VANISHED: Henry Baltimore Jr.

Summary

VANISHED: Henry Baltimore Jr. - A Detailed Summary

Podcast: Up and Vanished Weekly
Host: Maggie Freeling
Guest: Alvin Williams
Release Date: June 4, 2025

---

Introduction to the Case

In the episode titled "VANISHED: Henry Baltimore Jr.," hosts Maggie Freeling and Payne Lindsay explore the perplexing disappearance of Henry Lewis Baltimore Jr., a promising young student from Michigan State University (MSU). This case, spanning over five decades, remains unsolved, leaving Henry's family and community yearning for answers. Joining Maggie is Alvin Williams, a fellow podcaster from Affirmative Murder, who provides additional insights into the investigation and its shortcomings.

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Background on Henry Baltimore

Henry Baltimore was more than just an average college student. Standing over six feet tall, Henry was not only a distinguished member of MSU's marching band but also one of its first two black drum majors. His unique integration of drumming with coordinated dance moves made him a standout figure on campus. Alvin Williams describes Henry as:

“A bright light. An honor student... balancing academics with his band commitments and a job... a likable guy.”
[05:46]

Henry's dedication extended beyond music; he was majoring in both psychology and music with aspirations of becoming a social worker. His family, one of eight siblings, revered him for his joyful demeanor, helpful nature, and ability to light up any room. Despite his academic and extracurricular commitments, Henry maintained a balanced social life, regularly enjoying late-night chats, music sessions, and relaxed gatherings with his roommates—George, Paul, and Tony.

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The Night of the Robbery

The tranquility of Henry's life was shattered on Saturday evening, March 3, 1973. Alone in his East Lansing apartment, Henry was abruptly attacked by two men who forcibly entered his home. During the assault, Henry was pistol-whipped, leaving him dazed but recognizing one of his assailants. The robbers ransacked his apartment, taking items that included golf clubs, a leather jacket, approximately $60 in cash, and a few joints. Notably, the theft appeared petty, lacking any significant monetary gain or valuables that might suggest a deeper motive beyond the immediate act.

Alvin Williams reflects on the incident's impact:

“Sometimes trouble just finds good people. This is just a good person... he's in school, he's giving back to his community, he's in the arts. And this... he's been pistol whipped...”
[19:41]

The trauma from the robbery profoundly affected Henry. He became withdrawn, anxious, and fearful, significantly altering his previously vibrant personality.

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Investigation and Legal Proceedings

Initially hesitant to report the crime, Henry was torn between confronting his aggressor and protecting himself from potential retaliation. It was his father who convinced him to file a police report ten days later, leading to the charge against Roy Davis for the robbery.

However, the situation quickly escalated. Roy Davis, upon facing charges, returned to Henry's apartment with the intention of coercing him into dropping the case. Alvin Williams explains:

“Roy Davis infiltrated this party atmosphere... when he saw Henry Baltimore, he thought he had more than he had.”
[16:31]

Despite feeling pressured, Henry attended a pretrial hearing where Roy attempted to intimidate him, leading Henry to reluctantly comply with the legal process. The authorities, however, showed minimal interest initially, dismissing the case as trivial and underestimating the severity of the threats against Henry.

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Henry's Disappearance

On Wednesday, May 30, 1973, Henry Baltimore was reported missing under suspicious circumstances. Neighbors observed an unfamiliar green car parked near his apartment and two men aggressively knocking on his door. When Henry’s family visited his apartment, everything seemed untouched except for his absence—his belongings were in place, and his car remained in its parking spot.

Alvin Williams criticizes the police response:

“They just dismiss it, assuming he fled... lost another 24 hours, and Henry Baltimore has never been seen again.”
[30:34]

Despite compelling evidence suggesting foul play, the authorities were slow to act, initially believing Henry might have left voluntarily to avoid court proceedings.

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Theories and Analysis

Alvin Williams posits that the two men seen at Henry's door were likely associates or accomplices of Roy Davis, possibly hired to silence Henry permanently. However, he expresses skepticism about the possibility of Roy hiring hitmen due to his limited resources, suggesting instead that Roy himself might have been directly involved.

“Roy Davis was from a very impoverished part of Michigan... I don’t think he respected Henry Baltimore enough to hire hitmen...”
[38:44]

He further critiques the investigation for its lack of thoroughness:

“There was no detailed statement from the neighbors, no photos of the car... just speculation.”
[32:45]

Alvin emphasizes the racial tensions of the 1970s, suggesting that systemic biases may have contributed to the insufficient investigation:

“The school was segregated... people were just written off as criminals without proper scrutiny.”
[40:00]

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Current Status and Appeals

Decades after Henry's disappearance, his family continues to seek answers. In 2014, both the city of East Lansing and Michigan State University offered a combined reward of $5,000 each for information leading to Henry's whereabouts or the prosecution of his abductor.

Henry's aunt, representing the family, made an impassioned plea:

“We forgive you for what you've done. And we want to have closure within our family... Please, please do my family a favor.”
[46:18]

Despite persistent efforts, Henry remains missing, and the case remains cold, with no concrete leads emerging over the years.

---

Conclusion

The disappearance of Henry Baltimore Jr. is a tragic tale of a young man's life cut short under mysterious and violent circumstances. Despite appearing to have a straightforward case with identifiable suspects and motives, systemic failures in the investigation, compounded by the social dynamics of the time, have left the truth elusive. Henry’s legacy as a trailblazing student and beloved community member continues to inspire ongoing efforts to uncover the truth and bring closure to his grieving family.

