Who Was Sean Moorehead?
Sean appears to have become a part of Agnes’ life before December 21, 1951. An article
In “The Los Angeles Times,” it is reported that Agnes has “adopted” a boy named Sean.
The boy is alleged to have come from the East. Agnes calls him the most fantastic
Christmas gift she has ever had. He is nearly two years old, born on
January 6, 1949, in the East. He would become reasonably well known
for all the wrong reasons.
When Agnes decided to adopt, but not really, at some point between 1950 and
1951, her life was a mess. In 1949, Agnes and Jack separated after discovering
Agnes keeping company with a “strange” man. In September of 1949, Agnes leaves
for Spain, and in December of 1949, Robert Gists leaves the US to follow her. She is
still legally married to Jack. On February 9th, 1950, Agnes said she would marry
Robert, when her divorce was final, and Agnes filed for divorce on May 16, 1950.
The tour run for “Don Juan in Hell” began with a preview in California in December
1950, and the nationwide tour started in February 1951. By April 1951, the show
has been performed fifty times in as many states and will be heading to England to
boot. In November 1951, “Don Juan” opened on Broadway and closed on December 31st,
1951. Ten days before the closing, Agnes announced that she had adopted a son.
My first question was when she found the time. Did someone else locate Sean for her?
Agnes had May through August to do anything other than “Don Juan.” Never mind,
adopt a child. I will say it’s a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of her first divorce and the
ticking of her biological clock, which was highlighted by her relationship with Robert Gist.
Agnes was simultaneously leaving one man, making a life with another, and adopting a
child into this chaos. None of it makes sense, nor is it workable in any way, shape, or form.
Agnes dealt with her divorce from Jack in the lull between May and August, returning
to “Don Juan” in October. The only places she visited during that period were California
and New York. Reporting and Agnes’ location tell us where Sean had to have come from:
the East and New York is the only Eastern place she was at that point.
At 13, Sean was flying back and forth between England and Switzerland for school on his
own and demonstrating a latitude not usually granted to children. In July 1962, Sean
boarded a transatlantic flight to Geneva and disembarked in New York. His passport,
which Agnes went to great lengths to obtain, was number NO2376677. He was
readmitted to the US in December after departing Switzerland. How he got there has
yet to be determined, but clearly, the dates are in line with Christmas and back to
school. Without a doubt, Sean was not reared by Agnes but by Freddie, Polly, and Kathy Ellis.
Agnes “adopted” Sean amidst the maelstrom of touring, wrangling a new husband,
and shedding the old one. Any adoption operation worth their salt would have never
granted Sean to Agnes. I’d like to think so, but the truth is much more troubling than that.
During the many long hours spent pouring over Agnes’ papers, some substantial things
stand out concerning her and her family. First, you see no photographs of Sean, Molly, or
Peggy exclusively. The second is that the notes and cards sent from Sean to Agnes or
Agnes and Robert are pleading if they predate 1958, and after that, the typical young boy's
goofy cards with lots of hearts are always in red ink. As Sean aged, the cards found their
way to have a “good” day on Mother's Day. Sean grew to dislike his situation on a scale
I had never considered it. If I had to name it, I would call it hate. Here’s the thing, though:
While we are tempted to make Agnes the bad guy in all this, there is something that
Nobody has considered genetics in the matter. Sean’s genes weren’t Agnes’,
and there is something that will help us understand the out-of-control merry-go-round
that was Sean's life. It is his sister.
About ten years ago, while researching Sean—yes, I’ve been at this a long
time—I was contacted by an anonymous source who had helped care for the actress
Joan Perry in the early 1990s. The source informed me that Joan and her husband,
Harry Cohn had an adopted daughter. That daughter was Sean’s biological sister,
Catherine Perry Cohn.
What About Cathie
The best way to understand Sean is to realize who he is. Given the secrecy of
Sean’s “ Adoption,” I went on the hunt for his family, and in August of 2015, I could run
with that thanks to information from an anonymous informant. As I did this, I came to
know “Cathie” in a manner that I did not expect to. Cathie, like her brother, grew
up in a home where she would want for nothing. Her education is a mystery, but
I’m sure it was excellent, given her adoptive parents. The most interesting part is
what happened to Cathie once she turned 18.
Catherine Perry Cohn was born on April 28, 1947, one year and ten months before Sean.
Cathie, as she preferred, was adopted after 1950, around the same year as her
brother, by Harry Cohn, Paramount’s powerhouse, and Joan Perry. The Cohns had lost
a daughter in 1943. Perhaps this situation led them to adopt Cathie. Agnes did not want
the girl, just Sean. It was probably better for Cathie that Agnes did not adopt her.
Cathie didn’t do anything documented to get her name in the papers during the
1960s, as her brother did, but in 1966, she ran off to Las Vegas at 19 and married.
