Found Deceased TX - Thomas Brown, 18, Hemphill County, 23 Nov 2016 #2

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The following from Wikipedia regarding cell tower forensics: "Call detail records and cell site (tower) dumps can show the phone owner's location, and whether they were stationary or moving (i.e., whether the phone's signal bounced off the same side of a single tower, or different sides of multiple towers along a particular path of travel). Carrier data and device data together can be used to corroborate information from other sources, for instance, video surveillance footage or eyewitness accounts; or to determine the general location where a non-geotagged image or video was taken."

The key words are "stationary or moving". Nearly all people in a small town are home sleeping between midnight and 6:00am. The few phones moving around throughout the night are people working, people passing through, or people involved in other activities. A few within the list of "other" were possibly involved with Tom's disappearance. Would not prove anything but may corroborate other suspicions or evidence.
 
OutWest said:
The key words are "stationary or moving".
Click to expand...

I am not totally familiar with cell tower “pings”; but the impression I got from a little research I did was that it’s not quite as precise or as often we could hope for in this case. Hopefully that is a false impression!

But perhaps there is another avenue in mobile data usage. If anyone was at home, they probably have WiFi that their phone would connect to, but perhaps not if they were out and about that night. If the tower had any data on the cell phones signal strength, it could also provide a picture of anyone who was engaged in a lot of movement.. like driving 70 miles.

I would also look for people who turned on their phones that morning too. If the killer was cognizant enough to turn off TB’s phone, he would probably have done the same for himself.

The best thing would be to have tower data for a couple weeks before and a couple days after. I would guess there would be patterns as humans are creatures of habit, looking for deviations would point you to possibly suspects.
 
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How the FBI Found JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan

"LE searched the property based on 3 priority areas based on different evidence."
1. Satellite imagery
2. Telephone ping information
3. Text message information ..... 1 in particular

They had a ping from ping information on the east side of a pond. The ping information gave very detailed information along with the satellite imagery.
 
nannymo said:
I am reading and listening also. I find little tidbits in both editions that are interesting.

I have a question.......I distinctly remember seeing the picture of Tom at the gas station getting gas at Fronk Oil. Now Sheriff Lewis says that picture never existed. Does anyone else remember seeing it on here? I cant find it, but I know I saw it. It just cannot disappear!
Click to expand...

A Texas teen is seen pumping gas, then he vanishes

It doesn’t show the picture but certainly references it. The Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office provided the copy and the pics for this article. That’s also likely why the HCSO takes credit for locating Tom’s Durango which was found by Christian and her father.
 
Razz said:
TB essentially went dark at midnight. Minutes after he filled the Durango w/ gas.
Did TB turn off his phone? Possibly to keep family from disturbing him knowing he wouldn't be available?

Was he hoping to have a "fling" at Lake Marvin after midnight?. His Mom says he's never late.

If it was someone else who turned the phone off, it had to happen quick.

Was it like TB to gas up before going home? He had the time before curfew.


Is the picture of TB at the gas station important because someone unknown took the picture? Why did the Sheriff originally show the picture to Penny?!
What was he hoping to gain from that.

Honestly, it bothers me that Penny suggested suicide right off. I know about the family history but still...does she know more than she is saying about TB's mental state?

The glitch here is the Durango seen via cctv at 5:00 that morning. Was the truck a manualshift or automatic? I'm always suprised at those who don't know how to shift.

Could TB have been driving? If so, how did he get 12 miles down the road where he was eventually found?

Sorry, just thinking aloud again.
Click to expand...


I find myself thinking about the gas station. Often.

I recently listened to the Tom Brown’s Body podcast and it seems they cherry picked to suit a story. It’s inferred that Tom was troubled and possibly committed suicide. Much of that based on a web search and a diaper fetish. I was also not a fan of the attacks on Penny.

Everyone’s search history is oddly incriminating on a plethora of things that don’t represent us. Maybe he googled it to do some research for a friend that had been down. He was with friends, not the most isolated place to do dedicated research. And a fetish? Yawn. Both of those have little real merit but good buzz appeal.

Ok. So I can do it too. I can put forth an idea that also follows some logic.

1. NLewis was dismissive at best. He was never respectful towards Penny nor Thomas. We have seen this over and over again. I’m happy to cite endless references.

