Swampscott Police Renew Push To Solve 45-Year-Old Murder

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — When 15-year-old Henry Bedard Jr. didn't come home from running some errands in December 1974, his parents knew something was wrong. They organized as many people as they could to search for their son. On Dec. 16, 1974, a ten-year-old boy stumbled on Bedard's body on a hill overlooking the Department of Public Works building that was a popular hangout for kids. The body was buried in a shallow grave under a pile of leaves just a few feet away from a Louisville Slugger

"It is possible he was going there to meet someone," Swampscott police said in a social media post marking this week's 45th anniversary of the still unsolved case. "The murderer(s) could have been someone he knew or a random act of violence."

Swampscott police, along with Massachusetts State Police Detectives CPAC Unit assigned to Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, have continued to field tips and investigate the case in the intervening decades. Investigators are hoping anyone with information that could help close the case will contact Detective Sergeant Jay Locke at 781-595-1111 or JLocke@SwampscottPolice.com.

Swampscott and State Police have never identified a suspect. The investigation was hampered because Bedard's body was found 24 hours after he was killed and after a night of heavy rain. Investigators believe the bat found near Bedard's body was the murder weapon. It has unique markings on the grip.

Police also found a small bottle of perfume at the crime scene that Bedard had purchased at CVS an hour before he was killed. He was also seen near the CVS by a former Swampscott police lieutenant, and talked with two workers in the DPW yard before climbing the hill where his body was found.

Bedard’s sister, Cheryl Armas, and his former girlfriend, Cindy Cavallaro, renewed the push to close the case in 2011, when they started a Facebook group to generate new leads.

"Over the years this case has had many pieces of information brought to investigators, along with numerous interviews to obtain as much info as possible," Swampscott police said. "As in any investigation of this nature, an attempt to connect physical evidence to those individual(s) involved is the goal."