Found Deceased GA - Kyle Clinkscales, 23, LaGrange, 27 Jan 1976 *car found in 2021*

[evilwise]

Yes, I think he either fell asleep at the wheel, swerved to miss a deer, or the crash was drinking-related. If you look at the car being pulled out of the creek, you can tell that the wheels are turned very sharply towards the left. I think he probably flipped the car just by looking at the damage done to the top of it, the rear bumper, and the passenger side.

I think his car was missed for so long because up until recently, the area was much denser. I have attached a collage of photos from Google Street view and one I took at the scene. If you look at the one I took of the scene, you can see the muddy bank where the car was pulled. I think that's where the car was, down that bank. If you look at the Google street view pics, you can see that until today, that area of the creek was pretty hidden by brush.

Attached pics: Kyle's car and pics from the scene that I took.

The brush on that bank was probably just torn out from the retrieval of the car, see how torn up the ground is in the picture of the car as it's pulled out.

The condition of the car seems quite strange to me, neither bumper seems damaged and only moderate damage to the passenger side but the roof is torn completely off as well as the hood. Did he drive under something? If I were salacious I might suggest that it's the sort of damage an auto wrecking crane might do to a car picking it up and dropping it off the side of a bridge but I'm not audacious and I'm sure now that they have the car the NHTSA will be able to explain what actually happened once they fully investigate.

 

[Alleykins]

The brush on that bank was probably just torn out from the retrieval of the car, see how torn up the ground is in the picture of the car as it's pulled out.

The condition of the car seems quite strange to me, neither bumper seems damaged and only moderate damage to the passenger side but the roof is torn completely off as well as the hood. Did he drive under something? If I were salacious I might suggest that it's the sort of damage an auto wrecking crane might do to a car picking it up and dropping it off the side of a bridge but I'm not audacious and I'm sure now that they have the car the NHTSA will be able to explain what actually happened once they fully investigate.

I don't know what the weather was like when Kyle went missing, but I believe GA does get black ice on occasion. If he hit a slick patch, he might have rolled over side over side, instead of end over end, which might explain the lack of damage to the bumpers, and the way the wheels were turned.
This happened to me 21 years ago. I hit a patch of black ice, ended up in the opposite shoulder, which was very soft, and my front wheels got turned. This caused me to flip side over side at least four times before coming to rest on the wheels. Most of the damage was done to the roof and passenger side. I was going about 40 miles an hour when I hit the ice, so it impacted the vehicle really hard.

 

[evilwise]

I don't know what the weather was like when Kyle went missing, but I believe GA does get black ice on occasion. If he hit a slick patch, he might have rolled over side over side, instead of end over end, which might explain the lack of damage to the bumpers, and the way the wheels were turned.
This happened to me 21 years ago. I hit a patch of black ice, ended up in the opposite shoulder, which was very soft, and my front wheels got turned. This caused me to flip side over side at least four times before coming to rest on the wheels. Most of the damage was done to the roof and passenger side. I was going about 40 miles an hour when I hit the ice, so it impacted the vehicle really hard.

I bet you're glad you were luckier than poor Kyle Clinkscales! But yes, I'm sure that something like this is the most rational explanation. I'm having trouble visualizing exactly how it could have happened and the car ended up in the position it was relative to the bridge but I'm sure it's just because I don't have enough information yet. No doubt some podcaster will soon do a video on it.

 

[Valiant]

The brush on that bank was probably just torn out from the retrieval of the car, see how torn up the ground is in the picture of the car as it's pulled out.

The condition of the car seems quite strange to me, neither bumper seems damaged and only moderate damage to the passenger side but the roof is torn completely off as well as the hood. Did he drive under something? If I were salacious I might suggest that it's the sort of damage an auto wrecking crane might do to a car picking it up and dropping it off the side of a bridge but I'm not audacious and I'm sure now that they have the car the NHTSA will be able to explain what actually happened once they fully investigate.

My guess is the roof rusted away. That's what the damage there looks like. Same for the hood most likely.

 

[sleepysleuth]

The rear bumper of the car sustained quite a bit of damage (see attached pic). Also, it looks to me like it’s possible there was a fire that maybe burned out the roof.

 

[sleepysleuth]

UPDATE FROM TCSO: Facebook

.....The process is being concluded today and recovered from the vehicle were several personal effects which appear to had belonged to Kyle. Also recovered were approximately 50 different skeletal remains to include a partial skull bone which will all be sent to the GBI Crime Lab for further analysis.

