Don’t let memories of missing children fade

Maybe it’s the idea of the universe coming through on some seemingly impossible justice; it’s supremely satisfying to see a child’s killer nailed many years after the crime.

Last week, 57-year-old Stanley Guidroz was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the 1983 death of his 2-year-old son, Wallace. Investigators say Guidroz has admitted to hitting and killing the toddler in a Fife apartment, then concocting a story about the child disappearing in Point Defiance Park.

Guidroz was a person of interest after Wallace vanished, but there was no body or other hard evidence. Then dad disappeared. Tacoma cold case detective Gene Miller caught up with him three years ago in Louisiana after he’d been arrested for murdering his wife. Whatever happens with the manslaughter charge, Guidroz won’t be going far: He’s now serving a life sentence.

Every time police break an old and seemingly hopeless case, it tells criminals they can never be quite sure of escaping justice. It can also stop a perpetrator who – like Guidroz – remains a danger to others.

Ordinary citizens often provide tips that help detectives solve these mysteries. As years go by, witnesses disperse and physical evidence becomes more elusive. Information from the public becomes increasingly important.

After more than 30 years, we now know what happened to little Wallace. Detectives continue to look for many others who’ve gone missing in the South Sound. Crime Stoppers offers one-stop shopping (www.tpcrimestoppers.com) for current information on many unsolved crimes and missing people. The Tacoma Police Department’s website has information on disappearances dating back to 1961.

We can’t cover all of them in this space, but here are several cases involving young children:

Many years may pass, but cases like these do not lose their urgency. The disappearance of children, especially, leaves families in a state of unending anxiety and dread.

They shouldn’t be forgotten. Technology is putting ever-more-powerful tools in the hands of cold case investigators; sometimes all they need is an old memory or photograph volunteered by a citizen.

As the Wallace Guidroz case demonstrates, it’s never too late to stop looking.

This story was originally published September 23, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Don’t let memories of missing children fade."