Crime Scene: The Boys on the Tracks

Podcast: Crime Scene (Sony Music Entertainment)
Hosts: Jonathan Hirsch & Cooper Maul
Date: March 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Crime Scene revisits one of America's most perplexing unsolved cases: the deaths of Don Henry and Kevin Ives, teenagers found brutalized on Arkansas railroad tracks in 1987. Hirsch and Maul unpack the infamous "Boys on the Tracks" case, exploring the tangled web of local and federal conspiracies, cover-ups, and the relentless pursuit of justice by the victims’ families. The hosts walk listeners through the night of the tragedy, the bizarre official explanations, the dogged efforts of the families, and the cascade of revelations that turned this tragedy into a lightning rod for true crime speculation and conspiracy theories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Night of the Incident

• Context: August 22, 1987, Saline County, Arkansas—rural, wooded, close-knit.
• Victims: Kevin Ives (17) and Don Henry (16), best friends, normal teens out hunting late at night (“spotlighting”/“lamp lighting”).
• Discovery: Just before dawn, a Union Pacific train crew sees what looks like debris on the tracks, then recognizes “bodies lined up next to each other parallel on the tracks” covered by a green tarp. The train can't stop in time and fatally strikes them.
  • Quote: “These boys don't appear to move or flinch at all… covered by what appears to be, like, a green tarp.” —Jonathan Hirsch (07:29)

2. The Initial Investigation: A Rush to Closure

• Scene Observations:
  • First responders and train crew insist a tarp covered the boys, which later disappears (“gaslighting” from police towards train crew).
  • Recovered evidence includes debris, a shattered rifle, and eventually, missing body parts discovered by family/friends, not police.
• Official Ruling: Dr. Fahmi Malik, controversial State Medical Examiner, declares the deaths an accident, asserting the boys were too intoxicated (allegedly consumed the equivalent of 20 marijuana cigarettes) and passed out on the tracks.
  • Quote: “He determined that they had fallen into a coma and laid down on the tracks and were run over.” —Jonathan Hirsch (18:21)
  • Hosts’ Reactions: Point out the absurdity of this ruling, citing personal and cultural knowledge of marijuana, especially in 1987.
  • “It's insane, honestly, that this became the determination.” —Jonathan Hirsch (20:58)

3. Early Signs of a Cover-up

• Inconsistent Autopsy/Evidence Handling:
  • Malik’s history of questionable rulings, close ties to local power, and refusal to cooperate with court-ordered independent reviews.
  • Quote: “We were told to work as an accident, or the investigators were told to work as an accident, and it was not enough time and emphasis put into it right there at the scene.” —Eyewitness (14:05)
• Family's Response: Immediate skepticism and activism, prominently led by Linda Ives (Kevin’s mother).
  • Quote: “She never let it go.” —Jonathan Hirsch (24:04)

4. The Families’ Relentless Fight for the Truth

• Community Pushback:
  • Families find physical evidence the police missed (e.g., a missing foot).
  • Public and media pressure grows, largely due to parental perseverance.
• Legal/Procedural Hurdles:
  • Roadblocks from law enforcement and medical examiner’s office.
  • Reopening of the case due to press conferences and public outcry.
  • Families hire private investigators and lawyers to access evidence Malik withholds.
  • Quote: “We met resistance from all fronts… Fay Malik refused to obey the court orders.” —Linda Ives (30:31)

5. Official Narrative Unravels – The Grand Jury & Beyond

• Case Reopened:
  • Grand jury convened; initial cause of death changed from accidental to undetermined.
  • Exhumation and independent re-examination of the boys’ bodies.
  • Findings: Low THC levels (refuting previous assertion), stab wounds, evidence that one or both were killed before being placed on the tracks and covered with a tarp.
    • Quote: “One boy was already dead and one unconscious before the train ever hit them.” —Independent examiner via Hirsch (39:13)
• Discovery of Wider Conspiracy:
  • Mishandled evidence and false reporting revealed.
  • Local and state law enforcement under suspicion.

6. The "Capital C" Conspiracy: Narco-trafficking and Political Implications

• Drug Trafficking Ties:
  • The region was a hub for South American narco flights (reference to Barry Seal, Mena, Arkansas).
  • Witnesses allege the boys may have witnessed a drug drop; possibly killed by law enforcement, as indicated by sightings of police at the scene.
    • Quote: “I believe that law enforcement officers killed them and the cover-up began immediately.” —Linda Ives (24:09)
  • Reports of more deaths (“everyone who touches this case is somehow corrupt”).
• Witness Intimidation and Deaths:
  • Witnesses and informants begin dying in mysterious circumstances.
    • Quote: “There apparently was a great deal of fear that these people could implicate very powerful players.” —Guest/Eyewitness (47:25)
• Political Connections & Clinton Speculation:
  • Bill Clinton (then-Governor) and his connections to Dr. Malik, rumors of political protection and quid-pro-quo.
    • Quote: “It's not improbable that he would have some association with him…But the widest speculation of all is the governor of Arkansas at the time was Bill Clinton.” —Jonathan Hirsch (51:09)

