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Homicide Detail. A 9-year-old boy is missing, and foul play is suspected.
After a stop at the crime lab, the cops hit the trail in looking for clues. When a neighborhood search is organized, only a patch of blood stains can be found.
Mom seems to think her boy could be going through a phase of independence, and is just playing harmlessly somewhere. That still doesn’t mean she isn’t worried. When Joe suspects that guns are involved, a Christmas present is found missing, a .22 caliber rifle.
Details keep unfolding, and the matter goes from bad to worse. The boy is found, and his story of his rifle puts a damper on any Christmas cheer. A story of safety, and appropriate gifts for kids.
Note: This first appeared on the previous season of Dragnet, and would continue to recur every year at Christmas. the script was also converted for use on the television series. since Barton Yarborough, Ben Romero, was in poor health, this would be his last appearance performing this annual story. in fact, he would unexpectedly die in reality, so his character had to also suddenly be written out, and a new partner for Joe Friday was found. All this transitioning in only the upcoming week.
