---
title: "The 'Lost Boy Larry' Broadcasts: Was this all a Hoax?"
description: "In 1973, a terrified boy's CB radio distress calls sparked a massive four-day search across New Mexico. But was Lost Boy Larry real, or the most elaborate hoax in American history?"
url: https://decodingtheunknown.pub/article/lost-boy-larry-broadcasts-hoax.md
canonical: https://decodingtheunknown.pub/article/lost-boy-larry-broadcasts-hoax
datePublished: 2026-06-28
dateModified: 2026-06-28
author:
  - name: Simon Whistler
    url: https://decodingtheunknown.pub/author/simon-whistler
publisher: Decoding the Unknown
image: "https://media.decodingtheunknown.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/2ev_Hj50j9Y/hero.jpg"
type: Article
contentHash: 66056a0a0b69910566162fa043e14aea7500e7d0a689d9eb02115cb5b1f7dbd1
tokens: 45
summaryUrl: https://decodingtheunknown.pub/article/lost-boy-larry-broadcasts-hoax.md.summary.md
---

<!-- aeo:section start="lede" -->
In 1973, a terrified boy's CB radio distress calls sparked a massive four-day search across New Mexico. But was Lost Boy Larry real, or the most elaborate hoax in American history?
<!-- aeo:section end="lede" -->