Parents Realize They Accidentally Killed Their Daughter

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Parents Realize They Accidentally Killed Their Daughter"

Podcast: Dr. Insanity
Host: Dr. Insanity
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Theme: True crime; The chilling, tragic story of a family destroyed by neglect, substance abuse, and fatal mistakes.

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Overview

This episode of Dr. Insanity presents the harrowing real-life case of Music Adami and Matthew Bynum, parents who unwittingly caused the death of their young daughter, Zakaline (Zacky), in rural isolation. Through 911 calls, on-scene police audio, medical reports, and interviews with those involved, the episode dissects the nightmarish chain of events—drug use, poor living conditions, and a deadly error with basic home heating—that led to tragedy. The narrative is structured as both a true crime dissection and a commentary on neglect, addiction, and the blind spots that destroy families.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Discovery of the Tragedy

• [00:00–01:58] The episode opens with chaotic police bodycam audio and frantic questioning as police and emergency responders find the family in a trailer:
  • Music Adami and Matthew Bynum are incoherent; their children, a son and daughter, are unresponsive (the daughter fatally so).
  • Thaddeus Hawkins, a friend living on the property, becomes alarmed, calls 911, and reports the confusion and lack of awareness among the adults.

Quote:

"I've done a lot of __ in my life and I've never felt anything like I did last night."
—Music Adami ([00:00])

• Police note the home is extremely unhygienic, filled with trash, and an odd sight catches their eye—a metal container with ashes over a bathtub ([04:00]).

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Clues & Contradictions

• [06:00–08:00] Both parents repeatedly deny drug use and are unable to explain their condition or their children's.
  • When questioned about substance use, Music and Matthew hedge or obfuscate, but eventually, Music admits to smoking methamphetamine the day before ([10:23]).
  • The methamphetamine doesn’t fully explain the family's severe debilitation, raising suspicion of contamination or another cause.

Quote:

"All that we had was the chocolate cake that we bought at Albertsons just before bed."
—Music Adami ([16:30])

• The couple and their children’s inability to move, coinciding with the presence of ashy coal, prompts another theory: carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Insight from the Son & Further Interviews

• The couple’s 7-year-old son is rescued with minor injuries, but when speaking with medics, reveals damning details:

  • He hasn’t eaten since Friday; the incident happened Sunday—over 48 hours with no food ([15:54]).
  • This evidence of ongoing neglect supports suspicions about the parents' care.

• [13:19–17:08] Further interviews reveal Music’s increasing confusion and cover-ups about drug use, the family's activities, and the events of the prior evening.

• Officers withhold the knowledge of Zakaline’s death from the parents during early questioning to maintain investigative control.

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The Carbon Monoxide Revelation

• [23:18–29:48] A turning point occurs during an interview with Thaddeus Hawkins, who describes the family’s practice of burning coal for heat in confined spaces.
  • A detective hypothesizes carbon monoxide poisoning, consistent with the family’s symptoms ([24:03]).
  • This is eventually confirmed with a toxicology report of Zakaline showing 70% carboxyhemoglobin saturation—a level fatal to humans ([29:48]).

Quote:

"The carbon monoxide poisoning was too much for Zakie Line's body to handle, and she passed. All they had to do was find a way to factually prove that there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the trailer, and their case would be closed."
—Narrator ([29:48])

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Police Interviews & Admission of Negligence

• [31:12–36:45] During detective interviews, more details of neglect surface:
  • Music and Matthew admit, albeit indirectly, to heating the trailer with hot coals and knowing ventilation was necessary due to prior incidents ([35:00]).
  • The detective stresses that symptoms align with CO poisoning, pointing out the couple’s knowledge of the dangers ("They knew that proper ventilation was necessary..." ([35:30])).
  • The couple failed to vent the space, likely due to drug-induced confusion, sealing their fate.

Quote:

"We burn them all the way to coal so they don't smoke the place out. And then we vent the window. Normally we have a propane heater... But we started leaving the windows just cracked, and that was enough."
—Matthew Bynum ([34:52])

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Emotional Fallout & Outcomes

• Detectives struggle to break the news of Zakaline’s death to her parents, with Matthew unable to do so and deferring to law enforcement ([19:34]).
• The couple is initially released but later arrested after an investigation uncovers a pattern of child neglect, substance abuse, and dangerous living arrangements ([37:53]).
• As of December 2024, both face major charges; the trial is ongoing.

