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Speaker 1: School of Humans. Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold

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Speaker 1: case murders in an effort to raise public awareness invite

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Speaker 1: witnesses to come forward and present evidence that could potentially

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Speaker 1: be further investigated by law enforcement. While we value insights

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Speaker 1: from family and community members, their statements should not be

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Speaker 1: considered evidence and point to the challenges of verifying facts

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Speaker 1: inherent in cold cases. We remind listeners that everyone has

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Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Speaker 1: Nothing in the podcast is intended to state or imply

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Speaker 1: that anyone who has not been convicted of a crime

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Speaker 1: is guilty of any wrongdoing. Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 2: On Saturday, November two, twenty twenty four, fifteen year old

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Speaker 2: Trip Brazil headed out of his house in Forest City,

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Speaker 2: Arkansas on a four wheeler. Trip grew up and when

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Speaker 2: he had been hanging around with his uncle and aunt

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Speaker 2: that day, His mother, Jennifer Brazil, told us that Trip,

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Speaker 2: her brother, and her sister in law went to a

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Speaker 2: party at a friend's house. They were in the area

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Speaker 2: of Saint Francis County Road four O nine, near Forest

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Speaker 2: City after dark and into the early morning hours of Sunday,

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Speaker 2: November three, They continued to hang out in a part

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Speaker 2: of the woods called Crow Creek, riding ATVs, which are

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Speaker 2: also called four wheelers. Trips aunt and uncle were on

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Speaker 2: one four wheeler, Trip was on the other. One of

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Speaker 2: his friends was also there at some point riding another atv.

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Speaker 2: Now it's mostly illegal to ride four wheelers on paved

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Speaker 2: roads in Arkansas and in many other places, but out

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Speaker 2: there in the country it is a common mode of

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Speaker 2: transportation for teens. His mother, Jennifer Brazil, told us that

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Speaker 2: Trip was homeschooled and also had a job at a

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Speaker 2: carpet store.

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Speaker 3: They love being outside, sweet, respectful kids. He knew how

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Speaker 3: to actuards his elders. They had been riding fullers all day, actually,

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Speaker 3: his brother and sister. I'm glad that they got to

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Speaker 3: send the day with him. Then he went by our

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Speaker 3: friend's house, so they were having a party. And if

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Speaker 3: it comes back you had alcohol in this system, that's

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Speaker 3: not going to shock me. But as far as drugs, no,

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Speaker 3: Trip was not a drug user. He told his friends

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Speaker 3: to try to stop smoking weeds. Trip was very scared

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Speaker 3: of drugs.

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Speaker 2: There were police officers near the teens in the woods

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Speaker 2: that night. Deputy Tray Bonham and Sergeant David Kenney from

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Speaker 2: the Saint Francis County Sheriff's Office had been out there

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Speaker 2: responding to a call dealing with a missing eleven year

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Speaker 2: old and twelve year old girl and boy from Cross County.

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Speaker 2: So Sergeant Kenny and Deputy Bonham got called out to

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Speaker 2: an area near Highway three eight because one of the

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Speaker 2: missing Cross County kids phones was pinging in that area.

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Speaker 2: Deputy Bynham wrote in his report that while they were

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Speaker 2: checking out a residence in the woods, they heard ATVs

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Speaker 2: driving around erratically. When they finished up and got back

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Speaker 2: to their vehicles, Sergeant Kenney went to go find those ATVs.

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Speaker 2: He was the first one to make contact with Trip

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Speaker 2: and his family members. In his report, he said that

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Speaker 2: he was talking to the people who were on one

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Speaker 2: of the four wheelers, basically telling everyone to slow down.

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Speaker 2: As Deputy Bontam approached, he saw one of the four

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Speaker 2: wheelers slow down like it was about to stop, but then,

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Speaker 2: he said, the four wheeler took off and passed him

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Speaker 2: at a high rate of speed. The driver of that

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Speaker 2: ATV was Trip Brazil. The police started talking to Trip's

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Speaker 2: aunt and uncle and one of Trip's friends.

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Speaker 3: Then He was riding with my brother and sister in

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Speaker 3: law who her dad is a state trooper, and the

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Speaker 3: cop pulled up to the stop sign and said what

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Speaker 3: are y'all doing? They said, oh, we'll just stop riding.

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Speaker 3: Looks a little way y'all need to go.

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Speaker 2: Sergeant Kenny was interviewed about this incident.

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Speaker 4: There's two four wheelers and four individuals there. They all

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Speaker 4: looked to be leaked teen's early twenties. As I got

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Speaker 4: out of my truck and walked around in front of

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Speaker 4: my vehicle, one of the four wheelers took off going

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Speaker 4: south on two eighty four. He went a couple hundred

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Speaker 4: yards and stopped, looked over his shoulder. I said, where's

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Speaker 4: he going. One of the kids popped up and said,

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Speaker 4: we don't know, sir. I said, so he's just going

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Speaker 4: to leave y'all here. He said, that's what it looks like.

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Speaker 4: Will he come back by? And he was approaching. He

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Speaker 4: was slowing down like he was going to stop.

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Speaker 2: At that point, Deputy Bonham started his pursuit of the

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Speaker 2: four wheeler. He was trying to pull trip over. Sergeant

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Speaker 2: Kenny said he just wanted the driver of that ATV

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Speaker 2: to slow down. He said. He called out on the

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Speaker 2: radio to the driver, telling him to watch the hairpin

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Speaker 2: turns on the roadway. Trip didn't stop. Instead, he turned

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Speaker 2: onto another road, Highway four O nine, and sped away,

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Speaker 2: so Deputy Bottom followed him. This high speed chase went

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Speaker 2: on up a hill and back down a hill. Technically

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Speaker 2: it was a dirt burm, but that's how the deputies

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Speaker 2: described it. And that's when something happened, something that caused

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Speaker 2: Trip to abruptly stop and jump off his four wheeler

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Speaker 2: at twelve forty two am. This is the bodycam footage

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Speaker 2: of that chase. In real time. You can hear the

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Speaker 2: deputy yell at Trip, but he'd already gotten off the

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Speaker 2: four wheeler and was running. Trip was wearing a camouflage hoodie,

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Speaker 2: blue jeans, and boots as he took off through the woods.

