Abducted Boy, Father Reunited

A 13-year-old boy lured from his Long Beach home in April, 1983, by a man now charged with molesting him was reunited with his father during a tearful meeting here Wednesday.

Curly-haired Robert C. Smith Jr., 13, sporting a state police baseball cap, hugged his father, Robert Sr., in silence when they were brought together at Rhode Island State Police headquarters.

“I never lost faith,” Smith, a machine shop foreman, said as he hugged his son during a 20-minute news conference. “I never thought it was going to be two years. I went from day to day.”

Bobby told reporters that he is anxious to return home to see his mother and six brothers and sisters. He also wants to return to school, having attended only “a couple of times” since he left home on April 10, 1983.

Two Dozen Aliases

David R. Collins, an ex-convict from Buffalo, N.Y., with two dozen known aliases, allegedly kept the boy as his “son” for 21 months. He reportedly lured the youngster away after giving him money to play video games.

Collins, 54, was jailed without bail on charges of first-degree sexual assault and being a fugitive from justice in California, where he is wanted for the kidnaping.

After the reunion with his father, Bobby appeared before a Providence County Grand Jury, which is expected to return indictments against Collins.

Rhode Island Atty. Gen. Arlene Violet said speedy presentation of the case was made “while the youth was here, and in an effort to avoid further unnecessary disruption in his life.”

Citing secrecy rules, Violet would not confirm or deny that state police had the identities of other children who may have been involved with Collins, and whether that information was presented to the grand jury.

Smith said his son knew Collins through another child in Long Beach.

‘Probably Brainwashed’

“He (Collins) probably brainwashed him,” State Police Capt. John T. Leyden said. “The kid was afraid. He didn’t know if his parents would want him back after being gone so long.”

The boy was found Monday by police in a bizarre twist to an investigation of a fatal car crash in which Todd LaRue, 17, of Smithfield, R.I., was killed.

The car was registered to a man named Robert Hickcox, who was actually Collins. When they found Collins at a Providence apartment, police also found Bobby, who admitted his identity during questioning.

Bobby told police he had been taken to Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Louisiana, Washington state, Oregon, and Springfield, Fall River and New Bedford, Mass., before coming to Rhode Island about six months ago.

Smith said he expected he and his son would return home today.

“He’s a lot bigger,” Smith said of his son, who was 11 when he last saw him.