The Chilliwack Progress from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada • Page 7

THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, Wednesday, April 7, 1993 A 7 Forty-year-old missing child case has Chilliwack connection By Philip Salembier "Our motive is to simply allow a mother her dying wish, to see her son again." Jim Tanner A 1 1 A ill i krv; Ll i I i 2 -t i wood and Edward Walter Thorne, died in Chilliwack in the Empress Hotel on Oct. 28, 1987 at the age of 87. The senior Sherwood had a checkered past. He married seven times that Tanner is able to confirm, but divorced just once. Two of his wives live in the U.S., the rest are in Canada.

Oddly, Tex is reputed to given his American offspring the same names as his Canadian children. When he worked it was primarily as a welder. He is believed to have worked in Chilliwack with a firm called Commonwealth Industries, Tanner said. He was also reputed to be a heavy drinker who was sometimes violent. Tex's alcholism could be a problem, Tanner said.

"My concern is that because of the father being so abusive and a drinker, we might find that this fellow (Clifford), too, has a drinking problem. "He has been fed a lot of lies over the years (and) at first, he will want to deny it." Tanner said there is a strong possibility that Clifford is living in Alberta or B.C. His father may have given him a new name and it is known Tex spent some time in Edmonton. One lead turned up in 1987 in Edmonton where a driver's licence had been issued under the name Edward Clifford Sherwood the birthdate was the same as that of Clifford Edward. "I would say, based on that (Alberta) driver's licence existing, I think there's a very good chance" of finding Clifford, Tanner said.

Chilliwack RCMP Staff Sgt. Del Ferrel confirmed yesterday that police are assisting in the search at the request of the RCMP's head office in Ottawa. Anyone who remembers Clifford or Tex and who may have information on Clifford's whereabouts is asked to contact Tanner at 1-977-9633; or the Missing Children's Network at (514) 843-4333. Staff Reporter He was nine, small for his age, with dun-colored hair and a nervous stutter when he disappeared from his home in Verdun, Que. Clifford Edward Sherwood was next seen in Chilliwack and now, 39 years later, his 74-year-old mother still hopes to find him.

Investigators believe Clifford was abducted by his father on Oct. 21, 1954 in what is Canada's oldest missing child case, according to Susan Armstrong, co-founder of the Montreal-based Missing Children's Network. Clifford's mother Frances is now in failing health and hopes to be reunited with her son before she dies. "Our motive is to simply allow a mother her dying wish, to see her son again," a Valley private investigator working on the case says in a letter to The Progress. Jim Tanner, who works with RUOK (Are you OK) Services Inc.

in Clearbrook, says his company is covering its own expenses in the case. In an interview Monday, Tanner said he usually deals with corporate investigations and religious or cult-related investigations. He became interested in Clifford's case when he saw the boy's disappearance recreated on the television program Unsolved Mysteries. Because the PI firm is assisting on a volunteer basis, "we're handling this in a much more public way than we could," Tanner admitted. By going public he's hoping to turn up leads, someone who might remember the young boy and his father.

And Tanner said he hopes the case will "bring hope to other parents of missing kids." In his research into the case Tanner found that Clifford had four sisters, all of whom had been "farmed out to foster homes" two years before Clifford disappeared. Information obtained by Tanner suggests Clifford was boarded in Chilliwack from 1956-59 in a fami- 3: for as little as 14- An RCMP computer-enhanced image of Clifford Edward Sherwood (above) is extrapolated from a picture of the nine-year-old boy (below) who went missing on Oct. 21,1 954. ly associated with the name Morgan. "We probably won't find Mr.

Morgan alive, but maybe we'll find some of his offspring." The chances of Clifford coming forward on his own are slim, as he was told his mother had died of cancer, Tanner said. Clifford's father Tex, who also went by the aliases Nephi Sher 1 I. I 1 4 I 5 Including Freight and PDI 4 ii I mo. Looking for a vehicle that's sporty and gutsy, with great style, handling and safety features, that's economical and fun to drive? Then take a good look at the Asiina Sunrunner. You get the freedom of 4 wheel drive, the added value of five-speed transmission and standard rear wheel anti-lock brakes, plus: 1.6 Litre 4 Cylinder Engine Great Fuel Economy with 7.9L.100 km.

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