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Speaker 2: In that bodycam footage, it looks like he jumped over

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Speaker 2: a barbed wire fence and took off across a field.

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Speaker 2: Trip didn't stop or turned back. He fled into the

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Speaker 2: woods and kept on running and then he disappeared. I'm

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Speaker 2: Catherine Townsend. Over the past five years of making my

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Speaker 2: true crime podcast Helen Gone, I've learned that there is

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Speaker 2: no such thing as a small town where murder never happens.

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Speaker 2: I've received hundreds of messages from people all around the

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Speaker 2: country asking for help with an unsolved murder that's affected them,

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Speaker 2: their families, and their communities. If you have a case

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Speaker 2: you'd like me and my team to look into, you

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Speaker 2: can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder

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Speaker 2: Line at six seven eight seven four four six one

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Speaker 2: four five. That's six seven eight seven four four six

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Speaker 2: one four five, Or you can send us a message

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Speaker 2: on Instagram at Helen Gonepod. This is Helen Gone Murder Line.

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Speaker 2: In that police bodycam footage, you can see trips abandoned

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Speaker 2: yellow and dark gray four wheeler. Deputy Bottom runs up

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Speaker 2: to the barber Ware fence, where he stops with his

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Speaker 2: gun drawn, but there's no sign of trip. He'd already

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Speaker 2: run into the dark woods. So Deputy Bottom goes back

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Speaker 2: to his vehicle and gets on the radio. Now some

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Speaker 2: parts of this are kind of hard to understand, but

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Speaker 2: he's saying that they wrecked and that he had the

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Speaker 2: four wheeler he wrecked out.

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Speaker 3: I got the fooler.

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Speaker 5: I'm good, but we went up, bitch, I said, I'm good.

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Speaker 5: When we went up that ditch right there, both of us,

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Speaker 5: me and him both.

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Speaker 2: The second officer on the scene, Sergeant Kenny, shows up.

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Speaker 2: They start talking about what happened.

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Speaker 5: There's gonna be a white male on a cam flies

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Speaker 5: hoodie and blue jays. Looked like he went off that way.

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Speaker 4: Did he roll it or something?

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Speaker 5: Hey turned it and jumped off and took off running

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Speaker 5: across the field.

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Speaker 2: At this point, it doesn't seem like they believe that

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Speaker 2: this was a super serious situation. The deputy later said

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Speaker 2: that he had followed his partner so that he would

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Speaker 2: have backup if needed, but at this point they had

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Speaker 2: no weapons drawn.

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Speaker 4: He had jumped over the fence and we looked called out, hey,

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Speaker 4: come back to the road.

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Speaker 6: You've been fire a weapon or anything.

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Speaker 4: No sir, No sir.

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Speaker 2: Later police were able to figure out through examining the

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Speaker 2: four wheeler that the connection to the battery was lost somehow.

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Speaker 2: There was damage to the hot battery cable. Basically, something

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Speaker 2: happened that made the battery die. This was a high

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Speaker 2: speed chase, and both the police and trip went over

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Speaker 2: a hill, so it might have happened. Then The impact

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Speaker 2: was enough that the officers did check for damage on

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Speaker 2: his truck, but they said they did not find any

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Speaker 2: significant damage. It turned out that after Trip came off

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Speaker 2: that four wheeler and ran away, he started making phone calls.

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Speaker 2: He called his mother, Jennifer, and was also in touch

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Speaker 2: with his father, but at some point his phone died.

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Speaker 2: Deputy Bottoms secured the four wheeler and Sergeant Kenny got

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Speaker 2: a trailer to take it back to the station. Once

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Speaker 2: they got there, they were looking for a VEN number

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Speaker 2: on that vehicle. Sergeant Kenny said they couldn't find one. Later,

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Speaker 2: he said they figured out that the vehicle had been stolen.

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Speaker 2: There is nothing else about that in the reports, so

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Speaker 2: I need to say I have no idea if the

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Speaker 2: four wheeler was stolen or who allegedly stole it, but

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Speaker 2: from the reports, it does not look like that was

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Speaker 2: the police priority. They were focused on finding Trip. When

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Speaker 2: Deputy Bynum and Sergeant Kenny were trying to pull over Trip,

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Speaker 2: they said they didn't know who he was, but they

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Speaker 2: didn't know his family.

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Speaker 4: This late at night would allowed for the waking folks

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Speaker 4: of and I know his dad, I.

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Speaker 7: Know his mom, and I know his brother, but I

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Speaker 7: wouldn't know him if he walked up and spit on

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Speaker 7: it and I don't know if he recognized me, and

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Speaker 7: that's why he took off and wanted.

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Speaker 2: To be the chasing Deputy Bonum said that another deputy, Deputy, Bradshaw,

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Speaker 2: reached out to Tripp's father. This would have been at

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Speaker 2: around one am. According to the incident report, Tripp's parents

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Speaker 2: said he had still not come home and that they

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Speaker 2: were going out to look for him, and according to

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Speaker 2: Sergeant Kenney's report, Jennifer was in touch with Trip during

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Speaker 2: this time and pleading with her son to come out

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Speaker 2: and turn himself in, while at the same time trying

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Speaker 2: to calm him down. Both of Tripp's parents were trying

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Speaker 2: to reassure him that they were on their way to

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Speaker 2: find him. Jennifer said that after Trip was thrown off

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Speaker 2: his four wheeler and walked through the woods for a

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Speaker 2: period of time, that he called her to come and

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Speaker 2: pick him up. So Jennifer and Gil headed out to

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Speaker 2: Highway four oh nine to the area where Trip was

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Speaker 2: last seen. When they arrived, deputies were still there. Trip

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Speaker 2: talked to other people too, and one of his friends,

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Speaker 2: who was interviewed by police, said that Trip's location could

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Speaker 2: be viewed on Snapchat live. At some point. Sergeant Kenney

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Speaker 2: said that he got Trip's phone number. He said he

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Speaker 2: sent Trip a text himself, but Trip never responded. He said, quote,

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Speaker 2: I only wanted to tell the kids to not drive

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Speaker 2: reckless at night. If he had only stopped, then I

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Speaker 2: would have just called his dad. His mother showed me

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Speaker 2: a text where I was telling her that he was

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Speaker 2: a screw up and apologies to both parents. End quote.