---

Notable Quotes

• Alvin Williams on Henry’s Potential and Loss:
  “This is just a good person... he's in school, he's giving back to his community, he's in the arts. And this... he's been pistol whipped...”
  [19:41]

• Henry on the Case’s Solvability:
  “It feels like this is a slam dunk case if there was any money invested in investigating it.”
  [09:40]

• Family’s Appeal for Justice:
  “We forgive you for what you've done. And we want to have closure within our family... Please, please do my family a favor.”
  [46:18]

---

Final Thoughts

Henry Baltimore Jr.'s case underscores the profound impact of unresolved disappearances on families and communities. It highlights the necessity for diligent and unbiased investigative practices, especially in cases involving potential witness intimidation and racial complexities. As Up and Vanished Weekly brings attention to this cold case, it serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring quest for justice and the human stories behind every missing person case.

Transcript

[Maggie Freeling]

You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast.

[Payne Lindsay]

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[Alvin Williams]

She was a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, a hero.

[Maggie Freeling]

She was stoic, modest, tough, someone who inspired people. Everyone thought they knew her until they didn't. I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real? Is this real? Is this real?

[Henry Baltimore]

Is this real? I just couldn't wrap my head around.

[Alvin Williams]

What kind of person would do that to another person that was getting treatment, that was, you know, dying. This is a story all about trust and about a woman named Sarah Kavanaugh.

[Henry Baltimore]

I've always been told I'm a really good listener, right? And I maximized that while I was lying.

[Alvin Williams]

Listen to Deep Cover the Truth About Sarah wherever you get your podcasts.

[John]

Up and Vanish Weekly is released every Wednesday and brought to you absolutely free, but for one week early access and ad free listening. Subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. If you're already a subscriber. Thank you for your support.

[Maggie Freeling]

This podcast discusses mature and sensitive content, including descriptions of violence that may be triggering for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Hey y' all. Welcome to another episode of up and Vanish Weekly. I'm your host, Maggie Freeling. Every day, ordinary people are victims of petty crimes like robberies and pickpocketing. Most of the time, the victim will walk away physically unharmed. Though psychological scars are nothing to scoff at, there are times when an incident can change the entire trajectory of a person's life. That's the case with Henry Lewis Baltimore, who was just an average college kid before his life was turned upside down one Saturday evening in 1973, triggering a sequence of life altering events that led to his eventual disappearance. He has not been seen or heard from in over 50 years. So here speaking with me Today about Henry's case is a friend of mine, Alvin Williams, a fellow podcaster and someone I've known for a minute now. Alvin, it's been so long. It's so good to see you. Can you introduce yourself for listeners who might be unfamiliar with you?

[Henry Baltimore]

My name is Alvin Williams. I do a little podcast called Affirmative Murder, which, Maggie, you actually were a great help to early on, so I'm really appreciative of that. You were just kind words in the beginning. So much appreciation. We try to focus on stories that don't get as much mainstream media attention to try to boost however we can.

[Maggie Freeling]

What made you guys want to start doing that?

[Henry Baltimore]

Well, we were listening, we were true crime fans, we enjoyed the genre and stories and things of that nature, but we felt like the demographics skewed one way as far as the storytellers. And we would hear stories from people from our communities and a lot of times the people that we enjoyed very much, they would be so confounded by intercommunal things that they might not understand. And so we were like, well, I mean, we've listened to a few podcasts. Why not just get the equipment and see what happens?

[Maggie Freeling]

I love that you guys are still around. And what I love about you, you were one of the first to be doing this, is that you'll typically cover stories with victims who don't always get attention. You said you try to spotlight cases that have nuances that people from different walks of life may not fully understand. And that is definitely the situation with this case. There are a lot of interesting aspects that we're going to unpack. So let's kick things off and learn more about the day that triggered this spiral in Henry's life, climaxing with his disappearance. Here's Rob with the details.

[Henry Baltimore]

Foreign.

[Alvin Williams]

It'S the evening of Saturday, March 3, 1973. As the door to his East Lansing, Michigan apartment clicks shut. Henry Lewis, Baltimore Junior, a student in Michigan State University, starts to wind down for the night. His roommates have all left for evening classes and the honor student settles in, unaware that the emptiness of his apartment is setting the stage for a life altering event. A pounding at his door comes without warning. Moments later, two men force their way inside. He can see the intensity on their faces. Within moments, Henry is bound to his bed as the cold metal of a pistol presses against his temple before it cracks against his skull. Henry watches helplessly as the men ransack his apartment. The blow to the head leaves him dazed, but Henry recognizes one of the men. In a flash, the pair are gone. As quickly as they came. In the aftermath, Henry is left spiraling, unsure what to do. Does he go to authorities and confront his aggressor, or does he keep quiet? The weight of the decision weighs on Henry. The events of the following weeks would only complicate the situation. There were knocks at the door with a clear message, don't testify. There was the passive aggressive warning, I ain't got nothing to lose at this point. And then things take an unforeseen turn. Three months later, Henry's once looted apartment would sit untouched. Clothes in the closet, books on the desk, toothbrush in the bathroom. Everything in its place except for Henry, who was nowhere to be found. So had the threats forced Henry into hiding? Or was there a more alarming explanation to his absence from Tenderfoot TV and Atlanta? This is up and Vanish Weekly with Payne, Lindsay and Maggie Freeling.

