"Coffin Affair", 1953

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

All records pertaining to the 1953 disappearance and murder of the following three US citizens:

Eugene H. Lindsay, 47
Richard E. Lindsay, 17
Frederick Claar, 20

All three individuals were of Hollidaysburg PA.

They were last seen alive on or about 12 June 1953 as they entered the forest on a bear-hunting trip along the St-Jean river of the Gaspé peninsula in Québec, Canada.

The older Lindsay was a pipe fitter at the Altoona Works of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

A Canadian citizen, Wilbert Coffin, was convicted of one count of murder relating to the above individuals. He was hanged in 1956 protesting his innocence.

All records pertaining to Wilbert Coffin are also herewith requested.

Finally, records on any prior FOIA requests relating to Claar, Coffin, or the Lindsays, are also requested.

The requester has an expectation of this request being responsive, as although the deaths occurred beyond the immediate jurisdiction of the Bureau, competing theories of the case implicated other US citizens as suspects. The FBI might have been better positioned to monitor or investigate a case on foreign territory than the Pennsylvania state police.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Alexandre Kampouris