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

[kelsie]

Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 6: The Thicket

Lewis admitted to me that he felt “nervous as a son of a , just sitting strapped in that damn chair.” He got especially anxious when the examiner asked if he was involved in the disappearance of Tom Brown.

“I took this lie detector test because I was trying to clear my name,” Lewis said. “And then I get the question ‘Are you involved in the disappearance of Tom Brown?’ Well, hell yeah, I am involved in Tom Brown’s disappearance. I am wrapped up in this damn case. This whole case is running my damn life. It’s eating me up. But my answer had to be no because I wasn’t involved in the way that he was asking the question.”

Lewis said that, as he feared, when he answered no to the inquiry about his involvement in Tom’s disappearance, the examiner registered his response as deceitful. Lewis was steamed. “I said, ‘This is . I’m done with this. I ain’t doing this crap anymore.’ I’ll never take another lie detector test in my life.”

 

[jellybean96]

A new TV interview about Tom, on All Access. Starts at about 1 min in.
A New QuickLink Through MediaSilo.com

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

A new TV interview about Tom, on All Access. Starts at about 1 min in.
A New QuickLink Through MediaSilo.com

Again, Penny’s story has never changed, IMO.

 

[8th Bob-White]

Listened to Chapter 7 of Tom Brown's Body a few times today while working on house renovations & was surprised at all the info packed in this episode
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

*Originally I had heard on another podcast that Pyne Gregory found Tom's remains in the middle of the night (around 2am) while on duty & "taking a break" following a deer trail to look for deer antlers. On this latest podcast Ex-Sheriff Lewis recalls Pyne calling him with this new while he and his wife were on the way to Amarillo for on OB-GYN appointment (he was very specific about having to turn around & go back). Just looked up the distance & it's around a 2 hour drive from Canadian to Amarillo. Of course if it was on the far side of town it might take additional time, but it sure didn't sound like they were driving there in the middle of the night (even if they had a very early appointment). Either the other info stating it was around 2am was wrong or Pyne waited from 2am to a later time to call Lewis or Lewis is mistaken about when Pyne called him. Makes me go hmmmmmmmm?!?

*Was surprised we got to hear actual audio of that meeting with the AG's office that someone recorded & turned over to Laurie Brown on the Canadian Record. Of course we heard only a few portions, but it didn't sound like how it has been described.
**It certainly didn't sound as controversial regarding Tom's phone...there was a search for a suicide hotline (around 9:45pm while he was with Christian & Kaleb) but no calls actually made to the hotline
**Was sad that it sounds like Tucker is in the middle of all this with his dad snapping at him...even more heartbreaking

*Not being a big fan of Klein's ego (but glad that he has been there to keep emphasis on the case), at this point his theory of a friend or someone who knew Tom was playing around with a gun and shot him seems to make about the most sense.

Anyone else's thoughts after reading and/or listening to this chapter?

 

[Tighthead]

Listened to Chapter 7 of Tom Brown's Body a few times today while working on house renovations & was surprised at all the info packed in this episode
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

*Originally I had heard on another podcast that Pyne Gregory found Tom's remains in the middle of the night (around 2am) while on duty & "taking a break" following a deer trail to look for deer antlers. On this latest podcast Ex-Sheriff Lewis recalls Pyne calling him with this new while he and his wife were on the way to Amarillo for on OB-GYN appointment (he was very specific about having to turn around & go back). Just looked up the distance & it's around a 2 hour drive from Canadian to Amarillo. Of course if it was on the far side of town it might take additional time, but it sure didn't sound like they were driving there in the middle of the night (even if they had a very early appointment). Either the other info stating it was around 2am was wrong or Pyne waited from 2am to a later time to call Lewis or Lewis is mistaken about when Pyne called him. Makes me go hmmmmmmmm?!?

