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

[Acorunadepor]

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.

The photo was mentioned by his mother on the Unfound podcast (episode 95). At least that's how I heard from it.

She said the Sheriff showed her the photo, and said to her it was a still taken from a camera. She immediately doubted this because it was a photo taken from ground level.

Who would show that to a mother and then later on argue against it?

I believe the mother because its a picture of your child moments before he disappeared. You never forget that IMO.

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

I had not heard the other version of the dog search either. Thanks. Makes sense if that was the real version.

 

[Blonded]

I just listened to the last episode of Tom Brown's body. To me this case feels doomed to be caught between two giant egos - Klein and Lewis - who both have self serving motives. I am still confused about how to feel with regards to Penny Meek. I thought her hesitation when Skip asked her how she would react to Tom being gay said a lot. She is now thinking about her beloved son who's memory in death becomes even more pristine and she still can't say she would accept him for who he may have been. Imagine how reticent she would have been in the days of Tom's life.

I don't know if Tom was struggling with his sexuality. At the very least I think it's safe to say he was struggling with some identity issues. The sense I get is that he did not have a safety net anywhere, did not feel like he could tell anyone how he was feeling. Called himself a loser to his friends, was rejected by his girlfriend, and faced alienating his family simply by being who he was. Even if we disregard these clear indicators of suicidal motive, the fact that he was googling a suicide hotline hours before he ended up dead in a way that can't be ruled as foul play speaks volumes.

The mystery here is how much did his loved ones know about his struggles in life and if they had any involvement in the aftermath of his death.

 

[Tighthead]

I just listened to the last episode.

Klein’s theory is both oddly specific and vague. He doesn’t say who the boys called - maybe a parent, an adult etc. Not sure if he has specific boys in mind. I’m not really buying his theory.

As for the Sheriff, he is terrible at politics. Why bad mouth Penny? Take the high road, he could actually come off as sympathetic in comparison to Klein.

I don’t think it was murder. I think Tom was struggling, and was at a breaking point. He didn’t necessarily kill himself, it could just as easily be accident/misadventure.

The phone is a question mark. I don’t think anyone from the Sheriff’s department planted it, as it lends validation to Klein. I also don’t think it was anyone involved in his death as they would destroy/discard it.

 

[Razz]

I just listened to the last episode of Tom Brown's body. To me this case feels doomed to be caught between two giant egos - Klein and Lewis - who both have self serving motives. I am still confused about how to feel with regards to Penny Meek. I thought her hesitation when Skip asked her how she would react to Tom being gay said a lot. She is now thinking about her beloved son who's memory in death becomes even more pristine and she still can't say she would accept him for who he may have been. Imagine how reticent she would have been in the days of Tom's life.

I don't know if Tom was struggling with his sexuality. At the very least I think it's safe to say he was struggling with some identity issues. The sense I get is that he did not have a safety net anywhere, did not feel like he could tell anyone how he was feeling. Called himself a loser to his friends, was rejected by his girlfriend, and faced alienating his family simply by being who he was. Even if we disregard these clear indicators of suicidal motive, the fact that he was googling a suicide hotline hours before he ended up dead in a way that can't be ruled as foul play speaks volumes.

The mystery here is how much did his loved ones know about his struggles in life and if they had any involvement in the aftermath of his death.

You have stated this very well. This was my original thought.....that TB was going through a lot (holidays are the worst) and had no one to turn to. Trying to put myself in his possible state of mind ( knowing what we do know) during that night and days before has always made me very anxious and depressed.

There was no word, that I'm aware of, that he had been drinking that night.
If he had been, that lends further credence to his distraught state of mind. IMO, people who fear they are not "normal" and will be branded as such, can disguise their angst to a certain degree so as not to be found out.

I don't know if he committed suicide or succumbed to the elements, but I do not think he was murdered. All jmo.

 

[Tighthead]

You have stated this very well. This was my original thought.....that TB was going through a lot (holidays are the worst) and had no one to turn to. Trying to put myself in his possible state of mind ( knowing what we do know) during that night and days before has always made me very anxious and depressed.

There was no word, that I'm aware of, that he had been drinking that night.
If he had been, that lends further credence to his distraught state of mind. IMO, people who fear they are not "normal" and will be branded as such, can disguise their angst to a certain degree so as not to be found out.

I don't know if he committed suicide or succumbed to the elements, but I do not think he was murdered. All jmo.

People say he wasn’t a hiker or outdoorsman, but it’s not like this was a recreational endeavour.

I think he was at a breaking point. He turned off his phone, spent the dark hours driving around and then parked the car and set out. He was likely in a near-manic state. I would be inclined to think he perished as opposed to took his own life.

I do wonder if the residents of Canadian think along the same lines, and are now weary of Klein casting the townsfolk under a blanket of suspicion for years. I could understand Penny getting a bit of a cold shoulder for these reasons.

 

[Acorunadepor]

So if Tom was struggling with his sexuality who could have known that?

Because his mother said the Sheriff put forward a theory that Tom took off with an older man. So how on earth could the Sheriff have known something that personal.