The date of the marriage in Las Vegas was August 20, 1966. The date of the
California “marriage” was December 27, 1966. I think we’d be well within our rights to
assume that Joan Perry Cohn was unhappy with the situation and was determined to
legitimize it by throwing the “big” wedding in December.
The gentleman Cathie married was Aaron Stuart. Aaron and Cathie lived in Oregon for
most of their married life. Cathie had a son with Aaron in 1974 and by 1976,
Cathie filed a divorce petition. By November 1977, Cathie was poised to marry
husband number two, Robert Melson. Five years later, that marriage expired as well.
On June 29, 1982, Cathie was divorced from Robert Melson. By April 1983,
Cathie moved on to husband number three, William Wright. Cathie is still in
Oregon at this point. In April 1985, Cathie’s third marriage was over. By September
1985, Cathie married husband number four, Robert Oliver, in Reno, Nevada. While
married to Robert, Cathie left Oregon and settled in Montana. No evidence indicates
Robert went with her, so she must have taken her son and moved. This squares up with
information from the source who told me of Cathie, proving the information is valid.
Cathie remained in Montana until early 1994, which also matches my source.
In the latter half of 1994, Cathie, without husband number four, heads for the wilds of
Alaska. 1995 Cathie picked up a potential husband, Walt Schuh, in Alaska.
They stayed together for several years and ultimately became business
partners in a bar and grill with a convenience store in Happy Valley; by 2007,
Cathie married husband number five, Herb Downs. This same year, Cathie
and her husband Herb gave the American Legion $300,000.00 to construct a
Legion post. Money is not an issue.
By 2017, Cathie was in Fort Mohave, Arizona. I can find no record of Herb being
there with her. Herb died in New Hampshire, his home state, in 2022. Meanwhile,
Cathie got husband number six, Michael Fox, and returned to Alaska. Cathie continued
to own and operate the bar and grill in Happy Valley. On April 30, 2024, just two days before her birthday, Catherine Perry Cohn died in Alaska. Her son took over the bar and grill.
Six husbands and a documented boyfriend between the ages of 19 and 77. Their lives
in California, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, and Arizona give the air of a nomadic life.
There was a long knockdown, drag-out fight over the trust left to Cathie by Harry Cohn.
Joan Perry and her son John stopped paying money to Cathie from her trust because
of a disagreement. According to my source, Joan’s Montecito house was filled with
lawyers, and a legal head-to-head occurred immediately. Cathie came out of it victorious
and with her trust intact. Harry Cohn had honestly looked upon Cathie as his daughter,
but something tells me his wife and sons did not. By the time the legal wrangling took place,
John Cohn was the last biological sibling standing, his brother having died in 1989. John
was not happy with his adopted sister. I need to point out that Cathie, out of choice, had
not gone back to the Cohn household since 1966, so for nearly thirty years, she had little to
zero contact with either her adopted mother or her adopted brothers. She didn’t return
until she had to fight for the money Harry had left for her. As soon as it was settled,
she was gone back to Montana.
Some folk would argue that Cathie was a victim of attachment disorder, just as her
brother Sean was. There are two types of attachment disorders:
- Reactive Attachment Disorder, whose symptoms include emotional responsiveness, withdrawal and detachment, fearful behavior, and emotional regulation issues.
- Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder, whose symptoms include indiscriminate sociability,
- lack of boundaries, and impulsivity or hyperactivity control.
Reading about Cathie put me squarely in the middle of both, and there are most certainly
issues that have been written about with Sean that put him squarely in the middle of both
types of disorders as well. My point is that Agnes was a small part of the problem with
Sean. The biggest thing he had to overcome came down to genetics. Sean was raised in
a home that afforded him many opportunities, yet he availed himself of none. Cathie was
raised in a house that afforded her so many opportunities, too, yet she availed herself only
of the financial security left to her. These two lived about a half mile apart in Beverly Hills,
but their genetic heritage rides the same train, and their emotional likeness is identical.
Neither had any use for their “mothers.” Cathie was very close to Harry, and when
he died in 1958, she endured the next seven to eight years and then bolted. Sean did
not attempt to go home, but Cathie made one trip. This speaks volumes about both of them.
Cathie liked the “bad boys” and was no angel herself. On September 11, 1975, Cathie
forfeited twenty-five dollars in bail money to the state of Oregon. In January of 1977,
Cathie’s home was burglarized. The items taken were savings bonds, coins, jewelry,
a wristwatch, a tape case, and tapes totaling $820.00. The first thing I thought when
I read that it was either her current soon-to-be husband or her brother.
Sean stole from Agnes. If he had been in touch with his sister, it is quite probable
that he could have done it. No further documentation is available, but it does not
appear to have been resolved. This amount of money in 1977 is about $4300 in
today’s dollars. Not a tiny amount at all.
Then, in November of 1978, Cathie forfeits another twenty-five dollars in bail to the
state of Oregon. Cathie’s second husband also had his share of run-ins with the law.
