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

[Mysti88c]

Does anyone know if it is possible or how easy/hard it would be to walk from his car to the place where his body was found?

 

[Razz]

Does anyone know if it is possible or how easy/hard it would be to walk from his car to the place where his body was found?

Not only that but didn't the dogs follow
Thomas's scent from his car to the river and then lost it? Was the river low enough that he could have crossed it with no problem?

 

[Mysti88c]

Not only that but didn't the dogs follow
Thomas's scent from his car to the river and then lost it? Was the river low enough that he could have crossed it with no problem?

The dogs followed a straight line to the river. Then if you follow the river down near the lake it looks about 12 miles. That would be a rough 3 or 4 hour hike in the dark. I guess it’s possible, but highly unlikely.

 

[Razz]

The dogs followed a straight line to the river. Then if you follow the river down near the lake it looks about 12 miles. That would be a rough 3 or 4 hour hike in the dark. I guess it’s possible, but highly unlikely.

But what if he didn't go to the lake?
And could he have crossed the river?

 

[Mysti88c]

But what if he didn't go to the lake?
And could he have crossed the river?

Where do you suppose he would be headed after crossing? Do you think he had his backpack with him?

 

[Razz]

Looking at the map, it seems like a straight shot to where his backpack was found. Did he cross the river there? Is that where the dogs stopped?

If so, it is quite away from where his body was found. Maybe he ditched the backpack and kept going along the road? I wonder how close to the road his body was found.

 

[Kristikay52]

It is a bit of a puzzle putting together the movements that night based on CCTV (and specifically what CCTV does NOT show) but I think something happened quickly after Tom got gas, and he wasn't driving the car anymore after that.

I agree with this. I think something happened at the high school.

 

[Mysti88c]

Looking at the map, it seems like a straight shot to where his backpack was found. Did he cross the river there? Is that where the dogs stopped?

If so, it is quite away from where his body was found. Maybe he ditched the backpack and kept going along the road? I wonder how close to the road his body was found.

You’re right, a straight shot. However, I just can’t imagine him heading off that way in the dark with no landmarks to follow.

 

[Gardener1850]

Thanks Gardener. Yes, unless MSM / LE have indicated they are investigating a possible connection, we don't discuss it here.

Bumping Sillybilly's post.

 

[Chelly]

I have been wondering if Tom's body was discovered based on a recent tip, and if the high school students had important information.

 

[jellybean96]

I have been wondering if Tom's body was discovered based on a recent tip, and if the high school students had important information.

From Klein's interview on the day Thomas was found he said the High School kids all along said Thomas would be found out there. He also said that the man who found Thomas just happened to stumble upon the remains so I am assuming he didn't have any inside tip or anything. Klein said they had told landowners out there on Lake Marvin to keep their eyes open and this man did just that.

 

[Chelly]

There is so much more to be learned. All very sad.

 

[jellybean96]

There is so much more to be learned. All very sad.

I agree. I think only the tip of the iceburg has been revealed so far, with more to come.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Thanks for all the above info IMHO! Some things i missed or didn't remember. No unknown charges to mom's card after the gas purchase, correct?

No problem .

I haven’t seen anything to indicate that there were additional charges to the card.

 

[Vail]

Not only that but didn't the dogs follow
Thomas's scent from his car to the river and then lost it? Was the river low enough that he could have crossed it with no problem?

I'm not sure if that dog was a cadaver or air scent dog but it was likely scenting the backpack or the body, both of which were in the direction it was leading. The river stopped the dog/searchers. My guess is they dumped the backpack on the same trip as the body in a different car than Tom's (based on what we know, which is no cadaver dog hit on his car) - since Tom's car was seen coming from the south and turning east to where it was found, it couldn't have transported Tom to his resting place, then arrived where it was dumped on the same trip as it would have been coming from the north.

 

[tlorik]

Based solely on what we do and do not know (!), i believe robbery can be ruled out. the truck was left behind, the backpack with laptop was left behind, no charges that we are aware of on mom's card or activity in Tom's account (if he had one). I cannot get behind a suicide theory due to the distances involved - basically it doesn't make sense to me to leave your vehicle and walk approx 6-8 miles in the dark, in the cold. And I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about a weapon being found with Tom's remains or anyone reporting a weapon missing. I know it's still possible, but I believe improbable. The idea, also though possible but not probable to me, of a stranger rolling thru town, abducting and murdering an 18 yr old good-sized football player then roaming around the countryside leaving vehicles and items strewn around is pretty far out there. Although we all know we have heard weirder stories and occurrences. A stranger would also have had to leave his vehicle somewhere and get back to it at some point. Per the reports, people were searching all over town most of the night and into the wee hours. I think, and have from the start, that this is someone and more than one to be honest, local. If not in Canadian, then close by. But I think they are from Canadian. I think there are people that know more than they have shared with LE. And based on what we've seen of the LE, they could have shared it with someone that could have gotten the information to the right people to handle it. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I think when we do find out what happened, it will be ugly and hard on this small town. Nor am I bashing small towns or LE. I grew up in a town of 500 people and both my parents worked with the sheriff's dept. I think there were things missed or overlooked early in the investigation that could have made a difference.

All of the above is me thinking out loud. Please feel free to correct if I missed anything or remembered incorrectly.

 

[Chelly]

Wondering if Tom was meeting someone the night he went missing.

 

[Vail]

Lead Investigator in Thomas Brown Case Releases Statement
The Thomas Brown case has gone from a missing person's case to investigators now saying there's a 90% chance it's a homicide..."There are three at least three persons of interest. Do we feel they have something to do with his disappearance, they could have, I don't know. But we feel very confident that they have information that could lead us to what happened," said Holmes (Klein's interview specialist).

Thomas Brown Case: Interview with Investigator Philip Klein
Klein and his team said they "believe that this case [Brown case] has been a homicide investigation and has always been a homicide investigation. Something happened to that boy between 11:38 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving 2016 to 12:05 a.m. when his cell phone went dead and its last ping."
Sgt. Cindy Barkley with DPS says the cause of death remains under investigation at this time, and anyone with information should contact law enforcement.

What stands out to me here is Klein has 3 POIs (Thomas was last seen by his 3 friends) and LE doesn't want to release COD if Tom has a gunshot wound. Hoping we learn more soon.

 

[jellybean96]

.

 

[Kristikay52]

Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't his phone ping at the HS after he dropped off his 2 friends?