Sign up to get updates from us
You guys, poor baby Monster kitty's ear fell off!!! Alright, it was just a dream, but it was still scary! We'll bring you plenty of ridiculous stories this week. Hanna ran around drunk with horses and Megan fell down, died and watched her beans roll down the stairs. Tune in to find out how Hanna almost sold her car with a naughty mix tape inside! After our drama, we will jump straight into a story about the Boys on the Tracks. In the 1980's, Cocaine was a big problem in Arkansas and drugs were being dropped by trains and planes. On Saturday, August 22nd, 1987, Seventeen-year-old Kevin Ives and his best friend, sixteen-year-old Don Henry ended up being hit by a train. They were lying parallel on the tracks and the police assumed it was a suicide. There's a lot of suspicious activity revolving around these tragic deaths. The state medical examiner, Fahmy Malak determined that the boys smoked twenty marijuana cigarettes and ended up in a drug-induced coma and got hit by the train. Items from the crime scene disappeared, the EMT records were gone and autopsy findings were falsified. A former wrestler, Billy Jack Haynes claims to have been there the night the boys were killed and he says he was hired by a politician. We don't know exactly who this politician is, but we do know that Bill Clinton played a huge role in this story. There's so much to cover, we had to split this story into two episodes!
https://drinkingthecoolaid.com/
Leave a review: RateThisPodcast.com/coolaid
Hello
Hanna Hawkins :oh Hey
Megan Hawkins :welcome to our podcast
Hanna Hawkins :My bad. I did not realize we're starting that quick. Yeah, I was just over here rambling.
Megan Hawkins :She was Yep. And I just jumped right in here we are
Hanna Hawkins :surprise.
Megan Hawkins :I'm Megan.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm Hanna.
Megan Hawkins :And I have an update on poor baby monster kitty.
Hanna Hawkins :Well, that's definitely good because I really hope you're about to explain why his ear fell off because I'm really concerned. I mean, I just saw him a few minutes ago and I didn't. I mean, he had ears so I.....
Megan Hawkins :she's reading my whiteboard notes.
Hanna Hawkins :I can't help myself. Okay, every time I come in here, they're just right in front of my face and it's some weird ass shit.
Megan Hawkins :Okay, so first off, His face is healed and he looks amazing. And he's got all these little baby hairs that are coming in. In his little bald spots and he's beautiful. So I had a dream.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh my god. I should have freaking known.
Megan Hawkins :You should have seen this coming. I didn't tell you, But I told mom about it.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh, Goodie gumdrops.
Megan Hawkins :Okay, so, in this dream, we went back to our grandma's house.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh, no.
Megan Hawkins :And
Hanna Hawkins :wait, which one?
Megan Hawkins :mom's mom.
Hanna Hawkins :Okay, got it.
Megan Hawkins :Okay. So we went to her home and they were using it as an MTV house for the challenge.
Hanna Hawkins :My goodness. We were just talking about that, of course.
Megan Hawkins :And so we were allowed to go see the challenge house. And for some reason we brought Monster kitty with. And so we were kind of touring it and I was irritated because the girls were so messy and had their shit everywhere.
Hanna Hawkins :And because that's what you do is if you if you ever visited the challenge houses bring your freaking cat.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, I would. And so as we're touring it, there is a candle that one of the girls left on. And......
Hanna Hawkins :Is it a Snooki candle?
Megan Hawkins :Oh, no, but I want one. Um, okay, so then monster's ear gets in the candle, and I go running over to him and his ear fell off and plopped on the floor.
Hanna Hawkins :I regret asking. I should have just casually erased I like how you put a little sad face next to it and everything.
Megan Hawkins :Because it's depressing. His ear fell off. Like, you were at work and I kept telling mom, but mom his ear fell off! yeah. And then....
Hanna Hawkins :oh geez
Megan Hawkins :at work, They were doing this thing where they were asking Hey, who have you met that's famous and everyone was telling theirs and I just all of a sudden type back, and I go, I met flavor flav at a CVS in Vegas. And everyone's like, that's it. You win.
Hanna Hawkins :And we met what's his face on Waltons mountain.
Megan Hawkins :Oh, was that? Earl Hamner? Did I make that up?