2. NLewis talks from both sides of his mouth. He says something then denies it. Time and time again.

For example : http://highplainsobserverperryton.com/clients/highplainsobserverperryton/lewiscriminal.mp3

Here Lewis clearly states the Tom Brown case is a criminal investigation. But the fact remains, his conduct has been to dismiss, lose, ignore physical evidence and consistently bungle important processes. His actions did not back up his claims in this interview.

3. NLewis illegally detained Thomas in his off duty car a year and a half before he went missing. Penny was outraged and told Hemphill County Sheriff at the time James Pearson, who issued a statement about the incident slamming Lewis about not following protocol and he gets into hot water. This gives reason as to why he wouldn’t care too much to help Penny.

4. NLewis has in the past detained Thomas. So why not take him for a ride again? The modus operandi is the same. It is doubtful that Thomas apologized to him as he claims. Maybe NL took him for a drive or had Thomas drive him. Things get out of hand and they go down to Lake Marvin. Dump the body and on the way back dump the backpack and phone too. (Or late, for the phone... that’s a weird one) But all three are in a line and all three not far from the road. A lazy, arrogant man’s way of disposing a body and evidence.

5. Tom likely lost access to his phone quickly. Authority and/or threats do that, seemingly he lost access to his phone at or near the gas station. Cop cars were captured on security cameras very close to Fronks while Thomas was at the gas station. It’s said Fronks security cameras weren’t working that night but there are many different reports on that without any clear statement on both those cameras that night and NLs whereabouts.

6. Here’s reference to the missing picture Penny saw.
A Texas teen is seen pumping gas, then he vanishes

Pics and copy for this article were supplied by the HCSO and they even took the liberty to credit themselves with finding the Durango.

7. It’s been stated by others (I have not verified this) that NLewis lives within easy walking distance of where the Durango was found.

Did Thomas commit suicide? I don’t think so. But it’s also not hard to cherry pick arguments and build a case that LE is suspect.




Razz said:
TB essentially went dark at midnight. Minutes after he filled the Durango w/ gas.
Did TB turn off his phone? Possibly to keep family from disturbing him knowing he wouldn't be available?

Was he hoping to have a "fling" at Lake Marvin after midnight?. His Mom says he's never late.

If it was someone else who turned the phone off, it had to happen quick.

Was it like TB to gas up before going home? He had the time before curfew.


Is the picture of TB at the gas station important because someone unknown took the picture? Why did the Sheriff originally show the picture to Penny?!
What was he hoping to gain from that.

Honestly, it bothers me that Penny suggested suicide right off. I know about the family history but still...does she know more than she is saying about TB's mental state?

The glitch here is the Durango seen via cctv at 5:00 that morning. Was the truck a manualshift or automatic? I'm always suprised at those who don't know how to shift.

Could TB have been driving? If so, how did he get 12 miles down the road where he was eventually found?

Sorry, just thinking aloud again.
Click to expand...
 
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Balloon light, IMO you are absolutely on target with your read of the available evidence and information. There have been several others who say they remember seeing the photo from Fronk's. In fact, Tom's mother saw the photo "first hand" .....

As you point out, from the beginning Lewis appeared to act very strangely toward the family. I keep returning to the thought about how strange it was that HCSO and a few other LE personnel pushed the theory for much of two years that Tom was alive and hiding in another state, despite huge evidence to the contrary. Then, after the remains were found, they switched to an even more unbelievable and bizarre theory ..... that Tom's family was involved and had dumped the body along Lake Marvin Road. In consideration of the known evidence and information, those theories are so outlandishly stupid that they raise suspicion.

As you point out, there are some that still hold to the suicide theory. If a person were to focus on only a few things, I guess suicide could seem likely. However, when you look at that case as a whole, IMO foul play is expressly evident.

I never believed for a minute that the AG investigators actually ever thought this was a suicide case. They are smart. They did not fall from a potato wagon the night before. To hold that position, they must be experienced and well trained in criminal investigations. Granted, they work totally on verifiable hard evidence but they also are conscious of all suspicious things and situations which, many times, can provide the "scent trail" for them to follow.
 
Balloon light said:
I find myself thinking about the gas station. Often.

I recently listened to the Tom Brown’s Body podcast and it seems they cherry picked to suit a story. It’s inferred that Tom was troubled and possibly committed suicide. Much of that based on a web search and a diaper fetish. I was also not a fan of the attacks on Penny.