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Speaker 2: That text was sent at one forty one am, but

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Speaker 2: a few minutes after that, sometime around two am, Trip's

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Speaker 2: phone went dead. Meanwhile, an anonymous phone call was placed

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Speaker 2: to the Sheriff's office.

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Speaker 5: We got an unknown anonymous phone call, and the phone

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Speaker 5: call whoever it was, stated that he was in the woods.

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Speaker 6: He was behind the church on Sec.

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Speaker 5: Four O nine in that area.

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Speaker 2: Deputy Bonhams said that an anonymous caller told him that

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Speaker 2: Trip had been driving the four wheeler. He said that

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Speaker 2: some deputies went out to that area behind the church

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Speaker 2: and looked for Trip, but couldn't find him. Police talked

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Speaker 2: to one of Trip's friends. This is from Deputy Tray

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Speaker 2: Bonham's body camp. You can hear him talking to the

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Speaker 2: friend asking him if he knows anything about Trip's whereabouts.

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Speaker 5: All right, man, you've been bored for a while.

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Speaker 6: He's up.

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Speaker 5: Tell me the truth.

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Speaker 3: It's the truth. You know what, Trips.

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Speaker 8: I ain't gonna fucking clue what Trip. I've been trying

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Speaker 8: to find Trip, my damn hill to him, get.

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Speaker 5: The fuck home, not being a dat When I say

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Speaker 5: this ranning, it's Raine ran out of his shoes. It's

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Speaker 5: fourteen years old, and nobody's singing or hear.

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Speaker 2: Trip's friend shows the deputy where Trip's last location. Pinned.

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Speaker 2: Trip was on Snapchat and his friend used a live

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Speaker 2: location video to show the deputy trips last location.

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Speaker 8: So look right here, you got where four nine splits.

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Speaker 8: That's f C four or nine goes two ways. That's

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Speaker 8: where it was three hours ago. I'm sure that's where

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Speaker 8: he left. The fool was right there over there and

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Speaker 8: took off front of him for at the end of

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Speaker 8: this day, in or one of the others. That's fourteen

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Speaker 8: minute drive from here.

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Speaker 5: My main concern is if he's hurt.

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Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean the way y'all said he jumping.

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Speaker 4: Ran from the politics.

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Speaker 8: I got toldkay when he walked in, it's like a

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Speaker 8: little brother to me.

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Speaker 6: I got his back like I had my little brother back.

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Speaker 8: But in this situation, I tell where my little brother was.

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Speaker 3: I have what tripple was.

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Speaker 5: I tell you well, I'm heard a bug out there.

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Speaker 5: If you hear anything, lemon know.

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Speaker 2: Jennifer was also upset that, in her words, that the

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Speaker 2: police seemed to be more concerned with securing and taking

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Speaker 2: the four wheeler than they were about finding her son.

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Speaker 3: I last talked the trip at one and I made

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Speaker 3: it to the woods at two o'clock, where his phone

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Speaker 3: went dead and the full wheeler was already gone. There

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Speaker 3: were no cops out theirs. I hollered, went in the woods,

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Speaker 3: hollowed for trip nothing but within that amount of time

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Speaker 3: that foll whelller was already gone. They weren't looking for

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Speaker 3: my kids. They wanted the full wheeler. He followed his

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Speaker 3: vehicle up on the embankment after the trip, where it

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Speaker 3: looked like he could I possibly use the vehicle as

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Speaker 3: a deadly weapon. Actually called me and said they got

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Speaker 3: the full wheeler because he was hiding. Apparently that's what

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Speaker 3: it sounded like. And I said, okay, I'm coming to

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Speaker 3: get you. He said, well, my phone's about to guy.

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Speaker 3: I said, I've got your fans location on all my way.

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Speaker 3: She said okay. I said I love you. He said

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Speaker 3: love you too. So it wasn't like guy who was

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Speaker 3: arguing with him or killing him on the feature foot

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Speaker 3: when you get home. It was just coming to get you.

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Speaker 3: One I got a weird text message with another County

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Speaker 3: Talk who at this time we found out was not

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Speaker 3: even on night shift. Pe' dayshift, so why did you

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Speaker 3: call my husband's phone at one nine? At the same time,

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Speaker 3: I got a weird text on my phone from Trip

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Speaker 3: and said they got tripped with then one until ocock

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Speaker 3: the foiler was gone.

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Speaker 2: Jin and her husband kept searching for Trip throughout the night.

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00:16:19,241 --> 00:16:21,841
Speaker 2: The police search also went on late into the night

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Speaker 2: and into the next day. At four twenty am, Sergeant

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00:16:25,921 --> 00:16:28,721
Speaker 2: Kenney asked the fire department to send out drones with

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Speaker 2: thermal and night vision, but they found no trace of Trip. Later,

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Speaker 2: Jen posted on social media that she found that suspicious

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Speaker 2: the fact that the drones found no trace of Trip,

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Speaker 2: even though he was supposed to have been running through

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Speaker 2: the woods. But drones that respond to body heat can

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Speaker 2: have lots of obstacles. They don't always work perfectly. They

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Speaker 2: can be impeded by trees or outdoor temperature, wind, and

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00:16:54,521 --> 00:16:58,721
Speaker 2: a lot of other factors. At seven twenty am, the

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Speaker 2: East Arkansas Department of Corrections brought in their tracker dogs.

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Speaker 2: The dogs were released where Trip had been when he

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00:17:06,521 --> 00:17:09,241
Speaker 2: fled the Saint but they were unable to get a

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00:17:09,281 --> 00:17:11,880
Speaker 2: tracking sent on him. Then they were taken to the

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Speaker 2: area where Trip's cell phone had last panned. Still no luck.

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00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:20,521
Speaker 2: The Arkansas State Police were called in to assist. So

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Speaker 2: now you have the ASP, the Saint Francis County Sheriff's office,

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00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:29,241
Speaker 2: the Game and Fish Commission, and multiple other organizations, plus

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00:17:29,481 --> 00:17:33,840
Speaker 2: tons of local volunteers. Everyone in that county was looking

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Speaker 2: for Trip Brazil. Local news crews were talking to Tripp's

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Speaker 2: family and word got out fast, both on the news

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00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,001
Speaker 2: and on social media, and a lot of people were

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Speaker 2: asking how this happened. This was a kid who knew

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Speaker 2: the area well, so they couldn't figure out how he

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Speaker 2: had gotten lost out there and just disappeared, and why

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Speaker 2: with all the people searching for him, he hadn't been found.