Hanna Hawkins :I don't know. Dude, I just remember the kids me like that's Jim Bob.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, okay. So Yeah, we were on Waltons mountain and he was in like the gas station.
Hanna Hawkins :My mom was like an ultra creep at this point.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, she was pretty sure it was him
Hanna Hawkins :No, it's because the kids were telling her
Megan Hawkins :yes
Hanna Hawkins :because they came running out of the gas station and
Megan Hawkins :that's why she was pretty sure
Hanna Hawkins :that's Jim Bob.
Megan Hawkins :And then we went in there and mom like a creep stood over his shoulder and watched him sign his check so that she could see his name.
Hanna Hawkins :He was super chill about it, though. And he ended up taking a picture with us so it was all good. Yeah, so did flavor flav. He sure did and yeah, we got a picture with him
Megan Hawkins :and he was wearing the clock. We got a post that were like little babies. Oh my god. Ewwwwww.
Hanna Hawkins :We're teeny weeny little babies in it.
Megan Hawkins :I back then to did my hair. So weird,
Hanna Hawkins :dude, didn't we all?
Megan Hawkins :I would like somehow puff it up in the back. With like, bobby pins
Hanna Hawkins :that was a trend then, though.
Megan Hawkins :I don't think I ever did anything that was trendy.
Hanna Hawkins :You know, everybody did that for a really long time. And then they flipped over their bangs and made a little poof with their bangs.
Megan Hawkins :Oh, I did that.
Hanna Hawkins :Yeah, see
Megan Hawkins :a lot.
Hanna Hawkins :I told you I was all about the Bang poof. The bang poof.
Megan Hawkins :Now I'm lucky if I even brush my hair.
Hanna Hawkins :I know, same. Yeah, and I'm lucky if I can brush my hair without pulling a frickin muscle because I managed to pull a damn muscle while I was tubing, freaking tubing of all things. I was just getting day drunk, floating down the river. And every time we would get blown to the wrong side, I'd stick my arms out of this super awkward angle and just like splashed like a maniac until we got to the other side and the next day, I regretted it when I could barely move. And Megan had to go and make fun of me and tell me that she couldn't buy me another granny turtle,
Megan Hawkins :but I put a patch on your back.
Hanna Hawkins :I had the same granny turtle those He's upstairs. It's okay.
Megan Hawkins :Oh my gosh
Hanna Hawkins :I've got her. She's got me. But yeah, I ended up going tubing because my best friend lives two hours away from me. And now I am. back a few months ago, I was super creepy. And she sent me a screenshot of something between her and her mom and I took her mom's number and started texting her. And I ended up surprising. Emily, and I just did it again because her birthday is coming up. So me and Isaac drove out there and surprised her again, which was super fun. But now she can never trust me again. Poor Isaac was not the brightest and asked us about horses While we were drinking, and we wandered around drunk in her yard for probably an hour and a half, maybe two hours, telling him about horses and demonstrating on each other, I'd be like, okay, so if you're gonna walk behind a horse, you got to put your hand on their butts. You know, they're there. And I'd be like, okay, Emily, come here, and I'll show him.
Megan Hawkins :Oh my God, you guys are such idiots.
Hanna Hawkins :And he he is the one that chose to come with us. So he chose to deal with us. And yeah, so that was fun. And then I sold my Impala today. super sad about it. Her name was her name was Ruby, and I finally got rid of her. So I had let her sit for a few months, and so she was dead. And so we had a jump her. And I had a couple of CDs that were in the CD player that Isaac had made me and one was a mixtape and one said on it. literally the best sex tape ever, but it wasn't as good wasn't sex songs at all it
Megan Hawkins :Dad, earmuffs.
Hanna Hawkins :it was not at all. It was just random songs. He just thinks he's being hilarious. And so he drew some really graphic things on there. And I had entirely forgotten about it. And so I pop it out of my CD player.
Megan Hawkins :Boy would that have been a surprise. You shoulda just Put it right back in?
Hanna Hawkins :Literally, that's exactly what I said to Isaac, I was like he would have been so surprised.So he is looking under the hood and I pop the CD out and I realize it I'm telling you I have never flipped anything over so quick in my life. I just, flip it over and walk away pretend it didn't happen. Oh my goodness, he would have been so shocked. Who the fuck was driving this poor vehicle for me? But yeah, and I'm making friends with the buyer and he's totally, totally gonna come out to a show sometimes. So...
