Charles Brewster "Charley" Ross (born May 4, 1870 – disappeared July 1, 1874) was the primary victim of the first American kidnapping for ransom to receive widespread media coverage.

So the boys agreed, and were transported through Philadelphia to a store where Walter was directed to buy fireworks inside with 25 cents ($6.73 today) given to him.

They arrived in the form of notes mailed from post offices in Philadelphia and elsewhere, all written in an odd hand and in a coarse, semi-literate style with many simple words misspelled.

In addition to the heavy press coverage, some prominent Philadelphians enlisted the help of the famous Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who had millions of flyers and posters printed with Charley Ross's likeness.

A popular song based on the crime was composed by Dexter Smith and W. H. Brockway, entitled "Bring Back Our Darling".

On the night of December 13, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, the house belonging to Judge Charles Van Brunt was burgled.

[5] Holmes Van Brunt, Charles' brother who lived next door, gathered armed members of his household to stop the intruders in the act.

There is no clear consensus regarding exactly what Douglas said as he was dying, as all who were present to witness were too shaken by the night's events to give accurate reports.

It is thought that Douglas may have said that lying was pointless, as he knew he was mortally wounded, and he for this reason admitted that he and Mosher had abducted Charley Ross.

Douglas is believed to have reported that Ross had been killed, or that Mosher knew where the boy was, possibly adding that he would be returned unharmed to his family within a few days.

Charley's brother Walter was taken to New York City to look at the bodies of Mosher and Douglas so as to determine if they were the men from the carriage ride.

[12][9] In 1934, Gustave Blair, a 69-year-old carpenter living in Phoenix, Arizona, petitioned a Maricopa County court to recognize him as the real Charley Ross.

[14] Despite the ruling, the Ross family refused to recognize Blair as their relative and did not bequeath him any money or property from their parents' estate.

[13] Gustave Blair's victory in the Maricopa County courtroom was met with considerable skepticism[15] but was reported at the time to have solved the disappearance of Charley Ross.