 

[OutWest]

To me, and just IMO, I don't see any logic that weighs suicide as more likely than foul play that resulted in homicide. In fact, I believe that the evidence and circumstances weigh much more heavily toward foul play. As far a Tom reportedly having a lot of things "going on", such feelings are prevalent to some degree in virtually all "late" teens. Youngsters around the age of 17-18 are, for the first time in their short lives, are suddenly facing some "facts of life" that concerns them. They have been raised, protected, coddled, defended, provided for, and guided by their parents, teachers, and coaches. They are not used to having the weight of important life decisions on their shoulders, so some degree of uncertainty and anxiety arises. Regardless of how each one handles that new realization, they all have a lot "going on". It's a normal part of maturing.

Penny Meek and family want nothing more than the truth about what happened to Tom, regardless of what that truth is. They are honest and caring people who are striving to learn answers; Exactly as I and many others would be doing if in the same situation. I understand Lewis' frustration regarding the rumors and comments about him, but he brought much of that on himself by his own conduct. Lewis' tone and comments about Penny Meek speaks volumes about him.

I have posted earlier regarding some of my reasons that I believe point logically and heavily toward foul play, so I won't repost at this time.

 

[8th Bob-White]

I was surprised to hear the possibility of a grand jury was something other than a figment of Klein's imagination. Whatever the grand jury finds we can only hope for a more clear answer as to what happened to Tom. I was encouraged to hear that Texas Monthly intends to follow the story and provide updates as they occur.

With Tom's life under so much scrutiny it's hard to know if his struggles were anything more than the average teenager's struggles. It's been a long time, but I recall several guy friends confiding in me during high school that they felt like losers. They were so focused on how they viewed themselves that they couldn't see the value that others saw in them.

My gut feeling has always been that family would not leave him out in the wild to be eaten by wild animals. The podcast was the first time I had heard Penny directly say the same thing. Wearing adult diapers does not equal being gay...he may have had a fetish or feelings that he didn't quite understand but he at least felt comfortable enough to talk with his girlfriend & gal pals vs keeping it to himself. IF he had later come out as gay I'm sure his traditional family would not have adjusted easily. However, I think that their love of him as a person would have been paramount over their grief of him not having a "traditional" life (ie, getting married to a woman & having children with her, etc).

 

[Kristikay52]

I just read the last installment of the TM story.

I've followed this for a very long time and I truly never thought this case would end up having SO MUCH drama. Honestly I think of lot of it comes from Klein.

I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning I was convinced Lewis participated in a cover up. I believed Klein. Now, I just don't think so. He sucked at his job, yes, but I don't think he's involved. After everything I've read, both on social media and otherwise, watched, etc- I don't think this was foul play. I'm not ready to say I think it was suicide but I do think several parties know more than they are saying. And maybe not the obvious parties.....

 

[ammitty]

It caught my eye in the last installment that CW is afraid when she returns to Canadian, because in her POV, there’s still a killer loose. I’m not surprised she chose a career in forensics:

C. also told me something I wasn’t expecting. She said that despite all the time that’s passed since Tom vanished, “I’m definitely more paranoid wherever I go. I definitely watch my back more and pay attention to what’s going on around me, just to make sure that what happened to Tom doesn’t happen to me and doesn’t happen to people around me.”

“Because you think there’s still a killer in town?” I asked.

C. didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir,” she said.

 

[kelsie]

Can someone here who thinks Tom's death is by misadventure please outline the reasons for that theory? Because I've only ever thought homicide from day 1, and I'd like to hear why you think it's misadventure

 

[kelsie]

Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 8: The Remains

 

[jellybean96]

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.

My personal theory is maybe Tom WAS at the river....with other people. I don't think Tom was there, trying to escape. I think he could have been horsing around with his friends out there.

 

[jellybean96]

It caught my eye in the last installment that CW is afraid when she returns to Canadian, because in her POV, there’s still a killer loose. I’m not surprised she chose a career in forensics:

C. also told me something I wasn’t expecting. She said that despite all the time that’s passed since Tom vanished, “I’m definitely more paranoid wherever I go. I definitely watch my back more and pay attention to what’s going on around me, just to make sure that what happened to Tom doesn’t happen to me and doesn’t happen to people around me.”

“Because you think there’s still a killer in town?” I asked.

C. didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir,” she said.

I think her saying that says a lot.

IMHO I agree with her.

 

[kelsie]

From Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 7: The Wake

If Tom had walked from the water treatment plant to the thicket of cottonwood trees where his remains were found, he first would’ve needed to hike roughly four miles through brush and marsh to reach Lake Marvin Road. There, he would’ve placed his backpack behind a barbed-wire fence and continued east down the road for another eight miles until it came to an end.

But even if he had managed to do all that, it still wouldn’t explain how his cellphone had shown up eleven months later, in pristine condition, twelve miles away at the start of Lake Marvin Road. “The evidence doesn’t make sense,” Christian said. “Someone definitely did something to him.”

 

[jellybean96]

I just read the last installment of the TM story.

I've followed this for a very long time and I truly never thought this case would end up having SO MUCH drama. Honestly I think of lot of it comes from Klein.

