The Jason Verdow Story: 50 Years Later

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A tragic event fifty years ago shook the quiet community of Cape Coral to its core. A 9-year-old boy, Jason Steele Verdow, was abducted and killed, leaving a lasting impact on the town.

Helen Hubbard, Jason's mother, shared her memories and the lasting pain of losing her son in an exclusive interview with WINK News anchor Corey Lazar.

"There's just a part of you gone and always has been gone," said Hubbard. "I have a real deep sense of where he is. I believe in that he's in heaven. And I believe that. I know it. I don't only believe it, I know it."

Inside Jason's old metal chest, Hubbard found cherished memories of her son.

"This is interesting. Graduated from kindergarten at Fort Myers Beach," she said while going through the chest.

Jason was described as athletic and friendly.

"He got along with everybody, knew everybody, and he was a smart kid," said Hubbard.

The Jason Verdow Memorial Park in Cape Coral stands as a tribute to him as Jason used to play baseball at the park.

"He loved sport. He loved it," Hubbard said, recalling her son's passion for sports.

On March 5, 1976, Jason never made it to school.

"It's probably the worst feeling you ever have in your life," Hubbard said about the last time she saw her son alive.

Police reported that Arthur Goode III approached Jason at a bus stop, lured him into the nearby woods, sexually assaulted him, and tragically ended his life.

"You have a nine year old boy get abducted, sexually molested and killed," said Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore. "I don't know what you're waiting for to shatter your sense of security."

Goode was later caught after committing similar crimes in Maryland and Virginia. He was sentenced to death in Florida for Jason's murder in 1984.

"My thoughts about him, Arthur Goode, were right at the very beginning, I thought, why would somebody like this, there's something, what happened to him to make him want to do something like this?" said Hubbard.

Hubbard holds onto her faith and memories of her son, who she believes was with them for a reason, even if those reasons remain unanswered.