[Maggie Freeling]

Henry's case is so interesting to me because it's one of those where the answers seem to be right there. We have names, we know who he was with. Everything points in one direction. We don't need to make many guesses. So it's just so frustrating. We're going to get into all of it. Alvin, how did you hear about Henry's case?

[Henry Baltimore]

I just kind of stumbled upon it. I don't know if you've ever seen Drumline. I'm a big fan of the movie Drumline, and when I found out that he was the first black drum major at msu, I just thought that was such a cool accomplishment. And then I started to read little blurbs and stuff about how innovative he was and how much people loved him. And this is one of those stories where it didn't get any kind of attention. And. But when you go in and you. You micro and you zoom in, this is a guy full of love and life, and his family was so proud of him. And it was, to them, it's the most devastating thing in the world. But this was really. This really was just like another day in the news headlines. Like, it didn't catch the nation's attention. And when you zoom in, it's like, this is. I mean, this is an all American guy. You know, he's a college student doing great. He's on honors, um, he's accomplishing great things in music. And everybody on campus loved him. And then he just disappears one day.

[Maggie Freeling]

And it seems like the other thing about it is, it. It. It's pretty solvable seeming if anyone, you know, did their jobs appropriately.

[Henry Baltimore]

Maggie, I don't want to speak, like, too confidently and Be hyperbolic, but it feels like this is a slam dunk case if there was any money invested in investigating it. Um, and now it's been many a decade later, which makes it really hard. But even the things that could be done to solve it seems like it just comes down to money.

[Maggie Freeling]

So let's start. Who was Henry Lewis Baltimore? You said he's a really beloved, accomplished young man. Tell me a bit about where he's from, his family.

[Henry Baltimore]

So Henry is from the Michigan area. He's one of eight kids. His older sister was going to Michigan State, so she was super happy when he got in and decided to go down and join her down there. And he was just a young guy with aspirations of doing music. He was a major in psychology and both in psychology and music. And he was just a joy. Like, really. He's one of those guys that I think we all know where you just. There's not. Nobody had a bad thing to say about him. He was fun. He lit up a room. He didn't have problems with anybody. He was a great student and very helpful and a likable guy. The band was very popular at msu. So whatever thing people might have in their minds when they hear marching band about dweebs or whatever kind of, you know, pejorative things you want to say, they were very well liked. So they would mingle with the football players and. And they would have kickbacks at their. At their apartment.

[Maggie Freeling]

Right. And from everything we've read about Henry, he was super liked by everyone. And to me, that's what makes this entire storyline about the robbery and everything that follows so disturbing. So here's what we know.

[Alvin Williams]

Before the events that led to his disappearance, Henry was known as an energetic young man with a large personality. He had already made his mark as one of Michigan State's first two black drum majors, alongside his good friend Robert James. Standing over 6ft tall, Henry was an impressive figure in his band uniform. He quickly became known for his unique style of drumming integrated with coordinated dance moves, something he had been developing since childhood. To those who knew him, Henry was a bright light. An honor student majoring in psychology who balanced academics with his band commitments and a job at the university library. His goal was to become a social worker after graduation. His family says he knew who he was and where he was going. Henry shared an off campus apartment with roommates George, Paul and Tony. The three got along well and regularly enjoyed late night chats, lots of music, and laid back parties. Before the robbery, the friends say Henry was confident and outgoing. The Kind of person whose presence elevated those around him. But the events of the evening of March 3rd changed everything. His roommates noticed an immediate difference in Henry's demeanor. He became quiet and increasingly more fearful. The carefree student who once commanded the field now found himself looking over his shoulder. Fearing that things were spiraling out of control. As he faced mounting pressure of potential retribution, he couldn't help but wonder, how did it come to this? Why was all this happening?

[Maggie Freeling]

So tell me about this incident in 1973 when. With Roy Davis. How does he even get wrapped up with Roy Davis?

[Henry Baltimore]

He met this guy, Roy Davis, according to Roy. So take it for what you will. Just in the parking lot a couple weeks before this incident took place. You just meet a guy, you're having fun, whatever, and you know, you go, yeah, we're going back to my place. And you. Somehow he, Roy Davis, ends up at one of these kickbacks and then he just keeps coming back.

[Maggie Freeling]

Yeah. So what do you know about Roy? I mean, you mentioned he's from Detroit, and I. You're setting up some major differences between him and Henry. You know, you mentioned he seemed a little jealous. What do you know about Roy?

[Henry Baltimore]

What tells me so much about Roy is how little is known about Roy. He was kind of a vagabond character, Especially when you juxtapose him to Henry, who is on magazine covers and newspaper articles about how well he's doing and leading the marching band and bringing new dance steps. And then there's this guy who's just kind of a nobody. And in the process of him coming back to these kickbacks, he's seeing Henry commingling with white people. They're smoking weed, there's golf clubs in the apartment. And I think that this. There was a level of envy here because Roy's from Flint, didn't really have anything going. He wasn't in the school, he wasn't a student at the school.

[Maggie Freeling]

Oh, we'll be right back after a quick break.