*Was surprised we got to hear actual audio of that meeting with the AG's office that someone recorded & turned over to Laurie Brown on the Canadian Record. Of course we heard only a few portions, but it didn't sound like how it has been described.
**It certainly didn't sound as controversial regarding Tom's phone...there was a search for a suicide hotline (around 9:45pm while he was with Christian & Kaleb) but no calls actually made to the hotline
**Was sad that it sounds like Tucker is in the middle of all this with his dad snapping at him...even more heartbreaking

*Not being a big fan of Klein's ego (but glad that he has been there to keep emphasis on the case), at this point his theory of a friend or someone who knew Tom was playing around with a gun and shot him seems to make about the most sense.

Anyone else's thoughts after reading and/or listening to this chapter?

How has the meeting been described?

At this point I think Tom likely died by some form of misadventure. Something like the gunshot is a possibility, but if it happened in the car I would expect more forensic evidence. I also think it’s possible he was having a breakdown of some sorts. Turned his phone off, drove around, and went walking at first light.

It makes more sense that the deputy made the discovery in normal hours. I feel like Skip would have mentioned it if it was 2 am. Also seems odd to search for deer shed in the pitch black night.

 

[OutWest]

Listened to Chapter 7 of Tom Brown's Body a few times today while working on house renovations & was surprised at all the info packed in this episode
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

*Originally I had heard on another podcast that Pyne Gregory found Tom's remains in the middle of the night (around 2am) while on duty & "taking a break" following a deer trail to look for deer antlers. On this latest podcast Ex-Sheriff Lewis recalls Pyne calling him with this new while he and his wife were on the way to Amarillo for on OB-GYN appointment (he was very specific about having to turn around & go back). Just looked up the distance & it's around a 2 hour drive from Canadian to Amarillo. Of course if it was on the far side of town it might take additional time, but it sure didn't sound like they were driving there in the middle of the night (even if they had a very early appointment). Either the other info stating it was around 2am was wrong or Pyne waited from 2am to a later time to call Lewis or Lewis is mistaken about when Pyne called him. Makes me go hmmmmmmmm?!?

*Was surprised we got to hear actual audio of that meeting with the AG's office that someone recorded & turned over to Laurie Brown on the Canadian Record. Of course we heard only a few portions, but it didn't sound like how it has been described.
**It certainly didn't sound as controversial regarding Tom's phone...there was a search for a suicide hotline (around 9:45pm while he was with Christian & Kaleb) but no calls actually made to the hotline
**Was sad that it sounds like Tucker is in the middle of all this with his dad snapping at him...even more heartbreaking

*Not being a big fan of Klein's ego (but glad that he has been there to keep emphasis on the case), at this point his theory of a friend or someone who knew Tom was playing around with a gun and shot him seems to make about the most sense.

Anyone else's thoughts after reading and/or listening to this chapter?

Shortly after the remains were found, I remember hearing a statement from Klein that the 2 am was a typo; corrected to 2 pm. Whatever, I believe it was daytime hours.

What bothers me about the luminol issue is what has NOT been said. Luminol is a presumptive test and therefore will react to certain substances other than blood. If luminol "lights up" then investigators follow up with other tests. Possibly with another presumptive test involving phenolphthalein (simple field test) to further narrow the possibilities. If the possible presence of blood is still indicated, samples are (or should be) sent to a lab for conclusive tests. If those results are conclusive for blood, DNA can be extracted to determine who's blood it is. I am not an expert on the topic but it is my understanding that hypochorite solutions (bleach) will not prevent the detection of blood as long as the "bleach" has time to completely evaporate. My concern is: "Why was there ANY controversy over what was indicated by Klein's luminol test when it is normal investigative protocol to fully test and know without any doubt?" There has been no information provided regarding any subsequent testing; and those questions have not been posed by Skip Hollandsworth in the TM series.

 

[jellybean96]

Klein address untruths in the TM podcast on his FB page today.