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Speaker 2: Searchers fanned out all over the area where Trip was missing,

301
00:18:02,001 --> 00:18:05,041
Speaker 2: a part of the woods near Crow Creek. The area

302
00:18:05,241 --> 00:18:08,041
Speaker 2: near where Trip went missing is basically on the edge

303
00:18:08,041 --> 00:18:11,321
Speaker 2: of Crowley's Ridge, which is a continuous range of rolling

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Speaker 2: hills that goes from Missouri across eastern Arkansas. The area

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00:18:15,961 --> 00:18:18,241
Speaker 2: got its name from the first white settler to reach

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00:18:18,281 --> 00:18:22,201
Speaker 2: the area, Benjamin Crowley. The ridges happened when the Mississippi

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00:18:22,281 --> 00:18:24,961
Speaker 2: River changed course at one point and kept cutting into

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Speaker 2: the terrain, so you have this really unique geographical feature.

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Speaker 2: It goes from flat Delta country to an elevation of

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Speaker 2: two hundred and fifty feet really quickly. This terrain can

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Speaker 2: be pretty unforgiving even for people who know it well,

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Speaker 2: and it's very easy to get lost up there. And

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Speaker 2: told the local wrig news channel that she thought that

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Speaker 2: maybe Trip would walk back to where he believed he

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Speaker 2: had left the ATV, and then because the police had

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Speaker 2: taken his vehicle, she said maybe he couldn't find it,

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Speaker 2: So she reasoned that he may have started walking into

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Speaker 2: the woods, gotten disoriented somehow, and gotten lost. His mother

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Speaker 2: said that Trip had last been in touch with him

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Speaker 2: in the early morning hours on Sunday, that Trip was

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00:19:10,961 --> 00:19:13,921
Speaker 2: talking about the police chasing him, that he was scared,

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00:19:14,321 --> 00:19:17,001
Speaker 2: and that he wanted his parents to come get him.

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Speaker 2: She said she believed that Trip jumped off his ATV

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Speaker 2: and over a barb wire fence in order to escape

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Speaker 2: the officer who was pursuing him. She was basing that

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Speaker 2: on the fact that near that fence they found Trip's

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Speaker 2: hat in his shoe. This was just a few feet

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Speaker 2: from where he came off as four wheeler and started

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Speaker 2: running from police. They found something else on Monday too.

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Speaker 2: Searchers found more of Trip's clothes, his other boot, his hoodie,

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Speaker 2: his cell phone, and his wallet, and Jennifer said the

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Speaker 2: way that his clothing was found was odd. His sweatshirt

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00:19:52,601 --> 00:19:56,281
Speaker 2: was lying on some leaves and his phone, wallet, screwdriver,

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Speaker 2: and phone charger were laying on top of the sweatshirt.

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00:20:00,041 --> 00:20:04,241
Speaker 2: So she wondered, why would Trip have left his stuff

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00:20:04,281 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 2: out there in the dark like that, or could something

337
00:20:07,681 --> 00:20:10,400
Speaker 2: else have happened to him? Did someone else leave the

338
00:20:10,401 --> 00:20:11,041
Speaker 2: stuff out there?

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00:20:11,121 --> 00:20:15,201
Speaker 3: Later well, Monday morning, we mysteriously find his other boot

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00:20:15,561 --> 00:20:19,721
Speaker 3: and his hoodie and siphon and wallet. It wasn't their Sunday,

341
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:26,361
Speaker 3: but it was their Monday some reason. His sweatshirts, phone wallet, screwdriver,

342
00:20:27,321 --> 00:20:30,120
Speaker 3: and phone charger were laying on top of his sweatshirt.

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Speaker 3: But then he hundred yards up the other side of

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Speaker 3: the ridge he found his boots. I don't understand that,

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Speaker 3: because if I'm gonna go ahead and take off my

346
00:20:39,641 --> 00:20:41,721
Speaker 3: sweatshirt that I have, I'm going to take off my

347
00:20:41,881 --> 00:20:45,321
Speaker 3: last boot that I had on. Anyway, I'm not gonna

348
00:20:45,361 --> 00:20:48,441
Speaker 3: go further up and then put my boot there and

349
00:20:48,441 --> 00:20:52,481
Speaker 3: then continue to walk. Because we found his boot and hat,

350
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Speaker 3: and they brought dogs in and the dogs never hit

351
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Speaker 3: on anything.

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Speaker 2: So now she was thinking that this was seriously odd.

353
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Speaker 2: Why would he start taking off clothes in the middle

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Speaker 2: of the night and keep running. And Jennifer said, this

355
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Speaker 2: wasn't the first time that Deputy Bonham had gotten into

356
00:21:10,441 --> 00:21:13,001
Speaker 2: some kind of a confrontation with her son and his

357
00:21:13,041 --> 00:21:15,841
Speaker 2: friends over riding four wheelers in that area.

358
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Speaker 3: Just because Tripp had out Randim on the four wheler before,

359
00:21:19,121 --> 00:21:22,521
Speaker 3: and he told people that he would get him, and

360
00:21:22,601 --> 00:21:25,121
Speaker 3: he made sure that Trip was aware of that that

361
00:21:25,161 --> 00:21:29,161
Speaker 3: he told people. It was supposedly said that this other

362
00:21:29,241 --> 00:21:32,600
Speaker 3: boy he was chasing, he pulled up in their driveway

363
00:21:32,641 --> 00:21:35,241
Speaker 3: one day and Trip his name was mentioned in that

364
00:21:35,361 --> 00:21:38,161
Speaker 3: conversation that if he's seen him again, he would kill him.

365
00:21:38,881 --> 00:21:42,401
Speaker 2: But Deputy Bonham stated in his report that he had

366
00:21:42,441 --> 00:21:45,120
Speaker 2: no idea that the driver who had doubled back and

367
00:21:45,201 --> 00:21:47,761
Speaker 2: passed back by him and turned into a highway four

368
00:21:47,761 --> 00:21:50,681
Speaker 2: O nine was Trip, even when he was close to it.

