Who is Walter Collins

Christine Collins contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report her son missing. She told them that she had waved off her son to the movies just hours before but he had not returned.

Walter Collins was 9 years old and described as a kind and considerate boy; a child that wouldn't dream of going off anywhere without informing his mother of his intentions.

His disappearances was completely out of character and his mother, Christine was becoming increasingly concerned.

A full scale search of the missing boy took place and the police was under pressure to find the boy quickly. The police received numerous tips about the missing boy but not one could help solve the mystery.

Five months had passed following the disappearance of Walter Collins when Arthur Hutchins came forward to the police in Illinois claiming to be the missing boy.

Christine Collins, however, had different ideas. Despite the police declaring the case was closed, she continued to protest that this boy was not her son. She was ordered to take the boy home and make the best of it.

She returned just 3 weeks later armed with dental records proving that the child was not her son. She was committed to psychiatric ward under a Code 12 (those deemed difficult or an inconvenience). She remained there for 10 days. During this period of time, Arthur Hutchins admitted he was an imposter who was a runaway wanting to go to LA and Hollywood. His resemblance to the missing boy was so uncanny that he had decided to use this as a way to get where we wanted to go.

Christine Collins was awarded $11, 000 for false imprisonment but died in 1996 still not knowing what had happened to her son.

Here are some fascinating links to article, images etc. about the Chicken Coop Killers...

The real Gordon Stewart Northcott, child murderer from the 1920's, the subject of the new movie 'The Changeling'
THE WINEVILLE CHICKEN MURDERS
NORTHCOTT Gordon Stewart images
Serial Killers > N-R > Gordon Stewart Northcott
Find a grave

Theory One

He was kidnapped by a former inmate of a prison where his father was currently being held for robbery. Collins was a model prisoner who was well behaved and watched over several other inmates. It was thought that the former inmate resented Collins's position in the prison and kidnapped the boy for revenge. Collins even provided police with a list of former inmates that he believed could be responsible for the kidnapping. The police followed up leads with no success.

Theory Two

He was a victim of the 'Chicken Coop killers'. Police were called to the ranch of Gordon Northcott accused of abusing and beating his 15 year old nephew, Sanford Clark. Clark told police that his Uncle, along with his mother, kidnapped, molested, tortured and killed a number of young boys. He claimed that Walter was one such boy.

Police searched the ranch and found personal effects belonging to children and 3 empty graves that had previously been occupied. The Northcotts had fled to Canada but were later captured and charged. Sarah, Gordon's mother, claimed that she had killed Walter Collins but Gordon denied it. However, he did admit to killing 9 boys and hinted at a possible 20 more. Gordon was hanged on 2 October 1930. No evidence of Walter's body was ever found at the ranch.

Theory Three

Walter Collins was still alive. Christine Collins always believed that her son was still alive especially after one of Gordon's alleged victims turned up alive several years after Gordon was hanged. There has been no reported sightings of Walter.

Changeling, a 2008 film written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Clint Eastwood, is also based in part on the Gordon Stewart Northcott case. The film primarily depicts the plight of Christine Collins (played by Angelina Jolie), the mother of Walter Collins, and her search for her real son. The film depicts all the major figures in the case except for Gordon Northcott's mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, who committed the crimes with Gordon, and was convicted for killing Walter. In the film, there is a reference to a boy who came forward several years later after the execution of Gordon Northcott and confessed to escaping from the chicken-coops and that Walter Collins may have also escaped. There has never been any substantiating evidence put forward that an escape scene ever occurred to support this notion presented in the film.

Source - Wikipedia