Everyone’s search history is oddly incriminating on a plethora of things that don’t represent us. Maybe he googled it to do some research for a friend that had been down. He was with friends, not the most isolated place to do dedicated research. And a fetish? Yawn. Both of those have little real merit but good buzz appeal.

Ok. So I can do it too. I can put forth an idea that also follows some logic.

1. NLewis was dismissive at best. He was never respectful towards Penny nor Thomas. We have seen this over and over again. I’m happy to cite endless references.

2. NLewis talks from both sides of his mouth. He says something then denies it. Time and time again.

For example : http://highplainsobserverperryton.com/clients/highplainsobserverperryton/lewiscriminal.mp3

Here Lewis clearly states the Tom Brown case is a criminal investigation. But the fact remains, his conduct has been to dismiss, lose, ignore physical evidence and consistently bungle important processes. His actions did not back up his claims in this interview.

3. NLewis illegally detained Thomas in his off duty car a year and a half before he went missing. Penny was outraged and told Hemphill County Sheriff at the time James Pearson, who issued a statement about the incident slamming Lewis about not following protocol and he gets into hot water. This gives reason as to why he wouldn’t care too much to help Penny.

4. NLewis has in the past detained Thomas. So why not take him for a ride again? The modus operandi is the same. It is doubtful that Thomas apologized to him as he claims. Maybe NL took him for a drive or had Thomas drive him. Things get out of hand and they go down to Lake Marvin. Dump the body and on the way back dump the backpack and phone too. (Or late, for the phone... that’s a weird one) But all three are in a line and all three not far from the road. A lazy, arrogant man’s way of disposing a body and evidence.

5. Tom likely lost access to his phone quickly. Authority and/or threats do that, seemingly he lost access to his phone at or near the gas station. Cop cars were captured on security cameras very close to Fronks while Thomas was at the gas station. It’s said Fronks security cameras weren’t working that night but there are many different reports on that without any clear statement on both those cameras that night and NLs whereabouts.

6. Here’s reference to the missing picture Penny saw.
A Texas teen is seen pumping gas, then he vanishes

Pics and copy for this article were supplied by the HCSO and they even took the liberty to credit themselves with finding the Durango.

7. It’s been stated by others (I have not verified this) that NLewis lives within easy walking distance of where the Durango was found.

Did Thomas commit suicide? I don’t think so. But it’s also not hard to cherry pick arguments and build a case that LE is suspect.
Click to expand...
 
Little merit...cherry picked, really?

The first thing Penny said to investigators was "Did he commit suicide?" Unfortunately, suicide runs in the family.

The diaper "fetish". Buzz appeal? I can't help but think if some of the other boys, or classmates found out about this "fetish" they might go after him to humiliate him. You don't think high school classmates can be capable of extreme cruelty?!

How do you know he lost access to his phone? Because it went dark?! Isn't it possible he turned it off himself? With the tight timing that makes the most sense. Seems there is some cherry picking here too.

None of us know for sure what happened to TB that night. But exploring every angle is what we do here....not cherrypicking.
 
Razz said:
Little merit...cherry picked, really?

The first thing Penny said to investigators was "Did he commit suicide?" Unfortunately, suicide runs in the family.

The diaper "fetish". Buzz appeal? I can't help but think if some of the other boys, or classmates found out about this "fetish" they might go after him to humiliate him. You don't think high school classmates can be capable of extreme cruelty?!

How do you know he lost access to his phone? Because it went dark?! Isn't it possible he turned it off himself? With the tight timing that makes the most sense. Seems there is some cherry picking here too.

None of us know for sure what happened to TB that night. But exploring every angle is what we do here....not cherrypicking.
Click to expand...

I was “ cherry picking “ to prove a point. While the podcast had some good points in it, I think it was biased towards the suicide theory.

Personally, I believe this diaper issue was conflated and bears no relevance to the case but again that’s just my opinion.

In episode 4 they discuss the press conference of the 8 month anniversary of Tom’s disappearance. In fact, the podcast did a poor job of representing the entirety of the events choosing not to discuss how dismissive Lewis was to Penny and to the case itself. His attitude of “Kids go missing all the time” as an excuse not to process the car was unprofessional at best.
 
The suicide theory

While it has been stated that Penny’s initial thought was that Tom had committed suicide, and that suicide runs in the family and Tom had even googled suicide the evening he went missing makes the argument more compelling.