I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning I was convinced Lewis participated in a cover up. I believed Klein. Now, I just don't think so. He sucked at his job, yes, but I don't think he's involved. After everything I've read, both on social media and otherwise, watched, etc- I don't think this was foul play. I'm not ready to say I think it was suicide but I do think several parties know more than they are saying. And maybe not the obvious parties.....

You don't think Lewis was involved in the murder or wasn't involved in the coverup?

I can say I no longer think Lewis murdered him. But I do think he is involved somehow in the coverup.

 

[nannymo]

I just listened to the last episode of Tom Brown's body. To me this case feels doomed to be caught between two giant egos - Klein and Lewis - who both have self serving motives. I am still confused about how to feel with regards to Penny Meek. I thought her hesitation when Skip asked her how she would react to Tom being gay said a lot. She is now thinking about her beloved son who's memory in death becomes even more pristine and she still can't say she would accept him for who he may have been. Imagine how reticent she would have been in the days of Tom's life.

I don't know if Tom was struggling with his sexuality. At the very least I think it's safe to say he was struggling with some identity issues. The sense I get is that he did not have a safety net anywhere, did not feel like he could tell anyone how he was feeling. Called himself a loser to his friends, was rejected by his girlfriend, and faced alienating his family simply by being who he was. Even if we disregard these clear indicators of suicidal motive, the fact that he was googling a suicide hotline hours before he ended up dead in a way that can't be ruled as foul play speaks volumes.

The mystery here is how much did his loved ones know about his struggles in life and if they had any involvement in the aftermath of his death.

BBM
I too finished the last podcast and it made me cry! So sad for this young man and his family. I am going to throw my 2 cents in here.

I was born and raised in Texas and still live in West Texas. If you have listened to Penny talk, you know she is a deeply religious person and has total faith in her Lord. I think her hesitation was from concern about expressing her religious views on a podcast that could be heard by millions, not because she is prejudiced about gay people. A lot of christian people feel homosexuality is a sin. I think her hesitation was because she did not want to express her religious views about it and get slammed. Listening to this podcast made me so sad for her. She is a beloved teacher, loves her children but cannot go to the local grocery store because of the controversy in this town.

By brother is gay, I have friends with gay/lesbian children. They ALL at one time had to face the fact that their child was gay/lesbian. That is not what we plan for our children and when it happens, I am sure each parent reacts differently. But after the shock, a parent can usually overlook their own concerns about that lifestyle because they truly do love their child more than they hate the idea of losing them because of their own feelings or beliefs about the situation.

BUT!!!! There has been NO EVIDENCE to suggest Thomas was gay! If this had been a beautiful, young, well to do blonde headed girl we would not be asking if she was a lesbian! Why do we have to ask if Thomas was gay? He had a girlfriend, he liked girls according to his friends and no one has come forward to say they thought he might be gay. It has nothing to do with this case as far as I can tell. JMO here...

 

[nannymo]

So if Tom was struggling with his sexuality who could have known that?

Because his mother said the Sheriff put forward a theory that Tom took off with an older man. So how on earth could the Sheriff have known something that personal.

It is my understanding that the Sheriff had data from someone's phone who was close to Tom. This person was texting and talking to someone in Denver a lot after they went back to school and the FBI and Sheriff thought that person was really communicating with Tom. Thus....he ran off with an older man. It was in one of the many podcasts I have listened to....maybe the Unfound podcast.

 

[kelsie]

Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 8: The Remains
So, I asked Lewis, what did he believe happened on Thanksgiving eve? He gave me a one-word answer: Penny. “She’s involved,” he said. “She knows something. She knows so much about what’s going on.”

Like the investigators Rachel Kading and Chris Smyth, Lewis didn’t rule out the possibility that Penny had found Tom’s body after he’d killed himself. He suspected she then hid the body out of shame, perhaps even persuading her husband or her older son to help her.

There was no question that Penny’s behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. In 2017, for a Halloween costume party at the elementary school where she taught technology classes, Penny had gone as Sheriff Lewis, with a cowboy hat and a badge. Penny said she chose the outfit because some of her coworkers, including a couple of teachers who also disliked Lewis, “thought it would be amusing.” But others questioned it. How was it amusing to dress up as the person you’d accused of being involved in your son’s disappearance or murder? “She’s crazy as hell,” Lewis told me. “Man, there is something scary about her.”

During one of our conversations, Penny told me she had continued texting Tom for more than a year after he’d disappeared, hoping that he was still alive and that he would someday turn on his phone, see all of her messages, and respond. I asked her to read some of them. She pulled out her phone. “On February fourteenth, I said, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day. Love you.’ On May seventh, ‘You were honored today at church for Senior Sunday.’ ” Penny tried to read one more. But she got choked up and couldn’t continue.

Listening to her read the texts, I teared up myself. It wasn’t until later that night that I considered the allegations that Lewis, Kading, and Smyth had leveled against her. If Penny had indeed found and moved Tom’s body, that would also mean she knew her son was dead when she sent all those texts to his phone.

-
I don't appreciate Nathan calling Penny crazy and scary.