7. What Remains: Frustration, Legacy, and Enduring Uncertainty

• Parents and Community: Continual legal battles into the 2010s, eventual loss of Linda Ives without closure.
  • Quote: “She fought until… she died in 2021 without any answers; this case remains unsolved.” —Jonathan Hirsch (53:10)
• Unending Theories:
  • Case remains a nexus of speculation: Was it a drug hit? Law enforcement/corrupt officials? A federal/CIA operation? Involvement of Clinton?
  • Hosts’ Reflection: “That feels like a rabbit hole for another podcast, but I'm curious what everybody else thinks.” —Jonathan Hirsch (55:37)
• Notable Confessions:
  • Wrestler Billy Jack Haynes’ out-of-nowhere confession decades later—uncorroborated but highlighted as an example of the case’s lingering impact.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 02:06 | Theories of conspiracy: “little c” mob stories vs. “Capital C” deep state plots | | 03:36 | Victims’ backgrounds, “spotlighting” explanation | | 06:59 | Train crew discovers bodies on tracks | | 07:58 | Emotional toll on train crew | | 09:43 | Discovery of shattered rifle at scene | | 11:54 | Police deny the existence of the tarp | | 13:11 | Questions about staging/suicide theory | | 14:13 | Eyewitness: "We were told to work as an accident." | | 16:02 | Dr. Malik's background—profile and controversies | | 18:21 | Malik’s ruling: accidental deaths, “20 marijuana cigarettes” | | 24:09 | Linda Ives, the true crime mom | | 30:31 | Family faces resistance seeking second opinion and evidence | | 33:39 | Press conference leads to case reopening | | 36:21 | Exhumation, independent autopsy, homicide findings | | 42:30 | Drug trafficking context: Barry Seal, Mena Airport | | 45:04 | Eyewitness reports of police brutality, alternate accounts | | 47:10 | Mysterious deaths among witnesses/informants | | 49:52 | Prosecutor Dan Harmon later convicted of drug charges | | 51:09 | Big-picture conspiracy theories and the Clinton connection | | 53:10 | Linda Ives' lifelong fight; unsolved status | | 54:42 | Wrestler Billy Jack Haynes' confession video | | 55:37 | Final theories, hosts reflect/conclude discussion |

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “If your family is going into the woods and finding things like somebody's body part, you probably have not effectively finished your investigation. Like, you missed a foot. Yeah, it's unbelievable, really.” —Jonathan Hirsch (30:05)
• “We met resistance from all fronts…Fahmi Malik refused to obey the court orders.” —Linda Ives (30:31)
• “It's always the mom. It is always the true crime moms.” —Jonathan Hirsch (24:30)
• “Sounds like a parody of a crime scene at this point.” —Cooper Maul (30:05)
• "There's a lot of questions in the early days of this case about what actually was going on." —Jonathan Hirsch (22:46)
• “There was very little blood at the scene. The impact site was very dry. The blood was just too dark for him to consider it normal.” —Jonathan Hirsch (32:17)
• “It's crazy how all of this could have been avoided had they just done a thorough investigation here.” —Cooper Maul (38:55)
• “This is when that lowercase c is really taking shape as an uppercase c, if you will. And this is when things get even weirder.” —Jonathan Hirsch (45:36)
• “Every single person who touches this case is somehow corrupt.” —Cooper Maul (49:52)
• "That feels like a rabbit hole for another podcast, but I'm curious what everybody else thinks." —Jonathan Hirsch (55:37)

Thematic Takeaways

• Systemic Mistrust: The episode lays bare the deep distrust in local institutions—police, medical examiner, prosecutors, even grand jury processes—by community members and listeners alike.
• Relentless Advocacy: Showcases the power of family-driven campaigns for justice, led by Linda Ives and others, and their impact on reopening and reframing cold cases.
• Conspiracy Culture: Demonstrates how overlapping “little c” and “Capital C” conspiracies can become indistinguishable in cases plagued by corruption, incompetence, and silenced witnesses.
• Unsettled Endings: The true crime community and hosts leave the audience with theories rather than answers, inviting further speculation and audience engagement.

Closing Thoughts

“The Boys on the Tracks” remains unsolved—an infuriating example of cases where questions accumulate faster than answers. Crime Scene’s deep dive leaves listeners haunted by the failures of justice and the tantalizing, chilling hints of a cover-up extending beyond small-town Arkansas. The hosts strike a conversational, skeptical, but compassionate tone that honors the victims while never losing sight of the story’s enduring mysteries.