Case 64
Peter Weinberger
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***
The Weinberger family was emblematic of 1950s suburban America. Husband and wife Betty and Morris lived in a modest home in Westbury, New York, where they were raising their two-year-old son Lewis and their newborn baby, Peter.
July 4, 1956, started just like any other day for the Weinberger’s. After feeding Peter his bottle, Betty put him down for a nap in his stroller. It was a warm summer’s day, so she parked the stroller on their front patio and then went inside. Just a few minutes later, Betty went to check on her son – but to her horror, Peter had vanished.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
ARCHIVES:
The Weinberger Kidnapping – Getty Images
The History of the Village of Westbury
Chicago Tribune Newspaper Archives
- July 11, 1956
- August 25, 1956
ARTICLES:
Weinberger Kidnapping – FBI
Detective Leads Probe in Long Island’s Kidnapping of the Century – Newsday
Mark of a Murderer – Esquire
A Lifetime in a Month – Mark Gribben
FBI Hunt the Man in Grey – The Argus
Weinberger Baby Kidnapper, Wife Collapse on Hearing Death Verdict – Desert Sun
Kidnapped Baby Given Quiet Family Funeral – The Canberra Times
Former Detective Edward F. Curran Dies at 91 – Newsday
TRIAL DOCUMENTS:
People v La Marca (1958) – Court of Appeals of the State of New York