Quote:

"She appeared to attempt to be shocked and also cried, but no tears came out. She would stop and stare for brief moments at a time, which could have been initial shock or theatrics. Her emotional response did not appear to be genuine."
—Detective’s Written Observation ([37:53])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:05] Detective: “The little girl's gone. Have any questions for me?”
• [10:23] Music Adami: “We smoked amphetamine the day before and that’s a regular thing.”
• [15:54] Deputy Orozco: “He said he hasn’t eaten since Friday.”
• [23:18] Detective Randy Atos: “Did they ever start fires in the house?”
• [29:48] Narrator: “A postmortem toxicology analysis would be conducted... 70% [CO] saturation.”
• [35:55] Detective Randy Atos: "It was very important that the detective didn't reveal that they already knew Zakie Lyons death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning, as it would have allowed Music to start making new stories..."
• [37:53] Detective (writing): Music’s reaction upon hearing her daughter has died seemed performative and not genuine.

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Key Timestamps

• [00:00–01:58] Emergency discovery in the trailer
• [04:00–04:52] Officers find the ashy coal container
• [10:23] Music admits to daily drug use
• [15:54] Son reveals 48 hours without eating
• [24:03] Detective hypothesizes carbon monoxide poisoning
• [29:48] Toxicology confirms CO poisoning as cause of death
• [31:12–36:45] Interrogations reveal knowledge of heating dangers
• [37:53] Final charges and emotional aftermath

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Final Thoughts

This deeply disturbing episode exposes the slow-motion disaster of addiction, poverty, and ignorance. The strength of the story is in its methodical, compassionate presentation—letting audio and fact paint a vivid, tragic picture. It stands as a warning about the catastrophic risk of neglect and the hidden dangers of makeshift solutions—both for parents, and for the systems that struggle to intervene in time.

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Transcript

[Music Adami]

I've done a lot of in my life and I've never felt anything like I did last night.

[Detective]

The little girl's gone. Have any questions for me?

[Music Adami]

Are my kids okay?

[Narrator]

This is 34 year old music Adami. Just hours prior to this footage, Music and her boyfriend Matthew Bynum woke up to police inside their trash filled trailer home. They were unable to move and could barely speak.

[Deputy Orozco]

What's going on?

[Music Adami]

I can't sit up right now.

[Narrator]

What makes this even more terrifying was that lying under the couple was their daughter Zach in line. Officers would rush to get to the bottom of what had happened, but Music and Matthew are seemingly just as clueless. But as the investigation continued, horrifying clues would point the couple out to be neglectful of their own daughter. All the while, they had no idea she had even done. On March 10, 2024, Thaddeus Hawkins would wake up to a terrifying scene. He was staying on the property of Music and Matthews, living in his own truck. However, Matthew would scramble to get up after hearing screaming coming from inside the family's trailer home just feet away. He would bust open the door to find the couple and their two children stiff and unable to move. As he looked closer, he noticed their daughter extremely pale and without a pulse. As he went to call 911, Music told him everything was fine and that help wasn't needed. But Thaddeus could tell Music was clearly delusional in her current state and decided to take matters into his own hands. Calling 911.

[911 Operator]

Grant County 911. What is the address of the emergency? 97 Quail Run. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. I have no idea. I'm staying with some friends right now and they are completely a little girl who's not responsive at all to the adult. The parents are somewhat responsive, but not. They're in and out of her. And then they have a seven year old boy who is mostly responsive. I was able to get him on a chair, but I don't know what's going on. I really don't. And are you staying in the same house? No, no, I. I'm on the. I'm just on the property. Okay. What is your name?

[Detective Randy Atos]

I woke.

[911 Operator]

My name is Thaddeus Hawkins. I woke up and I heard someone yelling, ow.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Help.

[911 Operator]

And so I went in. I was trying to help him. Okay, and what room is he in? It's kind of like a one living room, living area type of thing right now, but he's in the same area as them. They're all in the same, like tiny home.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Area.

[911 Operator]

Okay, give me a second while I get them started on their way.

[Matthew Bynum]

Okay.

[Narrator]

This tragedy would take place in a deserted area far from any civilization. So even though Deputy Orozco rushed to the scene, it would unfortunately be far too late.

[Deputy Orozco]

What's going on?

[Detective]

Some of the people in the room.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Right here that aren't responding.

[Deputy Orozco]

They're not responding. Who's here?

[Narrator]

Sheriff's office.

[Deputy Orozco]

Yeah. What's going on?

[Matthew Bynum]

Not much.

[Music Adami]

Sorry. I'm really, really stiff this morning. I can't sit upright.

[Deputy Orozco]

Are you guys on anything? No, no, no.

[Music Adami]

I'm just really stiff.

[Narrator]

When Orozco first entered the home, he would notice a foul odor to the trash and unhygienic nature of the home. Additionally, he noticed a metal container over a tub with ashes. Something seemingly irrelevant now, but something that would help solve the case later on.

[Deputy Orozco]

What's wrong with them?

[Detective Randy Atos]

He's tired, I think.