369
00:21:51,961 --> 00:21:56,001
Speaker 2: On Monday, November fourth, the Arkansas State Police were called

370
00:21:56,041 --> 00:21:59,601
Speaker 2: in to assist. They found Trip's iPhone in the woods.

371
00:21:59,961 --> 00:22:02,641
Speaker 2: It had died, and it was turned over to police

372
00:22:02,761 --> 00:22:06,680
Speaker 2: and taken in for data extraction. Later that afternoon, at

373
00:22:06,721 --> 00:22:10,281
Speaker 2: around four thirty pm, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

374
00:22:10,281 --> 00:22:13,640
Speaker 2: officer saw something north of Benner State forty, near the

375
00:22:13,641 --> 00:22:18,961
Speaker 2: two hundred and forty three point seven mile marker. It

376
00:22:19,041 --> 00:22:40,041
Speaker 2: was Trip's body. He was hanging from a tree at

377
00:22:40,041 --> 00:22:43,360
Speaker 2: around four thirty in the afternoon on Monday, November fourth,

378
00:22:43,721 --> 00:22:47,161
Speaker 2: thirty six hours after fifteen year old Trip Brazil got

379
00:22:47,201 --> 00:22:49,521
Speaker 2: into a high speed chase with a police officer in

380
00:22:49,561 --> 00:22:53,561
Speaker 2: Saint Francis County, Arkansas, his body was found hanging from

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Speaker 2: a tree. We filed freedom of information requests and we

382
00:22:57,561 --> 00:23:00,721
Speaker 2: were able to get copies of the incident report, though

383
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,080
Speaker 2: parts of it were redacted, probably due to Trip's age.

384
00:23:05,321 --> 00:23:07,321
Speaker 2: I wanted to cover this case because we get a

385
00:23:07,361 --> 00:23:10,561
Speaker 2: lot of calls from parents and from other family members

386
00:23:10,761 --> 00:23:13,361
Speaker 2: who believed that their loved one did not take their

387
00:23:13,361 --> 00:23:15,840
Speaker 2: own life, and that there was some kind of foul

388
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,721
Speaker 2: play not suicide involved. We wanted to see what we

389
00:23:19,801 --> 00:23:23,481
Speaker 2: could do to help Trip's family get answers. At first,

390
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,561
Speaker 2: we wondered if Trip's four wheeler incident could have been

391
00:23:26,561 --> 00:23:30,561
Speaker 2: something else, Maybe the police truck had hit him, or

392
00:23:30,641 --> 00:23:34,121
Speaker 2: there was some kind of automobile accident. There has been

393
00:23:34,441 --> 00:23:37,201
Speaker 2: quite a bit of publicity in recent years about the

394
00:23:37,281 --> 00:23:41,721
Speaker 2: so called pit maneuvers in Arkansas. That's when police try

395
00:23:41,801 --> 00:23:45,281
Speaker 2: to stop a high speed chase by forcing the other

396
00:23:45,441 --> 00:23:49,241
Speaker 2: driver into some kind of a wreck. There have been

397
00:23:49,321 --> 00:23:52,360
Speaker 2: fatalities as a result of some of these maneuvers, so

398
00:23:52,601 --> 00:23:55,360
Speaker 2: we wondered if this could have been a pit maneuver.

399
00:23:56,281 --> 00:23:59,561
Speaker 2: Deputy Bonham was interviewed about the police chase and he

400
00:23:59,761 --> 00:24:03,401
Speaker 2: was asked why he was chasing Trip in the first place.

401
00:24:04,001 --> 00:24:06,920
Speaker 6: So we can get some clarifications on one thing. You know,

402
00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,080
Speaker 6: of course it'll be brought up. The reason why he

403
00:24:10,281 --> 00:24:15,521
Speaker 6: was chasing him was because it appeared to you he

404
00:24:15,681 --> 00:24:18,601
Speaker 6: was fleeing from David Kitty. And do you know why

405
00:24:18,681 --> 00:24:20,721
Speaker 6: David Kinny even stopped him for he was just was

406
00:24:20,761 --> 00:24:22,401
Speaker 6: he just doing a welfare check on was there a

407
00:24:22,481 --> 00:24:24,841
Speaker 6: reason for him? Stime was was there on a road

408
00:24:24,921 --> 00:24:26,841
Speaker 6: that went to vote for Adam for wheelers?

409
00:24:26,881 --> 00:24:28,801
Speaker 5: It was on Highway two twenty four and in the

410
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:31,641
Speaker 5: area of that neighborhood was driving at the redick speed too?

411
00:24:31,961 --> 00:24:35,160
Speaker 6: Yeah, anxiously And so do y'all think that this person

412
00:24:35,521 --> 00:24:37,360
Speaker 6: they may have been a part of that kid that

413
00:24:37,441 --> 00:24:39,360
Speaker 6: may have been missing his opinion from Cross County?

414
00:24:39,641 --> 00:24:42,681
Speaker 5: Nosha, I don't these two, Like I said, it was

415
00:24:42,721 --> 00:24:43,561
Speaker 5: eleven and twelve.

416
00:24:43,441 --> 00:24:46,521
Speaker 6: Years old, okay, So you just in that area, but

417
00:24:46,561 --> 00:24:49,441
Speaker 6: then ran across to them and decided to check him

418
00:24:49,441 --> 00:24:51,481
Speaker 6: on the reason why I was saying that because it's

419
00:24:51,561 --> 00:24:52,361
Speaker 6: late at night.

420
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,600
Speaker 5: Late at night to four, but there's a lot of

421
00:24:56,641 --> 00:24:59,521
Speaker 5: people driving through there at that time. You know, someone's

422
00:24:59,521 --> 00:25:00,880
Speaker 5: intoxicated and stuff like that.

423
00:25:00,921 --> 00:25:03,801
Speaker 6: That give me your reason for chasing him. That's I'm

424
00:25:03,801 --> 00:25:05,761
Speaker 6: gonna make sure I understood your reason.

425
00:25:06,401 --> 00:25:08,321
Speaker 5: The blue lights and the sirens for the four wheeler

426
00:25:08,361 --> 00:25:09,840
Speaker 5: to stop, and it didn't stop.