Megan Hawkins :there you go.
Hanna Hawkins :Yeah, you know.
Megan Hawkins :Mm hmm.
Hanna Hawkins :It's getting friggin warm in here already.
Megan Hawkins :You're fine. It's all you. Um, it's you should we talk about how I fell down the stairs today.
Hanna Hawkins :I mean, you definitely could and everybody thinks that I'm the clumsy one. And I'm the one that's accident prone. But guess what? It's not just me.
Megan Hawkins :Oh my god. Okay. It's so embarrassing. Let me paint a picture for you.
Hanna Hawkins :At least you didn't fall in a hole.
Megan Hawkins :I did not fall in the hole. Nope. So, I'm up in the kitchen and I'm making salad cooking, doing couple different things and get everything in nice little cartons and I'm gonna bring it downstairs to the fridge. So as I'm carrying all this stuff, my legs just fly right out from under me. I fly up in the air. Go all the way down to the stairs on my ass. And my...
Hanna Hawkins :Wait,hold on. I know. Megan literally texted me while I'm at work. And she just says, I fell down the stairs and all I did was sat there and watched my beans roll down the stairs, and I stare at my phone. And I'm like, What the fuck does it mean that your beans were rolling down the stairs?
Megan Hawkins :I had a little container of kidney beans. And I just watch them bounce down each step. There's obviously nothing I could do. I was carrying stuff. I didn't catch myself. So we were sliding all the way down. I hit so hard that my entire ass and back went numb. Immediately. I was like, Oh my God, that's it. I just died. I must have broken everything. So I'm like texting Hanna. And I'm like, I think I died.
Hanna Hawkins :My beans rolled down the stairs. I was so, so confused I was seriously just sitting there like What the frick does that mean? Like when I fall down the stairs my beans don't roll down the stairs. I don't have that problem
Megan Hawkins :Home alone, and I'm laying there screaming cuz it like hurts so bad and I'm like I'm dead. I'm dying and none of the cats came and checked on me.
Hanna Hawkins :She lives in a fantasy world where she thinks the cats are gonna frickin check on her. They don't give a shit.
Megan Hawkins :I just thought with all like, it was such a loud noise. I thought they'd be like, Oh, no, I should investigate.
Hanna Hawkins :No, because they're so used to me falling they're probably just like, it's her again.
Megan Hawkins :That's true. Oh Hanna's home.
Hanna Hawkins :I mean, Rona literally watches me tumbled on the stairs and then he'll just get up and walk away like Well, She did it again. I'll want to deal with it.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah
Hanna Hawkins :have fun. You're on your own.
Megan Hawkins :Sure.
Hanna Hawkins :Yeah. we have. Nice cats. Clearly, they really care. If we died, I wondered if they eat us.
Megan Hawkins :I think about that all the time. I actually heard a story from somebody at work that knows somebody that got drunk,
Hanna Hawkins :a cousin's boyfriend, uncle's friends neighbor.
Megan Hawkins :But this person, I guess, got so drunk that she was passed out in her bathtub for days. And when she got up her toes were missing because her cat ate her toes off.
Hanna Hawkins :Listen, I just want to know how much you have to drink. GASP Megan, Do you remember the angel falling on the drunk girl?
Megan Hawkins :Oh my gosh, yes.
Unknown Speaker :I was gonna say I really wish like I I just I can't imagine how You would have to get to be to that point and then I was like, wait a second we've seen it.
Megan Hawkins :I don't even know how to like, go about this properly. Um,
Hanna Hawkins :I'm just gonna come right out and say it.
Megan Hawkins :It was in December, it was near Christmas.
Hanna Hawkins :Listen, we saw cool ass Christmas tree fall on someone that was completely wasted. And she didn't even flinch.
Megan Hawkins :No
Hanna Hawkins :not at first. But then the angel kind of fell...
Megan Hawkins :Dad, earmuffs.
Hanna Hawkins :right between her legs.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah.