 

[strangerthanfiction1200]

When I was in elementary school (many moons ago), a neighbor had been drinking and fell asleep and hit a tree and died. So it is possible that he could have fallen asleep, lost control and what posters mentioned above flipped. If he was drunk, Kyle might not have realized he was going a different direction. My neighbor also died in the early 70's and late at night. Back then, roads were less traveled, no lights on backroads, and if you went into water, the driver wouldn't have known until it was too late.
When I learned to drive, I drove that route that my neighbor died and this was in the early 1980's it was still hard to navigate. You went down a long curvy road and at the bottom hit an intersection, no way to tell who was there until it was too late. Enough of my related childhood.
Were there guard rails at that time? If not, nobody would know an accident happened. I do not think (IMO) knew there was a creek there late at night.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

The more we hear about this case, I'm also leaning towards this just being a tragic accident. I suspect that there was no foul play involved & that nothing suspicious occurred in regards to his death. I agree that KC may have been intoxicated and/or very tired when driving late at night. He may have fallen asleep/partially asleep at the wheel & gotten into a single-car accident - and then unintentionally ended up in the water. I suspect there was no one else around(due to the location & lateness of the hour), so there was probably no one to see what happened.

Wanted to also agree completely that driving at night in a rural area with no lamps/lights on the side of the road is very treacherous - but completely understandable given the location & era. I myself have driven at night without much (if any) lighting around. In many cases, the only lights you have to see by are your vehicle beams, and the lights from other cars around you (if there are any).

Since this happened so long ago & since the car/remains have presumably been under water for 45+ years, I don't know if they can do an autopsy on the remains & be able to tell if there was foul play involved or not.

 

[Arizona 123]

Yes, I think he either fell asleep at the wheel, swerved to miss a deer, or the crash was drinking-related. If you look at the car being pulled out of the creek, you can tell that the wheels are turned very sharply towards the left. I think he probably flipped the car just by looking at the damage done to the top of it, the rear bumper, and the passenger side.

I think his car was missed for so long because up until recently, the area was much denser. I have attached a collage of photos from Google Street view and one I took at the scene. If you look at the one I took of the scene, you can see the muddy bank where the car was pulled. I think that's where the car was, down that bank. If you look at the Google street view pics, you can see that until today, that area of the creek was pretty hidden by brush.

Attached pics: Kyle's car and pics from the scene that I took.

Thank you, sleepysleuth, for these photos, and your other reports.

One thing that stands out to me from the photos of the car is that, although the roof and upper edge of the windshield appear smashed in, the upper door frames (upper edge of the door windows) do not.

I used to be an occasional tow truck driver in college, and it was in a rural area, so I saw quite a few single-vehicle wrecks. IMHO, this Pinto's condition does not fit a rollover, *unless* the rolling occurred on uneven ground, such as the creek bank in your photos. It also looks to me as if the frame is sprung, which is common for rollovers on uneven ground.

My other theory is (as others have said) a deer strike, though not going through the windshield. That can cave in the front edge of a roof (though I've not seen this personally).

I agree with others here that black ice is a suspect; it was January and late at night.

Do you happen to know if the car was found upside down, or right side up?

 

[sleepysleuth]

Thank you, sleepysleuth, for these photos, and your other reports.

One thing that stands out to me from the photos of the car is that, although the roof and upper edge of the windshield appear smashed in, the upper door frames (upper edge of the door windows) do not.

I used to be an occasional tow truck driver in college, and it was in a rural area, so I saw quite a few single-vehicle wrecks. IMHO, this Pinto's condition does not fit a rollover, *unless* the rolling occurred on uneven ground, such as the creek bank in your photos. It also looks to me as if the frame is sprung, which is common for rollovers on uneven ground.

My other theory is (as others have said) a deer strike, though not going through the windshield. That can cave in the front edge of a roof (though I've not seen this personally).

I agree with others here that black ice is a suspect; it was January and late at night.

Do you happen to know if the car was found upside down, or right side up?

Great insight - thank you!

The part that was visible was the rear hatch that was sticking up out of the water. That led me to think that the car was found right side up. It didn’t have any noticeable damage that I could see on the front bumper. Do you have any theories as to why the hood was missing?

 

[Valiant]

Great insight - thank you!

