Four friends from the same neighborhood had vanished without a trace. Their families and friends knew that they weren't runaways, but the police? That was another matter. They were considered runaways and that was the end of police involvement.

But that was not the end of it for families in The Heights. On May 21, 1972, 16-year-old Johnny Delome vanished along with his friend 17-year-old Billy Baulch. Three days after they disappeared,  Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire got a letter from Madisonville, Texas, 70 miles out of Houston:

Dear Mom and Dad, I am sorry to do this, But Johnny and I found a better Job working for a trucker loading and unloading from Houston to Washington and we'll be back in three to four Weeks. After a week I will send money to help You and Mom out. Love, Billy.