427
00:25:10,161 --> 00:25:12,881
Speaker 6: Okay, But what was the probable cause?

428
00:25:12,881 --> 00:25:15,441
Speaker 5: I guess what I'm trying to say, the excessive speeds and.

429
00:25:15,921 --> 00:25:18,400
Speaker 6: Did you clock them on radar? Just no, sir, No,

430
00:25:18,441 --> 00:25:20,120
Speaker 6: I'm not trying you know what I'm saying. That's just

431
00:25:20,121 --> 00:25:22,640
Speaker 6: what I won't because what the family gonna say is

432
00:25:23,321 --> 00:25:25,161
Speaker 6: this and that another other you know what I'm saying.

433
00:25:26,321 --> 00:25:28,880
Speaker 2: He said that he estimated that his speed was around

434
00:25:28,881 --> 00:25:32,041
Speaker 2: eighty miles an hour while chasing the four wheeler. Now,

435
00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,440
Speaker 2: apparently some four wheelers can get to speeds of seventy

436
00:25:35,481 --> 00:25:38,400
Speaker 2: to eighty miles per hour. The more average speed on

437
00:25:38,521 --> 00:25:42,201
Speaker 2: four wheelers ranged generally from around fifty to ninety miles

438
00:25:42,241 --> 00:25:46,161
Speaker 2: an hour, though again Deputy Bonum admitted that he had

439
00:25:46,201 --> 00:25:48,961
Speaker 2: no way of checking and did not know how fast

440
00:25:48,961 --> 00:25:53,001
Speaker 2: the fore wheeler was actually going. Trip's mom said that

441
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,281
Speaker 2: he had traveled quite a distance from the spot where

442
00:25:56,321 --> 00:25:57,401
Speaker 2: he left his four wheeler.

443
00:25:58,161 --> 00:26:01,441
Speaker 3: I think they said about sum orles and it's growth terrain.

444
00:26:01,601 --> 00:26:05,921
Speaker 3: It was Crowley's ruge I means hold that you couldn't

445
00:26:05,921 --> 00:26:07,921
Speaker 3: see that was covered up with leaves.

446
00:26:08,681 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 2: The police said that early indications pointed to suicide, but

447
00:26:13,001 --> 00:26:16,761
Speaker 2: from the beginning Trip's parents felt that the circumstances around

448
00:26:16,761 --> 00:26:20,761
Speaker 2: his death did not add up. Trip's body was found

449
00:26:20,881 --> 00:26:23,521
Speaker 2: in the middle of some dense woods. He was hanging

450
00:26:23,521 --> 00:26:26,521
Speaker 2: from a tree overlooking a gully. There was a deer

451
00:26:26,601 --> 00:26:29,001
Speaker 2: stand thirty feet south of where the body was found,

452
00:26:29,641 --> 00:26:32,241
Speaker 2: and police figured out that the green rope that was

453
00:26:32,281 --> 00:26:36,521
Speaker 2: removed from Trip's body was actually a ratchet strap. It

454
00:26:36,561 --> 00:26:38,441
Speaker 2: was a match to the green one that was tied

455
00:26:38,481 --> 00:26:40,761
Speaker 2: around the deer stand to secure it to a tree.

456
00:26:42,121 --> 00:26:45,681
Speaker 2: Police cut Trip's body. He was taken to the Morgue

457
00:26:45,761 --> 00:26:48,961
Speaker 2: in for At City, and that's where his mother, Jennifer,

458
00:26:49,241 --> 00:26:51,161
Speaker 2: saw her son for the last time.

459
00:26:51,801 --> 00:26:54,001
Speaker 3: What they're saying, but it's hard to believe that he

460
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,041
Speaker 3: walked up far in the woods and in the creek.

461
00:26:57,761 --> 00:27:00,241
Speaker 3: Did you say he didn't have any damage to the

462
00:27:00,241 --> 00:27:03,961
Speaker 3: bottom of his seat. Nope, none, not a scratch. And

463
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,840
Speaker 3: I walked through those woods for two days and I

464
00:27:07,921 --> 00:27:11,881
Speaker 3: had blisters on my feet and scratches from where Old

465
00:27:11,881 --> 00:27:13,881
Speaker 3: Bob War was laying under leaves.

466
00:27:14,561 --> 00:27:18,921
Speaker 2: His mother wondered why that deer stand, in particular, why

467
00:27:18,961 --> 00:27:20,801
Speaker 2: would he choose that location.

468
00:27:22,201 --> 00:27:25,441
Speaker 3: I didn't get to see him until after he was

469
00:27:25,521 --> 00:27:28,401
Speaker 3: brought back to the funeral home, and the first thing

470
00:27:28,441 --> 00:27:30,401
Speaker 3: I looked at wasn't the bottom of his feet, because

471
00:27:30,441 --> 00:27:35,200
Speaker 3: hesedly went there footed and there was no scratch, no bruise.

472
00:27:35,641 --> 00:27:39,120
Speaker 3: But they had his body to overed up. His doctor

473
00:27:39,161 --> 00:27:42,321
Speaker 3: even came to the house that night and Chris were

474
00:27:42,321 --> 00:27:44,880
Speaker 3: talking now and she said, it's not who Trip was.

475
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,481
Speaker 3: Trip was a I don't give a f kid.

476
00:27:48,601 --> 00:27:51,121
Speaker 2: She said that she was told that the police officer's

477
00:27:51,161 --> 00:27:54,641
Speaker 2: body camera was recording when Trip's body was cut down,

478
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,521
Speaker 2: and the police told her they found no signs of

479
00:27:57,561 --> 00:28:00,880
Speaker 2: foul play, which Jennifer said she found hard to believe.

480
00:28:01,681 --> 00:28:03,281
Speaker 3: Like, I said, there should be something wrong with the

481
00:28:03,281 --> 00:28:06,641
Speaker 3: bottom of his feet, and I thought for myself that

482
00:28:06,881 --> 00:28:11,881
Speaker 3: nothing was wrong with him. Yeah, bruising around the eyes, yeah,

483
00:28:11,881 --> 00:28:17,521
Speaker 3: bruising around the neck, between his big knuckle and ring finger,

484
00:28:18,281 --> 00:28:21,440
Speaker 3: there was a big gash like he had been in

485
00:28:21,441 --> 00:28:23,961
Speaker 3: a fight, Like he was fighting. He was putting up

486
00:28:23,961 --> 00:28:24,321
Speaker 3: a fight.

