Moreover, the hospital where the boys were taken and examined kept no records of their presence there. Garrett then focused on the green tarp. However, since he started working on it, he has carried one. Linda Ives filed several lawsuits to try to obtain documents and any other evidence that might reveal who killed her son. Cody Lynn Berry Their bodies were placed on rail road tracks, later to be run over by a train. As a result, the families were not able to move forward with their investigation. "I would just like to thank everyone out there who has been supportive," Linda Ives said in the video. He believes the assailant(s) incapacitated one of them, and then, felt like they had to do something to the other one. When asked about his thoughts on the case by host Robert Stack, Garrett alleged that the boys saw something they shouldnt have seen and it had to do with drugs. Despite the grand jurys announcement that the boys deaths may have been related to drug trafficking, Sheriff Steed refused to allow any funds to aid in the investigation. "As far as I am concerned, Linda Ives is an angel, figuratively and literally now," Rounsavall said. The boys' bodies were terribly mangled. ", The crew member continued: "I noticed they never moved. However, he repeatedly received resistance from authorities, who seemed unwilling to cooperate or change their opinions about the case. By then, it was almost 1 AM. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In January 2018, former wrestler Billy Jack Haynes came forward, claiming that he had witnessed Kevin and Don's murders and knew who was responsible. The two boys were identified as sixteen-year-old Don Henry and seventeen-year-old Kevin Ives. Best friends Kevin Ives and Don Henry had been out hunting late on Saturday night, August 22, but when they could not be found the next morning, their parents began searching for them. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. In August of 1987, I was contacted by an After running them over, the weight of the heavy train carried it for another mile, despite the emergency stop. It was featured in a two-part episode of "The Trail Went Cold" podcast. The train then went over them.What had caused Kevin and Don to lie side-by-side on the railroad tracks? The deaths were initially ruled an accident, the result of the boys in a deep sleep on the tracks while incapacitated due to high amounts of THC allegedly present in their blood. Kevins father, Larry, could not believe that Kevin was knocked out on marijuana or into any kind of heavy drugs because he was usually home when Kevin would come home from school and his mother, Linda, was home at nights; they had never seen him spaced out or seen any signs that he was into drugs. [1] Members of the locomotive crew also stated that the bodies were partly covered by a green tarpaulin,[2] though police disputed the existence of any such tarp and none was ever recovered from the scene. The two boys were identified as sixteen-year-old Don Henry and seventeen-year-old Kevin Ives. The second Prime Minister of India - Lal Bahadur Shastri, was also a senior leader of the Indian National Congress party. Saline County Arkansas. 16-year-old Don Henry and a year older Kevin Ives were best mates. The state medical examiner, Dr. Malak, concluded they had smoked the equivalent of twenty marijuana cigarettes. Booie Bearden is my nephew and still hasnt been found. Malaks theory was that the two boys had smoked enough marijuana that they simply fell asleep on the tracks that night before being run over. This list of suspicious deaths include the friend of Henry and Ives, Keith Coney, who died in an accident a few months later, having seen Henry and Ives the night they died, and reported concerns to the police. Today Kendall and Josh discuss the case of Don Henry & Kevin Ives. Attorneys, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Homeland Securityto turn over for private review documents that had formerly been redacted; the judge dismissed several other agencies from the suit, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. State Department, the FBI, the Arkansas State Police, the Saline County Sheriffs Office, and the Bryant Police Department. He placed the train into an emergency stop position and laid down on the horn. The former wrestler explained that he used to be a drug trafficker and a hired enforcer during the 80s and was introduced to a "politician drug dealer from Arkansas.". Suspects: A week before Kevin and Don were killed, an unidentified man wearing military fatigues was spotted in the vicinity of the tracks. In August 2016, Linda sued the United States over Freedom of Information Act requests. Police who searched the scene later denied that Stephen had told them about the tarp. However, just like Jean . On most weekends, the two double dated. Nelson Mandela, born on 18 July 1918, was the President of South Africa. On October 23, 2018, Garrett passed away at the age of seventy-two. It seemed difficult to believe that they would lay on the tracks without moving a muscle, while a huge freight train was hurtling towards them blaring its horn. Just like all the other cold cases, even this case file was All Rights Reserved. : Bizarre Theories That You Should Know. This time, he was leaving town, heading down a road less than 200 yards from the spot where the bodies were run over. A second autopsy revealed that Don Henry had been stabbed in the back and Kevin Ives' skull had been crushed prior to being run over. AIDS: Was The Virus Genetically Manufactured? It seemed especially unlikely that it would happen to two people at the same time. Train Deaths Are Officially Homicides. Arkansas Gazette, March 6, 1988, p. 3B. On Dons t-shirt, stab marks were detected. In March 1988, the parents announced that Dr. James Garriot of San Antonio, Texas, had given a second opinion on Malaks findings. Kevin and Dons families hired a private investigator to try and figure out what happened to them. Do We Really Have A Cure For Cancer? It was reported in February 2018 that former World Wrestling Federation wrestler Billy Jack Haynes had recorded a video testimony in which he claimed to have witnessed the murders of Ives and Henry while providing security for a drug trafficking drop in 1987. One of them would shine a light in the animals eyes, transfixing the prey while the other fired. In late December 1988, the grand jury investigating the case released their final