The part that was visible was the rear hatch that was sticking up out of the water. That led me to think that the car was found right side up. It didn’t have any noticeable damage that I could see on the front bumper. Do you have any theories as to why the hood was missing?

Rust. Rust may also explain why the rear axle and rear bumper are out of place. It’s common that cars deteriorate rather than be preserved under water.
I’d bet the latch rusted and that’s why the rear hatch opened after all these years.

 

[imtheonlylp]

Not necessarily. Kyle would have been leaving from the Moose Club, which used to be located at 110 Old Airport Road in LaGrange. If I was heading south towards Auburn today from that location (and probably even more so in 1976) I would travel via West Point Road (US HWY 29). I would then get on the interstate by entering via West Point (Exit 2) or Lanett (Exit 79) or Huguley (Exit 77)..... but maybe he chose Cussetta (Exit 70)?

I don't even know if all of those exits existed in 1976? Do you? I've tried finding a map from that time with no such luck.

Anyway, it's entirely possible that for whatever reason, Kyle chose to take the back roads, almost the entire way to Auburn, and then traveled County Road 83 to cut over to the interstate to finish the last part. Maybe there was a wreck on the interstate and he detoured? Maybe he stopped off at a friend's house? Maybe he was avoiding roadblocks?

I don't know - but it is completely within the realm of possibility that he did indeed travel that route and died in a single-car accident.

I guess we shall see.

Map of the possible route below.

I haven't read past your post just yet, so sorry if already answered. I did find this site (https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-085/#) which has the history of I85 in the east AL area, which appears to have been built in 1962. Doesn't say whether those exits existed then or not though, but I would think that, in 15 years, they would have been built. I've noticed that there are several other sleuths local to this area as am I, which is why I'm so intrigued by this case. Having lived here for over 40 years though, this is the first I've ever heard of it. In reading some of the previous posts, and the assumption that the body was moved, and there was an impression found in the pond when investigators searched it - which was noted to be about three feet deep, was there anywhere that mentioned the size of that impression? Would it have been the size of the car? I also want to point out that as of yet, the remains have not been identified by GBI. The article titles and wording can lead one to believe that they have been identified already. We all know that it would be nearly impossible for them to have identified the remains this quickly, especially with closest relatives already passed away. Just wanted to clear that up - makes me wonder though, IF his remains were in fact encased in concrete, in a barrel/drum, why would the perpetrator go through the trouble to chisel them out only to re-hide them again? Makes me wonder if it's not the remains of another victim (or multiple victims). As many of us know, there are a LOT of dark secrets in many of these little towns (with Phenix City, AL once being known as Sin City of America). Really piques my curiosity now though to what other local cases are out there that I never knew about!

 

[Spider92]

I'm so happy to finally have answers - I've been following this case since 1998, when I was just 18 years old, and heard about it through the local grapevine. I have had so many discussions over the years with so many people in law enforcement, people who worked directly in this case and were "in the know", and no one - and I mean no one ever once suggested that Kyle simply perished in a single-car accident. It was always said that the "Dixie Mafia" and other unsavory characters were responsible for Kyle's disappearance. Everyone felt satisfied with that ending it seemed. I suspect people will continue to believe that they were somehow responsible.

I've never felt satisfied with that ending. Not that I didn't also believe the rumors, but I just felt like Kyle deserved to actually be brought home, and that day is finally here. don't know that we will ever get an official cause of death, and they have not done an official identification, but I expect (IMO) that it will eventually be confirmed to be him inside that car.

It's just so, so sad.

Kudos to you for following this case so closely for so long and thank you for all your insights.
I know a couple of people were arrested 15+ years ago. Do you know if they were convicted?

 

[Arizona 123]

Great insight - thank you!

The part that was visible was the rear hatch that was sticking up out of the water. That led me to think that the car was found right side up. It didn’t have any noticeable damage that I could see on the front bumper. Do you have any theories as to why the hood was missing?

I've been trying to make sense of that back hatch. To me it looked like it had been exposed at an angle, as that part is cleaner. Until your post I had no idea that it was sticking up, and assumed it might be an artifact of the recovery. I can't make sense of this; if the hatch had been sticking up all these years, surely the car would have been found before now. If it came up recently, how? I very much doubt those were buoyant in any way. The only wild guess I can make is that the car might have been pointing somewhat downstream, the latch rusted over time, and a recent fast flow of water forced the hatch up.

