Michael McCool, age 14, vanished from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1978.
He lived in on Albert Street in the Kensington neighborhood and was last seen leaving his home to go to the Acme Supermarket, where he worked as a bagger.
Reports state that his brother saw him briefly that afternoon, and also that he was seen with two unidentified men. It’s not clear whether these sightings are one and the same – did his brother see him with two men, or did someone else? A comment on Websleuths suggests that there were theories that the two men may have been arcade owners.
It’s also not clear where he was seen by his brother, and/or with the two men. It would make sense that he was seen at home by his brother, since reports say he was last seen leaving the house. But, it’s unclear.
I can only guess that Michael never made it to work, since the store isn’t mentioned as the place he was last seen, so the context of him being seen with two men would be helpful. I’m not sure that a bagger seen with two men in the context of bagging their groceries is suspicious at all; I probably see this same scenario each time I go grocery shopping, without even noticing. Was he seen with two men someplace else, perhaps after work, or is the implication that Michael never went to work at all?
I did find an article on missing persons in general, which included a brief piece about Michael. It states that Michael left his Albert Street home in the morning to head to work. Although this was the last time his mother saw him, it does mention that her son saw him briefly in the afternoon, and that was the last time he was seen. The article doesn’t specify where he was seen in the afternoon, and doesn’t mention the two men. It also doesn’t verify whether or not he ever arrived at work.
I also found a brief missing person notice that does mention him being seen with two men, but more importantly, it features what looks to be a much more recent photo of him.
Michael’s mother believed he was deceased when she was interviewed for the above article twenty years after he disappeared. She stated her belief that her son hadn’t lived to be 15. Michael remains unaccounted for and I’ve seen no media coverage since 1998.
Sources:
The Charley Project
Websleuths
Newspapers.com
Whereabouts Still Unknown 