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

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It took investigators 13 years to arrest Hailey Dunn's accused killer. I hope Klein is not just trying to toot his own horn. I used to have a lot of respect for him, but lately it seems like he just spews a lot of hot air in his cases and never seems to get anywhere.

When I read about "all investigators", I thought to myself......why are ALL of the investigators getting together at a town hall meeting? I've never heard of that. I am going to bet it gets cancelled or "postponed" and it is ONLY Klein investigators. I cannot see the OAG office holding a town hall press conference and opening their case up for all to see. Thomas needs JUSTICE. Not sure this is the way to get it done tho as badly as I hate to admit it. Bummed!
 
Thank you for that update. Canadian is in my backyard and Tom is just a year younger than my son and this case has haunted me ever since it began. I'm sure that whatever happened to him is known by an elite few people in that little town. All small towns harbor unsavory secrets, but when it comes to covering up the murder of kids, that is beyond unacceptable.
 
Appreciate the update! Even if Klein is off target, I for one am glad he's not letting Tom's case just fade away. I'm very skeptical of the DA not wanting to convene a grand jury and had hopes that the attorney general's office would push it forward. Unfortunately, both agencies have just let this linger. I'm not sure Klein's info will shed any new light, but I'm hopeful there's something that helps. If anyone hears about the meeting being streamed online, please keep us all updated.
 
It doesn't appear that I will be able to attend the meeting on October 20 but there are some questions that I hope are answered or clarified. In any case, these would be very important questions to address during a fact finding GJ session. It is time for some truth.

1.) Did Klein's luminol tests inside the Durango indicate actual blood? Luminol is only a presumptive test because there are substances other than blood that will react. A positive luminol result can be followed up with use of a field phenolphthalein reagent test, although also presumptive, may further narrow results. Further forensic laboratory tests of the samples would provide conclusive results regarding whether the material is blood. If the samples were tested thoroughly and properly, there should be no debate between Klein and OAG whether or not Klein's tests indicate actual blood, IMO. Simple.

2.) Were the CCTV cameras at Fronk Oil actually working on 11/23/2016? Some reports indicate they were not working yet some information indicates that the cameras were in working order and operating.

3.) Is any more information available regarding the alleged photo of Tom pumping gas? The photo was a hot topic early in the case but there has been no recent mention or discussion that I am aware of.

4.) During the 10/14/2017 search along Lake Marvin Road, specifically who were the individuals that were reportedly turned back at the entrance to the recreation area by a HCSO officer? I would think that the individual(s) would provide a sworn statement to investigators.

Just MOO.
 
OutWest said:
It doesn't appear that I will be able to attend the meeting on October 20 but there are some questions that I hope are answered or clarified. In any case, these would be very important questions to address during a fact finding GJ session. It is time for some truth.

1.) Did Klein's luminol tests inside the Durango indicate actual blood? Luminol is only a presumptive test because there are substances other than blood that will react. A positive luminol result can be followed up with use of a field phenolphthalein reagent test, although also presumptive, may further narrow results. Further forensic laboratory tests of the samples would provide conclusive results regarding whether the material is blood. If the samples were tested thoroughly and properly, there should be no debate between Klein and OAG whether or not Klein's tests indicate actual blood, IMO. Simple.

2.) Were the CCTV cameras at Fronk Oil actually working on 11/23/2016? Some reports indicate they were not working yet some information indicates that the cameras were in working order and operating.

3.) Is any more information available regarding the alleged photo of Tom pumping gas? The photo was a hot topic early in the case but there has been no recent mention or discussion that I am aware of.

4.) During the 10/14/2017 search along Lake Marvin Road, specifically who were the individuals that were reportedly turned back at the entrance to the recreation area by a HCSO officer? I would think that the individual(s) would provide a sworn statement to investigators.

Just MOO.
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I agree: it’s time for truth.

I would like to know exactly how and why the grand jury was moved to Hemphill county. To me, this is pretty significant.
 
Posted 1 hr ago by Klein Investigations and Consulting:
“Good morning - we want to remind you that we will be conducting a press conference/town hall meeting regarding the Thomas Brown case on October 20th at 6 PM. This will take place at the Pavillion in Canadian, Texas.

Philip Klein, the lead investigator for KIC Texas will conduct a narrative of the case, timeline, and present photos of the investigation and issues that surround it. After such, he will open the floor to answer questions from the media first, then the public in general.

We would ask that you please write your questions down beforehand. There will be nothing off-limits.

We want to assure all of you this is NOT a chance to bash anyone, any law enforcement, or any government body. This is a chance to present to you, what we know when we knew it, and how we obtained it. It is our hope that there will be a strong turnout by the citizens of Canadian in order to listen to the leaders of the team of PSB investigators who were involved in the case.

On behalf of Mr. Klein and the entire team, we look forward to being with the great people of Canadian, and the media.

Staff” (BBM)
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PSB, in this context, stands for the (Texas Department of Public Safety) Private Security Bureau, IMO, which regulates the private security industry in the state of Texas, including private investigators. Thus, the meeting will only be attended by the PI’s, and not the OAG investigators, IMO.