487
00:28:25,561 --> 00:28:28,801
Speaker 2: Now Trip's devastated family had to try to figure out

488
00:28:28,881 --> 00:28:32,681
Speaker 2: what happened. What would cause a healthy and happy fifteen

489
00:28:32,761 --> 00:28:35,080
Speaker 2: year old to take his own life just because of

490
00:28:35,121 --> 00:28:38,081
Speaker 2: an incident with a four wheeler. Why would he kill

491
00:28:38,161 --> 00:28:42,321
Speaker 2: himself over something that seemed to be so minor. One

492
00:28:42,321 --> 00:28:44,361
Speaker 2: of the questions that I had, and that a lot

493
00:28:44,441 --> 00:28:46,681
Speaker 2: of other people have had in Saint Francis County and

494
00:28:46,721 --> 00:28:50,521
Speaker 2: everywhere else, is how common suicide is and young teens

495
00:28:51,321 --> 00:28:53,761
Speaker 2: and would this even be something that someone that age

496
00:28:53,761 --> 00:28:55,641
Speaker 2: would do on the spur of the moment like that?

497
00:28:56,681 --> 00:28:59,561
Speaker 2: According to report from the National Library of Medicine, which

498
00:28:59,601 --> 00:29:02,481
Speaker 2: looked at patterns and suicides in the United States from

499
00:29:02,561 --> 00:29:05,521
Speaker 2: nineteen ninety nine through twenty twenty, In that twenty one

500
00:29:05,601 --> 00:29:08,721
Speaker 2: year period, there were forty seven thousand, two hundred and

501
00:29:08,721 --> 00:29:14,201
Speaker 2: seventeen adolescent suicide deaths, and hanging in exphyxiation is now

502
00:29:14,401 --> 00:29:17,041
Speaker 2: right up there with firearms as having the highest age

503
00:29:17,041 --> 00:29:21,761
Speaker 2: adjusted suicide rates among Americans of every age. Death rates

504
00:29:21,801 --> 00:29:25,161
Speaker 2: for all means of suicide on average increased annually from

505
00:29:25,201 --> 00:29:28,401
Speaker 2: nineteen ninety nine to twenty twenty, but actually hanging in

506
00:29:28,521 --> 00:29:32,881
Speaker 2: exphyxiation had the largest absolute increase among male and female

507
00:29:32,961 --> 00:29:37,561
Speaker 2: adolescents in a nutshell. Sadly, this is becoming a more

508
00:29:37,641 --> 00:29:40,161
Speaker 2: and more common choice for teens who may be at

509
00:29:40,241 --> 00:29:44,121
Speaker 2: risk of suicide. The Arkansas State Police took over the

510
00:29:44,121 --> 00:29:47,641
Speaker 2: investigation into Trip's death, and it was not long before

511
00:29:47,761 --> 00:29:51,681
Speaker 2: rumors were flying on social media. Suicide is not a

512
00:29:51,681 --> 00:29:55,041
Speaker 2: common occurrence in Saint Francis County. According to data from

513
00:29:55,041 --> 00:29:58,441
Speaker 2: the Arkansas Department of Health, Saint Francis County actually had

514
00:29:58,561 --> 00:30:02,721
Speaker 2: zero suicides in twenty twenty three. However, we do have

515
00:30:02,761 --> 00:30:04,641
Speaker 2: to keep in mind there are only just a little

516
00:30:04,641 --> 00:30:07,241
Speaker 2: over twenty two thousand people in the entire county, so

517
00:30:07,281 --> 00:30:12,481
Speaker 2: it is pretty sparsely populated, but suicide happens everywhere for

518
00:30:12,601 --> 00:30:16,121
Speaker 2: children and teens trips age. The causes of suicide can

519
00:30:16,161 --> 00:30:19,601
Speaker 2: be pretty complicated to figure out. In around forty percent

520
00:30:19,641 --> 00:30:23,081
Speaker 2: of use suicides, there is some sort of precipitating event

521
00:30:23,481 --> 00:30:26,321
Speaker 2: like sexual abuse or the death of someone close to them,

522
00:30:26,521 --> 00:30:29,521
Speaker 2: or even things like divorce, But that also means that

523
00:30:29,561 --> 00:30:33,161
Speaker 2: in sixty percent of cases there is not an obvious cause.

524
00:30:33,961 --> 00:30:36,881
Speaker 2: So in a lot of these cases, teens this age

525
00:30:36,921 --> 00:30:40,161
Speaker 2: can and do make impulsive decisions that can be hard

526
00:30:40,201 --> 00:30:44,041
Speaker 2: to understand. So Trip's devastated family was true trying to

527
00:30:44,041 --> 00:30:46,440
Speaker 2: make sense of why he would do this, and they

528
00:30:46,521 --> 00:30:50,721
Speaker 2: also weren't sure about the police's version of events. Tripp's

529
00:30:50,761 --> 00:30:53,521
Speaker 2: families say there were no mental health issues and zero

530
00:30:53,641 --> 00:30:57,521
Speaker 2: indication that he could be thinking of taking his own life,

531
00:30:57,601 --> 00:31:00,401
Speaker 2: but it turned out that Trip did send another text

532
00:31:00,401 --> 00:31:04,441
Speaker 2: That night, we got more of the Foyer fileback, and

533
00:31:04,561 --> 00:31:06,841
Speaker 2: one of the items that we got was a picture

534
00:31:06,961 --> 00:31:09,841
Speaker 2: of a text message that was sent from Trip to

535
00:31:09,961 --> 00:31:14,081
Speaker 2: a family member shortly after he disappeared at one forty

536
00:31:14,121 --> 00:31:18,361
Speaker 2: one am. It read, in part quote, look, I love

537
00:31:18,441 --> 00:31:20,321
Speaker 2: y'all so much, and I'm so sorry to do this

538
00:31:20,361 --> 00:31:23,881
Speaker 2: to y'all. I love you more than anything. I guess

539
00:31:23,881 --> 00:31:26,401
Speaker 2: it took me till now to realize that y'all have

540
00:31:26,481 --> 00:31:28,681
Speaker 2: been great parents to me. I guess I'm just a

541
00:31:28,681 --> 00:31:31,161
Speaker 2: fuck up and I couldn't change that. I wish I

542
00:31:31,201 --> 00:31:34,401
Speaker 2: could have. I'm sorry. None of this is y'all's fault,

543
00:31:34,521 --> 00:31:38,081
Speaker 2: only mine. I love y'all. I'm sorry I should have stopped.

