Missing in Maine: The Tragic Disappearance of Kurt Newton
Detectives have never determined if he got lost in the woods or was abducted by a stranger.
Kurt Newton loved to ride his Big Wheel. When he went camping with his family over Labor Day weekend in 1975, the 4-year-old made sure his Big Wheel was packed for the trip. Kurt, along with his parents, Ron and Jill Newton, and his 6-year-old sister, Kimberly, left their home in Manchester, Maine on Friday, August 29, 1975. They had recently bought a tent-trailer and were looking forward to spending the weekend at the Natanis Point Campground in Chain of Ponds, Maine, just a few miles from the Canadian border. After setting up their campsite and lighting a bonfire, the family settled in for a quiet night.
On Saturday, they were joined by three other young families from Manchester. The children raced around on their bicycles and Big Wheels while the adults cooked dinner and enjoyed a relaxing night in the wilderness. It seemed like a perfect way to end the summer, but their weekend away was about to turn into a nightmare.
It was chilly on Sunday morning and Kurt stuck close to the bonfire. After breakfast, he put a donut on a stick and warmed it in the fire; once he had eaten his sweet treat he sat by the fire for a few minutes as if pondering…