[Deputy Orozco]

Is he awake?

[Detective Randy Atos]

He is awake.

[Music Adami]

He moved from here over to there. He is awake.

[Deputy Orozco]

Who's not responsive? Not responsive.

[Detective]

Little girl in the middle.

[Music Adami]

She's responsive.

[Deputy Orozco]

Let me see. You guys need move. Yes, move.

[Matthew Bynum]

Oh.

[Deputy Orozco]

You guys need to get up now.

[Matthew Bynum]

Yeah, yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

Get up.

[Music Adami]

We're getting up. We're getting up.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Get up.

[Music Adami]

I'm getting up. I'm getting up.

[Deputy Orozco]

Let's go.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Hurry up.

[Narrator]

Get up.

[Deputy Orozco]

You guys need. Get out. Stand up. I can't. Yes, you can. Stand up. Get up.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Hurry up.

[Deputy Orozco]

You need to get it.

[Music Adami]

Got it.

[Detective]

Get it.

[Deputy Orozco]

10, 7.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Where?

[Deputy Orozco]

Right here. Oh, Ken.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Get up.

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Get up now. Get out. Get out.

[Music Adami]

I don't care.

[Deputy Orozco]

Stand up.

[Music Adami]

I'm going.

[Detective Randy Atos]

How long?

[Narrator]

Hondo, check his.

[Deputy Orozco]

Check his vitals. Did y' all smoke? Huh? No.

[Narrator]

What is it?

[Music Adami]

No, it's not. We just fell asleep really hard.

[Narrator]

We're really.755 for him. What's going on?

[Matthew Bynum]

Was it the unit calling your very 10 1.

[Narrator]

Give me your hands.

[Deputy Orozco]

Give me your hands. Where is this going?

[Narrator]

Stand up now.

[Music Adami]

I'm not going to tell you again. Stand up. I'm standing up. I'm trying.

[Narrator]

Give me the other arm.

[Deputy Orozco]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

While Music and Matthew are being placed in handcuffs, Deputy Orozco would perform CPR on the daughter, Zakaline. Unfortunately, it would be too late, and she would pass away that night. Fortunately, their son would be rescued from the home with only minor injuries and would be transported to the hospital. But one crucial question remained. What had caused Music and Matthew to be so incoherent that they had no idea their daughter was just inches away from them.

[Matthew Bynum]

Extremely confused. So, no.

[Narrator]

What about.

[Music Adami]

All right, just Be honest with me, because I need to be able to treat your kids.

[Detective]

We're.

[Narrator]

Get up.

[Deputy Orozco]

Okay. Stand up.

[Detective]

Sit down.

[Deputy Orozco]

Sit up.

[Detective]

Come on.

[Matthew Bynum]

All right.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Thank you.

[Deputy Orozco]

What did you take? I don't remember taking anything. How long have you been out? Last time.

[Music Adami]

What was the last time that you were okay?

[Deputy Orozco]

Last time I was okay. We were laying in the bed there. Had to split all the oaks. Okay. What the hell did you take, bro? What did you take? I didn't take anything. What do you guys have then? I don't have anything. You want to take him to the unit? We'll get that one.

[Detective]

She wants EMS checks and vital.

[Deputy Orozco]

We'll take them. Let's take one at a time. I don't know if he can walk. He needs to get seen first. Okay, so we don't know what exactly what they took. They're both confused. They don't want to say anything. We have one 10 side, 5 year old.

[Detective]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

Another one bad condition. He was unconscious, I believe, when they got here. And she was also in bad condition.

[Detective Randy Atos]

When they got here.

[Deputy Orozco]

But our detectives are on their way right now, so we're just securing everything. She good?

[Detective]

Let's go.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Stand up.

[Deputy Orozco]

What's your name?

[Narrator]

Music.

[Matthew Bynum]

Huh?

[Music Adami]

Music.

[Detective Randy Atos]

All right.

[Deputy Orozco]

Stand up.

[Detective]

Music.

[Deputy Orozco]

And please stands behind your back.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay.

[Deputy Orozco]

All right.

[Music Adami]

I can't really stand it very well. I don't. I don't know what it is. I'm trying. I'm trying.

[Deputy Orozco]

Turn around. Turn your other hand.

[Music Adami]

Sorry.

[Deputy Orozco]

Come on.

[Music Adami]

I'm trying. I'm really trying.

[Narrator]

The scene is extremely strange to the point where the officers have never seen anything like it. Music claims she hasn't taken any drugs since yesterday, yet neither of them are even able to walk or collect their thoughts. Something odd is going on, and detectives at the scene need to get to the bottom of it.

[Deputy Orozco]

You awake?