Hanna Hawkins :She opened them right up
Megan Hawkins :because she was okay she's passed out. And as this angel plop her legs Just open up and the Angel Falls right in there. Okay. And we're all standing there. Like dying. Everyone's silent at first and we're all laughing and everyone's like Okay, first off we didn't even try to help this girl and get the tree out
Hanna Hawkins :we literally just witness a whole tree fall on someone dude and I mean, I don't know how we were supposed to react.
Megan Hawkins :I don't know either. I'm gonna guess we reacted incorrectly but who knows
Hanna Hawkins :I mean, was taking pictures not the right approach?
Megan Hawkins :It was for us. I mean, we've never really had the right reaction.
Hanna Hawkins :Listen, if I didn't have these pictures, I'm pretty sure that nobody would ever believe this because it was just I mean, the whole tree just had a hit her and it's not like it hit her in the head like it's not like it was a heavy you know, it's just a regular fake Christmas tree in their their house but it just, the whole thing just goes down on top of her and she's laying on the couch and she's just out cold, nothing. And I mean, we pick the tree up, there's ornaments falling off. We all pick it up. There's like six people crowded around, or at this point picking up a tree. And nothing. Never ever mean we left the angel. I'm just saying, but....
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, I wasn't going in for that.
Hanna Hawkins :We went ahead and left that behind. But we picked this tree up after it fell on her. And nothing. No, she was out. I mean, she's still alive, right?
Megan Hawkins :Yes.
Hanna Hawkins :Cool. Yep.
Megan Hawkins :I saw her post on Facebook the other day.
Hanna Hawkins :It'll be the night that she never remembered an angel fell in her vag.
Megan Hawkins :Oh, there it is. Whoop, There it is.
Hanna Hawkins :Man. Okay. So does everybody have their drinks ready to take shots when megan fucks up? Because I sure do!
Megan Hawkins :I'm still shaken up from falling down the stairs so
Hanna Hawkins :sweet somebody extra today. Deal. I'm down guys.
Megan Hawkins :Okay, so today's story is from Arkansas and it's called the boys on the tracks.
Hanna Hawkins :The boys on the tracks.
Megan Hawkins :Yes,
Hanna Hawkins :Alright.
Megan Hawkins :In the mid 1980s cocaine was a big problem for Arkansas. The police were................I don't even know what word was coming...
Hanna Hawkins :it was literally like the first frickin sentence. All right, I'm taking my shot. I'm doing it. Alright, let's see. Let's see if we can get it this time.
Megan Hawkins :The police were beginning to suspect that drugs were coming by several ways of transportation. informants told police that cocaine was being dropped by trains along the tracks. That airplanes were using Saline county as a drop site. It was convenient because the locations on the outskirts of Little Rock, which is the center of Arkansas, so half of the state's population resides within like 60 miles in any direction.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh
Megan Hawkins :the residents began to line I know,
Hanna Hawkins :like freaking huge dude.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, so it's like a really good spot. The residents began reporting some unusual activity and the police were doing stakeouts at the local airport. They began noticing that planes would land briefly without shutting off their engines. Then they would take off again, and it would frequently happen at night.
Hanna Hawkins :That's really, realy sketch. I'm just saying
Megan Hawkins :it is. Once the patrol cars started parking at the airport, the planes stopped showing up. Weird the police knew that the cocaine was still flowing in. But the unusual activity stopped.
Hanna Hawkins :still flying in that was such a missed opportunity.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, well, it stopped. That is, until the bodies were found.
Hanna Hawkins :I did not mean to laugh at that.
Megan Hawkins :You're so ridiculous.
Hanna Hawkins :I feel like it's nervous laughter Okay.
Megan Hawkins :Oh my god, there's bodies....this is a podcast that has murders.
Hanna Hawkins :Sorry guys
Megan Hawkins :okay. 17 year old Kevin Ives and his best friend. 16 year old Don Henry. Were typical teenage boys. They loved working on their cars and hunting. Don was a natural comedian and on most weekends, the boys would take their girlfriends out on double dates on Saturday, August 22. 1987 they met a group of friends at the commuter parking lot, which is a gathering place for local teenagers. Around midnight. The boys went back to Don's house. Kevin waited outside while Don talked to his father Curtis, who said, and he came in at approximately 1215 and told me he was going, you know, out in everything. I told him, just be careful. And he took one of my spotlights with them and took his 22.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm sorry, the way you said that was so perfect teenager like......You know, I'm going out and everything.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, just gonna go out and everything. It's not a big deal
Hanna Hawkins :Just gonnago do stuff.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah.
