Facts About Nicholas Barclay That You Don’t Know

If you’ve watched the Netflix film The Imposter, you are familiar with the story of missing 13-year-old Nicholas Patrick Barclay. Although The Imposter was a fascinating documentary, it also left me with many questions. When I began to study Nicholas’s past and the family he came from, I was dissatisfied to discover that most of what you read online is focused on the conman, Frederic Bourdin, who deceived Nicholas’s family members into believing that he had been missing since he was discovered three years after disappearing.

Nicholas Barclay was born on December 31, 1980, and was last seen in basketball in June 1994. It is believed that there is some speculation about what exactly happened on the date in June. Her mother, Beverly Dollarhide, reported missing on June 13; however, the report is believed by certain people that had not been reported missing since June 10 and didn’t report missing until a few days later. It was rare for Nicholas to leave his home for an hour or so.

He was under the care of a single mother battling drug addiction and was employed at the local supermarket. Beverly had two other children from her previous marriage, a daughter, Carey, and Jason, the son. Both of them were significantly younger than Nicholas.

Nicholas was a troubled young boy and had several run-ins with the law. He also had a juvenile criminal record for trespassing, theft, truancy, and even threatening teachers. Nicholas was also infamous for being physically and verbally violent towards his mother. Furthermore, Beverly asked her older son Jason who was in his twenties then, to stay with her and help her to control Nicholas. It could be a source of further trouble since Jason struggled with cocaine dependence and was known for his violent temper.

Police were frequently called to his home for domestic disturbances. Unsurprisingly, Nicholas was well-known by police officers in his San Antonio home. He was scheduled to appear in court on June 14, which led to the possibility of being placed in a group home. The thought of being placed in group homes and losing the freedom he was enjoying did not go down well with him.

On the last day, Nicholas was spotted in the park, about one mile from where he lived. He rang his home to ask whether his mother could pick him up once the time was up, and Jason called and informed Nicholas that his mother was sleeping, and he didn’t want to wake her. (Since Beverly worked the graveyard shift, she would sleep throughout the day.) Jason told him to go home; that was the last time anyone could hear from Nicholas.

On June 13, Beverly Dollarhide reported her son missing. Because of Nicholas’s good standing with law enforcement agencies and his court date, authorities were slow to react, believing that he was just running from the inevitable and that the court would be able to find him in about a day. Since he was in his mid-teens, just four-foot-eight-inches tall and weighing in at just over 80 pounds and dressed in white shirts and purple pants, as well as carrying an orange backpack, the police could have believed that he would be challenging to spot and be able to return home in a short time. They were wrong.

In September of the same year, Jason called the police to inform them that Nicholas had attempted to break into their garage. The police arrived, and there was no evidence of anyone trying to break in, and there was no indication of Nicholas.

If you are unfamiliar with this case, I’ll give you the most basic information concerning Frederic Bourdin. Still, I would instead not go into detail because I think the most critical issue overshadows this portion of the investigation, Nicholas Barclay’s disappearance.

Three years after his disappearance, his family was informed that Nicholas had been discovered in Linares, Spain. According to reports, he was abducted by high-ranking government officials in charge of an infant sex band. The government officials not only sexually assaulted him, as well as others, but also conducted tests on him, which caused his eyes to turn blue and darkened his hair to make his appearance unrecognizable. Nicholas’s sister, Carey, With the help of her employer, took a flight out into Spain. She believed it was her brother and returned him home to San Antonio, having him live in her home, sharing her room with their son. A few months later, the fake Nicholas was exposed for what he was; Frederic Pierre Bourdin, aged 23: a French citizen and famous fraudster.

Due to the claims of Bourdin following his arrest, many people have concluded that Nicholas’s family is responsible for the events that took place to Nicholas. Some believe that Jason may be responsible for his murder as well. Beverly, to protect her son, aided in covering the crime. Shortly after the Bourdin was arrested, Jason died from a drug overdose. It is unclear whether or not the death was an accident or suicide. For many, it does seem suspicious.

