5. Naming Names

Summary

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The Unforgotten – Season 4: Kill Site

Episode 5: "Naming Names"

Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Wes Ferguson (A)
Production: Free Range Productions in association with The Dallas Morning News

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Unforgotten dives deep into the local dynamics, personal testimonies, and lingering questions surrounding the mysterious death of Christopher Whiteley in Laipan, Texas—a case officially ruled as a mountain-lion attack but shrouded in suspicion and contradictions. Host Wes Ferguson visits the site, speaks to family members, townspeople, and notably, Kenneth (Christopher's girlfriend Tyler’s great uncle), piecing together new first-hand accounts and addressing rumors, suspicions, and overlooked witnesses.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Revisiting Laipan and Initial Tensions

• Wes discusses his unease about visiting Laipan, recalling previous hostility toward outsiders investigating the case ([00:01]).
• Kimberly (Christopher’s mother) warns Wes about visiting the property, mentioning dangerous locals and casting aspersions on Tyler’s family:
  • “Grandpa just got out of prison on a 40 year murder set... My good girlfriend's grandpa. They're real nasty people…she says she's a witch and I believe it.” (Kimberly, [00:40])
• Kimberly’s boyfriend chimes in, calling them “white trash” ([00:57]).

2. Kimberly’s Own Investigation

• Shortly after Christopher’s death, Kimberly and family visit the property armed and suspicious ([02:09]).
• They meet Kenneth (the property owner and Tyler’s great uncle), who is oddly more concerned about his broken van than the traumatic incident that just occurred ([02:45]).
• Kimberly describes attempts by Tyler to misdirect her about the location of Christopher's body:
  • “She sent me two pictures of that burnt house. That's not where Christopher's body was. Either way away from there.” (Kimberly, [03:15])
• Kimberly is convinced Tyler knows more than she says:
  • “Tyler, I guarantee knows what happened. But Tyler's probably not going to tell you nothing.” ([03:37])

3. Town Perspectives & Rumors

• Wes surveys locals, including Mayor Mike (about 80 years old, curt, and somewhat indifferent):
  • “I didn’t know the guy at all. Or any type of body.” (Mike, [04:58])
  • He also doubts the official story: “That was kind of the impression I got deal that it was kind of made up... I never did know really what happened to him.” (Mike, [05:10])
• At the Dollar General, Wes learns Tyler was banned for shoplifting; employees suggest looking for her and Kenneth at the local food pantry ([05:32]).

4. Interview with Kenneth (Tyler's Great Uncle)

• Wes finds Kenneth (sporting a ZZ Top beard) at the food pantry. Contrary to rumors, Kenneth has no history of violent crime—just a minor conviction for a fraudulent check ([09:19]).
• Kenneth candidly discusses his past substance abuse and extreme sugar consumption, but claims to be clean of drugs:
  • “When I was living in Irving, I was a Needle fanatic... I don't do nothing now.” ([10:35])
  • “I take a four pound bag of sugar in a week's time... I got to have my sugar.” ([12:07])
• On Christopher: Describes him as troubled, not mentally well, and difficult:
  • “He was not all right in the head... and he threw an ashtray at Tyler and hit the baby that she had in her arm.” ([12:22])

Relationship with Christopher

• Kenneth says they weren't close; his main memory is that Christopher colored in his Woody Woodpecker tattoo ([13:50]).
• Contradicts reports that Christopher and Tyler were back together, claiming Christopher occasionally visited but was not living there ([14:35]).

Night of the Incident – New Names & Alibis

• According to Kenneth, Christopher was at the house that night with Tyler's mom (Deonna), her boyfriend, and another woman—none previously mentioned in official accounts ([15:03]).
  • “There was a male, a female, and Chris... to see Deonna at the time. That was my niece.” (Kenneth, [15:05])
• Kenneth recalls a 3am incident when Deonna and Christopher startled him awake, asking an unknown question before quickly leaving. He claims to always sleep with a large knife for protection, referencing old prison habits:
  • “If I'd have grabbed that sucker, I would have sliced them. Not realize because here you wake up, have somebody stand over top of you...” ([16:54])
• The significance: According to official timelines, 3am is around when Tyler said she and Christopher went to bed. Kenneth’s recollection places Deonna and Christopher active in the house at that hour, potentially contradicting other testimonies ([18:11]).