Hanna Hawkins :With some people.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah. The boys went out hunting in a wooded area along the railroad tracks near Don's home, which is in Bryant, Arkansas. They were using a hunting technique that is illegal in Arkansas called spotlighting. This is where you shine a light in The deers or other animals eyes, causing them to stop in their tracks and freeze so you can shoot them. Four hours later, a 75 car 6000 ton cargo train was making its regular night run to Little Rock. It was pulling some freight cars and some empty cars. This stretch was over a mile long, and the train was traveling over 50 miles per hour.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm sensing some foreshadowing.
Megan Hawkins :Are you? Interesting? Let's see. As the train was rounding the bend and entering Bryant, the engineer Steven Shroyer notice something lying on the tracks about 10 or 15 cars away. There was a dark spot on the rail. any obstruction on the tracks is a concern. The engineer and conductor realized what they were seeing when they were approximately 100 feet away. engineer shroyer yelled out. Oh my god. It was two motionless boys, Kevin and Don, and they appeared to be covered up by a light green tarp. Dons 22 rifle was beside him, and they were lying parallel on the tracks. Steven began blowing the diesel horns several times. But the boys were not moving or reacting. Steven attempted an emergency stop, and the train was screeching and screaming for half a mile. But sadly, it was too late.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh yeah, with that many freakin cars, dude.
Megan Hawkins :The cars and tracks vibrated. The crew watched in horror as the boys were hit by the train and killed dragging the bodies before grinding to a halt. You and your noises....
Hanna Hawkins :Yeah, you guys are just lucky. You can't See the faces
Megan Hawkins :Oh, you don't want to see the faces. The conductor Jerry Tomlin was on the radio notifying an approaching train on a parallel track to stop. He also called the dispatcher. Have you got injuries? The dispatcher asked, no, Tomlin said, we've got death. I'm sure we've got death. They passed under us. It has to be death. The engineer Steven said, I started lying down on the diesel horn. I got no reaction, none at all. Not so much as a flinch. And we just passed over them. From the time that we had placed the train into an emergency position and laid down on the horn, I would estimate about three to five seconds to impact and that may not sound like a very long period of time it is still but when you're bearing down on a couple of children, it's an eternity honestly
Hanna Hawkins :and seriously when You're in like a situation where you know something bad is happening. Everything is like when you can see a car accident happening
Megan Hawkins :Slow motion
Hanna Hawkins :slow mo to the max.
Megan Hawkins :He said, I allowed my engines to lock up and felt my train operation just going to hell. When that happened, I immediately realized I had to get back to business at hand, I had to get my train under control again, and I did. But when it happened, there was nothing we could do. I just know that without a doubt, if willpower could have done anything, the train would have stopped, we would not have run over those boys. When a train hits an object on the tracks, there are typically one of two things that happens. Either the scoop that's on the front of the engine, which is known as the cow catcher...
Hanna Hawkins :I feel like either option is going to be terrible.
Megan Hawkins :And so the cow catcher will toss the object aside Or the object is sucked into the engine and then eventually tossed back out.
Hanna Hawkins :Both options would be shitty.
Megan Hawkins :The train was slowing to a stop, and the crew knew there was going to be human flesh under the train.
Hanna Hawkins :Terrible. This is terrible.
Megan Hawkins :I know this story. Get ready.
Hanna Hawkins :I am so ready.
Megan Hawkins :Ah, okay
Hanna Hawkins :I am buckled up and ready
Megan Hawkins :you need to be because I have been so sucked into this one like nothing else.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm ready for the this shit.
Megan Hawkins :Okay. After the train came to a stop, the crew walked about 35 cars back and they found the pieces of the boy's bodies pieces scattered around. And it was spread along a quarter mile of the track.
Hanna Hawkins :This is rough dude.
Megan Hawkins :The biggest body part found, was the chest
Hanna Hawkins :Oh no, is it gonna be the torso?
Megan Hawkins :and head of one of the boys.
Hanna Hawkins :Noooooo
Megan Hawkins :yeah. While the crew was assessing the situation, they noticed something peculiar. The blood wasn't right. They had reached the bodies within 10 minutes after the impact, and the blood wasn't flowing because there was hardly any blood at all.