Was Jason suffering from some form of guilt? It is possible, no matter whether he injured Nicholas. Remember, he instructed Nicholas to go back home by himself on the day he disappeared, which resulted in his disappearance. Jason was questioned many times, both by police and private investigators; however, no conclusion had been drawn about his involvement. The alleged appearance in the presence of Nicholas the night in September appears to be highly suspect to some too. Could drugs influence him during the night and not think clearly?

There is a belief that Beverly Dollarhide knows more than she would ever admit since she displayed significant resistance in the face of DNA testing. I think this isn’t necessarily proving that she is guilty on her part. Beverly was battling an addiction to heroin. It is possible that she believed she could be tested for drugs. There is also the possibility it was in denial. She may be aware that the person who claimed to be her son was not the son she had.

However, she had been amid so much pain for the last three years that she subconsciously decided to believe it was Nicholas. Beverly was also tested on three polygraph tests on the same day. In the first two, she could pass, and in the third one, she failed. First, it is essential to remember that polygraphs are not perfect; also, after having taken several tests and being questioned by police, I’d think you’d be a frightened and exhausted wreck, so what could influence the results?

Let’s suppose, for argument, Jason and Beverly were the ones to harm Nicholas and then hid or got rid of his corpse in some way, which could mean that they knew that the man who claimed Nicholas was a swindler. Why would they draw this kind of attention to them? When they heard confirmation that the fraudulent Nicholas was in Spain, the investigation was closed, and they had no suspicion. Believing in a stranger who falsely claimed to be a family member can be a bad idea and work against the perpetrators, and result in unwelcome attention. Carey has brought false Nicholas into her home and let her son share a room with him.

What is the Netflix’s The Imposter about?

The jaw-dropping film seeks to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay in the 1990s. The teenager was thought to be dead at the time of his disappearance. However, authorities were shocked when he returned three years later.

Nicholas claims he was abducted and later became the target of sex trafficking. However, there was no open-door investigation. The documentary film contains interviews with family members from the Barclay family and the authorities. The film also featured archive footage and re-enacted dramatic scenes that show the events that may have transpired in the real world.

Nicholas Barclay Wasn’t Quite What He Seemed

It came out that Nicholas Barclay wasn’t quite whom he claimed to be when reunited with his family. The man was, in fact, French trickster Frederic Bourdin, who had many years of performing as children.

Bourdin stated that he, portraying Barclay, was kidnapped and assaulted by various military personnel and transferred to Spain. His reincarnation fooled officials in Spain and the U.S., and he was reportedly accepted by most of Barclay’s family members despite being seven years younger than Nicholas. On the day he disappeared, his brother-in-law refused him a ride back home.

Nicholas Barclay was the youngest of three kids, with an older sister and brother. Nicholas frequently found himself in legal trouble and even had a juvenile criminal record since the age of just a few years. Most of them were for theft or trespassing.

The day that he vanished, and was having a game of basketball with buddies when he called his older brother Jason to take him back home. But Jason refused the ride and demanded Nicholas go back home. It is the family’s final hearing or seeing Nicholas, who had five dollars at the time.

Was Nicholas Barclay Ever Found?

Today Nicholas Barclay’s whereabouts are undetermined. It is doubtful that he’s alive. Beverly Dollarhide has mentioned that it would not be unusual for Nicholas to accept an offer of a ride from someone else. Could this be the reason? Did he accept a ride from a strange person and be subjected to foul playing? With his court hearing soon, did he leave hoping to avoid the consequences of his previous conduct only to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time? Law enforcement initially viewed the incident as another naughty child causing trouble once more, and there is the possibility that Mom waited a few days before announcing his absence. The time was wasted, and much could have been wrong with this child that could have been avoided.

Someone was likely to have witnessed the player. He was said to be playing with his friends at the time, and were they interrogated? We would guess so, considering Nicholas’s past with law enforcement agencies, it appears that the case wasn’t considered seriously in the first few days. If someone was ever asked how long his disappearance was, they asked questions, and could they have omitted specific details?

Sure, Nicholas, as well as his entire family, was miserable; however, this does not mean that the fact that he disappeared should be dismissed. A lot that I’ve seen about the family is quite negative. The truth is that boys disappeared just a few years old and could be dead. Some people are deeply in love with the boy and are fooled and manipulated by an unforgiving con man.