March 1977, a fine for unnecessary noise. April 1977, a forty-dollar fine for “exhibition
of speed.” Forfeit of bail of twenty-five dollars in July 1977. July 1978, Melson and his
brother were assaulted at the Alpine Tavern shortly after midnight at gunpoint because
one of the patrons didn’t like motorcycle riders. In October 1981, Melson got popped
for no motorcycle endorsement on his license. We don’t see Robert Melson again
getting arrested or being assaulted. His marriage to Cathie was in June of 1982.
Cathie’s third husband, William H. Wright, is remarkably free from the unflattering
press of his predecessor. His first marriage in 1969 appears to have been stable
until 1982-1983. William married Cathie in April 1983, and they divorced in April 1985.
Perhaps he was too sedate for Cathie? This leads us to the life of husband number four,
Robert Lee Oliver. Again, we find a life that seems stable.
Oliver married Keitha Jamison in 1969, and the marriage lasted until 1982. Robert is
divorced from Keitha, and in September 1985, he married Cathie in Reno, Nevada.
Robert and Cathie appear to have separated around 1990 when she went to Montana.
Cathie stays there for four years. Her son Luke entered the United States Navy and
completed his basic training in 1992 while his mother was still in Montana. In 1994,
Cathie pulled up stakes and moved again. After winning the battle over her inheritance,
Cathie moves to Ninilchik, Alaska. Cathine has a relationship with a man named Walter
Schuh. In 1995, she moved with Walt to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska with their
Pomeranian, two Saint Bernards, and two cats. They are retired, according to the
newspaper. In 2001, they purchased the Happy Valley Bar and Cafe. Thirty days later,
the business burns down, but they rebuild. By 2011, Walt was back in Oregon and
passed away at sixty-two.
By 2007, Herb Downs was married to Cathie—the where and when have not been
established. I can track their life in Alaska, and it appears they remained together until
about 2012 or 2013. They bought, sold, and developed land. Cathie had a knack for
investing her cash and seems to have done quite well. Herb hangs on for five or six
years, then heads back to his home in New Hampshire, where he dies in 2022.
Cathie bails and goes to Fort Mohave, Arizona, around 2017. I don’t know if she
met husband number six there or in Alaska.
Husband number six is a man named Michael Fox. He is Cathie's final husband.
Michael is ten years Cathie’s junior. He’s familiar to the Alaska State Police, who
picked him up in 2000 for driving under the influence and speeding. Michael is taken
to Homer and given a bail of $500.
In 2009, Fox was arrested again. This time, the issue is domestic violence,
assault, and criminal mischief. In court, he is charged with second-degree and
third-degree assault and criminal mischief. These resulted in a felony charge; in 2010,
he violated the terms of his release and was re-arrested. Fox pleads guilty and is fined;
he spends thirty days in jail. Fox disappears from the police blotter around the time he
meets Cathie. Fox remained her husband until she died in April of 2024. When you see
all the events of Cathie’s life of upheaval, and now we know that Sean crossed paths
with law enforcement both in America and Wales, they were behind at the start. Sean was
a pure rebel. He tried like hell to fit in, as did Cathie. Both stumbled and fell multiple
times but consistently moved forward. Of course, neither of them became what their parents
or parent expected of them. They had a default setting, and nobody could see
Generational Trauma caused that.
Generational Trauma
Generational trauma is a term used to describe the passing down of psychological
and emotional wounds from one generation to the next. The most common ways this
affects people are mental health, behavioral issues, and inability to form stable relationships.
So we have two people who never had a chance at being “normal.” Imagine, if you will,
what it must feel like to know you aren’t someone’s biological child, and yet they
expect you to emulate them in every way. Cathie and Sean were old enough to know
that they weren’t biological children of the people raising them. Both Sean
and Cathie had trust issues as well as abandonment issues. They both knew
they were unwanted. Cathie was likely old enough to know Sean was her brother,
so when they were separated, she was grieving the loss of her brother when she
was adopted. Sean may have remembered Cathie but knew he wasn’t wanted by
Agnes because he was never formally adopted despite her marrying Robert Gist,
whom Sean called Father. Their family didn’t want them. The people
who fostered/adopted them didn’t want them. They were in two or three
foster homes and taken away, only to end up hospitalized.
The bottom line is they never imprinted on their mother; they had a sense of not fitting
in; they both suffered from impulsive behavior; they both were attracted to lifestyles that
skated the darker sides of society; they broke the law, they made horrendous life choices,
and they were not the ideal children either set of parents or parent wanted. Try living
with that on your back and see how you make out. The impact of generational trauma
on individuals and families can reach across decades. Its effect can result in attachment
disorders, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. We know from Agnes Sean used
drugs, and attachment disorder dictated his life. They were both damaged at birth and
scarred by hospitals/orphanages. How anybody expected them to blossom into
perfectly normal humans confounds me.
