25 years ago: ‘Baby John Doe’ finds permanent home

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for June 16, 1986:

  • It had been six months since “Baby John Doe” had been abandoned in a cardboard box in the stairwell of a Lawrence apartment building. The baby now had a name, new parents, and a new home somewhere outside Douglas County, according to Donna Flory, supervisor of protective services at the Lawrence office o Social and Rehabilitation Services. The baby’s file in the Lawrence office had been closed, but Mrs. Flory said that he would not soon be forgotten. The identity of the baby’s parents had not been discovered. “No mama and no papa,” said Sgt. Don Dalquest of the Lawrence Police Department. “Not unless somebody would confess up. Or if somebody knew about it and came forward.” All rights of the natural parents had been severed by the Douglas County District Court in March of 1986.
  • An 18-foot ski boat experiencing engine trouble while out on Clinton Lake had ignited at about 8:30 p.m. After witnessing the engine burst into flames, the boat’s four passengers found themselves knocked into the water, where they were helped to shore by another boater. The boat, which was sitting dead in the water about 20 feet from shore when firefighters arrived, had apparently been completely destroyed by the fire.
  • The number of drop-outs in Lawrence High School had risen from 40 to 49 in a one-year period. Mike Browning, dean of student services, said that the drop-out rate was low compared with state statistics.