Hanna Hawkins :Cuz they were already dead.
Megan Hawkins :You think? the color of the blood was strange too it was a purplish color
Hanna Hawkins :What?
Megan Hawkins :The crew was immediately suspicious of this situation. The police arrived at the crime scene and initially thought this must have been a double suicide. But when the engineer was questioned, he insisted that the bodies were lying parallel on the tracks. their arms were down by their sides, and they were completely motionless and unresponsive. This suggested that they had been dead before the train hit them.
Hanna Hawkins :I feel like even if it was a suicide, like Not only this, but like, even if it were to be even if you were the one laying on the tracks, I feel like you would still flinch to an extent.
Megan Hawkins :Absolutely. And that kind of what they said too you know, the crew members on the train did talk extensively about well okay, maybe one of the boys could have had enough you know power in them to not flinch right, but two Yeah, that's insane.
Hanna Hawkins :There's no freakin way.
Megan Hawkins :But this wasn't the only crucial mistake that happened within minutes of the police arriving on the scene. In diagramming the site. A corner of one of the train cars was chosen as the reference point. And everything was mapped in relation to that. hours later, they allowed the train to leave. And the reference point was immediately lost forever.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh my goodness
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, that's a big mistake. Remember that train that was told to stop and wait earlier in the story. Well, now they're allowed to pass and this disturbed even more of the crime scene
Hanna Hawkins :Of course.
Megan Hawkins :Mm hmm. Typically sheriffs would have jurisdiction while local police work in the city. In this case, the deputies had jurisdiction. Wayne lane Hart of the Arkansas State Police felt the deputies had an apparent disinterest in the possibility of murder.
Hanna Hawkins :It's always the deputies always literally. when it does turn over to deputies man Game Over
Megan Hawkins :Mhm According to the training, any unnatural death should be investigated first as possible homicide so that the evidence is preserved properly. Wayne did mention this to the deputies and two emergency medical technicians that were on the scene tried to tell them something wasn't right as well. One of the EMTs said the bodies looked like mannequins. That there was little blood at the scene, and that the blood at the impact site was very dark, and was in fact too dark to be considered normal.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm still stuck on that on the purple blood. Yeah, I'm still super stuck on that. Like what the fuck
Megan Hawkins :they're saying that it's not fresh blood that's at the scene. The EMTs made a very controversial move, because they felt so strongly that something was off. They attached a note to the file titled note of interest. It said, blood from the bodies and on the body parts we observed was a dark color in nature due to our training. This would indicate a lack of oxygen present in the blood and could pose a question as to how long the victims have been dead. It's worth noting that one deputy at the scene, Kathy cardi listened to the train crew EMTs and state police trooper she had Agreed something strange was going on. she confronted her superior officers, talent and Richmond and they ordered her to treat the case like a traffic fatality
Hanna Hawkins :naturally.
Megan Hawkins :Yes. Since traffic accidents don't require an autopsy in Arkansas, the bodies were sent to a funeral home. Talent....
Hanna Hawkins :body pieces.
Megan Hawkins :True. Talent changed his mind within hours and had the bodies redirected to the state crime lab for an autopsy. Don's father Curtis had been out searching for the boys. They were supposed to have a sleep over at his house once the boys were back from hunting. He called Kevin's mom Linda and said Get over here quick. They've been shot and tied to the railroad tracks and run over by trains. By the way, he learned this from neighbors
Hanna Hawkins :Oh no.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah,
Hanna Hawkins :that's like when people learn things
Megan Hawkins :on the news and things like that. I hate that. Yeah. Oh. So when he said this, Linda felt an odd sense of relief. The words coming out of Curtis's mouth were so absurd. It just couldn't be true.
Hanna Hawkins :I don't know what it is okay, but I want like what you'll have to tell me when you listen back.
Megan Hawkins :She was already thinking they could have been in a car accident, or in a hunting accident. This story was just too crazy to be true. Linda hurried over to Curtis's home and saw the boys his cars in the driveway. This seemed like good news. But then, Deputy talent led her inside to tell her what happened.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm sorry, I just got thrown off for a second. She saw they saw
Megan Hawkins :she saw the kids' cars. Don and Kevin's cars were in the driveway.