[Detective Randy Atos]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

Are you good? I don't know. What do you mean you don't know? I'm not sure. Give me a second.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

He's not feeling too good. I don't know if you guys want to check him out again. He's leaning to the side and he says he's not feeling too good.

[Narrator]

Hello?

[Deputy Orozco]

Hello? What's going on? Nothing.

[Music Adami]

You said you don't feel good.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

Lightheaded.

[Narrator]

Lightheaded.

[Deputy Orozco]

Okay.

[Music Adami]

Okay. Can you tell me what your name is? Do you mind if we just check.

[Narrator]

Your vitals one more time?

[Deputy Orozco]

I took a needle off of her. It's right there. It's all burnt up. There's still ash marks on her sweater. Open the door. Was already open. I seen the parents laying down, and I seen the son. He didn't look responsive. I didn't see him until I asked him. I said, what's going on? I looked left. He's just sitting on the chair, all lethargic. I was like, what's wrong with him? And I saw him moving and breathing. So I was like, okay. So I went to go check on him. I was all, who's not responsive? And then she goes. The mom goes, I don't think she is. And I looked, and they're on top of her. I didn't even see him. Like, his. Half of his left body was on her left side. Half of her right body was on her other side. So she moved. And I looked at the kid and I looked at her, and it was just. She was already gone.

[Narrator]

While music was being transported to the hospital, she revealed that her and Matthew had smoked amphetamine the day before and that this was a regular occurrence. Even more disturbing was that the day before was Zacky Line's birthday, a birthday spent surrounded by filth as she watched her parents drown themselves in drugs. Despite the sickening nature of this, the methamphetamine alone does not explain music and Matthew's inability to walk or perform basic human functions. While a very strong drug, amphetamines do not have this type of effect on users, meaning the she had taken were likely laced with something. With this in mind, police turned to the one, seemingly only sober person at the residence, Thaddeus, the man who originally called 911.

[Matthew Bynum]

What's going on? Why am I being arrested?

[Deputy Orozco]

You're not being arrested.

[Detective]

You're being detained.

[Matthew Bynum]

Why?

[Detective]

Because you're up here and there's a kid.

[Detective Randy Atos]

That's why.

[Detective]

Kid?

[Deputy Orozco]

Yeah.

[Matthew Bynum]

I wasn't even in the house.

[Narrator]

I don't care.

[Deputy Orozco]

I didn't know she was.

[911 Operator]

I really didn't.

[Detective Randy Atos]

That's why I called. I didn't know what.

[Deputy Orozco]

Look, wait until they redo your rights.

[Detective]

Then you can start talking.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay?

[Matthew Bynum]

Thank you.

[Narrator]

Thaddeus would be taken to the Grant County Sheriff's office, where a few hours from now, he would undergo an intense interview with detectives. But officers back at the scene still needed to figure out what was going on. So they would engage music to get her side of the story and determine what could have caused this tragedy to happen in the first place. And music would reveal far more than they could have asked for. But before we get to that, I want to tell you about the best earbuds I've ever used. If you're like me then you love listening to true crime podcasts. Maybe at work, at a cafe or on the train. I do it while I'm on the bus to work. But there's one problem with the noise. There's babies crying, people shouting, and normal earbuds just don't work no matter how much I turn them up. That's when I did some research and discovered the Raycon Everyday Earbuds. Their noise cancellation is better than any earbuds I've ever tried. They have a playtime of eight hours of straight listening and if you run out of juice, you can recharge an hour and a half of listening in only 10 minutes. It even works with wireless charging. They also have protective covers allowing you to customize their look just how you want it. And the best part, they're very affordable. So head over to buyraycon.com drinsanity to get 15% off site wide. That's right, you'll get 15% off everything on Raycon's website when you go to buyraycon.com Drinsanity that said, let's get back to the case officers are just about to interview Music about what went down just hours earlier. At this point in time, Music claims she had no idea her daughter is dead.

[Detective]

Diabetes, seizures, strokes.

[Music Adami]

I have had seizures before because I got a minor nasal cranial fracture on a bicycle, but it was like 10 years ago. What's your name? Music? Can you spell that? Mussc. My parents are long haired, freaky people. They really named me Music.

[Matthew Bynum]

I have an id.

[Music Adami]

Not that I know of, but I have been having a lot of episodes where my both arms will be super numb when I wake up in the morning. But nothing like last night. Last night I couldn't sit up because it was excruciating and my kids were oh, floppy. Like we all were all floppy. I can't explain it. I don't have any idea. I don't know how my kids would have gotten it. We were at their birthday party all day. Like we did not have on us at the birthday party.

[Narrator]

This is a lie. Notice how Music stumbles on her sentence after she realizes she shouldn't admit to taking any drugs at the birthday party. It's unclear why she felt the need to lie here considering just minutes ago she admitted to taking mistakes Amphetamine at the party. Regardless, she would be transported to the hospital where her confusion would only continue to grow.