As for the hood, I've seen plenty of hoods spring in accidents, though I have no clue as to the case here. As a wild guess, it might have come detached during the wreck, and been carried downstream a bit. Or, as mentioned above, (apologies, I can't see upthread while replying, so I can't properly attribute) rust may have played a role. I very much doubt the hood hinges would have corroded before the body, though the screws holding them in place might well have, especially if galvanic corrosion was an issue.

The only window that appears to be broken is the windshield, which makes me wonder if the deer theory is the correct one.

Another slightly odd thing; the gas cap is missing. Those were metal. I have no clue as to why that would be missing.

I hope we get to see a police report, as there are many unanswered questions here. To me it makes no sense at all that it could have been foul play, and they dumped Kyle and his car together. It also makes no sense at all to me that people were criminally charged based on what appears to be nothing, yet they were, so I'm not overly trusting of my opinions on this case.

I hadn't heard of this case, in spite of having been a reader on Websleuths for many years, until Kyle was found. It's a heart-breaker of a case, especially with him being found so soon after his mother passed away. If only he could have been found a year sooner...

 

[Valiant]

I've been trying to make sense of that back hatch. To me it looked like it had been exposed at an angle, as that part is cleaner. Until your post I had no idea that it was sticking up, and assumed it might be an artifact of the recovery. I can't make sense of this; if the hatch had been sticking up all these years, surely the car would have been found before now. If it came up recently, how? I very much doubt those were buoyant in any way. The only wild guess I can make is that the car might have been pointing somewhat downstream, the latch rusted over time, and a recent fast flow of water forced the hatch up.

As for the hood, I've seen plenty of hoods spring in accidents, though I have no clue as to the case here. As a wild guess, it might have come detached during the wreck, and been carried downstream a bit. Or, as mentioned above, (apologies, I can't see upthread while replying, so I can't properly attribute) rust may have played a role. I very much doubt the hood hinges would have corroded before the body, though the screws holding them in place might well have, especially if galvanic corrosion was an issue.

The only window that appears to be broken is the windshield, which makes me wonder if the deer theory is the correct one.

Another slightly odd thing; the gas cap is missing. Those were metal. I have no clue as to why that would be missing.

I hope we get to see a police report, as there are many unanswered questions here. To me it makes no sense at all that it could have been foul play, and they dumped Kyle and his car together. It also makes no sense at all to me that people were criminally charged based on what appears to be nothing, yet they were, so I'm not overly trusting of my opinions on this case.

I hadn't heard of this case, in spite of having been a reader on Websleuths for many years, until Kyle was found. It's a heart-breaker of a case, especially with him being found so soon after his mother passed away. If only he could have been found a year sooner...

Rust explains all of that. Different metals will rust at different rates - especially things that may be unpainted like latches for the hood and hatch or interior parts of the gas cap. It's a creek with fresh, flowing water that will carry more oxygen than a stagnant pool of water.

 

[sleepysleuth]

Kudos to you for following this case so closely for so long and thank you for all your insights.
I know a couple of people were arrested 15+ years ago. Do you know if they were convicted?

According to the Daily Beast - "An associate of Hyde—who died in 2001—named Jimmy Earl Jones was arrested along with Jones’ companion Jeanne Pawlak Johnson for concealing the student’s death. They were also charged with giving false statements and obstruction of justice. They were released from prison in 2013 after serving five years."

No one was actually charged with murder - they were prosecuted for making false statements, so I am assuming that those charges would still be valid. I just really wish that they would give an interview, I'd love to hear what they have to say. They're both in their 70s now.

 

[sleepysleuth]

I've been trying to make sense of that back hatch. To me it looked like it had been exposed at an angle, as that part is cleaner. Until your post I had no idea that it was sticking up, and assumed it might be an artifact of the recovery. I can't make sense of this; if the hatch had been sticking up all these years, surely the car would have been found before now. If it came up recently, how? I very much doubt those were buoyant in any way. The only wild guess I can make is that the car might have been pointing somewhat downstream, the latch rusted over time, and a recent fast flow of water forced the hatch up.

As for the hood, I've seen plenty of hoods spring in accidents, though I have no clue as to the case here. As a wild guess, it might have come detached during the wreck, and been carried downstream a bit. Or, as mentioned above, (apologies, I can't see upthread while replying, so I can't properly attribute) rust may have played a role. I very much doubt the hood hinges would have corroded before the body, though the screws holding them in place might well have, especially if galvanic corrosion was an issue.

