Though he was only 15 years old, Gerald Montrio was independent, strong, and very intelligent.

Gerald’s younger sister, Raquel, describes her brother as being very strong and independent, in an interview with The Boston Globe in 2003, like a “frontiersman”. Gerald lived in a “troubled home”, where physical abuse was a frequent form of discipline from his father, according to his sister. Raquel adds in a conversation with Gerald’s best friend, Robert’s sister, Joyce, that the boys frequently spoke of running away to escape their fathers.

"Both boys were very, very street wise." - Raquel Razbeau, Gerald’s sister.

Gerald goes swimming with his best friend after school.

Gerald and his best friend, Robert Rasmussen, left their homes on September 9, 1957 around 3:00 pm to go swimming at the Massachusetts Bay near their homes in Plymouth, MA. Witnesses in the area later reported that they saw two boys, likely Gerald and Robert, holding bundles of clothing getting in and out of a boat on the bay.

Around an hour after Gerald and Robert left their homes to go to the bay, another witness reported that she heard calls for help coming from the direction of the beach. According to this witness, she visited the beach several times to see what was wrong and offer assistance, but she was never able to find anyone in distress. Yet another witness later reported that around 4:30 pm, he had seen two young boys matching Gerald and Robert’s descriptions hitchhiking in the area.

The boys are reported missing and the search begins.

When the boys fail to return home that evening, Robert’s mother, Charlotte, calls local police and reports both children missing. Almost immediately after, a widespread search begins. Shortly after the search began, two police officers found Gerald and Robert’s clothing, neatly stacked on what is known as ‘Flat Rock’ near the water’s edge. The search continues through the night, with involvement from several organizations, including the U.S. Coast Guard.

“It’s not the type of place (where) you go to swim because it’s all big stones. The water was always very, very cold. If you’re a good swimmer, it’s still very, very cold.” - Lenny Sullivan, retired Plymouth firefighter who participated in searches.

The following day, September 10, 1957, searchers find a boat believed to have been used by one or both of the boys prior to their disappearance. This is believed to be the boat that two boys were seen entering and exiting by witnesses the day prior. After two full days of searching, on the evening of September 11, 1957, authorities officially concluded their search for Gerald and Robert. They end their search with the belief that the boys drowned in the water and pulled out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The boys’ sisters reunite and bring awareness to the disappearances.

Gerald’s sister, Raquel, and Robert’s sister, Joyce, reconnected in 2003, forty-six years after the disappearances and visited the spot where their brothers’ clothes were found at the Massachusetts Bay. During their time together, they met with several news outlets and gave interviews providing their thoughts on what actually happened to their brothers. In the interviews, both sisters expressed their opinions that both boys are still alive, and that they believe that they had run away to escape their “tough-as-nails” fathers.

“I believe they are alive. If they still wanted to be apart [from the family], I respect that. But we still love you and we miss you.” - Raquel Razbeau, Gerald’s sister.

Where the case stands today.

Today, it has been more than 65 years since Gerald and Robert’s disappearances. Their sisters made an attempt in 2003 to revive interest in their brothers’ case and were able to capture the attention of a few local media outlets.

At the time of his disappearance in 1957, Gerald was described as a 15 year old hispanic male with black hair and brown eyes. He stood 6’ tall and weighed approximately 140 lbs. Gerald appeared older than 15 years old at the time of his disappearance. He is from Bermuda, and speaks both Spanish and English. Today, Gerald would be 80 years old.

“The ultimate hope is that somewhere out there, we will have two brothers that we’ll get to see and touch.” - Joyce Balint, Robert’s sister.

If you have any information regarding Gerald’s whereabouts or his disappearance, please contact the Plymouth Police Department at (508) 830-4218 ext. 364 or contact his sister, Raquel at lookingforgeraldmontrio@hotmail.com.