[Music Adami]

She couldn't sit up. I have no idea. Like I've done a lot of and nothing has ever Been like that and I don't know what it was, but I do want a toxicology to know if something is going on. Everybody that was at the party I trusted as fuck.

[Deputy Orozco]

Are you going to be her nurse? Okay, so just real quick, I don't know if you're aware of her situation, what's going on, so if she brings anything up. She hasn't questioned anything yet, so let's just ignore it. So she doesn't know anything at all? She doesn't know that her kids. Yeah, let's just. If she does say anything.

[Music Adami]

Was some chocolate cake that we got for my daughter for her birthday. I do smoke. And the last time I jumped to Jenny's was at 12:30. Approximately 12:30 before we head out to the park for her birthday party.

[Deputy Orozco]

I can't let me.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Leeches.

[Deputy Orozco]

I can't let you leave this room.

[Narrator]

It seems like music is a loving and caring mother and this whole thing was a tragic accident. However, do not let her manipulation fool you. Just listen to what her son had to say when speaking with medics.

[Detective]

How is he doing?

[Deputy Orozco]

He's good. He is. He said he hasn't eaten since Friday.

[Narrator]

So for reference, the current day is Sunday. Meaning her son hasn't eaten food in over 48 hours, even while celebrating his sister's birthday. It's clear music isn't telling the whole truth. Something that would remain a constant theme throughout this entire investigation.

[Detective]

Kind of got a little bit of a mess right now, so we're working through it a little bit at a time. The reason I'm here. I wonder if I could take some pictures of you.

[Music Adami]

Yes, that's fine.

[Detective]

Thank you so much.

[Music Adami]

Are you the detective?

[Detective]

I am.

[Music Adami]

Are you the one that will also be getting a toxicology report? Because I need one. I know that. I know I've done a lot of drugs in my life and I've never felt anything like I did last night. It was completely bizarre. All that we had was the chocolate cake that we bought at Albertsons just before bed. We need to slice one more slice of chocolate cake.

[Deputy Orozco]

Okay. And what.

[Detective]

What was it that you felt last night?

[Music Adami]

Last night I just felt like I couldn't hold myself up. Like I kept falling into the wall. My kids kept falling.

[Detective]

You're weak.

[Music Adami]

You were dizzy.

[Detective]

Do you have any questions for me?

[Music Adami]

My kids. Okay.

[Detective]

Your kids are okay right now?

[Music Adami]

Yeah.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay.

[Detective]

Okay.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Yeah.

[Detective]

One of your kids is here right now. But I'll talk to you about this more here in a little bit.

[Narrator]

Okay? The officer at this point is fully aware of zaki line's death. But for the sake of keeping the investigation as controlled as possible, he decides to refrain from telling music that her daughter passed away. Fortunately, just across the hall, nurses work to rescue music's older child. He's not doing well, but thankfully he's alive.

[Detective Randy Atos]

His legs, he could have worked, but.

[Matthew Bynum]

Wait on his legs. So we're going to do a leg x ray and then they need to go on his chest.

[Music Adami]

You want another blanket?

[Detective]

Any finding so far.

[Narrator]

This claim from the nurse adds even more complexity to the entire case. She said the boy wasn't able to put pressure on his legs, just like his parents earlier in the day. This adds the variable that perhaps something else caused the family to become sick and handicapped. Something that had nothing to do with the drugs they had taken. Hours would pass as music recovered in the hospital and nurses helped her son. She would then be transported to the sheriff's office along with Matthew. It's at this point that officers decided it was best to. At last break the devastating news to the couple that their daughter had.

[Detective]

When we have a occur, we treat every death as if it's a homicide until we can prove otherwise, Whether it's someone old person died in their bed or what have you. So just for those reasons, we're going to take some pictures. Okay? What's that? The little girl's gone.

[Deputy Orozco]

Okay.

[Detective]

So we're gonna have you stand up. Officer Carrasco is going to remove your handcuffs when you take some pictures.

[Deputy Orozco]

Okay.

[Detective]

Give him a minute.

[Deputy Orozco]

Oh, you guys were waking me up. She was talking.

[Detective]

So, Mr. Vine, I'm here, in a while we're gonna have a conversation about that.

[Narrator]

Okay.

[Detective]

But I know you're gonna need a little time.

[Deputy Orozco]

Wait for representation.

[Detective]

Okay. You're gonna want a lawyer.

[Deputy Orozco]

Yeah.

[Detective]

Okay, cool. Well, then let's take some pictures and then we can get you back to the cell for now. Okay?

[Narrator]

They would allow Matthew to break the news to music in a private area without cameras. However, as it would turn out, Matthew was too afraid to break the news and saved it for a detective later on.

