A Canadian was driving in the US to attend college

[raccoon]

and was murdered. His mother had to hire a private detective to find out what happened to him.

A made-for-TV movie was produced about this case.

INTO THIN AIR (1985)

Plot summary: Ellen Burstyn stars as the Canadian mother of a college student who vanishes mysteriously while driving back to school in the states. After having no luck from the police, she hires a private detective (Robert Prosky) to help her. Their tenacious pursuit of clues uncovers the grim details of her sons fate, leading to a shocking climax.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089345/

Anybody know anything about this case? Was a book ever written about it?

[XanaDUer]

1. Was this the young man in medical school

who allegedly picked up a hitchhiker?

I seem to remember an Unsolved Mysteries about this case, if it is the one I am thinking of...

[raccoon]

2. Not sure if he was in med school, but he picked up a hitchhiker.

The hitchhiker murdered him. According to the TV movie, the family's name was Walker and the perp was named Earl Pike. Sometimes they change names to protect people's privacy.


Edited to remove redundant statement.