 

[OutWest]

I located an audio press release from Klein from 8/4/2019 where he states that he ran the luminol tests approximately 7 months after Tom disappeared (around June 2017). At the 12 minute point in the audio he states that tests were ran that verified that the the blood belonged to Tom Brown. AG did not take over the case until February 2018 and were disputing the test results during the October 17, 2019 meeting. Did they not run their own tests? It just does not make sense that there would be disagreement between Klein and AG regarding something as simple as the luminol findings. Either it is blood or it is not blood; it should be a simple determination with tests in the DPS lab.

 

[8th Bob-White]

Tighthead -- I got the impression from the controversy over the meeting being secretly recorded that there was more "bombshell" info that was to be kept private vs going public. I got the impression that meeting would somehow embarrass the family or would give more of an inclination towards what they "thought" might have happened. They wouldn't speculate at all about what they thought might have happened.

OutWest -- THANK YOU for clarifying that Tom was found during the day vs middle of the night. I still have reservations that Pyne Gregory "just happened" to find them (vs knowledge or a tip) while searching for deer antlers.

Regarding the luminol:
I found it interesting that the written version of Chapter 7 stated that the paint "rubbed off" vs in the podcast that there was paint "spilled" in the Durango....
"They criticized the Luminol test he had conducted on Tom’s Durango, for instance, explaining that the analysis had actually picked up yellow paint—not blood. (At the start of the 2016 school year, Tom and some friends painted yellow Wildcat paw prints on the road leading to the Canadian High Wildcats football stadium, and some of the paint had rubbed off of their clothes and onto the Durango’s seats and floorboard.) The only blood in the Durango, Kading and Smyth said, was the tiny smear that Lewis had found on the driver’s-side door."
Agree that there didn't seem to be confirmation (that we heard) from the AG's office as to why their luminol findings contrasted from Klein's findings. They did say the only blood they found was the spot on the driver's door....but they didn't specifically say the carpet/floor had been tested and not found to be blood. The Durango was so mishandled from the beginning that any evidence found probably wouldn't be allowed in court due to possible contamination.

jellybean96--Thanks for the heads up on Klein Investigations FB page. I just went to re-read it and found an update from today that says TM is adjusting the written story AND podcast since there doesn't seem to be a statement from Klein on the Chris Samples' show about the suicide note referencing Tom's case. Makes me wonder if there are other things they should have fact checked before putting out this series.

 

[OutWest]

8th Bob-White, what is the "written version of Chapter 7"? Are transcripts of the podcasts available?

 

[8th Bob-White]

OutWest,
On the TM website they have both the podcast and the written story. I always read and listen as there are differences between the two. Here's the link for Chapter 7
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

I like listening to the podcast so you can hear their own words vs just the writer's excerpts of what they said.

 

[OutWest]

OutWest,
On the TM website they have both the podcast and the written story. I always read and listen as there are differences between the two. Here's the link for Chapter 7
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

I like listening to the podcast so you can hear their own words vs just the writer's excerpts of what they said.

Ok, many thanks; I had not been aware of that!

 

[nannymo]

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!

 

[OutWest]

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!

I have not but on occasion a few others (aside from Penny and 2 Klein associates) have said they remember seeing the photo in a Houston publication. But it has never surfaced as evidence ..... that we know of. But then again, neither has Bigfoot.

 

[8th Bob-White]

My gut feeling on the photo of Tom pumping gas at Fronk's is that it was taken from a PERSONAL phone vs dashcam/official cell phone from someone in the SO's office. That's why it could disappear from "official" records and wasn't found when the AG's office looked thru all the data. Cannot understand by Klein and Penny would make this up....don't think they would have anything to gain.

 

[OutWest]

My gut feeling on the photo of Tom pumping gas at Fronk's is that it was taken from a PERSONAL phone vs dashcam/official cell phone from someone in the SO's office. That's why it could disappear from "official" records and wasn't found when the AG's office looked thru all the data. Cannot understand by Klein and Penny would make this up....don't think they would have anything to gain.