544
00:31:38,761 --> 00:31:42,121
Speaker 2: I love y'all so much. My phone is about to die,

545
00:31:42,281 --> 00:31:45,001
Speaker 2: so I got to go. I hope this makes it

546
00:31:45,041 --> 00:31:47,681
Speaker 2: to y'all. I never wanted to end this way, but

547
00:31:47,761 --> 00:31:53,121
Speaker 2: I guess it has to end quote. His family reached

548
00:31:53,121 --> 00:31:55,001
Speaker 2: out to him after that to say they were on

549
00:31:55,121 --> 00:31:59,361
Speaker 2: their way, but Tripp never responded, and at some point

550
00:31:59,681 --> 00:32:03,841
Speaker 2: his battery must have died out there. This is such

551
00:32:03,961 --> 00:32:09,121
Speaker 2: a tragic story because I completely understand why Trip's parents

552
00:32:09,201 --> 00:32:12,121
Speaker 2: and many other people in the community may have believed

553
00:32:12,161 --> 00:32:14,801
Speaker 2: that there was some kind of foul play involved, but

554
00:32:14,921 --> 00:32:18,321
Speaker 2: the evidence that we have seen does not support anything

555
00:32:18,361 --> 00:32:22,281
Speaker 2: other than a suicide. It seems as though Trip's death

556
00:32:22,881 --> 00:32:25,841
Speaker 2: was a series of unfortunate events. Each one on its

557
00:32:25,881 --> 00:32:30,321
Speaker 2: own might have seemed small, but taken together, unfortunately, it

558
00:32:30,361 --> 00:32:34,721
Speaker 2: seems they led to a devastating consequence. I wish that

559
00:32:34,801 --> 00:32:37,841
Speaker 2: I had a better answer for Tripp's family, but the

560
00:32:37,921 --> 00:32:41,081
Speaker 2: reality is we may never know why he did what

561
00:32:41,161 --> 00:32:44,481
Speaker 2: he did that night, or what was going on in mind.

562
00:32:45,401 --> 00:32:47,921
Speaker 2: But I believe that Trip's story is important to tell

563
00:32:47,961 --> 00:32:52,001
Speaker 2: because part of this show's mission is helping families get answers,

564
00:32:52,641 --> 00:32:55,481
Speaker 2: even when those answers may not be what they want

565
00:32:55,521 --> 00:32:59,881
Speaker 2: to hear. In twenty twenty, there was one death by

566
00:32:59,921 --> 00:33:03,881
Speaker 2: suicide in the United States every eleven minutes. I want

567
00:33:03,881 --> 00:33:06,601
Speaker 2: to let you know there's now a national number that

568
00:33:06,641 --> 00:33:08,281
Speaker 2: you can call for help. It used to be known

569
00:33:08,321 --> 00:33:11,721
Speaker 2: as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Now it's called the

570
00:33:11,841 --> 00:33:15,841
Speaker 2: nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. To reach out,

571
00:33:15,961 --> 00:33:18,441
Speaker 2: you just dial nine eight eight and you'll be connected

572
00:33:18,521 --> 00:33:22,721
Speaker 2: directly to a mental health professional. There are versions of

573
00:33:22,761 --> 00:33:26,721
Speaker 2: this service for veterans. There are versions in Spanish. There's

574
00:33:26,761 --> 00:33:29,241
Speaker 2: also a video version for people who may be hard

575
00:33:29,281 --> 00:33:33,121
Speaker 2: of hearing or who use American sign language. There are

576
00:33:33,161 --> 00:33:38,321
Speaker 2: also lgbt QI counselors. There are versions of this service

577
00:33:38,481 --> 00:33:44,401
Speaker 2: for everyone. Trip's death is an absolute tragedy and I

578
00:33:44,441 --> 00:33:48,201
Speaker 2: can only hope that in some small way this might

579
00:33:48,441 --> 00:33:51,921
Speaker 2: help someone else who's struggling out there to reach out

580
00:33:51,961 --> 00:33:58,241
Speaker 2: for help. I'm Katherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone Murder Line.

581
00:33:58,321 --> 00:34:00,601
Speaker 2: Helen Gone Murder Line is a production of School of

582
00:34:00,681 --> 00:34:03,921
Speaker 2: Humans and iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me

583
00:34:04,201 --> 00:34:08,281
Speaker 2: Catherine Townsend and produced by Gabby Watts. Special thanks to

584
00:34:08,321 --> 00:34:11,600
Speaker 2: Amy Tubbs for her research assistance and James Wheaton for

585
00:34:11,681 --> 00:34:15,680
Speaker 2: legal review. Noah camer mixed and scored this episode. Our

586
00:34:15,721 --> 00:34:20,040
Speaker 2: theme song is by Ben Sale. Executive producers are Virginia Prescott,

587
00:34:20,121 --> 00:34:23,801
Speaker 2: Brandon Barr, and ELC Crowley. Listen to Helen Gone ad

588
00:34:23,841 --> 00:34:27,081
Speaker 2: free by subscribing to the iHeart True Crime Plus channel

589
00:34:27,121 --> 00:34:31,040
Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts. If you were interested in seeing documents

590
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,640
Speaker 2: and materials from the case, you can follow the show

591
00:34:33,761 --> 00:34:38,041
Speaker 2: on Instagram at Helen gonepod. If you have a case

592
00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:40,281
Speaker 2: you'd like me and my team to look into, you

593
00:34:40,281 --> 00:34:42,401
Speaker 2: can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder

594
00:34:42,401 --> 00:34:45,600
Speaker 2: Line at six seven eight seven four four six one

595
00:34:45,681 --> 00:34:49,720
Speaker 2: four five that six seven eight seven four four six

596
00:34:49,801 --> 00:34:50,440
Speaker 2: one four

597
00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:56,801
Speaker 1: Five School of Humans,