Prompt Cast
The Tragic Disappearance of Walter Collins and the Incompetence of the LAPD
TLDR In 1928, nine-year-old Walter Collins went missing in Los Angeles, leading to a true crime case involving gaslighting and the incompetence of the LAPD. Christine Collins, Walter's mother, faced immense turmoil and fought against false identification and mistreatment by the police, ultimately leading to a grand jury investigation and a pursuit of justice.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode discusses the true crime case of a famous disappearance that occurred in 1928 in Los Angeles.
04:48
In 1928, a nine-year-old boy named Walter Collins went missing in Los Angeles, leading to a tragic and bizarre true crime case that involved gaslighting and the incompetence of the LAPD.
10:02
Christine Collins goes to the police after realizing her son, Walter, is missing, and despite a 24-hour wait period before they take action, the LAPD mounts a national search for him, following various leads and tips, until they eventually find a boy in Illinois who they claim is Walter, but Christine doesn't believe it.
14:49
Christine Collins is gaslighted by the LAPD, including police captain JJ Jones, who insists that the boy they found is her son Walter, despite her protests and the boy's strange behavior.
19:59
Christine Collins goes through immense turmoil and stress as she tries to navigate her situation without any guidance or support.
25:05
Christine Collins is committed to a state hospital against her will after challenging Captain Jones and providing evidence that the boy claiming to be her son is not Walter.
30:24
Christine Collins is falsely arrested and committed to a mental hospital, while the boy claiming to be her son, Walter, is kept in juvie as a ward of the state; however, another boy in juvie named Sanford Clark comes forward and confesses to participating in the murder of Walter Collins and other boys.
35:42
Arthur Hutchins Jr., a 12-year-old boy who ran away from home, pretended to be Walter Collins, but eventually confessed to the fraud after realizing the harm he had caused to Christine Collins.
40:49
Christine Collins refused to accept the false identification of her son and instead exposed her mistreatment by the LAPD, leading to a grand jury investigation, a civil suit, and a decades-long pursuit of justice, although she was never paid the money she was owed.
46:07
Christine Collins went through the emotional roller coaster of Northcott and his mother admitting and then recanting their murder of her son, and even acted as a witness in Northcott's defense, but in the end, he was convicted and sentenced to hang while his mother was sentenced to life in prison.
51:19
In the true story, another boy who had been kidnapped by Northcott showed up years later, giving Christine Collins hope, but in the movie version, the boy tells a heroic story about Walter Collins saving him and sacrificing his own life.
Categories:
Society & Culture