The photo is a mystery just like the planted cell phone. There is no known hard evidence of the photo that is known publicly; just he said/she said. I personally lean more toward the photo did exist. Therefore I agree that the photo was most likely taken with a personal cell phone and possibly texted to other phones (which increases the possibility that the photo still exists in metadata some place). If I am going to believe that the photo existed, then I must have some reasonable logical answer regarding WHY somebody would take that photo? Maybe to communicate with another party that "ok, he is now alone"? I can't think of any other logical reason. Tom was with others throughout the evening with no known confrontations, then suddenly disappears minutes after he is alone. I actually don't think that the Sheriff or other LE took the photo; most likely a young person closer to Tom's age. If the photo actually did exist, the Sheriff quite possibly could have came into possession of the photo by some other means.

I find it strange that the photo has not been mentioned in any of the recent interviews or in the detailed Texas monthly articles and podcasts. I'm not sure what to make of that.

 

[nannymo]

When I saw the picture, this was about the only website I was watching so I feel I saw it here! I can remember it so vividly! I can't believe someone doesn't have it.

I also always thought Pine was looking for deer shed at 3AM, but learned that was probably incorrect. I hope this eventually get solved, but I am afraid it is going to be cold for years to come!

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

What are the theories on the dogs tracking his scent from his car to the east? Seems to me if one believes it WAS him, he walked away, and managed to elude the searches. If it WASN'T him, then someone was either walking in his shoes/clothes, dragging him (no indication that drag marks were found (plus it would be exhausting to do this)), or what?

This aspect puzzles me. Car abandoned, walks east to a marshy area, 4 mile distance between that area and where the backpack was found, then remains found closer to the lake. How he manages to elude searches is puzzling; equally as puzzling is how someone who may have done him harm earlier managed to make it look like he walked east (they disappeared too when the searches were underway).

I have only read the threads here and the first article, so maybe this is discussed. Just something that needs an answer, IMO.

 

[OutWest]

IMO dogs are like a polygraph: reliable some times, deniable some times. Just a tool. The Lewis version of the story says the dogs clearly lost Tom's scent at the river bank easterly of the vehicle. Another version by others says the dogs ran all over the area acting like they would pick up a scent, then like they did not, and finally just sat in a field. Who knows what they were "tracking", if anything. My thoughts are that there may well have been some trace of Tom's scent in that area ..... the person(s) who drove the Durango to that area had spent significant time and effort handling, wrestling, and dragging Tom's 190 lb. body; not to mention sitting in the driver seat of his vehicle.

I spend a lot of my teenage time in areas along the Canadian River (not the Canadian, TX area). It is like no other river that I have ever seen. A large portion of the water flows beneath the surface and things change often; dry, marsh, varying water depths, quicksand, etc. I have not spent time along the Canadian TX part of the river but if it is like some other areas, it may be a challenge to cross on foot at times, especially in the dark on a 34 degree night. Some comments say that Tom was not "outdoorsy". I don't think Tom crossed that river.

The frustrating part of the story during those first hours after the Durango was located is that there was no fingerprint or touch DNA tests conducted throughout the vehicle. After HCSO personnel climbed throughout and drove the vehicle including returning it to Penny that evening, further forensic testing was a moot point .... not to mention that the HCSO evidence chain-of-custody was severed when the vehicle was returned home. If HCSO had conducted common forensic tests we probably would not be debating many of the other disparities of the case ..... but they did not.

 

[8th Bob-White]

OutWest--
*Thanks for sharing the additional info regarding the initial dog search...I had only heard the SO's version that the dogs tracked to the river and stopped. Might make a lot more sense that they were looking for a scent to track vs tracking a scent & stopping.
*Appreciate your input about the Canadian River. The Canadian Record editor, Laurie Brown, said that the initial search in the area of the Durango had people getting stuck, etc. Based upon your description that makes sense.
*The way the Durango was handled is tragic....unreal to think that any possible evidence was simply mishandled by the SO's office. I was struck by how Lewis kept saying how "filthy" the Durango was and they couldn't get any prints. But after thinking about it overnight had it towed back to his office where they dusted everything again....