Florida inmate says he knows fate of missing Mo. boy

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A Florida prison inmate says he knows what happened to a St. Louis-area boy who disappeared 25 years ago, and authorities in Missouri are trying to determine if his story is legitimate.

Scott Kleeschulte of St. Charles was 9 when he disappeared on June 8, 1988, while walking near a wooded area not far from his home.

Chuck Miceli, 47, is a former police officer from the Chicago area who has turned informant on several cases, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Miceli was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2010 on a federal fraud charge.

He has claimed a former cellmate abducted Scott. St. Charles authorities have spent the past seven weeks checking his story.

The Kleeschulte family declined comment.

Miceli claims to have written documentation of details of Scott's disappearance as well as 13 to 15 other abductions and killings of children and women by the same man. He said those crimes occurred between 1978 and 2005.

Miceli's attorney, Kevin Curran, declined to make his client available for an interview. But Miceli mailed a letter to the Post-Dispatch offering an overview of his claims. He wrote that the purpose for contacting the media was to ensure "absolute transparency" in the investigation.

St. Charles County prosecutor Tim Lohmar said the investigation into Miceli's claims continues. But he said Miceli "has not provided any information that has led to the discovery of new evidence or new information" in Scott's disappearance.

"We'll continue to thoroughly investigate additional information the same way we do with each and every lead," Lohmar said.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com