Hanna Hawkins :Okay
Megan Hawkins :and so she thought okay, the Boys are here now. Everything's fine.
Hanna Hawkins :She thought they survived getting run over by a train?
Megan Hawkins :She didn't believe it.
Hanna Hawkins :Got it. Okay, I'm sorry. I missed that.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, so Linda's saying, Okay, this is such an absurd story.
Hanna Hawkins :Okay
Megan Hawkins :I feel calm now the Boys are fine.
Hanna Hawkins :I'm gonna tell you where I fucked that up in my head. When you said like she was not believing a story I thought that she thought or like knew that they got run over but then was like, there's no way this is what truly happened. Something else had to led up to it.
Megan Hawkins :Sure.
Hanna Hawkins :That's where I got thrown off. Sorry, I'm back on track.
Megan Hawkins :No, that's a good point. Okay. Also, I have an interesting but awful fact that I want to go over.
Hanna Hawkins :So fun, but not really fact.
Megan Hawkins :Okay, so this whole situation could have actually been way worse. if there hadn't been for a very recent change, Kevin Ives' father Larry was an engineer that worked the exact route that the boys were killed on.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh, no.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah. So he did that route through Little Rock. And he had been switched to another route. Only two months prior. So Stephen Shroyer took over the route for him. Had this not happened
Hanna Hawkins :That would have been horrid
Megan Hawkins :Kevin's own father would have run over the boys.
Hanna Hawkins :That would have been the worst thing, but also strategically placed. Hmm, maybe maybe no. I'm just saying
Megan Hawkins :Do you think something weird is happening?
Hanna Hawkins :No, no, not at all.
Megan Hawkins :This is just really straightforward.
Hanna Hawkins :This is Normal.
Megan Hawkins :Mm hmm. A week before Kevin and Don were killed on an identified man wearing military fatigues was spotted near the tracks and his behavior raised suspicion Police Officer Danny Allen stopped to question him and he opened fire on the office.
Hanna Hawkins :Oh, ok
Megan Hawkins :yeah, that escalated fast. The area was searched, but the man was never found. On the night that Kevin and Don were killed. witnesses saw the man in military fatigues. He was spotted leaving town and heading down a road that was less than 200 yards from the spot where Kevin and Don were hit. He still has not been located or identified. Also, why does he only wear military fatigues?
Hanna Hawkins :Oh, what the hell?
Megan Hawkins :Isn't that weird?
Hanna Hawkins :That is really, really strange.
Megan Hawkins :Like witnesses are spotting you doing something and then you're gonna wear them again. But unfortunately, he's good at hiding The State Medical Examiner Fahm Malik determined that Kevin and Don were under the influence of marijuana. He concluded Oh, you're gonna like this.
Hanna Hawkins :I can already tell I'm gonna love it.
Megan Hawkins :He concluded that they smoked approximately 20 marijuana cigarettes. He believed they were in a drug induced coma and were hit.
Hanna Hawkins :He did pot. They did pot.
Megan Hawkins :He ruled the deaths suicide, but the families believed they were murdered, and also didn't believe their boys are involved in drugs.
Hanna Hawkins :Dammit, they smoked too many marijuana's
Megan Hawkins :Oh my gosh. The families were also questioning why the boys would lay down in identical positions if they were so stoned.
Hanna Hawkins :This theory is killing me
Megan Hawkins :It's so stupid! Like you don't just Smoke so hard that you go unconscious and lay on railroad tracks.
Hanna Hawkins :I mean, you might go unconsciouslike passing out from being tired but you're gonna hear a fucking train hurdling at you. I promise you that.
Megan Hawkins :Oh mylanta. They also didn't believe that you could sleep through the loud sounds of a diesel horn. You stole it.
Hanna Hawkins :Whoops.
Megan Hawkins :Ah. And Don's father said he didn't believe that he would lay his rifle on the gravel because he took great care of it and wouldn't want it to get scratched
Hanna Hawkins :on why the fuck would you lay down on railroad tracks of all things? Like this looks like a comfy place to nap.
