Left and Center: Lonnie, circa 1981
Right: Age-Progressed to age 21
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 5, 1981
Missing From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Classification: Endangered Runaway
Date Of Birth: February 15, 1970
Age: 10 years old
Height and Weight: 4’6″ and 84 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White Male, Blonde hair, Blue eyes, Lonnie has a birthmark on his side of his neck and a slight gap between his upper front teeth
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue and red lumberjack jacket, a blue v-neck velour sweater with white stripes on the collar, blue corduroy pants and a pair of ski-doo boots
Details of Disappearance
Lonnie was last seen in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on February 5th 1981. He lived with his mother, Linda Boudreau, in a house on White Fathers Avenue in the Vanier neighborhood. At 6:30 pm, Lonnie asked Linda if he could go watch television downstairs in the basement.
Fifteen minutes later, Lonnie was found to have disappeared. He apparently climbed out the basement window before vanishing. Investigators strongly suspect he left on his own accord due to him being a chronic runaway.
Boudreau’s parents divorced in 1975 when he was five years old. For two years after the divorce, Lonnie and his sister lived with their father, Elmer Boudreau in his home in Carleton Place since he got primary custody. The kids visited their mother on the weekends. Lonnie was devastated by the divorce and began developing behavioral problems as a result. Lonnie’s behavior only worsened after his father met a woman who had three children.
For some time, Lonnie was placed in the custody of a couple, Mel and Pam Spallin who worked with a daycare agency with the Children’s Aid Society. He enjoyed being with them and spending time with Mel doing things like fishing or going to a farm in Quebec.
Lonnie visited his mother for Christmas of 1977 and Linda said he showed signs of hyperactivity which prompted her to gain full custody of both her children. Soon afterwards, both Lonnie and Lorie moved into their mother’s house on White Fathers Avenue. The children’s father protested the decision since he had broken up with his girlfriend and she’d moved out of his home with her children but his protests were ignored.
Lonnie was very unhappy with the move and begged his mother to get back with his father. She refused to do so and said it would never happen. His behavior worsened and he was ordered to see a counselor about his deteriorating mental health. He had a jealousy problem towards his sister which made it impossible for them to visit their father together. His father did whatever he could to make Lonnie happy such as seeing him more but it didn’t work since his behavior only got worse.
In the spring of 1980, Lonnie was placed in a home with other kids his age for six months. He was returned to his mother’s custody afterward and appeared to have finally adjusted to his family’s separation. His behavior improved and he began attending classes at Assumption Separate School as a fourth grade student. However, he struggled with the curriculum and schoolwork. He also had a difficult time making friends and his behavioral problems soon resurfaced.
In late January of 1981, Lonnie and his father had an argument over the amount of time they spent together. Elmer told his son he would end their visits if Lonnie didn’t improve his attitude and behavior. This greatly disheartened the boy. A few days later, Lonnie tied a rope around his waist and lowered himself out through his bedroom window before running away. Police found him two miles away in the Cineplex on St. Patrick’s Road after they spent four hours searching.
It was this runaway incident that would earn Lonnie the moniker “Tom Sawyer” after Mark Twain’s iconic character. For twenty minutes after being found, Lonnie’s counselor spoke with him and not once did the boy indicate he was going to leave again. Less than a day later, Lonnie was gone again only this time he never returned and was never found.
Police spent two weeks searching for Lonnie before calling off their efforts. They investigated several possibilities, including that he attempted to hitchhike to his father’s home in Carleton Place but he never arrived there. Lonnie is suspected to have stayed in the local area for quite sometime after he was reported missing. There were multiple reports of him being seen.
According to his friends, Boudreau was known to sleep under the stairwells of Vanier apartment buildings, vacant housing projects or anywhere he could stay warm. He also frequented arcades since he enjoyed video games.
Police suspect he was staying with friends in the Vanier area. They suspect he stayed at the homes of friends whose parents worked during the day. Many of his friends publicly stated they would not reveal Lonnie’s whereabouts even if they were privy to them because they knew he was unhappy at home. One of his friends told police he saw Lonnie playing in Nault Park the day after he disappeared.
Another friend said she saw Lonnie standing in an apartment lobby on February 9th, four days after he was reported missing. The next day, he was spotted on several streets near his home which prompted police to go apartment to apartment in Joliette and Lavergne with no results. He was also seen panhandling on Rideau Street, probably to get money for food.
Two weeks after Lonnie’s disappearance, his mother began receiving strange phone calls that would hang up every time she answered. One of these calls came the day after a newspaper published a heartfelt letter from her to him. It’s unclear if the phone calls have anything to do with the case.
In April of 1981, a boy matching Lonnie’s description was seen at a Carleton Place area restaurant. The Ottawa Valley man who saw the youngster said he thought the Boudreau boy had been found already which delayed his reporting of the sighting. Police cannot confirm if the child seen at the restaurant was Lonnie or not.
In May of 1981, police made contact with a girl who was close in age to Lonnie and claimed to know him. The girl was able to get a message through to Lonnie that she wanted to see him. They arranged a meeting by the water fountain in the St. Laurent Shopping Center. During the meetup, the girl pointed out a boy walking towards them and said “There he is, that’s him coming now.” However, the boy heard the officer’s walkie talkie and fled before he could be identified.
In July of 1981, Linda received a phone call from a young boy asking for Lori who wasn’t home at the time. She hung up the phone but quickly realized the voice on the other end was her missing son’s voice. A month later, she received another series of mysterious hang up phone calls from an unidentified person. It’s unclear if these were also from Lonnie but it’s a possibility.
Police said they suspected the media attention surrounding the case was a major reason for why the boy wasn’t returning home. They said they believed he enjoyed the publicity and attention he was getting from being a runaway but there’s no evidence this is true.
At the time of his disappearance, Lonnie was described as being a street smart, bright and mischievous young boy. His disappearance remains unsolved. Foul play is a possibility in the case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Ottawa Police Service 613-236-1222
Source Information
International Missing Persons Wiki