Gary Grant Jr. Bludgeoned to Death in Atlantic City New Jersey

On January 12, 1984, seven-year-old Gary Lee Grant Jr. left his home in Atlantic City, New Jersey, never to return. What began as an ordinary day off from school due to a teacher’s conference ended in tragedy when his brutally beaten body was discovered two days later in a vacant lot just two blocks from his home.

Despite multiple investigations, a shocking confession, eerie threats, and disturbing phone calls to the police, his killer has never been brought to justice. Almost four decades later, the murder of Gary Grant Jr. remains one of New Jersey’s most haunting cold cases.

The Last Day of Gary Grant Jr.

A “Secret Appointment”

On the morning of January 12, 1984, Gary Jr. had breakfast with his mother, Mae Grant. She asked if he would be playing with his friends that day, but his response was unsettling—he told her that he had a “secret appointment at 2:30 PM”. When she inquired about who he was meeting, he refused to tell her.

Mae, believing it was something innocent, like meeting a new friend or a minor childhood secret, didn’t press further. Around noon, Gary left his house wearing a blue hooded jacket, blue pants, and sneakers, telling his mother he would be back before dark.

But as the sun set, Gary never came home.

The Disappearance and Desperate Search

A Mother’s Worry Turns to Fear

By 4:30 PM, Mae became anxious. Gary had never missed dinner before. She went outside and asked his usual playmates if they had seen him. They told her they had played earlier, but Gary left, supposedly heading home.

When two hours passed with no sign of Gary, Mae called her estranged husband, Gary Grant Sr., a detective with the Atlantic City Police Department. As soon as he heard his son was missing, he abandoned his post and launched a desperate search.

A Citywide Search

The Atlantic City Police Department immediately took action. Officers combed the streets, abandoned buildings, arcades, and even searched under the boardwalk. Gary’s father went door to door, asking arcade workers if they had seen his son.

A few arcade employees claimed to have seen him playing that morning, but by afternoon, there were no more sightings. The search continued late into the night, but there were no clues to where Gary had gone.

The Horrifying Discovery

A Grisly Scene

On January 14, 1984, two days after Gary vanished, a businessman named Robert Huey made a grisly discovery in a vacant lot behind his warehouse on California Avenue—just two blocks from Gary’s home.

Gary’s lifeless body was found wrapped in a gold-colored rug. His skull had been crushed, and a heavy pipe, covered in blood, was found nearby.

A Devastated Father

Gary Sr. had been searching non-stop for his son. When officers at the crime scene saw him approaching, they physically restrained him to prevent him from seeing the body. Overcome with grief, he collapsed in the street.

The case immediately turned into a homicide investigation.

The Initial Investigation

Cause of Death

The autopsy confirmed that Gary was bludgeoned to death. He suffered multiple skull fractures from blunt force trauma, likely from the bloodied pipe found at the scene. He was also strangled, indicating a brutal and possibly personal attack.

Did Gary Know His Killer?

Since there were no defensive wounds, investigators suspected Gary knew his killer and didn’t resist before being attacked.

The First Suspect: Carl “Boo” Mason

An Unreliable Confession

Detectives quickly focused on Carl “Boo” Mason, a 12-year-old friend of Gary’s. Boo was known for being developmentally delayed, smaller in stature, and was frequently picked on by neighborhood kids.

Witnesses reported seeing Boo and Gary together on the day of the murder, contradicting Boo’s initial statement that he hadn’t seen Gary that day. Under intense questioning, Boo’s story kept changing, raising suspicions.

Eventually, after hours of interrogation, Boo confessed to killing Gary. According to his statement, they had been playing together when an argument broke out. Boo claimed he strangled Gary, then beat him with the pipe before wrapping him in the rug.

Confession Thrown Out

Despite Boo’s confession, the case against him fell apart. His statements were inconsistent, and no physical evidence linked him to the crime. He later recanted, claiming he was pressured by police to confess.

In February 1984, a judge ruled that Boo’s confession was inadmissible, and the charges were dropped.

The Cryptic Messages

Taunting the Police

Two years after the murder, in 1986, Atlantic City police discovered eerie messages scrawled across police cars and sidewalks:

• “Gary Grant’s dead. I am living. Another will die on January 12, 1986, if all goes right.”
• “Gary Grant Jr. lives. I still killed him. Son of a pig officer. Payback is a [expletive].”

The messages hinted that Gary’s death was retaliation against his father, possibly by someone Gary Sr. had arrested.

Despite intense investigations, police never identified the person who wrote the messages.

The Haunting 911 Calls

A Killer Taunts the Authorities

In 2015, Gary Sr. made a shocking discovery: an old tape recording of two 911 calls made in 1986:

First Call (March 8, 1986)

A male voice chillingly asks: “Is it possible for me to collect a reward on my own self for the murder of Gary Grant?”

The operator, confused, tries to question him, but the caller then says: “You’re never going to catch me.” Then he hangs up.

Second Call (June 2, 1986)

Another anonymous caller claimed a specific man had confessed to the murder, saying he killed Gary in retaliation for an arrest Gary Sr. made.

Police investigated the man named in the call, but no arrests were made.

Theories About the Murder

Revenge Against Gary’s Father

Many believe Gary was killed as revenge against his father, a police officer who may have arrested someone willing to target his son as retaliation.

Pedophile Connection

In 2011, the man named in the second 911 call was arrested for sexual contact with a minor. Some believe he may have had a sinister motive for targeting Gary.

A Cover-Up?

Some locals speculate that evidence may have been mishandled, protecting a powerful individual with connections in Atlantic City.

The Case Today

Despite decades of investigation, Gary Grant Jr.’s murder remains unsolved.

• No new suspects have been officially named.
• A $15,000 reward is still available.
• Gary Sr., now retired and living in Puerto Rico, still fights for justice for his son.

With advances in DNA technology, some hope that new evidence could one day reveal the truth.

Conclusion

The murder of Gary Grant Jr. remains one of New Jersey’s most chilling cold cases. His brutal death, the bizarre messages, and disturbing phone calls all point to a killer still out there.

For now, the question remains unanswered: Who really killed Gary Grant Jr.? And why?