Robert Rasmussen & Gerard Montrio
Status : Unsolved Missing 1957 - Plymouth, Mass.
On September 9, 1957 when two young boys named Robert Rasmussen (13) and Gerard Montrio (15) vanished. The boys from the town of Plymouth were last seen during the afternoon of that day. Their clothes was neatly piled up on "Flat Rock" near Plymouth Harbor not far from the house where Rasmussen lived. Initially it was thought the two boys may have drowned. A 3-day search was conducted which yielded no results.
Law enforcement began to examine other theories including ; The boys faked the death and ran-away, or they were kidnapped. Neither theory could be verified.
Bodies have never been found nor has anyone seen or heard from the boys ever again.
There are witness reports that young men fitting the lost boys' descriptions were seen hitchhiking at about 4:30 p.m. They were last seen at home after school at about 3 p.m. The Old Colony Memorial, Plymouth, Mass., reported in June that witnesses also had seen two boys with bundles of clothes getting in and out of a boat, plus friends of the boys reportedly told police the missing duo had saved money and practiced hopping freight trains after running away to Boston once before. The newspaper also reported a firefighter, Lenny Sullivan, who had been part of the search party, believed the boys had drowned and the bodies fell prey to the "wildlife of the ocean." No death certificates were ever issued for the boys.
Status : Unsolved Missing 1957 - Plymouth, Mass.
On September 9, 1957 when two young boys named Robert Rasmussen (13) and Gerard Montrio (15) vanished. The boys from the town of Plymouth were last seen during the afternoon of that day. Their clothes was neatly piled up on "Flat Rock" near Plymouth Harbor not far from the house where Rasmussen lived. Initially it was thought the two boys may have drowned. A 3-day search was conducted which yielded no results.
Law enforcement began to examine other theories including ; The boys faked the death and ran-away, or they were kidnapped. Neither theory could be verified.
Bodies have never been found nor has anyone seen or heard from the boys ever again.
There are witness reports that young men fitting the lost boys' descriptions were seen hitchhiking at about 4:30 p.m. They were last seen at home after school at about 3 p.m. The Old Colony Memorial, Plymouth, Mass., reported in June that witnesses also had seen two boys with bundles of clothes getting in and out of a boat, plus friends of the boys reportedly told police the missing duo had saved money and practiced hopping freight trains after running away to Boston once before. The newspaper also reported a firefighter, Lenny Sullivan, who had been part of the search party, believed the boys had drowned and the bodies fell prey to the "wildlife of the ocean." No death certificates were ever issued for the boys.
"The Great Plymouth Mail Truck Robbery"
Status : Unsolved Theft 1962 - Plymouth, Mass.
On August 14, 1962, Six (6) men are believed to have been involved in the Plymouth Mail Robbery. Masquerading as highway workers, police officer, The criminals waited near Exit 3, Clark Road, on Route 3 to see the mail truck appear. The mail trucks was heading to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston MA. Once the signal was given, a barricade was erected from pilfered sawhorses across Route 3, forcing traffic off the highway at Exit 3 onto Clark Road.
Meanwhile, on a stretch of roadway completely obscured from by a screen of trees, two cars blocked the highway and a fake police officer waved the mail truck over. When the truck came to a halt, the “officer” and other accomplices raced to the vehicle, machine guns in hand, disarmed the postal workers and forced them to open the truck. The postal workers were blindfolded, bound and gagged, and placed in the back of the truck, while one of the criminals slid behind the wheel and drove making several stops, one of which featured the unloading of the $1.5 million in cash. Confused by all the stops the postal workers were unable to identify where the 16 or 17 bags had been taken. The criminals abandoned the truck, with the workers still inside it, in Randolph at the junction of routes 128 and 28. At the time of its occurrence, it was the single largest cash heist in history. Today, the money has never been recovered and remains unsolved.
Reward Offered
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors had conducted an intense investigation,but lacking evidence made the investigation difficult. The FBI at the time posted a $150,000 (10%) of the amount recovered and an additional $50,000 reward from the Post Master General for information leading to a conviction.
In a surprise move, even going so far as to deem any suspect killed in his apprehension to be deemed "convicted" for purposes of the reward.
Individuals Indicted
With the five-year federal statue of limitations, Postal Inspectorate and the Department of Justice stepped surveillance of all known armed robbers in the Boston area. Shortly before the statute of limitations was to expire, in 1967, a federal grand jury indicted four men and one woman as the perpetrators of this robbery.
George Agisotelis, Joseph Tripoli, John J. Kelley, Patricia Diaferio were tried and acquitted. Thomas Richards failed to appear for trial on Nov 7 1967, he disappeared and remains missing.
Organized Crime Involvement
Vincent "Fat Vinnie" Teresa (1930-1990), a Boston mobster who served as a lieutenant of Raymond L.S. Patriarca claimed in his book My Life in the Mafia
that John "Red" Kelley was the man who planned the robbery. He allegedly received a generous 80 cents on the dollar when the was laundered.
John "Red" Kelly
Kelley was arrested and tried for the robbery. He was represented by attorney F. Lee Bailey, who won an acquittal.
