George Barksdale and Solomon Rose (Missing Persons)

George Barksdale was just four years old when he disappeared from Baltimore, Maryland in April 1969. The little boy was last seen sitting on the steps of a church opposite his home. One lead suggests he may have been taken by a 70 year old woman. Three years later, on April 1st 1972, three year old Solomon Rose vanished during a trip to a shopping mall in West Baltimore. He has not been seen since and is believed to have been abducted.

Sources for the episode can be found here

Transcript

George Barksdale and Solomon Rose

This episode covers the cases of two missing children. Please exercise self care when choosing to listen. 

The United House of Prayer for All People (UHOP) is a Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1919 by Daddy Grace in Massachusetts. Known for its lively worship services featuring brass bands, dancing, and spirited preaching, the church emphasizes salvation, baptism, healing, and community service. It has played a significant role in African American religious life, particularly in urban areas like Washington, D.C. The church also operates housing, social programs, and businesses to support its members. The church remains active in around 30 states and has up to 50,000 members across America.

When Daddy Grace died in January 1960 the leadership of UHOP was taken over by Bishop Walter W McCullough. On May 25th 1969 Bishop McCullough visited the UHOP church situated at Preston Street and Argyle Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. The local congregation was pastored by Elder George Williams and the building was packed inside and out as members gathered to hear the bishop preach.

As part of the service congregants could make their way to the front of the church to receive prayer and a blessing from Bishop McCullough. As music played and the room was filled with joy and dancing, a young mother, Lucretia Scott came forward for prayer and help. The mood in the room changed quickly as Lucretia poured out her heart to Bishop McCullough. Lucretia was grieving for her 4 year old son, George Barksdale, who had not been seen since Monday April 21st, over five weeks ago.

There was a pause in the upbeat service as people reflected on Lucretia’s sad predicament. Bishop McCullough prayed for Lucretia and made a visible sign of his blessing over her. This act gave the family hope that things would turn out alright in the end.

George Barksdale, known affectionately by his nickname, “Sputnick”, was last seen sitting on the steps outside the UHOP church at Preston Street and Argyle Avenue between 8 and 9pm on April 21st 1969. George and his family lived directly opposite the church in the 1000 block of Argyle Avenue. George lived there with his five year old twin brothers, a 2 year old brother and a 7 week old little baby brother. George's grandmother Doris McCray also lived at the home. At the time of his disappearance George’s father was in prison for failing to pay child support. 

George was known to hang around on the steps of the church. Lots of neighbourhood children did this, especially if there was a church service going on. What happened to George after he was seen on the steps is a mystery, as there were no eyewitnesses to events. There are no details of exactly when it was realised that George was missing or when it was reported to the police.

I have even found some discrepancies concerning the date George is said to have gone missing. Most sources indicate it was Monday April 21st 1969 but the National Center for Missing and Exploited children states the day before, April 20th. What is certain is that George was four years old, as his birthday was February 10th 1965. According to the Charley Project he was 2 feet 6 and 35lbs. When he was last seen George was wearing a red, white and blue pullover polo shirt, red or possibly blue corduroy trousers and black sneakers with red stripes along the bottom. George had black hair, brown eyes and a birthmark on his left calf.

The family said that George was happy at home. He could talk very well and if someone had taken him in, believing him to be lost, he would have asked to go home. George knew his address off by heart and the names of his relatives. George's grandmother Doris said if someone tried to take him he would not have gone willingly and they would have had to have done it by force. 

Agents from the Missing Persons Bureau, the Criminal Investigation Division and officers from Central District were engaged in a search of the local neighborhood. Around 60 houses in an area by Argyle and Pennsylvania Avenues were visited and the occupants interviewed. An area including Shields Place and Greenwillow and Preston Streets was also visited by officers. Particular attention was paid to vacant buildings, rubbish bins, small alleys, old abandoned fridges and air ducts. The House of Prayer building itself was searched thoroughly. 

Over the next week or so, his family also looked all over for George, staying out night after night. They focused on a low rent area called George B Murphy Homes, a public housing complex spanning 15 acres. 

Altogether 200 people were questioned. Some individuals were put forward as suspects through tips, including some church members. The local newspaper the  Baltimore Afro American reported on June 21st 1969 that several men suspected of involvement in the disappearance were questioned but all were released without charge. 