But facts are facts.

His car was parked 12 miles away.

So in order for him to commit suicide alone he had to drop his car off at 6:30 ... then walk (most likely on or near the road) as the brush is thick, making it a 17 mile trek to the site his remains were found. That’s a 4 hour walk. By the time he was a third there, helicopters were in the air and people were searching for him. But he carries on and does himself in? How? Shooting himself in the torso is, again, odd. But the case for a gun being at the scene is suggested by the casing found in the car.

Then the AG office agrees his phone was likely planted due to its pristine condition. So does the phone fit into the suicide narrative ?

So the scenario exists that the car was moved after the suicide. By who? A passerby? It was an assisted suicide ? The pieces of the puzzle have difficulty lining up.

The easiest theory is that it was a murder and his car was driven back by the killer(s) parked outside of town.

I simply do not know what happened that night but, logically, the pieces lend themselves to a murder narrative much easier than a suicide.
 
Balloon light said:
The suicide theory

While it has been stated that Penny’s initial thought was that Tom had committed suicide, and that suicide runs in the family and Tom had even googled suicide the evening he went missing makes the argument more compelling.

But facts are facts.

His car was parked 12 miles away.

So in order for him to commit suicide alone he had to drop his car off at 6:30 ... then walk (most likely on or near the road) as the brush is thick, making it a 17 mile trek to the site his remains were found. That’s a 4 hour walk. By the time he was a third there, helicopters were in the air and people were searching for him. But he carries on and does himself in? How? Shooting himself in the torso is, again, odd. But the case for a gun being at the scene is suggested by the casing found in the car.

Then the AG office agrees his phone was likely planted due to its pristine condition. So does the phone fit into the suicide narrative ?

So the scenario exists that the car was moved after the suicide. By who? A passerby? It was an assisted suicide ? The pieces of the puzzle have difficulty lining up.

The easiest theory is that it was a murder and his car was driven back by the killer(s) parked outside of town.

I simply do not know what happened that night but, logically, the pieces lend themselves to a murder narrative much easier than a suicide.
Click to expand...

I agree. When I consider the entirety of the evidence the ONLY time the pieces fit are with the foul play scenario. For instance, in this case we KNOW that a death occurred. We KNOW that the vehicle was abandoned approximately 12 miles distant from where the remains were found. We KNOW that a 25 caliber cartridge casing was found inside the vehicle. We KNOW that blood evidence was present inside the vehicle, possibly in several locations throughout the vehicle. In order to arrive at a conclusion involving suicide there must be a sensible and believable explanation that takes into account this known evidence and provides a coherent believable theory that would support suicide. For instance, how and why a person who was focused on suicide could/would: park their perfectly good vehicle near town, shoot or severely injure themselves, urinate next to the vehicle, then while possibly severely injured and in pain, walk (not drive) 12 miles in 34 degree temperatures, and possibly with a backpack, in the opposite direction of town over reasonably rough, brushy and sometimes swampy terrain in darkness before eventually succumbing to the injuries? Not logical.

Then, there is the problem of explaining how the phone magically appeared in pristine condition by itself nearly a year later and a mile from the Durango and in the opposite direction that Tom supposedly walked toward the Lake Marvin direction. This leaves the suicide theorists with only the option being that of a bizarre theory of "family assisted suicide with elaborate cover-up". Oh my!
 
OutWest said:
I agree. When I consider the entirety of the evidence the ONLY time the pieces fit are with the foul play scenario. For instance, in this case we KNOW that a death occurred. We KNOW that the vehicle was abandoned approximately 12 miles distant from where the remains were found. We KNOW that a 25 caliber cartridge casing was found inside the vehicle. We KNOW that blood evidence was present inside the vehicle, possibly in several locations throughout the vehicle. In order to arrive at a conclusion involving suicide there must be a sensible and believable explanation that takes into account this known evidence and provides a coherent believable theory that would support suicide. For instance, how and why a person who was focused on suicide could/would: park their perfectly good vehicle near town, shoot or severely injure themselves, urinate next to the vehicle, then while possibly severely injured and in pain, walk (not drive) 12 miles in 34 degree temperatures, and possibly with a backpack, in the opposite direction of town over reasonably rough, brushy and sometimes swampy terrain in darkness before eventually succumbing to the injuries? Not logical.