Kelley was involved in the planning and robbery of a Brinks armored car in Boston which occurred on Dec 28 1968 that netted $500,00 in cash and simular amount in checks. Kelley had intended to be part of the gang that robbed the armored car, but had backed out after two previous attempts failed. He demanded and did receive a cut of the proceeds and eventually was questioned by a grand jury. His confederates believed that he gave them up to the federal prosecutors. Once again, he was represented by Bailey.
After Teresa discovered that other members of the Patriarca crime family had taken a $4 million stash meant for his family, he agreed to become an informant for the FBI. He testified in front of the U.S. Senate in 1971 and was responsible for the indictments of over 50 mobsters. He entered the Federal Witness Protection Program and received a new identity as Charles Cantino.
Kelley testified against Raymond Patriarca in a murder case, after which he went into the Federal Witness Protection Program. Kelley gave testimony linking Patriarca and other family members to the murder of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei. Kelley had been contracted by Patriarca associate Maurice Lerner to kill Marfeo and Melei, whom Kelley allegedly murdered with a shotgun.
Patriarca and his associates were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder while Lerner also was convicted of murder; the mob boss was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lerner and the other defendants were subsequently exonerated when it was established that Kelley had perjured himself at the trial, as had FBI Special Agent H. Paul Rico, who had collaborated Kelley's testimony. Kelley died Feb 10 2000 of natural causes in the federal witness protection program.
Status : Unsolved Theft 1962 - Plymouth, Mass.
On August 14, 1962, Six (6) men are believed to have been involved in the Plymouth Mail Robbery. Masquerading as highway workers, police officer, The criminals waited near Exit 3, Clark Road, on Route 3 to see the mail truck appear. The mail trucks was heading to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston MA. Once the signal was given, a barricade was erected from pilfered sawhorses across Route 3, forcing traffic off the highway at Exit 3 onto Clark Road.
Meanwhile, on a stretch of roadway completely obscured from by a screen of trees, two cars blocked the highway and a fake police officer waved the mail truck over. When the truck came to a halt, the “officer” and other accomplices raced to the vehicle, machine guns in hand, disarmed the postal workers and forced them to open the truck. The postal workers were blindfolded, bound and gagged, and placed in the back of the truck, while one of the criminals slid behind the wheel and drove making several stops, one of which featured the unloading of the $1.5 million in cash. Confused by all the stops the postal workers were unable to identify where the 16 or 17 bags had been taken. The criminals abandoned the truck, with the workers still inside it, in Randolph at the junction of routes 128 and 28. At the time of its occurrence, it was the single largest cash heist in history. Today, the money has never been recovered and remains unsolved.
Reward Offered
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors had conducted an intense investigation,but lacking evidence made the investigation difficult. The FBI at the time posted a $150,000 (10%) of the amount recovered and an additional $50,000 reward from the Post Master General for information leading to a conviction.
In a surprise move, even going so far as to deem any suspect killed in his apprehension to be deemed "convicted" for purposes of the reward.
Individuals Indicted
With the five-year federal statue of limitations, Postal Inspectorate and the Department of Justice stepped surveillance of all known armed robbers in the Boston area. Shortly before the statute of limitations was to expire, in 1967, a federal grand jury indicted four men and one woman as the perpetrators of this robbery.
George Agisotelis, Joseph Tripoli, John J. Kelley, Patricia Diaferio were tried and acquitted. Thomas Richards failed to appear for trial on Nov 7 1967, he disappeared and remains missing.
Organized Crime Involvement
Vincent "Fat Vinnie" Teresa (1930-1990), a Boston mobster who served as a lieutenant of Raymond L.S. Patriarca claimed in his book My Life in the Mafia
that John "Red" Kelley was the man who planned the robbery. He allegedly received a generous 80 cents on the dollar when the was laundered.
John "Red" Kelly
Kelley was arrested and tried for the robbery. He was represented by attorney F. Lee Bailey, who won an acquittal.
Kelley was involved in the planning and robbery of a Brinks armored car in Boston which occurred on Dec 28 1968 that netted $500,00 in cash and simular amount in checks. Kelley had intended to be part of the gang that robbed the armored car, but had backed out after two previous attempts failed. He demanded and did receive a cut of the proceeds and eventually was questioned by a grand jury. His confederates believed that he gave them up to the federal prosecutors. Once again, he was represented by Bailey.
After Teresa discovered that other members of the Patriarca crime family had taken a $4 million stash meant for his family, he agreed to become an informant for the FBI. He testified in front of the U.S. Senate in 1971 and was responsible for the indictments of over 50 mobsters. He entered the Federal Witness Protection Program and received a new identity as Charles Cantino.
Kelley testified against Raymond Patriarca in a murder case, after which he went into the Federal Witness Protection Program. Kelley gave testimony linking Patriarca and other family members to the murder of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei. Kelley had been contracted by Patriarca associate Maurice Lerner to kill Marfeo and Melei, whom Kelley allegedly murdered with a shotgun.
Patriarca and his associates were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder while Lerner also was convicted of murder; the mob boss was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lerner and the other defendants were subsequently exonerated when it was established that Kelley had perjured himself at the trial, as had FBI Special Agent H. Paul Rico, who had collaborated Kelley's testimony. Kelley died Feb 10 2000 of natural causes in the federal witness protection program.