[Unknown]

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[Maggie Freeling]

And we're back. So Roy had said that they were actually friendly and they played cards together. I'm picturing, you know, two guys just like hanging out, playing video games. I guess cards is the equivalent in the 70s. Do you. Do you buy that?

[Henry Baltimore]

Sadly, I. I do buy that. I do buy that. Roy Davis was a guy who saw the life that Henry Baltimore was living, indulged in it. But then his envious nature took hold when he went, you know. Cause he. He had gone to these parties, these parties, these kickbacks a few times. So he's seeing Henry Baltimore high fiving his roommate, and they're passing joints around, and he's just looking around and seeing a nice life. You know, it's. It's. He's not a millionaire, but he's. He's on the right path. He has a roof over his head, he has friends. And those friends seem to be doing well for themselves. Everybody's in school. And I think he started to stew. So the term that we all would use for this is like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you know? And I think that Roy Davis infiltrated this party atmosphere at college and enjoyed. Enjoyed that. But then when he saw somebody that reminded him too much of him, it. It brought him back to the reality of, like, when I leave this party, I gotta go back to my life.

[Maggie Freeling]

Mm.

[Henry Baltimore]

You know, we've all been to a party that's like, the party's so crazy and fun. It's like this is like a fantasy. Fantasyful. But when you start to see, like, oh, why isn't this my party? And why isn't this my life? Then the party's not fun anymore.

[Maggie Freeling]

So he decides to rob him out of this kind of like, jealousy. I'm gonna take what you have and.

[Henry Baltimore]

Cause I can Cause I can. Because I live the life I live. And you live the life you live. And let me show you what the life I live has. Has given me the ability to do so.

[Maggie Freeling]

The theory is on March 3, Roy goes over to Henry's apartment.

[Henry Baltimore]

Yes. The belief from one of his roommates and a few other people. His roommate's name is George Heath. George Heath says this was a day where none of the roommates were home. So it was just Henry there. Roy comes over. Obviously him and Roy have some kind of rapport. So he makes his way into the apartment. When he gets in, he hits him over the head with pistol whipped him. He tied his wrist with a phone cord. And he just made his way in ransacking the place. Now, I do believe that this is what happened. But I just think that Roy Davis. There's a thing that happens. There's like street smart and book smart. And sometimes street smart people, when they see book smart people, they think that they are an easy mark. And so I think that when Roy Davis looked at Henry Baltimore, he said, well, you know, they have this apartment together, they have drugs. He seems like, well, to do put together, they must be doing something that is making them money. And I want in. But the reality was these are just college kids. These are just college kids. Any college campus you go to smoking a little joint, you know, having a party, little sixer of beers. Like they weren't doing nothing. Amazing. But when you are in Roy Davis position, this is a fantasyful. You might as well be in Scarface's house. He couldn't believe it. So he busts into that place. Thinking he was going to stumble upon some hidden safe. You know, like, I think he thought they were playing it cool. But were really running some kind of crazy drug operation. Where he was gonna fall into $10,000 from a square. I think he saw Henry Baltimore as an easy guy to take advantage of. And I think he thought he had more than he had. When in reality, this is a kid in college on the marching band.

[Maggie Freeling]

Did he wind up taking anything?

[Henry Baltimore]

He took some golf clubs. He took a leather jacket and like $60 or something in cash. And maybe a couple of joints. One of my favorite things, again that makes it so relatable is George Heath. When he's. When I've read things about him explaining what happened, he goes, yeah, man, we all just had a little bit of weed. Like, you know, like. So even what he took, he probably just took whatever Henry had. It's just like his weed to enjoy to himself. So this was a petty robbery that left this young guy who's doing all the right things in life. Like, not that that matters, but it does matter to me sometimes where I go. Sometimes trouble just finds good people. And that's why this story spoke to me so much, because this is just a good person. He might not stand out, and he's not a politician or a celebrity, but he's just a good person. Like he's doing all the right things. He's in school, he's giving back to his community, he's in the arts. You know, he's having fun with life. And this he. He met a guy and opened his home to him and that's all he did. And now he's tied up with, on his bed with telephone cords and being. His place is being ransacked. He's been pistol whipped. And the trauma that comes from all of that incident, you know.

[Maggie Freeling]

Right, so he's so afraid that he does not want to go to the police. No, he's. He's horrified. He doesn't want to go to the police. His roommate says he becomes really withdrawn, but his dad insists that he goes. So 10 days later, he goes to the East Lansing police to file a report and they charge Roy with robbery. Roy is not happy about this. So what takes place afterwards?

[Henry Baltimore]

So Roy as. As soon as charges are filed, he goes back to Henry Baltimore's apartment. And in his mind he's like, I'm not gonna threaten you, per se, but I'm just saying, like, I'll give you all this stuff back. Like this wasn't a big deal. You're making a big deal out of this. It wasn't that serious. I'll give you all this stuff back. Just drop the charges. Henry agreed. And so he went down to the police station to follow suit. Cuz I think he just wanted to be done, you know, like this was a traumatic incident. He doesn't want to escalate things. And I think that when you're face to face with somebody who's assaulted you, abused you, you become more liable to acquiesce. And so I don't think, I think he just is like, I don't want him to be more mad. I've seen what he's capable of. So I just want to get this done with. I want to get back to being a student and on the marching band team. I just want to. Just want to enjoy my life. So he went down to the police station and was like, okay, let's get this done. I shouldn't have Listened to my dad. I want to get this over with. And the police had let him know that this was now out of his hands. Like, basically the state was filing charges, so it was no longer his complaint to remove or go through with. It was just a criminal charge that the state was gonna take up and try to prosecute.

