Muted Cries. “A mother in search of her son battles…
By: Cameo Contreras
Tags: True Crime, History, Womens Rights, Justice, Mental Health

Winslow brothers Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library

On May 16 of 1928 brothers, Nelson and Louis Winslow went missing on their way home to Pomona, a Los Angeles suburb. The family reported receiving strange letters from the boys immediately following their disappearance. The boys were not heard from again. In La Puente, another L.A. suburb, police had found the headless body of an unidentified Latino boy. With a community growing impatient, police needed to solve the Collins case.

A Cruel Hoax

Walter Collins left and the imposter ArthurHutchins Jr. right. Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Five months after her son’s disappearance Christine’s received the call she’d prayed for. L.A.P.D. Captain J.J. Jones contacted her to notify her Illinois police had located Walter. It was a complex story that would only get more bizarre over time.

At first contact, Walter had told police his name was Arthur Kent and he’d run away from home. After temporary placement in a foster family, Kemp admitted he was in fact, Arthur Collins. He’d lied out of fear. With little more information given, the police sent photos of the boy back to California. Those pictures ended up in the hands of Police Capt. J.J. Jones. who showed them to Christine for identification. She immediately said the boy pictured was not her son.

“Just try him out.”-Capt. Jones LAPD

Christine was adamant. The boy looked like her son, but it wasn’t Walter. Capt. Jones would hear none of it. He convinced her the change was due to the horrendous conditions of his time away from home. He said the lack of rest and proper nutrition was why her son looked so different. Hopeful that she was wrong, Christine sent the money for the train fare to bring her son home. At the train station, again Christine immediately told Jones, the boy was not Walter. With pressure mounting from the community to close the case Jones refused to listen. He convinced Collins that she needed to “ just try him out.” Emotionally drained, Collins gave in and took the boy home.

Over the next three weeks, Christine Collins lived a nightmare. She knew the child living with her was not her son, yet he proclaimed to be Walter Collins. Having made no progress convincing Jones, Christine began to seek help. She amassed sworn statements from friends and relatives who knew her son. They all declared the boy was an imposter. Armed with proof, she returned to LAPD for help. She took her son’s dental records and a statement from Walter’s childhood dentist with her to the station. The dentist attested that he had examined the boy and knew he could not be Walter. Walter had several fillings, as his X-rays proved, and the boy in question had none.

It fell on deaf ears. Jones flew into a rage and insisted Collins was trying to “embarrass” the department.

Abuse of Power

“You’re the most cruel-hearted woman I’ve ever known! You are a fool!” Jones reportedly told Collins. The captain didn’t stop there. He accused the grieving mother of trying to shirk her maternal duties. According to Jones, she wanted to be rid of her responsibility to her son. Determined to force her into submission, Jones went further. He had the grieving mother committed to a psychiatric hospital against her will.

Christine Collins remained hospitalized for a total of five days. It was on this day Jones discovered the truth about the boy. He had lied, and Christine Collins had been telling the truth all along; a truth that had fallen on deaf ears.

Upon her release, Collins immediately filed lawsuits against the city, the chief, and Capt. Jones. Thousands of Angelinos packed the new city hall to hear Collins testify. Walter’s dentist testified before the Health and Welfare committee about dental exams he’d performed on both boys. He explained how the differences in their findings pointed to different children. Despite testimony before the police commissioner and a grand jury, Collins would lose. Other than a minor suspension, they refused to discipline him further. He returned to work not long after.

Two years, and two trials later Christine Collins won a civil suit against Jones totaling $10,800. She stated she planned to use the money to fund her continued search for her son. It was money she would never see. Throughout her life, Collins would return to court demanding payment from Jones. He argued that he couldn’t afford the payment and each appearance the city tacked on interest. Still, he never paid.

Ties To A Serial Killer

While battling the Collins case in court, Jones worked another high profile case: The Wineville Chicken Murders. The mother and son duo killed many boys at their Southern California ranch. Jones believed that Walter Collins was among Wineville victims. He was likely right but he had no standing or credibility with Christine. She never believed it to be true. Child killer Gordon Northcott had written to Collins from his prison cell. He promised to give her the details of her son’s death if she visited him before his execution. She made the trip up to San Quentin only to be scoffed at by Northcott as he told her he had no idea what she was talking about. “I’m innocent!” He said.

Northcott’s mother confessed to the police that she and her son had killed Walter. She later recounted her confession. It made no difference to Christine. As a body was never found she remained hopeful she would find Walter until her death in 1964.

Imposter’s Story

So why did Arthur Hutchins pretend to be Walter? What was behind his bizarre actions? It was nothing more than a desire to get away from home. His father had remarried and Arthur was unhappy with his “cruel stepmother.” He’d run away from home and was in an Illinois diner when a stranger approached him. He told Arthur about the case and his uncanny resemblance to Walter. Hutchins said he’d always wanted to see Hollywood and figured it was worth a try. For three weeks he lived as Walter.

If there’s anything the Collins case teaches us, it’s how pervasive abuse of power can be. At individual and systemic levels, Christine Collins was profoundly abused. But she never gave up. She continued her fight. Undoubtedly her’s is a story of strength. The strength of one mother who refused to give up on her son. But also the strength of a system; a system so powerful that a mother’s cries remained unheard for decades.