Was Nicholas with anyone on that day? Did anyone witness him leaving the basketball court, and did the basketball player walk off alone? In purple clothes and carrying a pink backpack, you’d expect him to be hard to overlook. Did he ever tell anyone he was planning to leave, and did he confide in an unsuitable person?

What Are The Critics Saying About Netflix’s The Imposter?

The Imposter fans who are watching The Imposter for the first time since it premiered on Netflix have taken to social media to post their thoughts. One user said: “#TheImposter #Netflix what a mind-bending, gripping, and unbelievable true story!”

Who Is Frederic Bourdin, And What Did He Want?

Bourdin was born in the French region of Nanterre, near the western suburbs of Paris, in 1974. Bourdin was believed to be born to Algerian origins due to his mother’s claim that she married a man called Kaci, who was also Bourdin’s father. However, Bourdin was raised by his grandparents in Nantes until he moved to Paris as a teenager.

Through interviews, Bourdin said he is just looking for “love and affection” and the attention he did not receive as an infant. He has claimed to be an orphan multiple times.

The Imposter was given a sentence of a maximum of six years in prison for pleading guilty to fraud in passports and perjury in the case of Nicholas Barclay. But, while in prison, the Imposter continued telling the story he’d fabricated with Barclay.

After his release from prison in America, He returned to France, where he continued to assume the names of missing people.

He relocated from Grenoble, where he assumed the name of Leo Balley, a 14-year-old French boy who had been missing since 1996. However, DNA tests proved that there was no Balley. The following year, he posed as a missing teenager Spaniard, Ruben Sanchez Espinoza, whose mother was murdered in the Madrid bombings. When police discovered he had been lying, he was returned to France.

The escapades continued in 2005 when he changed himself off as Francisco Hernandes, aged 15 years old Spanish orphan who spent once in the College Jean Monnet in Pau, France.

The man claimed that his parents had been killed in an accident. He dressed like an adult, altered his manner of walking and covered his receding hairline using caps, and used various makeup products to hide his appearance. However, the school discovered the truth after watching the television show that showed his true colors and prior crimes. The following year, the judge sentenced him to four years in prison for using and possessing the previously false name Leo Balley.

Bourdin discovered the story of Nicholas Barclay through an American hotline for missing children.

Before taking on the American teenager’s identity, Frederic Bourdin learned to impersonate the director of the Spanish Children’s Shelter.

He dialed an American hotline to report missing children and gave an accurate self-description. The person on the other side provided Nicholas Barclay’s phone number.

Happy with the details that he received about the boy Boudin said to the operator:

“I have good news. Nicholas Barclay is standing beside me”.

This was the case in 1997 when Nicholas should turn 16.

Frederic Bourdin lived with Nicholas, and the family, for nearly five months.

After getting Nicholas’s information, Bourdin realized he was entangled in one of his lies. Although he convinced the phone operator that Nicholas was Nicholas, it was no way to convince the teenager’s family that he was their child.

Furthermore, Bourdin didn’t look like Nicholas and had distinct features in comparison to Nicholas. But after the day, Bourdin rehearsed himself and frightened his way through the Barclay family for almost five months.

Bourdin Gave Himself A Fake Tattoo To Transform Into Nicholas Barclay

In addition to sporting blue contact lenses and coloring his locks to be similar to Nicholas, Bourdin also began with his Texan accent. When Frederic discovered his friend Nicholas had a distinct fingerprint on his finger, he decided to obtain the same tattoo.

Frederic initially had brown eyes, dark hair, and a French accent, but none of that hindered him from taking on Nicholas the identity of Nicholas.

Then he created an absurd account of his kidnapping and attributed his eye color and accent to his time in Europe for two decades. He also claimed that it resulted from a child’s ring he was in.

The American and Spanish governments were in no doubt when Carey, Nicholas’ elder sister, said that he was his younger sibling. Frederic ended up staying with his family for almost five months before the family realized he was caught in his lies, and the family began questioning his motives and story.

Where Is Frederic Bourdin Now?