[Maggie Freeling]

I think it really says a lot that this would have been like a life in prison. He was facing life in prison. I mean, that does show the dire straits with what potentially comes next.

[Henry Baltimore]

Yeah.

[Maggie Freeling]

So the day of the pretrial hearing, Roy goes back to Henry's apartment, and he sits with him to make sure he does not show up to testify. Henry is fined $50, which would be about $300 plus today. And he's given a warrant that says he is required to testify. So he is now required. He's already been fined. He has to go forward and do this.

[Henry Baltimore]

Yeah.

[Maggie Freeling]

So he talks to his sister a bit about this. What does his sister say about his condition, where his head is at during all of this?

[Henry Baltimore]

I think that his sister could tell that this was really taking away from his joy. It was starting to affect the way that he walked around in life. And so her advice to him was to just get it done, you know, like. Cause there's at a point that this is at. You now are choosing between you or him. You know, if you're Henry Baltimore, like, I'm being char. I'm being fined. There's bench warrants being put out for me. And. But I also. When you go into the mind of Roy Davis, it's like, this isn't a big deal. For one, you made this a bigger deal, and now you won't make it go away. Which I don't think he can comprehend that it's out of Henry's hands now. So he's like, okay, well, then you just don't go. And then they will just leave. They'll just leave us alone. You're dealing with somebody who's, you know, he just can't comprehend the magnitude of the situation. And so Henry has to do his best for him because he knows, because he's talking to the officers. I can't just not go. Like, that's just not how this works. I can't just stop going. They're not going to let it go that way. That's not how this works. So I have to go through with it, and we'll just see what happens. And I think Henry Baltimore was fully. The saddest thing about this story is I think that he was fully on board with. I'll go up there and tell them that this was just a minor. Like, it's not that big of a deal. I'll say whatever I need to say. To where maybe a long prison sentence was on the table, but we all know how those things work. You know, they tell you the max and there's a minimum. And if you go up there and you don't tell them, I'm traumatized, I can't sleep at night. All the things that may be true. If you just want it to be over with, you give him a small sob story.

[Maggie Freeling]

You minimize it.

[Henry Baltimore]

You minimize it. And I think that. I think that Roy walks away with not, you know, more than a slap on the wrist, and then Henry gets to go on with his life.

[Maggie Freeling]

But that's not what happened.

[Henry Baltimore]

But that's not what happened.

[Alvin Williams]

On the morning of Wednesday, May 30, 1973, a couple pulled into the parking lot of their East Lansing apartment complex. Their eyes were immediately drawn to an unfamiliar green car parked in their usual spot. As they climbed the stairs to their unit, they heard the sounds of sharp, insistent knocking. Two men standing at Henry's door turned their gaze to the neighbors and asked if they'd seen Henry Baltimore. They hadn't. The scene continued for some time, but the couple would never know what happened after they entered their apartment. Later that afternoon, Henry's sister Laurel reached for the phone and dialed his apartment. The two had made arrangements for her to help him type his final exam paper, and she'd expected to hear from him by now. After multiple attempts, the line picked up, but Laurel was surprised to hear an unexpected voice. Henry's roommate explained that Henry wasn't home and nobody had seen him since that morning. This revelation didn't sit right with Laurel. She knew how shaken up Henry had been about the robbery and the ongoing legal process. Days earlier, the two had spent Memorial Day together, and Henry confessed how nervous he was about facing Roy in court. The latest news from Henry's roommates was very concerning. Wasting no time, Laurel and her father drove to Henry's apartment to check on things. When they arrived, everything appeared to be in its place. His 1968 Buick sat in its campus parking spot. His keys and wallet were in the apartment. Nothing was missing except Henry, as if he simply stepped out of his life, leaving everything behind. The two immediately went to authorities and reported Henry missing. But despite the family's concerns, officers responded with dismissive shrugs. They took the stance that he was probably scared to testify and simply went into hiding. But as days went by with no word from Henry, authorities began to recognize there may be more to his disappearance. As they began interviews with Henry's inner circle, they learned more about the ongoing pattern of intimidation. Roommates stated that after the robbery, Roy Davis returned the stolen items in exchange for Henry's silence in court. They revealed that he frequented the apartment to speak with Henry. They even disclosed that Roy stayed with Henry in his apartment to keep him from testifying. Authorities now had a much clearer picture they couldn't ignore. With these latest revelations, Henry's loved ones were left questioning why more hadn't been done to prevent this kind of aggression. And one question now rushed over everyone. What had happened to Henry? Baltimore.

[Maggie Freeling]

We'll be back after the break.

[Alvin Williams]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

[Maggie Freeling]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] and now here's John with this week's critical missing case.

