A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping that Haunted a Nation

Summary (from the publisher): In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing in the Louisiana swamps. After an eight-month search that electrified the country and destroyed Bobby’s parents, the boy was found, filthy and hardly recogniz­able. A wandering piano tuner was arrested and charged with kidnapping— a crime then punishable by death.

But when a destitute single mother came forward from North Carolina to claim the boy as her son, not the lost Bobby Dunbar, the case became a high-pitched battle over custody—and identity—that divided the South. A gripping historical mystery, A Case for Solomon chronicles the epic century-long effort to unravel the startling truth.

Review: In 1912, a four year old little boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing in the Louisiana swamps. When his body wasn't found, authorities began to wonder if the boy had possibly been kidnapped. What followed was a national search that spanned eight months. Then a wandering piano tuner was arrested with a small boy in his possession who seemed to match the description of Bobby. The Dunbars rushed to meet the boy and after some initial hesitation claimed the boy was their son Bobby. But a single mother then came forward from North Carolina who claimed the boy was actually her son Bruce, launching a highly followed custody battle over the identity of the small boy, who seemed unable to truly say who he was or to identify his family. 

This was a tragic story of two families mourning the loss of their son. The grief the Dunbars felt at the disappearance of Bobby was palpable, as was their clear intent to do anything to get him back. In same ways the court battle seemed to be a trial over which family was deemed the more capable family with the most resources to raise the child. But who I truly felt the most sorry for in this story was the young Bobby/Bruce, who was manipulated and displayed for the sake of the media and the court case in a way that would surely be considered traumatic for a young child today. For example, the boy was asked leading questions, constantly physically examined for proof of scars or physical markers that would point to his identity, and was made to do so under the gaze of hundreds of reporters and trial attendees. As young as the child was when he left home and as many stories as he was told about his true identity, it was little wonder that the boy wasn't fully sure who he really was. 

At almost four hundred pages, this book was thorough in the extreme. Although I appreciated a detailed description of the Dunbar ordeal, it made the book drag significantly and diminished my enjoyment of the book. I did enjoy the sections that described what happened to all the individuals involved following the trial, although it was disappointing that little to no insight into Bobby's personal experience or feelings was available. Even though this is a work of non-fiction, I won't discuss the ending other than to say that it does reveal the true identity of the boy who was raised as Bobby Dunbar. What a tragedy that genetic testing wasn't available for decades after this trial. 

Stars: 3