his bike from his fathers home to his grandmother’s home in Blandford, Massachusetts and also wanted to watch a bicycle race in the area. The trip was a 12 mile ride but Jamie never made it and was never heard from again.
James was allegedly sighted at a Friendly’s restaurant on November 8th. This was 2 days after he went missing. The sighting was given to investigators by a server at the restaurant. On November 11th, a hunter found James bike in a wooded area of Westfield. His bike was described as a gray/green Huffy Mountain bicycle. He had gotten it just 3 weeks before his disappearance. The bike was found near a pond.
Investigators drained the pond in search of James and conducted numerous air and ground searches. No trace of him was ever found. James was initially assumed to be a runaway by both police and his family but they soon concluded it unlikely that he ran away. Foul play is now suspected in his case.
Child killer, Lewis Lent, is the primary suspect in Lusher’s disappearance. He was convicted of murdering Massachusetts child, Jimmy Bernardo, a 12 year old boy who was murdered in 1990 and was also charged with killing 12 year old Sara Wood who was abducted and killed in New York in 1993. Her body has never been recovered. Investigators have attempted to see if Lent could be involved in other cases.
Lent is also considered a possible suspect in the 1985 New York disappearance of Karen Wilson, the 1986 New York disappearance of Tammie McCormick, the 1986 Maine disappearance of Kimberly Moreau, and the 1990 possible abduction of Monique Santiago who disappeared from New York.
Lent was in an area near Westfield at the time of Jamie’s disappearance. In July of 2013, Lewis confessed to killing James and disposing of his body in a pond known as Greenwater Pond. A search was initiated at the pond which is 88 acres wide and could reach depths of 58 feet. They searched the pond for 3 days and stopped when they failed to yield any trace of Jamie or his body.
At the time of his disappearance, James was enrolled at Westfield Alternative School as a special needs student. His father described him as an immature and bossy teenager who did not like school and had few friends at the time. He lived with his father since his parents had divorced and the relationship between them was strained.
James remains missing and his body has never been found.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Westfield Police Department 413-562-5411
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children