The only window that appears to be broken is the windshield, which makes me wonder if the deer theory is the correct one.

Another slightly odd thing; the gas cap is missing. Those were metal. I have no clue as to why that would be missing.

I hope we get to see a police report, as there are many unanswered questions here. To me it makes no sense at all that it could have been foul play, and they dumped Kyle and his car together. It also makes no sense at all to me that people were criminally charged based on what appears to be nothing, yet they were, so I'm not overly trusting of my opinions on this case.

I hadn't heard of this case, in spite of having been a reader on Websleuths for many years, until Kyle was found. It's a heart-breaker of a case, especially with him being found so soon after his mother passed away. If only he could have been found a year sooner...

Another thing that could suggest he hit a deer - the front left headlight is missing.

The investigators think that the hatch rusted out over time, like you said, and popped up. Only that clean corner of the rear hatch was visible, so like 18 inches(ish).

The passerby who called it in was a truck driver, so it's possible that his vantage point from sitting up higher in the truck is why he was able to see it and others didn't. I will say that the other night local reporter Elizabeth White posted on her Facebook page seeking help to identify the person who made the discovery to interview them. Another truck driver commented on that post and said that he had also seen the car like a month ago and didn't call it in because he thought it was just a door. He never imagined the creek was deep enough to conceal an entire car. So I do think that you probably had to be sitting up higher or physically looking over the bridge to see it.

 

[sleepysleuth]

Statement from the family (his aunt)

“On behalf of John, Louise & Kyle Clinkscales, and her sister’s family, Dan and Martha Morrison, we are deeply emotional right now. We’re grateful for this discovery. This community has been with John & Louise on this painful journey for four decades of mourning. Now we all can hopefully have a long-awaited peaceful closure. John & Louise lived with a horribly heavy heart of never knowing exactly what happened to their only child, Kyle. Through the years, finding out he was murdered and no justice was done was nothing short of a living hell for them. Yet they went on to start an organization, “FIND ME INC.” where they helped countless people all over the world find missing loved ones. They also worked closely with President Ronald Reagan to change laws concerning missing people. They were instrumental in changing the process for the better when a person is reported missing. So that as a family, we finally have hopeful closure is incredible news. We have full faith in the investigation that is going on now to find answers that were never found 45 years ago. We are looking forward to the affirmation that the remains found are truly Kyle’s. Our hope is that we can finish what John and Louise worked so long for simply knowing what happened to their son. While this is peaceful, it is also heartbreaking.”

 

[sleepysleuth]

I haven't read past your post just yet, so sorry if already answered. I did find this site (https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-085/#) which has the history of I85 in the east AL area, which appears to have been built in 1962. Doesn't say whether those exits existed then or not though, but I would think that, in 15 years, they would have been built. I've noticed that there are several other sleuths local to this area as am I, which is why I'm so intrigued by this case. Having lived here for over 40 years though, this is the first I've ever heard of it. In reading some of the previous posts, and the assumption that the body was moved, and there was an impression found in the pond when investigators searched it - which was noted to be about three feet deep, was there anywhere that mentioned the size of that impression? Would it have been the size of the car? I also want to point out that as of yet, the remains have not been identified by GBI. The article titles and wording can lead one to believe that they have been identified already. We all know that it would be nearly impossible for them to have identified the remains this quickly, especially with closest relatives already passed away. Just wanted to clear that up - makes me wonder though, IF his remains were in fact encased in concrete, in a barrel/drum, why would the perpetrator go through the trouble to chisel them out only to re-hide them again? Makes me wonder if it's not the remains of another victim (or multiple victims). As many of us know, there are a LOT of dark secrets in many of these little towns (with Phenix City, AL once being known as Sin City of America). Really piques my curiosity now though to what other local cases are out there that I never knew about!

I was on the scene of that dig in 2005. I can only say that the searchers were convinced that something, approximately the size of a barrel/oil drum, had been there at one point and been removed. They said that you could tell by the way the mud was filled in that something had been pulled up. They theorized that Kyle was in a barrel and had been pulled out and then relocated.

At this point, I think it's possible that something else was moved out of that area - nefarious or not, but I do not think it was related to Kyle. I think that he perished on or shortly after January 27, 1976, in a single-car accident on highway 83. Maybe the bones will come back with some unknown person's DNA, and then all the wild theories can be back on the table - but I find that to be unlikely.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Such a sad story, really.

Rest peacefully now Kyle.