[John]

So this week's case comes to us from THV11 News in Arkansas. Now according to their reporting, police need help tracking down a missing woman who disappeared from the Jacksonville, Arkansas area. It's believed that 26 year old Jasmine Rideout vanished from Jacksonville on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Jasmine is described as having a height of 5 foot 6 inches and a weight of 168 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo of the word blessed on her neck and a king of hearts tattoo behind her right ear. According to authorities, Jasmine was last seen wearing a white Nike shirt with a black check mark, white Nike shorts, a camo hat and black red and white Jordan sneakers. So listeners, we need your help in spreading the word about Jasmine Rideout. You can check out the up and Vanish Weekly Instagram page at UAV Weekly. You can see a picture of Jasmine and you can share our post for more visibility. Anyone with information about Jasmine's whereabouts is asked to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at 501-982-3191.

[Maggie Freeling]

All right, we're back. So they go. They file a missing person report the police take the report, but they don't want to list him as missing for another 24 hours. The police shrug it off, and they suggest. I really hated when I heard this. They just suggest he's off with a girl or he fled to avoid showing up for the trial. Do you believe that Henry Baltimore would have fled to avoid showing up for this?

[Henry Baltimore]

Well, for one, Maggie, flee is such a dramatic word. To not have your car. Like, if I was gonna flee anywhere, I need my car. I need my wallet. Like, I need those things. So immediately, no. And also, I hate this so much. Like you said, I hate. I know that there's statistics out there, and detectives and police officers have to do their jobs. So the 24 hours, 48 hours thing, I understand, but if I feel like there needs to be some kind of balance when I go. But I know my. I know my family member. Like, I know them. Like, I understand what you're saying about 48 hours, but 24 hours without texting mom or texting their brother. I know these. These personal relationships between these people. This does not happen. Something's weird, and they go, nah. Well, it's probably. They're probably just, like, off on a date with a hot filly or, you know, whatever the thing is. So just give them another 24, which is more time you're losing, more opportunities to gather evidence and things. And that was the case in this scenario as well. I mean, they came, and they knew it was an emergency. They lost another 24 hours, and Henry Baltimore has never been seen again.

[Maggie Freeling]

So in the days following his disappearance, we do learn some things. We learn that when the neighbors returned home, there was a unfamiliar green car in the neighbor's parking spot. And they also found two men knocking on Henry's door, threateningly asking a neighbor where he was. So what happened here? Why. Why didn't they follow up on who these guys were? Or did they?

[Henry Baltimore]

Well, no, they didn't. There was an officer who picked the case up a few years ago, like I said. But like this, 30 years later, that couple that lived across the hall, still married to this day, and that was just an innocuous day to them. They have no recollection of it. You know, like, they. They made a report that day, and then that was never followed up on. And now they've been reached back out to 30 years later, and they go. We don't even really remember what we said then. They're still together. The two people that walked out of the apartment and saw these two men banging on his door. There's there's no information about the green card. As a matter of fact, if you pull up the police report from them coming out and taking information down, it is scant. I mean, there's nothing I was gonna.

[Maggie Freeling]

Say, do we even know what kind of green car, the shade of green.

[Henry Baltimore]

Model picture, like every, every, every detective would say today. That is just. If you look at what they, the information they took down, there was no photos taken of the scene. There's nothing. There's nothing taken. So there was really nothing to go off of. Maybe the car wasn't. Maybe it wasn't even green. You know how witness testimony can be shaky at best. So somebody said the car was green, but the car could have been a blue green, which is which. And then when you go, when you have to get people's opinions, blue, green is blue. Blue green could be turquoise. And now green is completely out of people's minds. Like they're looking for a green car. And it might be slightly green, but more blue.

[Maggie Freeling]

Right. My head, I'm thinking green car, like lime green or like these plants behind me, distinctively green.

[Henry Baltimore]

Like something a VW bug would be painted, like a very distinctive. Like, you know, it's green. But what if it wasn't? So the car, there's no, there's really no information on that.

[Maggie Freeling]

Was Roy questioned? The two men at the door were black men. So one of them could have been Roy. So did they ask Roy anything about this?

[Henry Baltimore]

Oh, no. Roy Davis actually went off scot free for a couple of months until they, they kept. The prosecutors kept pushing off the. The case because they were like, our, our star witness is missing.

[Maggie Freeling]

Oh, so they were waiting for Henry.

[Henry Baltimore]

They were waiting for Henry to show up because they just assumed he was gone. He was, he had fled. We can't like go into the mind of Henry Baltimore and glean how scared he was of Roy Davis. But on paper, I'm not gonna like, put on prosthetics and move to Mexico as to not testify about a guy who robbed me. It's just not that serious. So the fact that it's been months now and they're like, well, we gotta keep pushing this off. Cause this witness is like in the wind, you know, not coming to trial. He's gone. Cause I know plenty of cases like that. You know, I talk to like paralegals and stuff, and they go, the person just will. Just not. He won't answer our phone calls. He won't come to the trials. He just won't come to. He just has disengaged with the process, but they're not gone.

[Maggie Freeling]

They're not gone.

[Henry Baltimore]

If you really needed to find them, you could find them. So Roy Davis, eventually, they. They charge him with the minimum that they could charge him with based on nothing really. So really, it's kind of a. Funny enough there's kind of an injustice done to Roy Davis because while I believe he is the. The. The culprit, they didn't have a witness, but his history spoke to. You're kind of like a bad egg. We. We know you did it. So I think he got six months.

[Maggie Freeling]

Okay.

[Henry Baltimore]

But they didn't. But they didn't speak to him really, in, you know, in regards to Henry.

[Maggie Freeling]

Baltimore's disappearance, he did say he had an alibi. He said he was back with his mother in Flint, 50 miles away, and she vouched for that. What do you make of his mom saying he was with her?