Frederic Bourdin was incredibly worried that his ruse could be uncovered the moment Carey Barclay laid eyes on him. However, to his delight, she first said, “I knew it was you. I knew I would recognize you” (via VICE). Although Bourdin had brown eyes rather than Nicholas Barclay’s blue, and he spoke in a French accent, in addition to being the fact seven years younger than Nicholas could have been, Carey said that she was in no doubt in her head that this was her brother, as per The Guardian.

Then “Carey swore under oath that Bourdin was her brother and an American citizen,” Bourdin received a U.S. passport and a flight to Texas. Since Carey stood by Bourdin and the authorities could ask for no concerns.

When he returned after returning to the U.S., Nicholas Barclay’s family greeted Bourdin at their home as their son who was missing, and Bourdin was soon a little more at home. However, he remained cautious, and his family blamed that on the violence that he’d endured. Bourdin has claimed the abduction had been a nightmare for him. It was a time when he was physically and sexually assaulted, and the reason for his French accent is that he had lived in Europe for the longest time, according to the Charley Project. Bourdin has also linked the changes in eye color to experiments conducted on him, which involved an injection of a solution in his eyes.

When he was with his relatives, Bourdin was mainly worried about the possibility that either Nicholas would return suddenly or somebody in his town might be accountable for Nicholas’s murder.

In the wake of Frederic Bourdin’s claim that he’d been abducted by an army in the United States, as per Salon, and before being sex transferred to Spain, He was questioned by FBI Agent Nancy Fisher a few weeks after arriving there. Within minutes, Fisher was suspicious. “His hair was dark but bleached blond, and the roots were quite obvious,” Fisher said to The Guardian.

Charlie Parker, a private investigator, was also sniffing out Bourdin as he investigated Nicholas Barclay’s abduction. Parker observed that the ear of Bourdin wasn’t in line with Barclay’s. After confirmation that neither Barclay’s eyes nor accent could be different, Parker told the Barclay family about what he found. However, while the family was upset and resisted, they believed that Bourdin was their son.

In the meantime, Fisher tried convincing Bourdin and Nicholas Barclay’s mother, Beverly, to give blood samples. Despite being unsuccessful, in February 1998, Fisher obtained the warrants to give blood samples and fingerprints.

On March 5, 1998, Beverly Barclay acknowledged that Bourdin was not Nicholas Barclay and called Parker. The following morning, Bourdin confessed to Parker his true identity and the fact that Interpol wanted him. Parker contacted Fisher, who had been approached by Interpol using the same information. After two hours, Bourdin was detained by authorities.

Frederic Bourdin pleaded guilty to perjury, passport fraud and was sentenced to a maximum of six years in prison, according to KSAT. Even in the prison cell, Bourdin tried to maintain the story he had created with Nicholas Barclay. As per Indie Wire, he regularly spoke to at least one journalist in the hope of gaining the support of the public with his unique tale. “For the better part of a year, Bourdin collected me regularly … to discuss developments in his case and to regale me with horror stories about being held captive by a bunch of sick sadists in a city of lost children,” said Christine Spines.

There weren’t any children like the ones Bourdin personally knew about. When the notion of contacting authorities at the FBI to “save the other kids” came up before the time that Bourdin’s identity was discovered, Bourdin didn’t want to go after it since he was sure the fact that there were no others. However, even after being found in the act of impersonating Barclay and sent to prison, Bourdin could not stop continuing to spin his tales.

While he managed to fool reporters, However, like with all his lies, the truth was eventually brought to light. Bourdin dragged in spines as he stated that “when confronted, Bourdin immediately came clean and apologized like a drunk recovering from his latest binge: Lying is something he’s constitutionally compelled to do, and sometimes he just can’t help himself.”

Back To Impersonating In Europe

After spending five years in jail, Frederic Bourdin was deported to France in October 2003, according to The New Yorker. However, it was not an end to his fake life. In 2003, Bourdin pretended to be an innocent 14-year-old called Leo Balley; in 2004, the year he became an orphan whose name was Ruben Sanchez Espinoza. And in 2005, he was admitted to a youth shelter as a 15-year-old Francisco Hernandez Fernandez.

Bourdin states that he has always claimed to be between 14 “because I would be younger so people would care more. I’d speak with a smaller voice, and because I was still looking younger, physical appearance wasn’t a big problem at the beginning” (VICE).

