Kevin Jay Ayotte-Missing 30 Years

ON September 30, 1982, a round faced, three year old little boy named Kevin Jay Ayotte was playing in the upstairs bedroom of his family's summer house in Sugar Bush, MN at 4:45 PM. He was with his older brother at the time, and his 6 month-old  Springer Spaniel puppy named Flash. His mother went outside briefly, and when she returned, Kevin and the puppy named Flash were missing. Kevin's brother was found to still be inside of the house. Kevin had always been known to wander away from home with his puppy Flash, but they would always return together after a very short time. Kevin also had a habit of discarding his diaper and shoes right away. No diaper or shoes were ever recovered. He has not been seen or heard from since, and Flash has never been recovered either.

Kevin was three years old when he vanished, he would be 33 years old as of this year. He has blue eyes and sandy blond hair. He was 4'0" and 50 lbs. He has a cleft chin, and a scar on the right side of his chin. He had a hearing impairment and limited speech skills at the time of his disappearance. He vanished from Beltrami County.

The countryside near the home was woodsy and boggy. Hundreds of volunteers and Law Enforcement searched the woods and also swamps northeast of Bemidji, but found nothing. The search was called off nine days later. Many feel,due to countryside surrounding the summer home, that Kevin wandered away and died of exposure, although there is no evidence confirming that. In 2011, there was activity found on the social security number of Kevin Ayotte in Michigan. It was later found that it was a case of identity theft. An individual well known for identity theft in Michigan had been using Kevin's identity. Kevin's case is still open and active.

An age progressed photo of what Kevin would look like at 33 years old. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

Now, there are two main theories in this disappearance. The child became lost and died of exposure or was abducted by a stranger. I wonder how the summer house was. Back then, it was not uncommon for parents to let their children wander outside in a big country yard. Doors were left unlocked, and trust was much greater. It is a great possibility Kevin and the puppy Flash wandered away and weren't able to find their way back, especially if the summer home was not a familiar area to him, since I assume he was used to of a different area they lived in for all the other seasons. Whether it was because they got lost, injured or attacked by an animal, his disappearance could have been a complete accident. With the search going on for nine days, it's likely something important could have been missed. In wet, swampy woods, looking for a three year-old child could be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
One thing I feel is odd is that the Spaniel puppy Flash was never recovered. Even if Kevin got lost, it is odd no one found Flash, or that he did not return home. It was also odd that not a trace of him or his clothing was found. I think the fact that his diaper and shoes were never found is also a factor that contributes to the abduction theory because if he wandered away long enough to get that lost, one can be sure he would have discarded his diaper and shoes immediately along the way, because this was a predictable habit. I think if Kevin was abducted, which is the theory I lean towards the most, he would have had to wander outside. I do not think an abduction would have taken place inside the house. Perhaps someone took him on a whim who was in the area, or maybe since he had a history of wandering away often outside, someone picked up on his pattern to wander by himself, and planned out an abduction. Why an abduction would occur is also a mystery. This led me to look for other little boys around Kevin's age who were abducted from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. I came up with two other young boys who vanished from Minnesota that was not a family-related disappearance.

Aaron Anderson has been missing from Pine City, MN since 1989. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

Seven years later, on April 7, 1989, one year-old Aaron Anderson was last seen at his family's Pine Island, Minnesota home at 4:30 PM. His mother left him in the yard unattended for two minutes. She came back to find no trace of Aaron. Authorities observed that his family's residence bordered the Snake River. They believed it is a possibility that he fell in the water and drowned. Aaron's parents were critical of Law Enforcement's investigation, and feel they focused only on the drowning theory. They believe their son was abducted, and were frustrated that twenty other leads that pointed to other possibilities were ignored. An extensive search of the area turned up no clues or signs pointing to what happened to Aaron. After Law Enforcement and several residents combed the Snake River area for Aaron, nothing of his was ever recovered from Snake River. A second approach was also used. Search dogs were brought in, and they could find no scent of Aaron's by Snake River. Aaron's parents moved to St. Paul, Minnesota after his disappearance, and they continue to avidly search for their son.

Age progression of what Aaron may look like today. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

Aaron's birthday is June 23, 1987. When he went missing, he was 2'4" and weighed 32 pounds. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. He also has a white-colored birthmark on his lower right abdomen. He was last seen wearing a Pampers diaper, half-red half-yellow sweatshirts with a puffy dinosaur on the front, light gray corduroy pants with red checked lining and cuffs, a gray ski jacket with red and green tabs, a white knit hat with green snowflakes and green ear flaps, and brown plastic snowmobile boots.

Kyle Jansen was last seen at his residence in Good Thunder, MN in 1991. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

On December 20, 1991, 2 year-old Kyle David Jansen, from Good Thunder, MN, was last seen inside his family's apartment. Both parents assumed he was with the other one, and apparently he wandered outside near Maple River. Searchers recovered Kyle's mittens, a thread from his jeans, and some little boot tracks that led onto the ice towards a channel of open water in the middle of the river. The tracks disappeared, and it is believed Kyle fell into the water and drowned. In December 1991, the river was about 4-5 feet deep. He is thought to have wandered and drowned in the Maple River. His mittens and the threads of his jeans were found near the river, but the case remains open. The river was searched, but Kyle's remains were never recovered. A memorial service was held for him three months later.
In 2003, a man inspired by a crime show on TV decided to search Maple River for Kyle, because the river was at unusually low levels. He found what appeared to be a small child's femur, and turned it in to authrities. This discovery renewed the search for Kyle. The bone turned out to be from an animal, but the search turned up a winter boot that matched Kyle's, along with a piece of material believed to be from his snowsuit. His family hopes to recover his remains.

With Kyle Jansen's disappearance, I believe the drowning theory is plausible, because of all the evidence that was recovered. I hope his family will recover him and find closure. However, for disappearances like Kevin Ayotte and Aaron Anderson, it's hard to believe that they wandered off into the woods or the river. I would like to see some evidence, and even after an extensive search of the areas, nothing turned up like it did with Kyle's disappearance. I believe abduction is a possible scenario for both Kevin and Aaron. If anyone knows of a child that appeared out of nowhere, being raised by someone else or if you have any questions about who you are, please contact authorities.

If you have any information about the disappearances of Kevin Ayotte, Aaron Anderson or Kyle Jansen please contact:

Beltrami County Sheriff's Office

218-751-9111

OR

1-800-THELOST

Sources:
Kevin Ayotte
http://postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=474825&query=joseph%20day
http://bemidjinewsreleases.blogspot.com/2011/06/kevin-ayotte-missing-person-case.html
www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/ayotte_kevin.html
Aaron Anderson
http://pinecity.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/revisited-wetterling-case-dredges-up-memories-of-local-missing-child-case/
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/anderson_aaron.html