Lewis Lent was convicted for murdering two children decades ago, including 12-year-old Sara Anne Wood. Investigators still don’t know where he buried her. Here’s a timeline.
Lewis Lent was convicted for murdering two children in Massachusetts and New York, including 12-year-old Sara Anne Wood. But investigators still don’t know where he buried her.
Here’s a timeline of this decadeslong saga.Oct. 22, 1990: Jimmy Bernardo disappears
James « Jimmy » Bernardo, 12, goes missing. He was last seen outside the Pittsfield Plaza Cinema Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, around 5 p.m. Jimmy never came home, and his parents called the police later that evening. Nov. 21, 1990: Jimmy Bernardo’s body is discovered
Hunters come across Jimmy Bernardo’s body off a dirt road in rural Newfield, New York, about 200 miles away from Pittsfield. Evidence at the scene showed he was murdered. Nov. 6, 1992: Jamie Lusher goes missing
Jamie Lusher, a 16-year-old with disabilities, was last seen in Westfield, Massachusetts, while biking to his grandmother’s house. Jamie’s bicycle was discovered six days later in a field off a dead-end road in Westfield.August 18, 1993: Sara Anne Wood disappears
Sara Anne Wood, 12, was last seen making the short trek home from Vacation Bible School in the rural area of Sauquoit, New York. Her family began looking for her after she failed to return home.
Later in the day, Sara’s bike was discovered by a neighbor hidden in the brush off the side of road about a half mile down the road from the Wood family’s home. Police were called and by early evening a massive search effort began. Jan. 7, 1994: An attempted abduction leads to a major break in multiple cases
Five months after Sara’s disappearance, a man attempted to abduct 12-year-old as she was walking to school through downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Becky escaped the attack and later that day a 43-year-old suspect named Lewis Lent was questioned by police.
While being questioned, Lewis Lent tells police he used to work as a part-time janitor at the Pittsfield Plaza Cinema Center, the last place Jimmy Bernardo was seen in 1990. Authorities suspected they may have more than a one-time offender on their hands and Lent was later arrested on charges relating to Becky Savarese’s case.
A teletype was sent out to law enforcement agencies across the region, including the New York State Police who arrived in Pittsfield later in the evening to question Lent about Sara Wood.
After hours of questioning over the next two days, Lewis Lent confesses to the murders of Sara Wood and Jimmy Bernardo. Lent also told them chilling details about his « master plan ».