[Henry Baltimore]

My mom would say anything that I like. You know what I mean? You know, again, and I'm. And you know, it's like you. When. When you're like a couch detective. I went to Hardley University. I hardly know how to, like, speak, walk, and chew gun. I don't know how to do anything right. So, like, when you're speculating, you don't want to just dismiss things that are the, you know, the evidence that is in front of. He has an alibi, so I have to take that at face value. However, there's no other culprit in this to even point to. And there were two black males at the door of Henry Baltimore the day he's supposed to go and testify. You have a track record of going to this guy's house when he's supposed to be in court and, like, sitting with him or threatening him lightly to not go through things. And so another instance where he was supposed to be somewhere and there's two people banging on his door as to stop him from going to testify. Now, I do have thoughts on that as well. As far as there was no source, signs of forced entry into Henry Baltimore's apartment on that day. So I believe. And this is where I go to, like, I see myself in Henry Baltimore. I think if you have two dudes, whether they're flashing guns or not, banging on your door, you're in college, it's the 1970s. There's all these racial aspects at play. Your roommate's white. You want to have a good reputation, like, you've worked hard to be here. You don't want to be seen away. And now there's two guys banging on your door incessantly for an extended period of time. So long that the neighbors, they bothering neighbors. They came in, saw them. They came in and saw them. They left and they saw them. They were still there. I think eventually he just is like, all right, guys, hey, whatever you guys want to talk about, let's just stop making a scene at my residence. You know, that's the only thing that makes sense to me as to why he would open the door.

[Maggie Freeling]

So he let them in, you're saying?

[Henry Baltimore]

Yeah, either let them in or open the door to get them to. Hey, okay, what's going on, guys? I'm not gonna go. Whatever the thing is. And I don't think they took that as an answer. And I believe they put them in that green, blue, whatever color car it was, and they just went for a drive. And what happened on that drive, I can't speak to.

[Maggie Freeling]

Things might have gotten out of hand. Yeah. So there's a theory that maybe Roy Davis hired hitmen. Do you think that was. Maybe these two guys were hitmen?

[Henry Baltimore]

Again, Roy Davis was from a very impoverished part of Michigan. He robbed Henry Baltimore for, like, $52 and a bag of weed and some golf clubs. I don't know the conversion rate from 70s to 2025, but I just. I. I just don't see any signs that this guy would have money to hire two hitmen to rough up, kidnap, kill. I mean, that's. I don't know, the, like, a la carte menu of dastardly deeds. But, like, a murder is. You need money to. To sanction a murder. Like, I would imagine so. I don't believe that. I think this is a guy who. I don't think. What's sad is I don't think he respected Henry Baltimore enough to hire hitmen to do anything to him. I think he.

[Maggie Freeling]

1. He has a history of doing all this himself.

[Henry Baltimore]

Exactly.

[Maggie Freeling]

He's not afraid of doing that.

[Henry Baltimore]

Yeah. And not only not afraid of doing it, not afraid of doing it specifically to Henry Baltimore.

[Maggie Freeling]

Yeah.

[Henry Baltimore]

So I don't think he felt like he needed to hire someone. He's like, I'm gonna go over there and tell him, don't go. And as a matter of fact, I'm gonna make sure you don't go.

[Maggie Freeling]

Well, what are the chances? It's just really. It's like. And I guess it does happen, but, like, what are the chances that this guy, all of these things, he robs him. Now he's the key witness in Roy's case. Like, what Are the chances that Henry goes missing, encountering another bad guy or person or. It just makes no sense that it wouldn't. Beevroy.

[Henry Baltimore]

Yeah. It's the most logical conclusion to come to.

[Maggie Freeling]

It's the most logical conclusion, and that's the saddest part. It's like the police just listened to his mom. Did they try and corroborate that?

[Henry Baltimore]

To me, everything. When you ask about the investigation of this in 1973, it all boils down to that initial police report. So when you ask, like, did they just take his mom's word for it? They didn't take any pictures at the scene, the car, color, the car, make, model, anything. It's all speculation because they didn't really ask any questions. They didn't really take any detailed statements from the neighbors. Like, they did not care.

[Maggie Freeling]

Right.

[Henry Baltimore]

Sometimes you hear the word, like, high priority. And I think that when the guy. When you're trying to close a case about a robbery and the key witness goes missing, I don't think that some detectives, especially in 1973, like I said, the school was segregated. Like, people ate at different lunch tables. Like, there was just this energy, this unspoken, weird whatever. And so I think that you go, well, this guy Roy Davis is a criminal. And robbing people, whatever. Like, who knows what this other guy that's missing was involved in. So they're both criminals. Hazard of the job. I don't know. He probably just fled. Anything that you can think of, again, it reminds me of a lot of cases you see when they go, well, the judge saw his son in the guy that was behind the podium at trial, and so he gave him a lesser sentence because you look like my son or you look like my grandson. I think when you don't have that ability to do that, you write off anybody as a criminal. You must have been involved in this lifestyle. Like, trouble doesn't just find people. Like, how did you get involved with Roy Davis? You must have been doing drug sales or something with it. People don't just fall. People don't just happen to find themselves around bad people. I think it's a harder thing to accept when you don't see yourself in the person. When you don't see a. You don't see happenstance in people. You go, this is a choice. This person made a choice to hang out with bad people, and then something bad must have happened to him.