However, by 2005, Bourdin had turned 31 and was bald because it was becoming harder to remain a person of integrity as a young teen. As per The Guardian, as 15-year-old Fernandez, Bourdin constantly had his face and hair covered in addition to saying that his family members had been killed during a car crash. Bourdin added that the accident caused scars on his head, so he didn’t remove his baseball cap.

Was Nicholas Patrick Barclay ever found?

Netflix now offers the jaw-dropping documentary about true crime The Imposter to its streaming service. It was first released in 2012 and tells the story of a missing boy from the US and the question of whether the man he claims to claim to be.

In 1994, the teenager Nicholas Barclay vanished without a trace from his home, leaving his family with many unanswered concerns. After a few years, they received a phone call from Spain to inform them that Nicholas Barclay was found safe in a residential facility and was traumatized by his experience.

Nicholas” sister Carey travelled to Spain and was welcomed by a shy, reserved teenager with dyed blonde locks and dark brown eyes. Far from the blue-eyed blond teenager at the centre of her eyes.

Who is the man with 500 identities?

Frederic Bourdin has led a life of deceit since his turbulent childhood, reversing his identity over 500 times. His most notorious deceit led to him being sentenced to six years in US prison for convincing the Texan family that he was their lost son.

What happened to Jason Barclay?

The investigation has been mainly in the dark the case has been largely ignored. Nicholas Barclay has sadly never been found, even though private investigators are active in the investigation. It is believed that foul play was involved, with Jason Barclay’s brother Jason being an alleged suspect.

However, Jason began to develop a dependency on drugs following Nicholas’s disappearance and passed away from a fatal overdose of cocaine in 1998. Following Jason’s death, the investigation was unable to move forward.

Nicholas has not been found, and his case is unsolved. Numerous agencies still classify Nicholas as a runaway.

Who was the boy who went missing in Texas and found in Spain?

Nicholas Barclay, aged 13 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen with his pals in his hometown in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 1994. Barclay was never found and hasn’t been heard from or seen since. The year 1997 was the time that Bourdin assumed Barclay’s identity and was transported to America. United States.

How old is Frédéric Bourdin?

Frederic Pierre Bourdin is a French serial impostor who the media has dubbed “The Chameleon”. The impostor began his pranks as a young person, a teenager, and has claimed to have taken on at least 500 fake identities, three of whom were missing teenagers. The date of birth was June 13, 1974. He will be 49 as of 2023.

Is the movie The Imposter a true story?

The Imposter tells a real story based on the incident of a French imposter with a sly smile Frederic Bourdin, who pretended to be Nicholas Patrick Barclay, an American boy who went missing in Texas at 13 years of age in 1994.

Barclay disappeared after playing a basketball game in San Antonio back in 1994. The police believed that he was killed or abducted. Since nobody had been found, the hunt was put on hold.

unexpectedly, the authorities in Spain contacted the Baclay’s family caiming that their son was on an entirely different continent. Initially, they were thrilled by the news. However, they soon realized that things were quite different. Their son was a blonde and blue-eyed kid from Texas. However, this child was brown-eyed and had dyed hair and spoke with a French accent.

Bourdin, who later proved to have a track record of impersonating different children, fabricated his claims that he was Nicholas Barclay by alleging that the kidnappers were for sexual abuse by different military personnel and taken across his home in the US into Spain. He fooled officials in Spain and the US, and he was reportedly accepted by many of Barclay’s family members despite being seven years younger than Barclay.

The impersonation was later identified due to being suspected by a private detective, Charles Parker, and an FBI agent, Nancy Fisher. Bourdin was arrested, and Interpol confirmed that he was Bourdin, who was aged 23 and had a lengthy criminal history.

In custody, Bourdin informed the police his family had killed Nicholas, and that’s why they embraced him, as they could not conceal the murder. The most significant source of suspicion is that his brother Jason was already dead in the meantime.

Who is Master Nicholas Barclay?

Nicholas is the son of solicitors Piers Barclay and Rose Troughton, a scion of the Colman Mustard dynasty. He is the godson of King Charles and a descendant of King Charles’ 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

What happened to Nicholas in The Imposter?