Wish I could be there ….
 
Sure wish I could be there as well. I'm hopeful if Klein doesn't stream/record the meeting, then maybe one of the local tv stations will be there to cover it from start to finish (not just 30 second news snippets). OutWest, you bring up a good point about the luminol...Klein says it is blood & Hemphill County/AG says it is paint, but we sure haven't heard of any definitive test results IF they were done. InMyHumbleOpinion, thanks for posting the update about the meeting. I'm hopeful that between what Klein presents, questions asked by the press and questions asked by the public will bring some aspects of the investigation to light that we've not been privy to before. Maybe someone from WS can be there & report as well. It just seems like there has to be some piece of information that can make a difference (analysis of phone records, additional video we've not seen...SOMETHING). The most important thing is hope that justice for Tom and his family is not far away.
 
Few thoughts that have been floating around about possible info that may come from Klein's Town Hall meeting....

1) Has there ever been any additional information come out about Penny's cousin? He's the one who first said he & some friends saw Tom pumping gas at Fronk's (but didn't stop because he knew it was close to Tom's curfew) and then later backtracked his story. Since the incident was mentioned, I've always found it odd that it was never brought back up in detail (ie, they knew he wasn't involved because he had a solid alibi OR that this story/person needs further investigation).

2) Are there still reward funds in place for someone to help solve Tom's disappearance/death? I'm sure that money would NOT loosen lips of the principals, but maybe someone desperate on the fringes will crack at some point (hoping).

3) Do you think the identities of people providing tips to Klein will be revealed? At one point Klein had mentioned they were contacted by a female who said she overheard something that she shouldn't have overheard. IF there are ever criminal charges brought forth and a subsequent trial were to occur, would revealing the identify of key contributors of information compromise the case?

4) Not sure that Klein will name names (for fear of legal liability/retribution), but do you think he'll lay out enough detail we'll know WHO he considers suspects in Tom's disappearance/death? He's said it was the son of a prominent person....will he get more specific?

5) It seems Klein was allowed to look at the case file in the beginning so did he make copies or take pics of some of that info? Not sure they allowed him to see what they had later on when they all seemed more adversarial, but maybe there are some things in the initial investigation by the sheriff's office that will come to light vs what we've simply been told by Lewis, etc.

6) Will anyone from the AG's office be there to listen in on this? I don't think they would publicly send someone in an official capacity, but would they have someone in an "unofficial" capacity there to listen in on what's said? I figure Lewis will have someone there to report everything back to him.

Anyone else thinking about what may come out in next week's meeting? Thoughts? I've started re-listening to Tom Brown's Body on the way to/from work and will continue to think about things that may be brought up next week.
 
8th Bob-White said:
Few thoughts that have been floating around about possible info that may come from Klein's Town Hall meeting....

1) Has there ever been any additional information come out about Penny's cousin? He's the one who first said he & some friends saw Tom pumping gas at Fronk's (but didn't stop because he knew it was close to Tom's curfew) and then later backtracked his story. Since the incident was mentioned, I've always found it odd that it was never brought back up in detail (ie, they knew he wasn't involved because he had a solid alibi OR that this story/person needs further investigation).

2) Are there still reward funds in place for someone to help solve Tom's disappearance/death? I'm sure that money would NOT loosen lips of the principals, but maybe someone desperate on the fringes will crack at some point (hoping).

3) Do you think the identities of people providing tips to Klein will be revealed? At one point Klein had mentioned they were contacted by a female who said she overheard something that she shouldn't have overheard. IF there are ever criminal charges brought forth and a subsequent trial were to occur, would revealing the identify of key contributors of information compromise the case?

4) Not sure that Klein will name names (for fear of legal liability/retribution), but do you think he'll lay out enough detail we'll know WHO he considers suspects in Tom's disappearance/death? He's said it was the son of a prominent person....will he get more specific?

5) It seems Klein was allowed to look at the case file in the beginning so did he make copies or take pics of some of that info? Not sure they allowed him to see what they had later on when they all seemed more adversarial, but maybe there are some things in the initial investigation by the sheriff's office that will come to light vs what we've simply been told by Lewis, etc.

6) Will anyone from the AG's office be there to listen in on this? I don't think they would publicly send someone in an official capacity, but would they have someone in an "unofficial" capacity there to listen in on what's said? I figure Lewis will have someone there to report everything back to him.

Anyone else thinking about what may come out in next week's meeting? Thoughts? I've started re-listening to Tom Brown's Body on the way to/from work and will continue to think about things that may be brought up next week.
Click to expand...

All good points and questions.

Regarding #4, I hope he does not publicly name any person that he suspects; IMO it would not be wise for him to do that ..... for many reasons. Naming a PoI is up to law enforcement investigators only.

Regarding #5. IMO, the case could have been solved during the first week or so, but there were a number of questionable events, circumstances, behaviors, and incompetent actions that occurred early as well as up to the time that OAG took over the case. Those have provided the basis for most of the controversy within the case. Klein undoubtedly knows more about the case than what is publicly known. Whatever he presents, I hope he sticks to facts and steers away from speculation.

