Guy Heckle

Missing Person:
Age at Report: 11
Date of Birth: December 20, 1961
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Missing From: Cedar Rapids, IA (Linn County)
Missing Since: February 3, 1973

Case summary by Jody Ewing

Guy Heckle was reported missing to the Linn County Sheriff's Office in Cedar Rapids on February 3, 1973, after disappearing while on a Boy Scout camp-out near the Duane Arnold Energy Center.

The 11-year-old Heckle was a member of Linn County's Boy Scout Troop 101. The troop was camping out at the Kiwanis Cabins along the Cedar River between Palo and Toddville, Iowa, on Feb. 3, and Heckle was last seen at approximately 8 p.m. while playing a game of "Capture the Flag" with other troop members.

The Eisenhower Elementary School fifth-grader wasn't missed until bed-check that evening, and scouts spent 90 minutes searching for him before summoning authorities to the scene. Volunteers searched the reserve for evidence along the Cedar River's ice-clogged backwaters, and found the boy's quilted nylon parka -- still zipped at the bottom -- snagged on a log along the river's east bank.

Heckle was nowhere to be found and has not been seen since.

Investigators believe Heckle may have slipped into the river and drowned, but admit it is possible something else led to his disappearance. Though weather was mild at the time of the camp-out, snow arrived shortly afterwards.

Guy Heckle lived with his parents in the 1500 block of 48th street northeast in Cedar Rapids, and school officials considered him a good student.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse / Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 1-800-346-5507.

Sources and References:

Iowa Dept. Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse
The Charley Project: Guy Heckle