NQL Case File

Circumstances

Date of Disappearance

October 21, 1954

Notes

Clifford was walking to school with a friend (George Gumbley) when both boys disappeared. The day of the disappearance, Clifford had left home and met up with two friends (George and another boy Butch) on his way to school. George and Clifford straggled behind while discussing something and they told BUtch to go ahead. They promised to meet up at school soon, but George and Clifford never arrived. The day after he disappeared, Clifford was able to call his aunt, saying "Auntie, Auntie Hilda!" before the call dropped. His parents were separated and he lived with his mother in Montreal while his four sisters were taken by the father (Nephi 'Tex' Sherwood) to Vancouver. Four months after he left with the daughters, the housekeeper/nanny was arrested on a drug conviction and the girls were taken into foster care where they would remain until adulthood. Clifford remained with his mother but was able to see his father frequently during his visits to Montreal. Police believed that Clifford was taken by his father, but this has not been proven. Tex remained in contact with his daughters for some time but refused to speak of Clifford and grew angry if the topic was pushed. He eventually disappeared in1962 himself, only to resurface in 1976 under the name "Edward Thorne." His daughter was able to discover that Tex's real name was Edward Walter Thorne and that he had been married before meeting Clifford's mother; there were four children from that relationship as well. Some photographs surfaced in his possession later that seemed to show an older Clifford or him in clothes that his mother did not recognize. Tex provided an alibi for the time of Clifford's disappearance, with police learning that he was in western Canada at the time. He was never listed as a formal suspect. A missing Persons organization was able to discover that an Edward Clifford Sherwood did live in Edmonton, Alberta in 1987, but it is not clear if they were ever able to track him. His driver's license showed the same date of birth as the missing boy. An alternative theory that has been raised is that the two might have skipped class to go fishing or play somewhere near one of the local lakes or rivers. Some witnessess came forward with reported sightings of the two boys hitchhiking near the Vaudreuil area. witnesses reported seeing them hitchhiking in the Vaudreuil area close to the intersection of the Ottawa River, St. Lawrence River, and the Lake of Two Mountains. It is not known if they might have been picked up by someone or faced an accident somewhere. Police received an anonymous letter in 1955 that said the boys were linked to another disappearance, that of a local florist (female, middle-aged) from Verdun. Supposedly, the boys were working with her as runners or messengers. More information about that case (i.e., her name) has not been released.

Location of the Disappearance or Crime Scene

Street

Potential Circumstances

Body of Water, Hitchhiking, Multiple Victims, Non-Custodial Parent, Out with Friends, Playing Outside, Rumored Sightings, Runaway, Skipped School, To or From School, Walking, With Others

Vehicle

License Plate

Photo of Vehicle

Suspect

Suspect Description

Photo of Suspect