report, stating that the deaths were the result of foul play; however, no indictments were issued regarding the deaths. conclusion; a family waiting for answers. The state medical examiner, Dr. Fahmy Malak, said they had been under the influence of marijuana and ruled the deaths accidental. One week before the boys . Example video title will go here for this video. Five months after the deaths, Kevin and Dons parents held a press conference. Curtis had the trains sound checked and found that it was ninety-eight decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of a jackhammer or an air compressor running. Conspiracy theories persisted surrounding the boys' homicides after a number of murders and untimely deaths of people connected to the case. Garrett also believes that the tarp existed. Over 30 years after the murder of Kevin Ives and Don Henry, a former professional wrestler has come forward and claimed he witnessed their deaths. Reportedly, no tarp was found by the police, but they did take in a shattered .22 caliber rifle as evidence. When police officer Danny Allen attempted to stop him, the man opened fire and managed to disappear into the night. Additional support provided by the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation Inc. While "conducting security" during the alleged drug purchase, Haynes claimed he witnessed the murders of Henry and Ives. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The case was the subject of journalist Mara Leveritts award-winning book The Boys on the Tracks. On August 23, 1987, the bodies of 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives were hit by a freight train in Alexander, Arkansas, United States, as they lay on the tracks. Within about three seconds, he hit the boys. He also found evidence to indicate that one of them was already dead and one unconscious when the train hit them. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Alicia Ives, Linda Ives' daughter, did not return calls from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette concerning her mother's death. Information for this article was contributed by Ashton Eley of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nicknames: Kevin (Larry); Don (Donald) "She never gave up her fight. The second Prime Minister of India - Lal Bahadur Shastri, was also a senior Natural flavors have a certain kind of image attached to them - that they You look back, and you feel chills down your spine when you see all Seth Rich, 27, was an employee of the Democratic National Committee. They were partially covered by a light green tarp. Kevin waited on the porch while Don went inside to talk to his father, Curtis. It has been debated on why they were on the train tracks and whether it was a tragic accident, or something more sinister. This time, he was leaving town, heading down a road less than 200 yards from the spot where Kevin and Don were later hit. Five minutes later, Celine County officers showed up. train had even hit them. [3] The movie connected these deaths to smuggling activities at the Mena Airport, suggesting the boys had become accidental witnesses to a drug drop. Newly appointed prosecutor Richard Garrett had Kevin and Dons bodies exhumed for a second autopsy to be performed by a noted expert. In Hogden, Oklahoma, just 200 miles west of Little Rock, two young men, Billy Hainline and Dennis Decker, lying together on the railroad tracks had been run over by a locomotive in 1984. As recently as the winter of 2019, Linda Ives posted a video on YouTube about her ongoing efforts to find out who murdered her son, asking for donations to help cover some of the costs of her never ending odyssey for the truth. In Hogden, Oklahoma, just 200 miles west of Little Rock, two young men,Billy Hainline and Dennis Decker, lying together on the railroad tracks had been run over by a locomotive in 1984. They went to high school and did everything together. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. McKaskle was also a well-known manager of a local club on the Saline CountyPulaski County line. For decades, people have tossed around theories, shared ideas, and spread rumors about who was responsible for the deaths of the teens on August 23, 1987. It is also known as the "Boys on the Tracks" case. Neither of them was moving. Suspects:A week before Kevin and Don were killed, an unidentified man wearing military fatigues was spotted in the vicinity of the tracks. . They talked for about fifteen minutes before he left.Kevin and Don set off to go spotlighting, a form of night hunting which is illegal in Arkansas. A second autopsy revealed that Henry had a stab wound and Ives was struck in the head "with the butt of his own gun. Unable to stop in time, the train ran them over, finally coming to a complete stop in Benton where Union Pacific employees reported the incident to the police. In the tragic evening, Kevin and Don met a group of friends at the commuter parking lot a popular gathering place for the local teenagers in Bryant, Arkansas. August 23, 1987, Linda Ives son, Kevin Ives, and Kevin's friend, Don Henry, were murdered in Alexander, Arkansas. True Crime. It also looked into an alleged drug ring in Saline County which ran out of Mena Airport and was covered up by police. She hoped to force eight federal agencies and three Arkansas-based law enforcement agencies to produce any documents they had about the case. He does not believe Don would do that because he would not want the wood getting scratched. On the same night the boys died, a similar-looking man dressed in military fatigues was spotted nearby. 16-year old Don Henry and 17-year old Kevin Ives head into the woods to do some late-night hunting, but never return. They loved cars and hunting. However, no suspects were identified.In June 1988, a local man came forward, claiming that on the night of the murders, he saw two police officers beating two boys senseless in a store parking lot before tossing them into a police car and driving away. "Now she rests peacefully in the arms of Jesus. In June 1988, a local man came forward, claiming that on the night of the murders, he saw two police officers beating two boys senseless in a store parking lot before tossing them into a police car and driving away. On November 15, 2017, a federal judge ordered three defendants in the suitthe Executive Office of U.S. He was certain that the tarp was there. 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