These witnesses testimonies could have solved the murders of Kevin and Don, however they were all killed before they had the chance. They believe that he found out about their investigation and named them as suspects in order to taint their credibility and hinder their investigation into him. [3] Linda Ives, the mother of Kevin Ives, stated that her interest for participating was solving the mystery of her son's death, and was concerned her comments were used for political purposes. Matrisciana was a video journalist who also filmed The Clinton Chronicles in the early 90s. Mara Leveritt tells an awesome tale about the two young boys murdered in Arkansas after they stumbled onto the airfield where cocaine drops from Central America were flown in and arms to Central America were flown out. At first, I was turned off by the omniscient musings of Linda Ives in a non-fiction book. However, many do not consider him to be a credible source. The man is a sleazy pol and perv but I'd want to see solid evidence of his being brought into the fold of something like Black Eagle or related CIA Reagan-era malevolence. This was not a coincidence. It had taken a screaming, screeching half mile. The film alleged that Kevin and Don were killed after they accidentally witnessed a clandestine drug deal that involved top state officials. But their bodies were suspiciously neatly arranged on the train tracks. In 1987, two teenage boys, Kevin Ives and Don Henry, were found dead on train tracks in Alexander, Ark. Lying parallel to both of them was Dons .22 rifle. I'm sure we've got death. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. She weaves profiles and events into a smooth and chilling whole, one that leads the readers to confront, along with Linda Ives, the events' profoundly disturbing implications. Impressed by the details as well, I ran across similar information tying conspiracies with the Clintons and drug trafficking in South America. Neither had they ever seen Kevin spaced out nor any signs that he was into drugs. Update: August 23, 2019. Linda Ives, mother of the victim Kevin Ives, has devoted her life to finding out the truth behind her sons murder. Thanks for sharing the real word, this cant rest until solved. In 1995, the investigation into Kevin and Don's murders was officially closed without their killer(s) captured or identified. Leveritt brings up every wild conspiracy theory in Arkansas and ties each to the boys' death; some of the theories are wacky right-wing fantasies, others are simply small-town oddities. In 1994 the University of Arkansas named her Arkansas Journalist of the Year. Families don't accept explanation, Marijuana coma? All public officials who had indictments against them were cleared of all wrongdoings. Leveritt, an award-winning investigative reporter, handles a mountain of details well and succeeds in making this convoluted story reasonably understandable. I know in August of 2016, Linda Ives filed another suit under the freedom of information act. Several witnesses who testified before the grand jury were charged with drug trafficking and other offenses. to Mena. It is also known as the "Boys on the Tracks" case. Official investigations have focused on drug smuggling activities in Saline County, Arkansas. It is not only extremely well written, it points out how our law enforcement - from the local police on up - fail to take an investigation seriously !. When recalling the accident to local authorities, all the members of the train crew observed a tarp covering the bodies before they were run over. By the time Allen got up from his seat, the man was gone. Unlike many works that have dug for the dirt of the Clinton gubernatorial era, this is an authentically shocking, deeply unsettling portrait of contemporary American power backstopped by arrogance and callous greedand of the drug war as a weapon of social control from which insiders enjoy impunity. Its a small town, and there isnt much to see besides trees and hiking trails. Special Bulletin: Wanted: Jose Blandon. August 23, 1987 - 17-yr-old Kevin Ives and 16-yr-old Don Henry were murdered, and their bodies placed on train tracks to be mutilated by a passing train - cover-up begins immediately with authorities (Saline County Sheriff's Department) treating the scene as an "accident".. Aug-Sept, 1987 - State Medical Examiner, Fahmy Malak, does autopsy first leans towards . [1] Matrisciana later acknowledged that he was not in any danger, but that the interview was staged for dramatic effect at Falwell's suggestion. They began a crusade to find out what really happened and salvage the reputation of their sons. In October 1997, prosecutors brought more drug charges against Harmon, and he was sentenced to three years in prison, for a total of more than 11 years. Self (segment "Unexplained Death: Don Henry and Kevin Ives) Getting Started | Contributor Zone . Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021. She successfully had the original examiner's ruling overruled and the cause of death for Kevin Ives and Don Henry was changed from accidental to homicide. After meeting with deputy prosecutor Jean Duffey, who was put in charge of a drug task force for Saline County, Ives was made aware of incriminating information tying Harmon to the murders of Kevin Ives and Don Henry. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Leveritt does an excellent job in capturing Mara Leveritt tells an awesome tale about the two young boys murdered in Arkansas after they stumbled onto the airfield where cocaine drops from Central America were flown in and arms to Central America were flown out. The Mena Connection. However, I came to find them helpful in feeling Linda's utter frustration with trying to crack the veneer of corruption of the good ol' boys network in Arkansas. By Linda Ives. Not even once? It seemed especially unlikely that it would happen to two people at the same time. She has won several awards, including the White Award for Investigative Reporting. According to ID Files, Harmon was convicted in July 1997 of racketeering, extortion and drug conspiracy, and sentenced to eight years in prison. When Stephen laid down on the diesel horn, he got no reaction from them. American Made, the new title for the film, is about a pilot who lands work for the CIA as a drug runner. Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2021. The case was the subject of journalist Mara Leveritt's award-winning book The Boys on the Tracks.. On Sunday, August 23, 1987, at around 4:00 a.m., the bodies of the two boys . Kevin waited on the porch while Don went inside to talk to his father, Curtis. The train driver attempted to stop and blew the horn, but the momentum of the train carried it over the bodies. Please try again. He also called the dispatcher. June 13, 2020 - Latest Upload: Murder On The Tracks - The Billy Jack Haynes Storyhttps://youtu.be/utCKt6GYmBkDec 20 2019 Upload: American Re-Made - The Real . The two victims were identified as 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives, best friends and popular seniors at Bryant High School. Please feel free to make a contribution towards helping bring this treacherous case to a close, with some Justice finally being served!THE KEVIN IVES/DON HENRY GoFundMe PAGEhttps://www.gofundme.com/KevinIves-DonHenryMurdersLinda Ives appeared on a Reddit AMA on Wed June 7, 2017. GoreGirl89 1 yr. ago. The cause of death was changed to "definite homicide" after a second autopsy. She did know about it, but thought it was discredited, until her Police friend dug it up and found a lot of corroborating evidence in it in 2015. I lived in Little Rock when the events described in Mara Leveritt's "The Boys on the Track" were unfolding. Mile Higher. He died on May 17, 1988, when he struck the back of a tractor trailer after apparently being in a high speed chase. Eugene Hasenfus, who flew for the CIA, was the sole survivor of the crash, out of four men. Guess who was the US Attorney for Western Arkansas for the entire time Barry Seal was operating out of Mena Arkansas, which is in Western Arkansas??? A second autopsy by Georgia medical examiner Dr. Joseph Burton found the equivalent of one or two marijuana cigarettes, not 20. However, Matrisciana successfully appealed the verdict, which was overturned in 1999. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. His murder remains unsolved. The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton is a 1994 documentary that accused Bill Clinton of a range of crimes. Matrisciana created the Obstruction of Justice documentary to show the connection between the cover-up of Kevin Ives and Don Henrys murder, Mena drug trafficking and Bill Clinton. On August 23, 1987, the bodies of 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives were hit by a cargo train in Alexander, Arkansas as they lay on the tracks. For those not familiar with the background, the story begins on August 22 when teen-agers Kevin Ives and Don Henry went out to a secluded area of Saline County, Arkansas, for a night of deer hunting. I read it again recently after Billy Jack Haynes came forward with new information about the case. There are many conspiracy theories about this case that say many differnet people are involved or responsible for their deaths. He determined that they had been in a deep sleep induced by the "psychedelic" effects of the drug and had never heard the oncoming train. He is not sure why someone would do that, however. The secrets revolve around the murder of two Bryant seniors, Kevin Ives and Don Henry, and drug smuggling in the eighties. Your email address will not be published. In 1987, Linda Ives suffered a parental worst-nightmare when her son and a friend were run over by a train, whose crew observed them supine and covered with a tarp before impact. Hide Archive footage (1 credit) 1988 Unsolved Mysteries (TV Series documentary) Self (segment "Unexplained Death: Don Henry and Kevin Ives) - Episode #1.2 (1988) . But few tragedies compare with the story of Linda Ives, whose teenage son and his friend were found mysteriously run over by a train. According to the documentary "The Mena Connection," Clinton was approached by prosecutor Charles Black, who wanted to fund an investigation about the Mena criminal activity. All public officials who had indictments against them were cleared of all wrongdoings. [6], A number of the incidents mentioned in The Clinton Chronicles continued to be investigated after its release. I feel he came upon something tried to flee and he lost his life. On most weekends, the two double dated. I lived in Little Rock when the events described in Mara Leveritt's "The Boys on the Track" were unfolding. The Fat Man was arrested in Florida in 1984 for money laundering and smuggling quaaludes. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. My question is, who are the individuals you feel are the most responsible for the murder and cover up of the boys?\"Linda - \"Number one on the list as far as killers would be special prosecutor Dan Harmon who orchestrated the murders and cover up. He believes that Kevin and Don stumbled on either drug traffickers or a drug lab that manufactured methamphetamine and that they were killed as a result. By the time the engine shuddered to a standstill, Conductor Jerry Tomlin was on the radio notifying an approaching train on a parallel track to stop because some boys had been run over. Hassle free customer service through Amazon. So far, the run had been clear sailing, as engineer Stephen Shroyer approached the small town of Bryant, Arkansas. He stated he had flown that \"route\" a number of times and we were able to corroborate geographical information he provided.\"Q - \"Do you think any other state officials or officials in the federal government know the truth about your son's death and are staying silent about it for some reason? TIL of the death of Don Henry and Keven Ives, who were hit by a train as they lay on the tracks. I hope and pray all the families who have been affected by these crimes and cover-ups will get justice someday. Question: What is more important than holding the killers of Kevin Ives and Don Henry accountable? That said, her investigatory efforts seem impeccable; little within this page-turner reads as implausible conspiracy theory. Kevin and Don had avoided being caught. However, it was never found. ${cardName} not available for the seller you chose. However, this never happened, and the federal investigation regarding corruption in Saline County was unexpectedly terminated. A powerful story reminiscent of A Civil Action and Not Without My Daughter, The Boys on the Tracks is destined to become one of the most powerful works published in 1999. I told myself that nobody would befriend parents of a murder victim and then screw them over, but I was wrong, Ives said. While the film was directed by Patrick Matrisciana, who has a production company called Jeremiah Films, the production was credited to Citizens for Honest Government, a project of a Westminster, California organization named Creative Ministries Inc. that has connections to Matrisciana. It was alleged that they were the officers seen beating the two boys in a store parking lot. Law Lib., Washington, DC, Award-winning investigative reporter Leveritts debut is a wrecking-ball tale of tragedy, malfeasance, and machine politics that resembles an all-true Arkansas Confidential. Interestingly, Campbell and Lane were involved in investigating Harmon. My nephew is Boonie Bearden. Just a few months later, on August 24, Kevin's sister, Alicia, passed away at the age of fifty-three. . Garrett believes that Kevin and Don were murdered. Malak, in fact, had direct ties to Jocelyn Elders, who was the head of the state health department, and Bill Clinton, who was governor at the time. By then, it was almost 1AM. His documentary accused many men holding high rank, such as Dan Harmon, of being corrupt and involved in drugs. In the early hours of August 23 rd, 1987, they also died together. The general public remained ignorant of many of the facts until long after the fact when the record was researched by people such as Leveritt. Three hours later, Stephen Shroyers locomotive came speeding down Bryant Hill. In the documentary, two veteran sheriff's deputies, Jay Campbell and Kirk Lane, were alleged to be the killers. . They went to high school and did everything together. Several of these theories date to Clinton's tenure as the governor of Arkansas. Both Clinton and Elders had the authority to remove Malak from office after his false ruling, but they continued to support him and even gave him a $32,000 pay raise. The apparent murder in Saline County in 1987 of seventeen-year-old Kevin Ives and sixteen-year-old Don Henry has spurred ongoing controversy, including conspiracy theories tying their deaths to a drug-smuggling scandal. All information was gathered from The Obstruction of Justice documentary. After facing all of these drug charges, it may not be so far-fetched that he was at the tracks when Ives and Henry were murdered. On one of his trips, he was able to capture a photograph of Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord and drug trafficker, helping Nicaraguan soldiers load cocaine for shipment to the U.S. at the Managua airport. The story of Barry Seal reveals that the CIA, DEA and State Department have each been implicated in various drug trafficking operations that were used to illegally supply countries with weapons internationally. The Railroad Tracks (Documentary) m.youtube comment sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment [1], The movie helped perpetuate the Clinton body count conspiracy theory about a list of associates Clinton was purported to have had killed. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges. To cover their tracks, they laid them on the railroad tracks and covered them up with a tarp. Boonie Bearden, who was friends with Collins and Coney, went missing in 1989. Circuit Judge John Cole appointed Dan Harmon special prosecutor of the Kevin Ives and Don Henry case in 1988, which gave him direct access to and control of information as the case developed. The case remains unsolved, and Leveritt draws no conclusions. According to IMDB, Cruise plays Barry Seal, a notorious drug runner of the eighties. More than 1,000 feet of the decelerating train crossed the point where the bodies lay before it came to a stop. Duffeys boss, U.S. Attorney Chuck Banks, concluded that the media whirlwind created by Harmon had made her ineffective, and decided to fire her. The expert pathologist, Joe Burton, found an apparent stab wound in Don's back and a wound to Kevin's cheek. Clinton also denied ever speaking with Black when confronted about it. She uses the public record to present the facts. I learned of this book while listening to a true crime podcast and was fascinated by the story. As years passed, and more unsolved killings occurred, Ives assembled evidence that the boys had stumbled upon a diffuse conspiracy involving CIA-backed air suppliers to the Contras, who ran an enormous cocaine-trafficking operation from a remote airport. Hollenbeck and Thompson were willing participants in Harmons smear campaign against me and my task force, and neither reporter bothered to verify anything Harmon said; they just printed it lie after lie, article after article even when they knew Harmon was lying.. What an amazing author Mara is - her investigative efforts are absolutely astounding. Asa Hutchinson. All four of the people on the train who were able to observe the scene prior to the accident stated that the bodies were partially covered by the green tarp. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. This book kept me up at night until I had read the whole thing! I remember when this happened and it was on the newsthen faded. "[6] When it was found that Don Henry's shirt contained evidence of a stab wound to the back, and Kevin Ives' skull may have been crushed by his own rifle, the ruling was changed to "definite homicide. His behavior had aroused suspicion. I respect the mother's quest for justice and her investigation. They were lying motionless on the tracks, in a position nearly identical to Kevin and Dons. The investigation was rushed, and the infamous state medical examiner at the time, Fahmy Malak, was quick to rule the deaths as accidental due to a marijuana-induced coma. Kevin Ives and Don Henry seventeen-year-old boys who apparently saw something related to drugs in Mena by accident late at night. #Unsolvable #Mysteries #TheBoysOnTheTracks #DonHenry #KevinIvesIn this week's episode we will be discussing the twist of fate that led to the death two frien. [2] Members of the locomotive crew also stated that the bodies were partly covered by a green tarpaulin,[3] though police disputed the existence of any such tarp and none was ever recovered from the scene. Hope Harkins | Jun 7, 2019 at 4:15 pm, Clark Kent | May 27, 2017 at 4:09 pm. According to WorldNetDaily, Matrisciana created the Obstruction of Justice documentary to show the connection between the cover-up of Kevin Ives and Don Henrys murder, Mena drug trafficking and Bill Clinton. Kevins father, Larry, could not believe that his son was knocked out on marijuana or into any kind of heavy drugs. However, he was unable to stop it in time. He advocated for the case to be re-opened; however, the case remains unsolved.[9]. It is an intensely personal story and a story of national importance. The list of those directly involved in the coverup not listed already includes deputy prosecutor Richard Garrett, then sheriff Jim Steed, detective Chuck Tallent, detective Rick Elmendorf, Judge John Cole and many, many others who have been willing to look the other way over the years.\"Q - \"Do you think the Clinton's and the CIA drug trade were involved in your son's death?\"Linda - \"We knew early on that there were drugs drops involved but assumed it was a small local operation. His documentary accused many men holding high rank, such as. Matrisciana was a video journalist who also filmed The Clinton Chronicles in the early 90s. Police speculated that Kevin and Don's murder may have been related to drug trafficking. The train was over a mile long and was traveling at a speed of . All information was gathered from The Obstruction of Justice documentary. Mara Leveritt has covered this story since it first broke back in 1987. The cargo plane carrying weapons that was shot down was the very plane that Barry Seal used to fly drugs in and out of the U.S. before he was killed. The death of a child is bad enough. On June 3, 2021, Linda passed away at the age of seventy-one. Clinton promised Black that he would get a man on the case, but never did. The boys did not move, despite the sound and vibration of the approaching train, its emergency brakes, and its air horn. However, her intimation, in the epilog, of an ongoing, large-scale conspiracy is open to question. It is a tale of multiple murders and of justice repeatedly denied. Linda at first trusted Harmon, but later came to believe he was involved. This time, he was leaving town, heading down a road less than 200 yards from the spot where the bodies were run over. 16-year-old Don Henry and a year older Kevin Ives were best mates. They told us that he was bad news and that he was involved in drugs.. I hope I hope their murders get solved, & the families get justice. On the same night the boys died, a similar-looking man dressed in military fatigues was spotted nearby.
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