[Deputy Orozco]

You guys are free to go. You guys are free to go.

[Detective Randy Atos]

You just got.

[Detective]

You just can't go back to the house.

[Deputy Orozco]

Go back to the house right now.

[Detective]

Yeah.

[Detective Randy Atos]

So you know.

[Detective]

Well, he doesn't know. That's what I'm telling him.

[Detective Randy Atos]

They don't know.

[Detective]

Okay.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

So they're. Yeah, you can't go back to the house. You guys are free to go.

[Detective Randy Atos]

You guys phones, she the phone.

[Matthew Bynum]

Yeah.

[Deputy Orozco]

You guys come back tomorrow and get with the Detectives.

[Narrator]

In the morning, the couple would roam free following this news. But without a home, they would live out on the streets for the night. Detectives, on the other hand, had a crucial question to answer. What could have possibly caused all of this to happen? As of now, nothing makes sense. A child was dead, and an answer had to be found. Fortunately, detectives had a plan to find the answers they were looking for. Remember Thaddeus, the guy on the scene who called 911? Thaddeus was the only person with the family the night prior and seemingly the only coherent one out of the group. If anyone could explain what had happened, it would be him. With this, he would be brought to the station directly after Music and Matthew left, where officers would conduct their first formal interview of the case.

[Detective Randy Atos]

All right, so I'm going to read this to you. It's an advice of your rights just because it takes you to investigative detention. Okay. Considering the matter at hand, the detective.

[Narrator]

Would go on to read Thaddeus rights. It's important to know that detectives do consider Thaddeus a potential suspect. The goal of this interview is not only to determine whether or not Music and Matthew are guilty, but if Thaddeus could have played a role in Zaki Lyne's death.

[Detective Randy Atos]

I saw that you were the 911 caller. Yes, but before we get into that, let's start in the morning. So how did the morning start? Well, I. So I don't know if you saw the red van there or not, with the dogs in it barking. That's where I'm trying to convert that into a little trailer. That's where I was sleeping. I woke up and I thought I heard some. I thought I heard the kids playing around outside. And then I realized that someone was yelling out help. From inside the tiny home. And I didn't know why. So I got out of the van and I went and I sat. There was music. Matt was kind of laying near Music almost on top of Zachy. Little girl. So that's what I decided to call 911. So let's just kind of backtrack it a little bit. So you heard music yelling. So you hear that? You walk to the door. You go to the door, and you open the door, and you see Matt. Zack. You said Zacky. Zacky. And Music leaned on what? Well, that was on the bed. Zacky was kind of half on, half off. And Music was not on the bed at all.

[Narrator]

So far, Thaddeus recollection of events is accurate to what officers observed when they got onto the scene. He would go on to say that Music and Matthew don't consume or smoke any kind of dream other than marijuana. We know this is a lie, as Music herself admitted to taking methamphetamine the day prior. Meaning Thaddeus statements need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, none of this would matter, as the detective would ask a single question that quite literally would change the trajectory of the entire case.

[Detective Randy Atos]

How did they get the house? It was a propane heater on the low. Yes, but last night, the propane. A few nights ago, the propane ran out, and they had taken it off to go get propane, but never got it to the propane pit. Did they ever start fires in the house? No. No, they. They. So they don't start fires in the house. They go and they. I thought you saw the cold in the bathtub. Yeah, so that was where they went. They burned wood and brought it in once it was cold. And no stone glass. Yeah, because that's what I talked about. Well, maybe we could be looking at carbon monoxide here, too. I don't think it would have been, because last night, they might have used wood, the coals, to heat it, but it's probably not likely.

[Narrator]

Despite what Thaddeus claims, this theory makes a lot of sense. If the family used coal to keep the house warm, the fumes could be potentially deadly. Burning coal releases carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can cause poisoning. Inhalation of carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from binding to hemoglobin in the blood, leading to oxygen deprivation in tissues and organs. This can cause headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness and death. The exact symptoms of everyone inside the home. If the trailer was fully sealed, meaning no windows or doors were open, then this could certainly have been what killed Zaki. Line. This is something officers would investigate later on in the night. But for now, this is just a theory. And the detective still needs to try and determine whether or not Thaddeus is lying about Matthew and Music's drug use, or if something even more sinister had taken place. To do this, he decides to relay the significance of this case to Thaddeus by letting him know that Zakiline had passed away.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Did not know that. Zach.

[Narrator]

He's gone.

[Detective Randy Atos]

That's why all of this is happening. Yeah.