Regardless of how the meeting turns out, the case remains at a perpetual standstill until there is more evidence and/or the District Attorney decides to act. The DA is an elected official; I believe that a large part his constituents are wanting some effort on his part toward finding some truths. I hope he listens.
 
Klein already named one suspect/person of interest in one of the newer podcasts. He used both terms, but clarified that he was speaking from the perspective of his firm and not necessarily law enforcement.
 
OutWest said:
All good points and questions.

Regarding #4, I hope he does not publicly name any person that he suspects; IMO it would not be wise for him to do that ..... for many reasons. Naming a PoI is up to law enforcement investigators only.

Regarding #5. IMO, the case could have been solved during the first week or so, but there were a number of questionable events, circumstances, behaviors, and incompetent actions that occurred early as well as up to the time that OAG took over the case. Those have provided the basis for most of the controversy within the case. Klein undoubtedly knows more about the case than what is publicly known. Whatever he presents, I hope he sticks to facts and steers away from speculation.

Regardless of how the meeting turns out, the case remains at a perpetual standstill until there is more evidence and/or the District Attorney decides to act. The DA is an elected official; I believe that a large part his constituents are wanting some effort on his part toward finding some truths. I hope he listens.
Click to expand...

OutWest -- Agree wholeheartedly this should have been solved a LONG time ago. The level of mismanagement (incompetent or intentional) that occurred is mind-boggling. Like you, I also hope that Klein sticks to facts. Am wondering if the DA's office will get enough pressure from Hemphill County constituents to move forward or if they will continue with "move along, nothing to see here" with Tom's case.

Vaughan Benjamin said:
Klein already named one suspect/person of interest in one of the newer podcasts. He used both terms, but clarified that he was speaking from the perspective of his firm and not necessarily law enforcement.
Click to expand...

Vaughan Benjamin -- Thanks for the update that Klein had publicly named a specific suspect/poi. Everything I've heard so far was rather vague. Please us know which podcast so I can listen on my commute. Thanks!
 
He discussed it on the Killer Genes podcast. In the episode covering Tom's case, Klein talks about it around 18 minutes and 42 seconds into the podcast. You can listen and decide for yourself what to conclude from what he said and how he said it, but it was my first time hearing him speak so directly about that particular person.
 
New article:

Texas Attorney General Cold Case Unit results Hemphill County’s cold case a ‘questionable death investigation’

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the formation of a new Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit within the Office of the Attorney General.

This Unit aid’s and supports law enforcement agencies across the state in the investigation and prosecution of unsolved cases, including homicides, missing persons, and other matters centered around human identification and forensic genealogy.

The Unit’s first case was to assist the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office in the case of Thomas Brown of Canadian.

OAG’s Criminal Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation of Brown’s death and also assisted the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in reviewing all of the collected evidence.

According to the release, the case is still a questionable death investigation with no sufficient evidence to say that Tom Brown’s death to be a criminal act, an accidental death, or a suicide.

The case will be suspended ‘until such time as additional reliable evidence has been discovered.’
 
jellybean96 said:
New article:

Texas Attorney General Cold Case Unit results Hemphill County’s cold case a ‘questionable death investigation’

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the formation of a new Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit within the Office of the Attorney General.

This Unit aid’s and supports law enforcement agencies across the state in the investigation and prosecution of unsolved cases, including homicides, missing persons, and other matters centered around human identification and forensic genealogy.

The Unit’s first case was to assist the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office in the case of Thomas Brown of Canadian.

OAG’s Criminal Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation of Brown’s death and also assisted the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in reviewing all of the collected evidence.

According to the release, the case is still a questionable death investigation with no sufficient evidence to say that Tom Brown’s death to be a criminal act, an accidental death, or a suicide.

The case will be suspended ‘until such time as additional reliable evidence has been discovered.’
Click to expand...

jellybean96 - THANKS for the update. My first, very positive, thought was that it's great that Tom's case is the first case turned over to the Cold Case unit. My second, very cynical, thought was, oh no not another investigation to start from square one yet again. I'm going to try & remain positive. It is VERY interesting that this update comes about just prior to Klein's scheduled town hall meeting tomorrow night. Maybe after tomorrow night we'll get a feel for how Penny and her family feels about this latest development.
 
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Vaughan Benjamin said:
He discussed it on the Killer Genes podcast. In the episode covering Tom's case, Klein talks about it around 18 minutes and 42 seconds into the podcast. You can listen and decide for yourself what to conclude from what he said and how he said it, but it was my first time hearing him speak so directly about that particular person.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing the podcast info. After it started, I realized that I had listened to it before and was once again irritated with the small discrepancies discussing the case. Just being nitpicky, but they mention Tom's "Dakota" when it was a Durango for example. Details matter. It's interesting that Klein names one POI, but kind of skirts around who he feels was also involved. I'm not convinced the former sheriff would cover for that person unless others involved were on a particular sports team and he would cover for them....or the "person from a prominent family" that he mentioned in another podcast. I don't think there was a big drug ring with the poi & sheriff's office that would result in a coverup for the poi. All moo & speculation on my part. I'm really looking forward to any additional information that comes out tomorrow night.
 
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