[Maggie Freeling]

He's. He's so scared. I mean, the police could have put a detail. They could have done anything to protect him. There are things like Witness protection, protective custody. What do you know about that? I mean, why wouldn't they have protected him in some way?

[Henry Baltimore]

For me, I feel like this happens a lot in domestic violence cases as well, where when you file a report, but then you retract a report, the. I think that the officers involved write you off. They don't take into account the mental space that you might be in, and you become annoying. You be calm, like, oh, they don't want to follow through. And this. So when Henry is first of all reluctantly filing the charges, then a week later he's coming back and wants to retract his statement, it's like, oh, this must be some kind of their friends or some kind of petty thing that they're involved in. And then he's not following up with, you know, when he doesn't come, he's not saying, I didn't come because I was threatened. I was witness tampering. He just isn't showing up. So he's not communicating the issue with the courts because he doesn't want to make it worse.

[Maggie Freeling]

Back after a short break.

[John]

Hey, listeners, if you have a tip or theories about a case you want to share or a case of interest you'd like to recommend to us, then we want to hear from you. Email us casesenderfoot tv, DM us on Instagram avweekly, or give us a call at 770-545-6411. You can also join the conversation on our discord at Discord GG upandvanished. Now back to the show.

[Maggie Freeling]

This case is just so senseless. It's really, really sad, like you said earlier. And it just stuck with me that sometimes bad just finds people. And that just seems like no matter what Henry Baltimore did, he was not gonna avoid Roy Davis.

[Henry Baltimore]

Well, this is the big issue with this case, right, because you. It feels like. It feels like all of the pieces to the puzzle are on the board, and we just don't have them unlocked to be able to move them.

[Maggie Freeling]

Do you know if this is a case at MSU that people are aware of?

[Henry Baltimore]

I don't think it's as many people as it should be. You know, for somebody to accomplish the things that he accomplished. A lot of times they seem micro, but he did something that MSU had never done before, and then something tragic happened to him. So I feel like he should be celebrated, not just spoken about tragically, because I don't like that to be all somebody is is some divorced day of their life. There's a lot of things to Just celebrate about him. He was loved, and he was a brother to seven siblings, and they miss him dearly. And he has a nephew who shares his name. So, you know, his family's doing what they can to preserve his legacy, but also they're still looking for resolution, you know, like, so we can talk about. Oh, man. Realistically, we'll never probably dredge the gap of space between MSU and Flint, Michigan, to find where he possibly could be and all that marsh and everything like that, but there's still a family out there that hopes to bring him home someday, so I think that's important, too. This is a cold case, but there's still people out there that are very much alive that would love to bury their son and their brother.

[Maggie Freeling]

Absolutely. Alvin, I am so excited that your voice is in this true crime space. It's very needed, and I'm glad you brought me this case of Henry Baltimore.

[Henry Baltimore]

Of course. Thank you so much for taking the time.

[Maggie Freeling]

If the listeners want to find you, where can they find you?

[Henry Baltimore]

Well, when I'm not doing standupilli's, you can find [e-mail] that's Instagram, all this stuff. We're on all the socials, but our podcast drops every Thursday. We are a true crime comedy podcast. And so if you enjoy that, you know, give us a listen if you'd like.

[Maggie Freeling]

Awesome. Henry's case is so tragic and so senseless. A young man making literal history. I can imagine all the things Henry would go on to do and the kind of family he would raise. And I feel so sad that the world and the community lost such a shining person over something so. So petty. But it does give me some relief to know that even though in the early days, Henry was brushed aside, today law enforcement is making an effort. At a 2014 press conference, the sheriff of East Lansing made an announcement.

[Henry Baltimore]

Both the city of East Lansing and the Michigan State University are offering a.

[Alvin Williams]

$5,000 reward each for information that leads.

[Henry Baltimore]

To either finding Henry or prosecuting his killing.

[Maggie Freeling]

And Henry's family was there, letting the public know that even after 50 years, their loved one, Henry Baltimore, has not been forgotten.

[H]

Someone knows something. And I want to tell you on behalf of the Baltimore family, we forgive you for what you've done. And we want to have closure within our family. I'm a second generation of Baltimores who does not know what happened to my uncle. And we would like to know what happened. Please, please do my family a favor. And if you know something, say something. 41 years is long enough and we are asking for your help that we bring this 41 year old cold case to a close.

[Maggie Freeling]

Henry Baltimore is described as being 6 foot 2, 175 pounds with dark hair and brown brown eyes. If you have any information about Henry's disappearance, please call the East Lansing Police Department at 517-351-4220. Y' all. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of up and Vanish Weekly. Be sure to tune in next week as we dig into another new case. Until next time.

[Payne Lindsay]

Up and Vanish Weekly is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Your hosts are Maggie Freeling and myself, Payne Lindsay. The show is written by Maggie Freeling, myself and John Street. Executive producers are Donald Albright and myself. Lead producer is John Street. Additional production by Meredith Steadman and Mike Rooney. Research for the series by Jamie Albright, Celicia Stanton and Carolyn Talmage. Edit and mix by Dylan Harrington and Sean Nurney. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Artwork by Byron McCoy. Original music by Makeup and Vanity set. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. For more podcasts like up and Vanish Weekly, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.