Victor "Jackie" Theel, Missing 66 Years.

On a Tuesday September 5, 1944, Victor 'Jackie' Theel who was 6 years of age attended his first day of school in Paynesville, MN. The six year old was thrilled about going to school and talked about it for weeks. He only attended the half day of school, so at 11:30 AM his teacher asked him if he knew the way home. Jackie claimed that he did, so his teacher sent him on his way home for lunch, where he was supposed to stay. His home was located at the corner of Lake Avenue and Railroad Street. It is now a vacant lot. Jackie never arrived home and has never been heard from since.

Bloodhounds traced his scent down to Washburne Avenue, The Crow River, then to Highway 23 where the scent seemingly ended. A couple returning from Long Lake claimed to see a young boy around 1 PM wearing a blue suit standing along Highway 23. A couple hours later, two young boys claimed to see a small boy enter a light gray car on Highway 23 around 4:45 P.M.

Jackie was slow, but not mentally disabled. It is believed by his family that he got lost on his way home from school and got picked up by someone. A main theory by authorities in his disappearance is that he was picked up by a soldier. The reason for this would be soldiers in the army at this time could get discharged if they had a dependent. His old teacher claims to have seen a young man getting off a navy ship in CA, and calling himself Jackie Theel. The young man looked very similar to what Jackie would have looked like. The other man with him claimed that Jackie was 'adopted.'

Currently, he his brother and sisters still live in Paynesville, MN and continue to search for him. Since it is very likely Jackie is not deceased, he has not been declared as legally dead, despite the amount of time that has passed.

Victor Theel goes by the name Jackie. He was 3'0" and weighed 45 lbs. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. Jackie was last seen wearing a blue and white sailor suit.

I think that it is more than likely that Victor got lost on his way home and just wanted to follow a road where the most cars and/or people would be on. It would simply be his natural instinct. It is disappointing that the teacher would let a 6 year-old boy walk home by himself, but our world seemed much safer back then, the era when everyone knew their neighbors and doors remained unlocked at night. The result of this is that he was probably picked up by someone. I strongly doubt he got lost in the woods and died of natural exposures or drowned in the Creek River. I also believe that Victor was 'adopted' by someone who picked him up, perhaps a solider who claimed him as a dependent to avoid deployment. It is likely that despite the amount of time passing, he is alive somewhere out there, not knowing who he really is or who he came from. Please look at this little boy and try to remember if you've seen him.

**Police Info: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or http://www.missingkids.com/

**Source:
http://web.archive.org/web/20061012031311/
www.doenetwork.us/cases/1383dmmn.html

Links
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1383dmmn.html
http://www.paynesvillearea.com/news/HeadlinesArticles/0922theel.html