Netflix recently added a jaw-dropping documentary about true crime, The Imposter, to its streaming service. Initially released in 2012, this film is about a missing child in the US and whether he is who he claims to be.

In 1994 thirteen-year-old Nicholas Barclay vanished without a trace from his home, and his family was left with many unanswered questions. A few years later, they got a call from Spain and informed them that Nicholas Barclay was found secure and safe in a residential facility, obviously traumatized by the incident.

Who are the parents of Master Nicholas Barclay?

Master Nicholas Barclay, 13, is the son of Sarah Troughton, a second cousin of King Charles (her grandfather was the brother to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) and a close acquaintance of Camilla. Sarah is the Lord-Lieutenant from Wiltshire and was a lady-in-waiting for the Duchess of Kent from 1990 until 2000. She was named one of the queen’s aides in 2000.

Nicholas is the child of Rose Barclay, one of Sarah and Peter Troughton’s children.

Who were the 6 boys that went missing?

On the night of March 17 1995, six of their high school classmates took off on a stolen boat that was docked at the Pickering marina.

Jay Boyle, 17, and his pals Chad Smith, 18, Robbie Rumboldt, 17, Jamie Lefebvre, 17, Michael Cummins, 17 and Danny Higgins, 16, were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with an evening of drinking.

Has Texas dad been found?

Richards 31, 31, woke up in the morning on May 26 and went missing from his home without a wallet or phone. According to his family members who had been coordinating an effort for the past week to find him. Colby Richards was found safe in The Woodlands on Research Forest Drive and Kuykendahl Road.

Who found Esther Dingley?

Dingley, 37, was reported missing on November 22, 2000, after she failed to turn up on an excursion on her own. An aspiring trail-runner from the French side discovered the first sign of her on July 30. Daniel Colegate, Dingley’s boyfriend, discovered the remainder of her remains in the vicinity on August 9. He had been searching for her for a long time.

What happened to The Imposter of Nicholas Barclay?

The Imposter was sentenced to six years in prison after admitting to passport fraud and perjury in the Nicholas Barclay Case. However, even during his imprisonment, he continued perpetuating the false narrative he had concocted with Barclay.

How did The Imposter get caught?

The impersonation was later discovered through being suspected by a private detective, Charles Parker, and an FBI agent, Nancy Fisher. Bourdin was detained, and Interpol confirmed that he was Bourdin, aged 23, and had a lengthy criminal history.

In custody, Bourdin confessed to the police that the family killed Nicholas, and that’s the reason they took him in – because it covered up the murder. The primary source of suspicion is that his brother Jason had died at this point.

Did The Imposter go to jail?

The Imposter was sentenced to six years for pleading guilty to passport fraud and perjury about Nicholas Barclay. During his time in jail, the Imposter continued telling the story he’d fabricated with Barclay.

After his release from prison in America, he returned to France, where he continued to appear as missing people.

Did Nicholas 2 marry his cousin?

In 1902, Nicholas was married to his cousin, the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. Elena was the only daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (a son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Why did Nicholas die?

As riots erupted within Petrograd (St. Petersburg) on March 8th, 1917, Nicholas directed the town chief to take solid measures and dispatched troops to restore the peace. However, it was too late corrected. The government quit, and the Duma, with the support of the army, urged the Emperor to abdicate. In Pskov on March 15th, with a stoic grin, Nicholas renounced the throne–not the way he had initially planned, to his son Alexis but instead in favour of his elder brother Michael who refused to accept the crown.

Nicholas was detained in Tsarskoye Selo by Prince Lvov’s provisory government. It was intended that his family and he were sent to England. However, due to the resistance to the Petrograd Soviet and the revolutionary Workers’ and Soldiers’ Council were sent to Tobolsk within Western Siberia. On July 17th 1918, The Bolsheviks executed Nicholas, his family, and their closest comrades.

Who kidnapped Nicholas Barclay?

The disappearance of Nicholas Barclay is still a mystery. On June 13th, 1994, 13-year-old Nicholas was playing basketball with his friends in San Antonio, Texas. He was a Caucasian boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, weighed 79 pounds, and was 4’8 tall. Three years after he went missing, Frederic Bourdin assumed Nicholas’s identity and convinced his family that he was the real Nicholas.