Per the NamUs case for James Charles Stanford, “James had told family members before he went missing that he wanted to move to Texas or California to join a convent.”
But James is male. And not even a little child, a teenager. I’m pretty sure they don’t let teenage boys join convents. That has got to be frowned upon at the very least.
Do they mean a monastery maybe?
The Charley Project Blog 
This depends on the ethnicity and background of the people involved. The Spanish call a religious house for women a “monastery” and for me, a “convent.” The Carmelites, who come ultimately from Spain, still follow this practice in the United States.
My first thought was the Carmelites too.
Or James actually meant a “commune.”
Given the time period, that would make more sense.
In the case file of Sebastian Henderson Kelley, it was said that he “He had a good relationship with the father of his three-year-old daughter, although they were no longer seeing each other.” don’t understand what does that means, maybe he is gay? but event that was the case, how could his boyfriend be “father of his daughter” ?
Kelle Renee Ferstrom’ case: “erstrom was last seen in Houston, Texas sometime in 1980. She has never been heard from again. For unclear reasons, Ferstrom wasn’t reported missing until 1980. Very little information is available in her case.”
Whoops, meant to write 2008. Fixed.
I also was also thinking he might be headed for a commune.
I read that the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Indiana State Police and the FBI, worked together to reinvestigate the abduction and murder of April Marie Tinsley, 8, in April 1988.
They arrested a John D. Miller, 59, based on DNA evidence. Supposedly, he admitted to kidnapping her and taking her to his trailer, where he murder her.
Maybe he was gender non conforming and didn’t understand it at the time. Just knew a convent was a really attractive idea. A life among women may have felt right.
I was relooking at this case. I wonder if the authorities ever interviewed anyone of his friends or classmates. I would assume after all these years they might remember something.
Also, if he tried to join the military., since the Vietnam was still going. I joined the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted.