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?