🗞️ HOLLOW’S GROVE GAZETTE

August 14th, 1983 — Special Report

MYSTERY DEEPENS IN CHILD DISAPPEARANCES AT LOCAL FAMILY RESTAURANT

Six Children Missing; Building Permanently Shut Down

Authorities have confirmed the permanent closure of Hollow’s Grove Pizza, the once-popular family entertainment center known for its animatronic characters and themed birthday shows, following the unexplained disappearance of six children over a period of several weeks.

The missing children—identified by officials only as Tommy (8), Lily (6), Marco (9), Jessica (7), Eddie (5), and Maya (8)—vanished under unclear circumstances between June and July. Despite extensive investigations, searches of the premises, and questioning of staff, no bodies have been recovered and no suspect has been officially named.

Sources close to the investigation report that attention has turned toward the restaurant’s maintenance level, a restricted area beneath the main dining floor accessed by staff and technicians. The section contains a complex network of narrow halls, electrical conduits, and storage spaces dating back to the building’s original construction in the early 1970s. Several rooms on this level were found in a state described as “severely neglected,” with rusted equipment, exposed wiring, and numerous structural concerns.

One such room, labeled Storage 3B, was discovered sealed from the inside. Within it, investigators found a deteriorating yellow springlock costume, heavily damaged and stained. The suit—an early performer-operated mascot known internally as the “Springhare”—had been discontinued years prior and removed from stage rotation. The reason for its presence in a sealed room remains unconfirmed, as no employee has admitted moving or utilizing the suit in recent years.

Officials have refused to comment on reports of “unusual mechanical noises,” “power fluctuations,” and surveillance interference recorded in the week leading up to the shutdown.

Ownership of Hollow’s Grove Pizza has issued a statement declaring the company’s intent to demolish the location “as soon as legally permitted,” citing structural instability and community concern. Crews attempting to begin demolition earlier this week were reportedly turned away due to incomplete clearance from investigators.

Parents, community members, and former employees gathered outside the building last night for a vigil in honor of the missing children. Candles, handwritten notes, and stuffed toys were placed along the restaurant’s south entrance—now boarded shut and marked with CONDEMNED signage.

The investigation into the disappearances remains ongoing.