Law enforcement was struggling to develop leads. Sgt Peterson of Baltimore police described the disappearance as unusual. Normally if a child that little went missing they would turn up pretty quickly. 

Cora January of the Missing Persons youth division told press that there were two likely possibilities. The first was that someone, very possibly a childless woman, had taken George and was keeping him hidden out of sight. In this scenario the kidnapper would look to bring up George as their own. If this was the case there was a chance that, due to George's young age, the culprit would never be apprehended. If investigators were able to track this person down they could be charged with child stealing, which, while serious, is a lesser offence than kidnapping. A charge of kidnapping would come into consideration if a ransom was asked for or George was taken across state lines. 

The other possibility was that George had been taken by someone who wanted to harm or murder him. This was an outcome no one wanted to comprehend. However, without clear evidence of this outcome family and investigators tried to remain hopeful. Some information did come to light that gave cause for optimism.

Late on the evening of Thursday June 26th police received a lead that pointed to George being in Anne Arundel county. This is a rural county a half hour drive south along I-97 from Baltimore. According to Sergeant Daniel Peterson of the Baltimore police, the information came after a search of the neighborhood close to where George lived. This is where police were going to focus until they heard anything to the contrary. 

Notwithstanding this new development, George's family felt that the police had not been doing their utmost to find the little boy. George's grandmother Doris McCray was emotional when she spoke with the Baltimore Afro American. She compared the response to her black grandson going missing with that of a white girl a short time ago. In that instance she said the whole town had gone out searching but she felt nobody cared about George and the family's plight. 

In her interview with the paper Doris suggested that some information she had found out during her own inquiries in the neighborhood had not been taken seriously by police. This information included a story which had come from a local woman. The woman said that on the day George went missing, and literally just minutes before he was last seen, she had witnessed a man walking hand in hand with her own son. The woman managed to catch up with them and after confronting the man he walked away.

In response to this criticism Sgt Daniel Peterson assured the public that they were following every lead that came up. Indeed he mentioned one report given to them by Doris which said George may be in South Carolina. This lead was investigated by police but nothing came of it. 

The ordeal had taken a significant toll on Doris and on George's mother Lucretia. They both suffered nervous breakdowns. Doris was so consumed by the constant worry that she was struggling to cope with routine tasks like cooking. On one occasion she was so distracted she badly burned herself on a kitchen utensil. 

The family’s fragile mental state was not helped by numerous crank calls that came direct to their home One woman called to say that the body of a young boy, fitting George's description, had been found in a river nearby. This caused a great deal of distress for the family only for the police to confirm that no such discovery had been made. 

The strain became so much that Doris moved out of the family house, as being there just made George's absence all the more unbearable. Doris didn't go far, just around the corner to Myrtle Avenue. It gave her a little space to function and carry on with everyday life. 

The police were publicly saying they believed George was still alive. The reasoning was that if he had been murdered they would have found the body by now. This theory was largely based around a lead that came into investigators in July 1969, though I think it was made public in October 1969. This was the information that was presented.

The Missing Person Bureau received a phone call from a woman who worked at St Martin Church, located at 31 North Fulton Avenue. This is a five minute drive south east from George's family home on Argyle Street. The caller said that a black woman with white hair and aged around 70 had come to the church to collect food stamps. This is a Federal program to help low income people get access to healthy food. The 70 year old woman explained that she needed enough money to purchase food to last until her monthly cheque was deposited into her account. A little boy was with the woman and according to the caller the boy was far too young to be the woman's child. 

As part of the process of administering food stamps the church worker needed to collect certain details from the woman, including information about the child who was with her. When the worker asked the woman for the boy's name she was said to have hesitated but the boy responded "George". Further questioning by the church worker saw the woman explain that the boy belongs to her daughter who had recently died. In other words, she was the boy's grandmother. The worker took the name and address of the woman and then she left.

For assistance to be given there are certain documents that are required to be checked by social services and the department of education, such as the birth certificate of the child. When authorities tried to follow up with the women they found she had given a false address. 

I'm not sure exactly when the church worker made the connection with the George Barksdale case but after providing the tip investigators set out to trace the woman. While at the church the woman had given the surname “Williams”. A citywide search of records of people claiming assistance via social services was carried out. There was no one fitting the description of the woman with the name Williams in the system. The hope was that if this woman did have George she would eventually slip up and give away his real identity. The police said they would wait for this to happen. 

