A family thought their house was haunted. It wasn't a ghost — it was a teenage boy who had been secretly living inside their walls for weeks.
Early Life
Daniel LaPlante was born in Townsend, Massachusetts, in 1970. He has said he experienced significant abuse during his childhood, including from a psychiatrist who treated him. Described by peers as a loner, LaPlante developed a reputation as a local burglar as a teenager and had become fixated on a 15-year-old classmate, Tina Bowen, by 1986.
The Boy in the Walls
In late 1986, LaPlante secretly accessed the Bowen family's home in nearby Pepperell through a small crawl space, living inside the house undetected for weeks. He moved objects, altered television channels, and left disturbing messages to frighten the family, who initially believed the disturbances were pranks or something supernatural. In December 1986, Tina's father discovered LaPlante hiding in a closet; LaPlante fled but was found by police two days later still living within the house's foundation. He was arrested and held in juvenile custody before being released on bail in October 1987.
The Gustafson Murders
On December 1, 1987, two months after his release, LaPlante broke into the nearby home of Priscilla Gustafson, a pregnant nursery school teacher, and her two young children, William, 5, and Abigail, 7. LaPlante killed all three. We are not detailing the specific circumstances further, given the ages of the victims.
Arrest and Conviction
Priscilla's husband, Andrew, discovered the scene after repeated unanswered calls home and alerted police. Forensic evidence, including clothing discarded near LaPlante's home and tracked by search dogs, linked him to the crime. He was briefly questioned, then fled before a planned arrest, prompting a manhunt. He was captured on December 3, 1987, during another burglary attempt. In October 1988, a jury convicted LaPlante of the Gustafson murders, and he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms.
FAQ
What happened to Daniel LaPlante after his conviction?
He was sentenced to three life terms for the murders of Priscilla Gustafson and her two children.
What was the "boy in the walls" incident?
Before the murders, LaPlante secretly lived inside a neighboring family's home for weeks, terrorizing them with disturbances they initially couldn't explain.
Was LaPlante out on bail when he committed the murders?
Yes. He had been released on bail related to the Bowen family incident about two months before the Gustafson murders.