Megan Hawkins :We're stoned out of our minds. Let's go lay down on the railroad tracks. Okay. Oh man. Kevin's father Larry. I felt that he needed to salvage his son's reputation and find the truth. He said, Well, I couldn't believe that Kevin was knocked out on marijuana, or in any kind of heavy drugs, anything like that, because I was at home a lot during the day when Kevin came in from school, and Linda was here at night and we'd never see him in a state like that. And he didn't act like spaced out or however you want to phrase it. I love that you're just totally into this part.
Hanna Hawkins :I can't help it, dude. The things that people say about marijuana's is just so freakin funny to me. Okay. Oh, I am good, I swear.
Megan Hawkins :Okay. A week after Kevin and Don were buried their parents were brought to the Office of the State Medical Examiner Fahmy Malak. Remember that name because he's a piece of shit.
Hanna Hawkins :I don't know how I can forget it.
Megan Hawkins :Right? Okay. The boys' parents had actually done some investigating of their own at the crime scene, and they found a large piece of cardboard that had a dark spot on it that looked like blood. They wondered if the cardboard was used to drag the boys' bodies. They also found pieces of a gun, and they wanted the items analyzed. They weren't having good luck with the deputies, so they gave the items to Fahmy Malik to test. In regards to the autopsy. Malik said that the two were accidental deaths due to THC intoxication. THC is a component of marijuana. His theory was that the boys smoked enough marijuana that they simply fell asleep on the tracks.
Hanna Hawkins :First person in history to overdose on it.
Megan Hawkins :yeah, both at the same time.
Hanna Hawkins :It is really impressive.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah. And the police did not question these findings. Fahmy Malik was accused by his own staff of keeping outdated crime lab stationary, where he allegedly falsified findings in autopsy reports, just before certain cases went to court. It was also discovered that the hospital where the boys were taken to and examined, kept no records of their presence there. No EMT records were found and no patient care was rendered. The hospital clerk told the investigator that's why the families were not billed. Now how could this be? The EMT' wrote a thorough and controversial report at the scene of the crime. But now there's no evidence of this? If you're wondering what happened to the cardboard and gun pieces that were given to the medical examiner.
Hanna Hawkins :Did they disappear?
Megan Hawkins :The gun pieces disappeared and the cardboard was never examined. Yeah. Kevin and Don's parents were completely fed up with the investigation on the case. They decided to get a second opinion from a pathologist. Right? through recommendations. They went with Dr. JT Francisco in Memphis, Tennessee, an official at the crime lab agreed to send the samples but explained they couldn't send urine for Don because his bladder had been destroyed. Several weeks later.
Hanna Hawkins :It was so cringy Okay,
Megan Hawkins :yes, Francisco reported that he was able to confirm Malik's ruling. The parents demanded that they get the results in writing when the results were received. They realize that Francisco had not tested the boys blood, only urine. The only testable urine was from Kevin since Don's couldn't be tested. How could they possibly be holding a letter stating that the THC levels were tested and matched Malik's findings? If they only tested Kevin, they got Francisco to admit that he had not run any tests and was only able to confirm the Arkansas crime lab followed standard procedures. Her face
Hanna Hawkins :I just don't even have words. It's fucking the medical examiner's so much.
Megan Hawkins :Yeah, you're gonna get to know him really well on this story.
Hanna Hawkins :Great.
Megan Hawkins :He confirmed that he spoke to Malik before sending them the findings and he never billed the family. Kevin's family hired a private investigator. And every time he tried to question the police or other investigating agencies, he was met with great resistance. They were unwilling to cooperate or change their opinions about the case. Five months after the deaths, Kevin and Don's parents held a press conference as they were hoping to get the case reopened. Luckily, their plan was successful.
Hanna Hawkins :Finally something good
Megan Hawkins :and it was officially reopened. Okay, so surprise, this is actually a two part story.
Hanna Hawkins :Cuz Megan's an asshole.
Megan Hawkins :There is just so much going on. So we want you to come back next week and hear the rest of it. Thanks so much for Drinking The Cool Aid with us.
Hanna Hawkins :Wait before I forget, sorry. Just wanted to say it is June. So Happy Pride Month.
Unison :Hey,
Megan Hawkins :like us on Facebook, tell your friends and subscribe on any of your podcast apps. Byyyyyyeeee Are you kidding me? The one part you have to do. Are you ready?
Unison :Byyyyyeeeee Transcribed by https://otter.ai