Over the summer of 1969 the search spanned 13 states but any tips that were received led nowhere. In November 1969 a couple of more leads came in. One was an anonymous caller who claimed to know the whereabouts of George, and the other came after a woman wrote directly to George's grandmother Doris. The letter writer said she could help find the missing child. Alas these too came to a dead end.  

If the woman did have George she never did make a mistake and he remains a missing person. 

Almost three years exactly after George went missing something very similar happened just two miles north of Argyle Avenue, at Mondawmin shopping mall. 

On the evening of Saturday April 1st 1972, 22 year old mother Charlene Gray visited the mall from her home on 1100 Block of North Stricker Street in Harlem Park. (Some accounts use the name Geraldine instead of Charlene but I think this is a mistake). For reference, North Street is less than a 10 minute drive from Mondawmin mall and less than a mile from the home of George Barksdale and his family. On the shopping trip with Charlene were her three year old son Solomon Rose and her 7 year old niece. 

While at the mall Charlene needed to cash a cheque at the bank situated on the third floor. Charlene left little Solomon with her niece watching television on the walls of one of the stores. The time was 8pm. After finishing her business in the bank Charlene returned to the place she had left the children. She had been gone for just a couple of minutes. 

To her shock only her niece was there and Solomon was nowhere to be seen. When Charlene asked her niece where Solomon was, the girl replied that she had not seen him. Beginning to feel a sense of panic, Charlene went to an information point in the mall and asked staff if they could announce on the intercom tannoy system that Solomon was missing. The operator of the system refused to do this. Charlene was left dumbfounded and broken by this callous response. 

It is a little unclear exactly what happened over the next four days. Solomon's grandmother Daisy Jackson, who lived with Solomon and his mother, spoke with the Baltimore Afro American April 8th 1972 edition. She informed the newspaper that a girl witness had come forward to say they had seen a young boy wandering around looking for his mama on the first floor. (That's the ground floor if you are from the UK). Daisy indicated that she thought someone may have taken Solmon from the second floor down to the first and that he couldn't go back up as he was afraid of escalators. From here Solomon disappeared into thin air.

On Monday April 3rd, less than 48 hours after Solomon went missing, Charlene received a call from the police that her son had been found and was at a foster home. She rushed downstairs to tell her mother and sisters the happy news but the moment of joy was short-lived. Just five minutes later the police called back to say there had been a mistake and Solomon had not been found. I cannot imagine what that did to Charlene.

I can't find much information on the search for Solomon until Thursday April 6th. It was on this date that Lieutenant John A Riggin of the Baltimore police department led a search across Druid Hill park, which consists of 745 acres of urban parkland in north west Baltimore. It's about a twenty minute walk east from the mall.

A helicopter was used to cover the vast acreage from the air and 25 police officers accompanied by 20 national guard, under the leadership of Col Charles Tenhyson searched the ground. The team assembled at Mansion House in the centre of the park at 8.30am and a grid map was used to split the park into different zones. Such was the determination and resolve of the search party, they announced they would continue until Solmon had been found or his whereabouts  had clearly been determined.

Solomon Rose the third, middle name Gomile or Gomile (it's been really hard to find out how it is pronounced) was nicknamed “Poone” by his family. 4.22 At the time he went missing he was 36 inches tall and weighed 38lbs. His hair was cut into a short afro. When Solomon went to the mall that evening he was wearing a blue turtleneck sweater, blue and white chequed trousers and a fur like coat. On his feet he wore tan buck shoes. Through local newspapers the family urged the public to help locate Solomon. Both his mother Charlene and grandmother Daisy were beside themselves and officer Muscalli from the Missing Persons Bureau spent a lot of time supporting them through what was the most stressful experience of their lives.

A week passed and there was still no sign of Solomon but Sgt George Christian said the search was continuing around Druid Hill park and at other city locations. The story of the missing infant touched many people in the local community. The offices of the Baltimore Afro American received over 100 calls inquiring if he had been found.

On the evening of Wednesday April 12th a rumour circulated that Solomon had been found inside a Mondawmin department store. Police and the press responded to a report from 1500 Block West Saratoga Street that a 15 year old girl said she had found the missing child near a lunch room. This location is a ten minute drive south from the Mondawmin mall. Police officers combed the area until past 11.30pm but found no trace of the girl or Solomon. An article in the Baltimore Afro American from April 22nd details that the story was the girl had found Solmon in a refrigerator. So I presume that  according to this story Solmon had been found deceased. Either way, it seems the whole saga was a fabrication.