[Detective]

Yeah.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay. Because we need to figure out how in the heck this even came to be. Yeah. Okay, so I know last time we even talked, we talked a lot about doing the right thing and this and that. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that situation that you're in definitely a good time to do that. Right. Right. I can't even think of a situation where it would be more important to. To know what's going on than right now. I'm not the kind of cop that likes to get people caught up. That's not why I do this. That's not why I'm here right now. Seeing her covered up, seeing her afterwards. I'm alive. Like it. It knocked me down. I. I cried for a good long while. Yeah. Now you're walking away from the ambulance crying. Yeah. I don't know why. Yeah. I got. Got a lot worse after that. Right now my job is to do right by Exactly. And the best I can by understanding what's going on. I mean. And like I said, sometimes things happen. Sometimes people. Other people. On purpose. Yeah. Sometimes it's accidental or things go too far. There's a million reasons why something could happen when it comes to be right. And sometimes the. There's little details of things that happen that end up meaning a lot right down the road. Like you could be like, well, I noticed this or I did see that or I over overheard whatever. I had this feeling. Yeah. Or something that smell right. And have something. Right. So sometimes those things can lead to having a greater understanding. So is there anything of that nature regarding anyone that was there at any time that could have led potentially to that? Don't be. I only ever heard music and Matt argue. But it was usually when Matt was super tired, had stayed up all night gathering wood, and then the truck would break down or something would go wrong. And he gave me a voice. It's common for that to happen, but it was never around the kids. They never did anything around the kids. And they loved him. Is there anything that stands out to you about what happened that could explain what's going on here? Oh, I mean, what stood out was Zacky's face, how pale it was. Or that's what I called it.

[Narrator]

Seems clear that Thaddeus genuinely doesn't think music and Matthew had any intentions to hurt their daughter. And if they had taken that night, he wasn't aware of it. The mystery of what happened is still as confusing as ever. And the only possible cause officers could think of was the burning coal. So with this in mind, they would report back to the trailer later that night to investigate this possibility.

[Detective]

Recording for us.

[Narrator]

Yep.

[Detective]

So I'm sure they went over this several times with you, but boy was somewhere in this region. Dad was laying here, decedent here, and the mom off to the side. And then When Thaddeus came in, he saw them here. She was super pale for some reason. Moved him to this chair and then came back. And then that's when he started calling 911 girl could have gone sick. I mean, living like this, you know, it's a little bit of a cold or something. Then there you go. She had any kind of immuno compromise, but they said that she got sick and threw up. The mom was like, I've done a lot of Dr. In my life. She goes, I occasionally do and. But I don't do. I don't ha nothing like that. And I've never felt like I did last night ever in my life.

[Narrator]

It seems like the case was quite clear at this point. The carbon monoxide poisoning was too much for Zachie Line's body to handle, and she passed. All they had to do was find a way to factually prove that there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the trailer, and their case would be closed. A postmortem toxicology analysis would be conducted on Zakylines specifically designed to identify carboxyhemoglobin saturation. Normal carboxyhemoglobin levels are generally up to 3.5% in non smokers and up to 8% in smokers. When Zakuline's result came back, it showed a 70% saturation. It was far too much to survive. The coal fumes had killed her. The next day, detectives would bring back both Music and Matthew to the station. Matthew insisted on only speaking if he had an attorney present, but Music agreed to sit down for a conversation. The detective wants to determine a few specific things during this interrogation. Did Musick or Matthew know that heating their home with the hot coal ash was excited? Extremely dangerous, yet continue to do it? And ultimately, were they aware that their daughter had passed and tried to go without calling 911?

[Detective Randy Atos]

Like I said, you can book this anytime you want. All right, Like. Like the deputy told you. I'm Detective Atos, but you can just call me Randy. That's fine. So my job is to figure out what happened. And you are someone that can give me information that I obviously wasn't there for. Yeah, I'm playing a little bit of catch up.

[Matthew Bynum]

I do smoke weed, but I have not imbibed any speed.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay. So just to be clear, with Speed. Thank you.

[Matthew Bynum]

I do not use them regularly. It was just kind of like I wanted. I wasn't feeling good. Doesn't matter. That's all just excuses. But anyways, I had not used any past, like, noon, noon, 30 at the very latest.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay.

[Matthew Bynum]

And there was nothing. There was no. There was nothing that you could get in the room. The room is extremely messy. And that is true. And we're working on it. We don't have a vehicle right now to even take it to the dump. So it's really windy. Hard. It is hard. And we had a friend that was letting us use their truck. Do dump runs and stuff.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay. I'm sorry.

[Matthew Bynum]

I do dump runs and stuff. And yeah, I've done. Not recently, but like, recently I've just done. And I've done a lot of. Throughout my life, though. My name is Music. My parents named me Music. You know, that's the life I grew up in. But I never felt like I did last night. It was unreal. Like I couldn't hold myself up. My daughter and my son couldn't hold themselves up. I had no idea what was going on. I just wanted us to get some sleep. And I thought that that would help. And I don't know. I don't know what it was.

