Lost Boy Larry – Hoax or Heartbreak?
Lost Boy Larry
On August 7th, 1973 something strange happened in the Red Rock Canyon area, southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A California radio operator reported receiving a transmission from a young boy, “Larry”, who was stuck with his father in a red and white overturned pickup truck. They young boy claimed to have been on a rabbit hunting trip with his father when their vehicle was involved in an accident.
Other CB Radio Operators claimed to hear the same transmission, from coast to coast and even into Canada. News quickly spread and a massive search effort began.
Here’s where Larry’s story takes a twist of the unusual. Larry, age 7, never revealed his last name, their location, and gave conflicting reports about the condition of his father or the accident itself. They boy claimed his father died of a heart attack when the truck overturned, but also said his dad was alive and hit his head during the accident. In some reports, Larry said that he was still in the truck and other times, he said he was outside of the vehicle.
As the search continued, one rescue worker in a helicopter flying over the Manzano Mountains, talked to a boy in distress who called himself “David”, not Larry.
Larry reported to an Albuquerque ham radio operator that he could see the search lights of an airplane as it combed the Manzano area southeast of the city.
On August 12th, an Army Sergeant claimed to have spoken with Larry for 3 hours, but was unable to obtain any information about Larry or his whereabouts.
After no concrete evidence was obtained, the search was called off on August, 13th.
Many theories exist regarding Larry and what actually happened. The State Police Chief, Martin Vigil, said at the time, “there was no way to prove the calls for help were a hoax unless authorities found a person responsible.”
Some believe there’s no way for the battery to have lasted that long, nor the CB Radio in the truck to have been strong enough to reach areas all over the United States and into Canada. Many believe the radio distress call to have been made by pranksters, but those who spoke with Larry claim to have been very convinced of his existence.
If it is true, Larry and his father are still missing.
What do you think New Mexico? Is Lost Boy Larry a Hoax or Heartbreak?
July 11, 2017 @ 7:14 am
I say hoax, but you can never be too sure. Too bad we don’t have a recording of the call! CB radio users often prank each other, make up ridiculous names for themselves & do other crap just for shiggles.
The NM desert is vast & rugged, so if someone WAS stranded out there it would be hard to find them in time. And this was August, when the heat would’ve been unbearable. I assume nobody reported a boy and his dad missing around that time?
The fact that this played out over 5 days lends more credence to it. Most pranksters would be bored and give up before that, but maybe not if they knew a search was happening & people were buying it.
I’m saying 70% hoax; 30% real.
October 9, 2019 @ 2:23 am
I say 100% hoax. Not a snowball’s chance in Phoenix of being real. As the story goes “Larry” and his dad are in an accident, the truck (red and white) rolls over and comes to rest on its top and either Larry’s dad is dead or severely injured. (1)”Larry” , who is seven years old conveniently knows how to operate a C.B. radio but doesn’t know his last name, where he lives, etc.
(2) The truck is on its top, but somehow the C.B. radio antenna is still intact and the 1973 vintage led acid battery in the truck doesn’t leak out its liquid acid through its vents and by pure miracle “Larry” has the wherewithal to only turn on the ignition switch when he wants to use the radio.
(3) “Larry” has the wherewithal to “conveniently ” switch radio frenqucies so as not to be transmitting on any one frequency long enough for radio trackers to find his location.
(4) The battery holds out for five days of periodic use and at least one reported three hour continuous transmission session.
(4) even if “Larry” didn’t know his last name or what city or state he lived in, he would have been able to answer or volunteer basic information that would lead to his identity and whereabouts.
For example if “Larry” said I am in second grade and am in Mrs. Smith’s class at Lincoln elementry, one could do some old fashioned detective work (nationwide) and look up all the kids named Larry in Mrs. Smith’s class at each and every Lincoln elementry schools in the country. Now contact all those parents, and see if by chance see if one of these kids is missing and whether his dad drives a red and white pick up equipped with a C.B. radio. The actual number of Lincoln elementry schools that have a second grade teacher named Mrs. Smith that has a Larry in her class will be amazingly small. Even nationwide.
(5) No missing person report at the time indictated a man with a kid named Larry driving a red and white pickup to be missing.