Scotty Found

A Cluster F**k of Incident Reports

They say that failure is an orphan, while success has many fathers. Such was the case here, when Scotty Mackay was finally found on Likiep Atoll, two hundred and sixteen (216) nautical miles north of Majuro. The day was March 18, 1978. One of the first reports came from the Majuro District Chief of Police, Felix B. Cabrera. He called his report, appropriately enough, The Scotty Mackay Incident.

Felix Cabrera’s Incident Report

Cabrera: “I have assigned officers to try and locate Mr. & Mrs. Roger Cotting on logical places such as the residence of Ray Mackay, Tony Debrum and other places where I know he frequently visits especially on weekends. The telephone rings constantly at his (Roger) residence but failed to revealed anything. I decided then to apply for a search warrant and after getting a warrant we forcibly broke into his residence.

“Right before I executed the search warrant, Jim Winn suggested we continue looking for Roger before I search the house. It seems to me like he (Jim) was trying to stop me from searching the house. Knowing that time had been wasted, and suspecting the boy may be hidden elsewhere, to make sure he was not in the house I refused to go along with his (Jim) suggestion. I then asked if there was anything illegal about the search warrant. He answered “No,” and left us. Myself, and the other Officers then proceeded and executed the search warrant by forcing ourselves in with a crow bar.”

House Search Unsuccessful

“The search revealed no one was in the house. I then dispatched my investigators to try and locate Kurt Pinho and ask if he knows anything about Scotty’s whereabouts. Kurt Pinho was nowhere to be found. The maintenance man for the Goose plane identified as Mitchel Harold Frank stated to the investigator that the aircraft left to Likiep carrying a small caucasian boy on Friday afternoon, March 17th.”

“Having known that one of my Officer [sic], Detective Eona Simon, was aboard Truk Islander, a vessel assigned to the Northern Marshall Island, myself, Steve Goodenow and Ramon proceeded to communication station where I made inquiries about the present position for Truk Islander. One of the workers in communication stated the ship is in Likiep Atoll. I immediately made contact with the Master of the vessel to tell their position and instructed Detective Simon, giving him the description of Scotty, to find him.”

“Approximately thirty (30) minutes later I received a radio call from Officer Eona that he had located the boy and had taken him to the ship and they are ready to depart of Ebeye.” Felix Cabrera, Majuro, Marshall Islands

The District Attorney’s Version

April 12, 1978
From: Jim Winn, Dist. Atty., Marshalls
Subj: Neil Scott (Scotty) Mackay Incident

“I had heard a rumor the night before that Cotting had been seen at the airport, down by the Grumman Goose hangar on Friday. Friday night I had run into Dennis Craven, an Australian who manages the deBrum-Capelle plantation on Likiep Atoll, and I asked him if he had just come into Majuro on the Goose. He said he had but when I asked him if he had seen Rodger and/or a small, blonde boy of about five, he evaded my questions. Finally, he simply said that he could not answer my questions.

“Ergo, I assumed that they had left on the Goose for Likiep when it went up to pick up Dennis.”

“I had asked the police on Friday night to try to locate the pilot, John Pinney, or Kirt Pinho, the Majuro manager and part owner of the Goose. They found John Saturday morning and brought him to the court house. He wouldn’t tell me anything. Only on a witness stand under the penalties of perjury would he talk. I considered that but thought I could find out from somebody else .. .. particularly Kirt who made the trip and had the airplane manifest. Kirt had literally gone fishing and didn’t surface until Saturday night after Scotty had been located on Likiep.”

Not Bought

“To make a long story short, I finally located the lad who handles baggage, washes the plane, etc . He was apparently the only one who hadn’t been “bought” (the co-pilot wouldn’t tell me anything either) for he told me that he had helped a boy of Scotty’s description get into the plane but, no, no one of Rodger’s size and description was aboard.

“Then we got lucky. I remembered that the Truk Islander was supposed to be in Likiep and that one of our detectives was aboard. We radioed the Truk Islander, the Detective went ashore, found Scotty and took him to the ship and on to Kwajalein the next day. […]

“The Cottings ‘surfaced’ on Sunday afternoon. To this day I don’t know where they had been in hiding. The much larger mystery is why they sent Scotty off to Likiep by himself.”

The Detective’s Version

April 18, 1978
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Micronesia Police Department
Eona Simon, Detective Division
RE: Scotty Mackay

At approximately 1520 hours March 18, 1978, the undersigned was informed by our office via radio communication to locate the Alaskan lad of five years… The undersigned was on M/S Truk Islander when the message was received. The ship was in Likiep, where the boy was reported deplaned. The boy can be identified as an Alaskan 5 years of age and he is known as Scotty Mackay the message further indicated.

“After receiving the above information the undersigned went ashore. At approximately 250 ft. off the place where the ship was along side [sic] the boy (Scotty Mackay) was spotted playing with some local kids on the beach. In a short interviewed [sic] with the kids, information gathered revealed that the boy’s name is Scotty Mackay, Kirth Phiro’s [Kirt Pinho’s] son, and was deplaned the day before. And he is residing with Mrs. Dennis Craven.”

In On the Plot?

“The undersigned immediately advised the Atoll Secretary, who was acting as Magistrate concerning the above subject. Both the secretary and the undersigned advised Mrs. Craven of their present in her residence and in respond she verbally stated that she was told by Kirth Phiro [Kirt Pinho] to take care of the child (Mackay) until he will return to take him back. She was also told to inform Phiro [Pinho] if anything happen to the child while in Likiep Atoll.

“At approximately 1555 on March 18, 1978, the undersigned and the boy (Scotty Mackay) went onboard the ship (Truk Islander) and departed Likiep Atoll at 1606. [Headed for Kwajalien Atoll]. The ship arrived Ebeye Kwajalien at approximately 1005 hours March 19, 1978.”

Headed Home

“At approximately 1112 hours March 19, 1978, the undersigned and the child left the ship on a water taxi to Kwajalein with Kios Kerek and Lawrence Edward and arrived Kwajalien at about 1135 hours on the same day. The team of four were taken from the dock on a police vehicle to Snack, for where the child received sandwich and ice cream. The child and the above officers took another vehicle [to the terminal]. [Scotty boarded an airplane from] Air Mike [and] was released by the undersigned […] to Villagomez […].”

Respectfully submitted, Eona Simon

Police Chief Cabrera Resigns

THE TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS,
Micronesia Police Department
Majuro, Marshall Islands
April 11, 1978

To: Lee Hoskins, Chief, Micronesia Bureau of Investigation
From: District Chief of Police, Marshalls
Re: Your Letter Concerning my Resignation

“With regards to your question concerning my resignation: I submitted my resignation because I feel that I no longer have trust, respect, and cooperation with Roger [sic] Cotting, Ray Mackay, and Jim Winn. Tony DeBrum who also is involved in this case is more upset with me. Not only because of this case but I had him convicted for possession of marijuana sometimes in 1974 when I first came to Majuro as Acting police chief.

“Attached is a personnel action concerning two officers I recently hired. In the presence of a Policeman, Roger Cotting scratched off my name for the first time and have Jim Winn signed the action. This may be a minor thing but it indicated to me he had taken personal feelings with regard to my responsibilities.

“I feel that the police department will suffer due to his being a Budget Officer and I am sure he will always be giving me a hard time. To be frank with you I feel these people I mentioned including the District Administrator are all working together (one heart) and I feel very uncomfortable to discuss departmental matters with them.

“Please tell Manny Sablan I am sorry it had to turn out this way and my family and I are anxious to go home.”

Felix B. Cabrera
Majuro, Marshall Islands

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