Then, there is the problem of explaining how the phone magically appeared in pristine condition by itself nearly a year later and a mile from the Durango and in the opposite direction that Tom supposedly walked toward the Lake Marvin direction. This leaves the suicide theorists with only the option being that of a bizarre theory of "family assisted suicide with elaborate cover-up". Oh my!
Click to expand...
I feel that we have covered all this previously. But I appreciate that you have put it all together in one communication.

So, to recap, IMO, I dont think the Sheriff was involved in TB's disappearance. The phone placement....yes. IMO, the Sheriff is guilty of being sexist, insecure, and not too smart.

Suicide? It fits to some degree but as stated before, the return of the Durango and the location of TB's remains doesn't fit that narrative.

I lean more to TB being ostracized by bullies who, for whatever reason went after him that night and things got out of hand.

Contrary to what others feel, it is my opinion that TB was going through a very tough phase and was probably depressed. Kids sense this and in a "herd" mentality, "separate " him
from the pack, and go after him.

The "diaper" fetish?.... frankly, that blows my mind and if others found out about this, I can see where'd they'd want to teach him a lesson. His sexuality? Either way, as liberal as kids are today, that still would have been an issue with some.

It may have been "the perfect storm" that night. Imo, TB willingly turned off his phone and went down to "party"
at Lake Marvin to prove he's just like the others. With it being over Thanksgiving holiday, it's likely, imo that others, unknown to TB, were there. And things got out of hand.

All just my thoughts and opinion.
 
Razz, you make some very good points toward a potential situation that would provide a logical motive that ended tragically. "Motive" is one of the big mysteries in this case.

Whatever the motive, I believe there is reason to believe that Tom's movements were being monitored (i.e. the mysteriously missing photo) and that he was accosted shortly after parting from his friends, once he was alone. IMO, Tom was already in grave distress by 12:10 am when Penny and Tucker began trying to make contact.
 
I totally agree these scenarios could be relevant ... and are entirely plausible.

I lean towards only Christian and Paige knowing about the diaper, and that it was not leaked to a wider network. The fact that he quit football for the theater could be telling.

A bit that gnaws at me is that early-on, kids from the school continually suggested Tom could be found at Lake Marvin. We know that’s where they found TB remains.

The school knows ... answers may be there !!
 
I still think the sheriff is involved. Razz, you make some good scenarios, but no evidence to back it up.
How could the sheriff not be involved in Tom going missing but have access to his phone to plant at another time? Whoever harmed him would have his phone.

There is no evidence Tom was ever ostracized by anyone. Tom was class president, funny, liked by everyone according to most of the people interviewed. Kids don't just all of the sudden get bullied as seniors. If he was ever going to be bullied it would have already happened in a school as small as Canadian. I just can't see that happening.

I agree with you about the diaper fetish. It was a very close circle of people who knew that and probably not known by anyone but those 2 girls. And I will never believe they are involved.

Also, his friends said he didn't "party". If he was at a party he seldom had more than a beer and usually did not drink at all. He was the designated driver. He was always on time and never missed curfew (yes, there are kids out there who follow the rules). Tom was a good kid and had plans to attend college. He wasn't being pressured to be someone he wasn't I don't believe.

I think suicide is the lowest on my list as cause of death. I still think it was foul play.......who I am not sure and I think that person may not have been in the forefront of the investigation. I think there is a strong possibility LE (the sheriff) is involved or help cover up. JMO

Looking for this case to get some good news soon and possibly go to the GJ!!!
 
Nannymo, you are absolutely on target that Tom was an exceptionally responsible kid of which was consistently demonstrated by his behavior. Also, your point is very logical that sudden "bullying" is not likely to have occurred given that Tom was a 190 lb. widely popular senior student and athlete. Thanks for pointing that out! Bullies are essentially cowards who carefully select those who are no physical match for them; and they usually prefer to act in front of a crowd because they like the attention.

With that in mind, a most confounding part of this case the absence of a motive that makes sense. IMO, whatever the motive is, it must be related to some "social circumstance" that would appear relatively minor to average people. The typical law abiding citizen is not mentally or morally capable of committing heinous acts such as murder. Therefor the average citizen may have a difficult time realizing that sometimes the factors that drive such behavior are comparatively trivial by most standards. For that reason it is difficult for some to accept that there are a very few of those among us who are capable of such acts for little reason, even in small close knit towns.
 
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