Three weeks after Solomon vanished, city authorities still felt that he was alive and unharmed. A reward fund was established and contributed to by relatives and local business owners. It rapidly grew to two thousand dollars. Charlene and Daisy pleaded with whoever had Solomon to understand their grief and begged them to return Solomon safely.

In a very interesting development both the family and the police said that if Solomon was returned there would be no questions asked and they would not pursue the person who had taken him. Their heartfelt and emotional request went unheeded.

There was a reported sighting of Solomon playing in the 1200 block of Eutaw Place. This is about a mile and a half south east of the Mondawmin mall. Police rushed to the scene but discovered it was not Solomon. It was a 6 year old boy who wore a fur coat like Solomon’s and had curly hair styled in a similar way. 

Charlene and Daisy clung to the hope that Solomon had been taken in by a friendly, childless woman. Daisy's own home number was published in the press and people with any pertinent information were asked to either contact her directly, the offices of the Baltimore Afro American or the Missing Persons  bureau.

Not many leads came in but those that did, Daisy and Charlene personally followed up. In June they both went to Washington DC because they had read a story in the newspaper about a boy who had been found abandoned on June 3rd. By the time Daisy and Charlene arrived the little boy had already been claimed by his aunt. However, both women believed a photo they were shown of the abandoned boy looked like Solomon. They asked for permission to meet the boy in person but the police refused this request.

Daisy and Charlene also made the trip south to Virginia after the body of a little boy was found in a creek in Fairfax county on June 13th 1972. They were shown a picture of the deceased child and concluded it was not Solomon. 

Then in September 1972 another three year old boy went missing in Baltimore, this time from Lakeview Avenue, which is a mile and a half east of Mondawmin mall.

The small child was crossing the road with either an older brother or cousin (from reports it's a little difficult to ascertain) when he fell over and hurt his leg. A moment later a woman came out of a phone booth, walked over to the injured child and picked him up. She proceeded to walk down Lakeview Avenue and went out of sight. The older brother or cousin went to his aunt's house and reported what had happened. 

The little boy was missing overnight but was found by neighbourhood children in a basement of an apartment opposite where the boy lived. The child was wrapped in a blanket but his clothes had been removed. He was taken to Maryland hospital and was said to be well apart from needing some food. It was believed a drug addict had taken the boy and was planning on asking for a ransom. It does not seem to be connected to the cases of Solomon Rose or George Barksdale.

Solomon's fourth birthday was on November 10th. The date came and went without any news but around this time the FBI were said to want to get involved in the case. It seems information had reached them that Solomon had been taken out of the state of Maryland. 

I don't know what became of this lead.

Earlier I mentioned that Solomon Rose's mother and grandmother travelled to Fairfax county in Virginia after the body of a small boy was found in a creek. At the time they were shown a photograph of the deceased boy and told investigators it was not Solomon. The unidentified child was given the name  Charles Lee Charlet by a local church group and buried in Alexandria, Virginia. Law enforcement referred to the boy as John Lorton Doe as he was found under Old Colchester Bridge in Lorton. In 2016 the DNA of George Barksdale and Solomon Rose was compared with that of John Lorton Doe. Neither was a match.

John Lorton Doe was officially given his name back in August 2025 when genetic genealogy confirmed him to be Carl Matthew Bryant. Carl’s mother Vera Bryant and her boyfriend James Hedgepeth, both deceased, are believed to have been involved in his murder.  They are also thought to be involved with the murder of Carl's 6 month old baby brother, James. His remains have not been found. 

I first heard the names of George Barksdale and Solomon Rose when they were briefly mentioned in the DNA:ID podcast episode about Carl Bryant. It made me curious about both their stories as the cases have had very little exposure in decades.

I can’t see that the Baltimore authorities have ever said that the cases of Geroge Barksdale and Solomon Rose are connected. 

Due to their young ages, if George and Solomon were taken by individuals who planned on raising them as their own; they would be unaware of their true identities. As of the release of this podcast episode, if still alive, George would be 60 and Solomon 57. 

If you have any information about the whereabouts of George Barksdale or Solomon Rose you can contact the Baltimore City Police Department on 

443-984-7385 or 410-396-2640.