More than nine years ago, a man approached police with an extraordinary claim: When he was 5 or 6 years old, a neighbor drove him to woods near his Georgetown home and murdered a boy there, striking the child in the head with a rock as he declared: “This is what happens to bad little boys.’’

The witness, who traveled to Georgetown from West Palm Beach, Fla., to tell the story, said his memory of the homicide resurfaced through therapy after being repressed for years, court papers said. The murdered boy was between 8 and 12 years old and had sandy brown or blond hair when he was killed in 1969 or 1970.

The killer, the man alleged, was Peter G. Haskell, a bachelor with no children who lived on Chestnut Street in Georgetown, according to police. Investigators checked in 2007, but found no missing children reports that matched the victim described by the witness.

The tip and other clues led investigators earlier this month to Haskell’s home, where they were given permission to search the residence and underneath the cellar floor for evidence of the possible murder, court papers say. Haskell, 85, died in the home in November, his death certificate said.

The reasons for the search and allegations against Haskell were detailed in an affidavit filed in Essex Superior Court in Salem by State Police Sergeant Robert C. LaBarge Jr., who sought permission to enter the home. The Daily News of Newburyport first reported on the document Wednesday.

Haskell wasn’t charged with any of the crimes detailed in the affidavit, an official said.

The search, which lasted several days, yielded some bizarre items, including a box of children’s identification cards, a boy mannequin dressed in a Beverly soccer uniform, two mutilated mannequin arms, a tooth in a container, women’s underwear, dolls, and hundreds of children’s videos, officials said.

Police also found three bones believed to belong to an animal, authorities said.

The list of items seized shows investigators didn’t recover a body. Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office, which led the search, declined to comment Wednesday on the investigation, except to say that it was ongoing.

The tipster, who is identified in the affidavit as “Witness X,’’ also accused Haskell of sexually abusing him. He said that when he was between 10 and 12 years old, he broke into Haskell’s home and attempted to go into the cellar, but didn’t get far because he was overcome by the smell of “burnt flesh,’’ the affidavit said.

In 2009, Witness X made a veiled threat against Haskell, prompting investigators to speak with him about some of the man’s statements. Haskell remembered the witness and described himself to police as a popular youth soccer coach in Peabody, Beverly, and Haverhill, the affidavit said.

Three years later, Haskell let a cadaver canine search his home, but the investigation didn’t uncover human remains, LaBarge wrote.

During the search, Haskell told officers that he poured a cement floor in the cellar in 1969 or 1970, the same years in which Witness X alleged the boy was murdered. He also became defensive when police quizzed him about children’s identification cards they found in the home, the affidavit said.

In 2013 and 2014, police interviewed Haskell’s neighbors, including some who described him as a “recluse’’ and “weird,’’ LaBarge wrote.

Also in 2013, a Georgetown police detective recalled investigating an attempted abduction of two adolescents in 1999 by two men riding in a Chevrolet Corsica with a New Hampshire plate.

Officers found one of the victims, a woman, who said Haskell looked like the person driving the car that day. She heard an audio recording of Haskell speaking and told police, “That’s him,’’ the man who tried to abduct her.

The woman also identified Haskell’s longtime friend, dubbed Witness A by investigators, as being in the car during the kidnapping attempt.

Georgetown police referred questions to Blodgett’s office. A working number for Haskell’s sister couldn’t be located and the executor of his estate didn’t return messages Wednesday.

Haskell was a retired truck driver who served in the Army from 1953 to 1956, records show.

One neighbor said she didn’t know what to think of the allegations.

“He was a nice guy,’’ said the woman, who asked not to be named. “It’s disturbing to say the least, but I can’t say I assume it’s true.’’

Alan Aulson, a longtime resident who purchased a land parcel from Haskell in 2014, said the investigation puzzled many in Georgetown.

“A lot of people are just wondering what’s going on,’’ he said. “I think everybody’s still confused.’’

John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.