[Narrator]

It seems odd that Allmusic feels the need to explain is her chronic D use and that she doesn't think it had any. Anything to do with their sickness. The detective would later state that he thought Music had known their daughter was dead even prior to the officers arriving at their house, which is why she felt the need to immediately cover her tracks.

[Matthew Bynum]

That was not like anything I've ever experienced.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Me too. That's extremely weird, right?

[Matthew Bynum]

Yes.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Stuff like that. Stuff like that doesn't make me happy.

[Matthew Bynum]

I don't have any idea what happened. But I want to know what was in my system and I want to know how it got to my kids system because they did not get in.

[Detective Randy Atos]

They.

[Matthew Bynum]

I'm telling you. And an investigation will have to be done. And that is fine with me. But I know that. I do not do. I know that. And so if that's in my system and if that's in my little girl system, somebody put it there. Sorry, excuse my language, but I cannot speak.

[Detective Randy Atos]

However you want. You're going through some right now, straight up.

[Matthew Bynum]

No, I want to speak eloquently because I don't want to.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Be misconstrued.

[Matthew Bynum]

I don't want to be misconstrued. I know that a lot of people come through here lying about what they do. And I am not here to lie about what I do. I'm here to figure out what happened to my children because I. And I just want to know they're okay. I want the opportunity to become the best fit for them. I don't know what happened. I don't think it was the cake or anything. I don't know what it was.

[Detective Randy Atos]

What about the heater?

[Matthew Bynum]

Turner, the heater? We don't have the propane system. We're out of propane.

[Detective Randy Atos]

And the cold, like if we had the cold or whatever you were bringing in there.

[Matthew Bynum]

Yeah, it was cold. They were cold. But we burn them all the way to coal so they don't smoke the place out. And then we vent the window. Normally we have a propane heater. And when we have the propane hooked up to the heater that's up against the wall, we still leave it vented because we. The kids were a while back, like when we first moved in. This is over a year ago. My son was waking up, curling up. And we discovered it because we had all the windows shut with the propane heater on, so it wasn't ventilating properly. So we started leaving. The windows just cracked, and that was enough.

[Detective Randy Atos]

And all the throwing up stuff.

[Narrator]

This statement is crucial as detectives now have verbal confirmation that Music and Matthew were fully aware that the cold was extremely dangerous, even causing their children to be sick. They knew that proper ventilation was necessary, likely due to hallucinations and delusions caused by amphetamine. They forgot to open their windows, neglectfully sealing their daughter's fate.

[Detective Randy Atos]

That was my initial thought. With everyone in the house like you guys, from what we're told at the time, people just aren't feeling good. And having that type of heater inside the house or even burning the coals inside, you get a little copper monoxide. A certain percent. I'm not doctor. Some percent. You're gonna start feeling sick and whatnot. And after that, things get a little bit more serious.

[Matthew Bynum]

Yeah, right.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Progressively more serious until that's stalled.

[Matthew Bynum]

There should have been at least windows in the house.

[Narrator]

It was very important that the detective didn't reveal that they already knew Zachy Lyons dead. Death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning, as it would have allowed Music to start making new stories and trying to clear her name, as she had done at the start of the interrogation since he left Zaki Line's cause of death hidden from music. She was more than happy to give up all of that information.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Zy. Is that your son's name? Die? I checked on him at the hospital when I saw you. So from what they're thinking at that time, things could have changed. He looks like he has a touch of pneumonia.

[Matthew Bynum]

Okay.

[Detective Randy Atos]

Okay. But I mean, otherwise, he seemed pretty. Pretty okay. They're treating them. They're gonna do what doctors do. Yeah, right, and check him for all sorts of stuff, Zach. But we are going to look into it as deeply as we possibly can to try to get a better answer for what happened.

[Narrator]

The detective would write down his thoughts during this very moment, saying Ms. Adame was told about her daughter's passing. She appeared to attempt to be shocked and also cried, but no tears came out. She would stop and stare for brief moments at a time, which could have been initial shock or theatrics. Her emotional response did not appear to be genuine. The detective had gotten everything he needed for the rest of the interrogation. Music would recount how she couldn't move when she woke up and everything that had happened the previous day. They would roam free for over two months following the death, but would finally be arrested after a case was built up showing the two's extensive past of child neglect, including abuse, poor living conditions and a lack of supervision. Matthew would be charged with intentional abuse of a child resulting in death and abandonment of a child. Music was charged with intentional abuse of a child resulting in death and child abuse in the first offense. As of December 2024. Their trial is still ongoing. If found guilty, the two will likely be facing life in prison.