The Aftermath & Theory Reflections

• Kenneth didn’t see Christopher after that night, later hearing of his death and relaying the official animal attack theory. He voices disbelief at allegations that Tyler would have killed Christopher ([19:12]).
• He repeats hearsay about local hogs and a wildcat scavenging Christopher's body, but Wes notes the autopsy disproves this ([21:07]).
• Kenneth questions the logic of Christopher walking through the woods at night, citing physical barriers and dangers unmentioned in the law enforcement report ([21:52]).
• When probed about the last phone call to Christopher’s dad, Kenneth speculates Christopher was likely dealing with “somebody at the house…probably talking to Tyler or now, usually argue.” ([23:26])

5. Lingering Questions, New Suspects, and Law Enforcement Critique

• Kenneth's account introduces new people present at the house—specifically Tyler’s mom and her boyfriend—who have never been interviewed by police ([24:12]).
• Wes wonders about the possibility of domestic violence, familial threats, and the likelihood of law enforcement turning a blind eye to possible “rough justice” ([24:40]).
• Kenneth closes with a pointed, ambiguous remark:
  • “Where all this stuff is, Tyler's the one that caused him to get hurt. I have no idea why.” (Kenneth, [25:53])

6. Town Rumors and Conclusion

• In the local bar, Wes hears townsfolk casually blaming Tyler for Christopher’s death—though no evidence exists and nobody seems motivated to pursue the issue ([26:02]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kimberly (Christopher’s mom), warning Wes about visiting:
  • “Be careful going on that property…real nasty people. Nasty people...she’s a witch and I believe it.” ([00:40])
• Kenneth, on Christopher's alleged attack:
  • “So that’s all I know that went on.” ([18:11])
• Kenneth on the town's attitude and mountain lion story:
  • “That was kind of the impression I got deal that it was kind of made up… I never did know really what happened to him…” (Mayor Mike, [05:10])
• Wes, after piecing together the day’s revelations:
  • “This whole story is bonkers… 3am, remember, is around the same time that Tyler said she and Christopher went to bed. And Kenneth is talking about the possibility of slicing people up while we’re talking about a guy whose throat was ripped out on Kenneth’s own property. I couldn’t make this up if I tried.” ([18:11])

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Important Timestamps

• [00:40] – Kimberly’s warning about property and Tyler’s family
• [02:09] – Kimberly describes returning to the scene after Christopher’s death
• [03:15] – Suspicions about Tyler misdirecting Kimberly
• [04:49 – 05:10] – Mayor Mike doubting official animal attack theory
• [09:11 – 12:17] – Kenneth’s self-introduction, background, sugar obsession
• [15:03] – Kenneth introduces new witnesses present that night
• [16:54] – Incident at 3am, Kenneth nearly attacking Deonna and Christopher
• [19:12 – 21:59] – Kenneth recounts aftermath and confusion over body location
• [22:42] – Challenging the law enforcement narrative about Christopher walking through woods
• [24:12 – 24:40] – New names, lack of police interviews, speculation
• [25:53] – Kenneth’s ambiguous closing remark about Tyler

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode maintains a mix of dogged curiosity, rural noir, and dark humor, with Wes’s commentary alternating between empathy for the families and deadpan incredulity at the bizarre, often contradictory, local stories. Local voices, especially Kenneth’s, are unvarnished and gruff but reveal the complexities of small-town relationships and rumor.

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Flow & Utility

Listeners are guided step-by-step through each new revelation as Wes encounters roadblocks, rumors, and ultimately uncovers new witnesses never before interviewed by authorities. This episode is invaluable for those following the case, introducing new possible suspects, highlighting law enforcement oversights, and providing a ground-level sense of the town’s culture and skepticism of outsiders. The human drama, confusion, and contradictions are palpable, painting a vivid if troubling, portrait of a community living with secrets.

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Next up:

• An interview with mountain lion filmmaker Ben Masters
• The series finale, with reflections and audience questions

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Transcript

[A]

I can't stop thinking about Charlie's story from the last episode. You know, his weird visit to Laipan, Texas, when a truckload of dudes and a cop car ran him out of town. God, that's like something out of a B movie. Yeah, right, exactly. Hearing about Charlie's experience in Laipan has got me a little nervous about showing up in the same place. This is where Christopher Whiteley was killed just five years ago, where it seems like nobody really bothered to find out who or what actually killed him. Christopher's own mom, Kimberly, gave me this warning when I talked to her on the phone.

[B]

I'm just telling you to be careful going on that property, okay? Grandpa just got out of prison on a 40 year murder set.

[C]

That's the people he was staying with.

[B]

That's the people he's staying with. Yeah. My good girlfriend's grandpa. They're real nasty people. Nasty people. And she's white trash. She says she's a witch and I believe it.

[A]

White trash.

[B]

Anyway, I'm just telling you to be careful when you go out there to talk to these people because they're nuts.

[A]

That was Kimberly's boyfriend chiming in with the trash talk. I hear what she's saying about the need to be careful, but we gotta go. And this may be a spoiler, but I'm just gonna tell you anyway. We are about to find a firsthand witness who is going to share something that the cops never found out. And it is going to unlock one of the biggest secrets surrounding this case. From Free Range Productions in association with the Dallas Morning News, this is season four of the unforgotten kill site. I'm your host, Wes Ferguson, and this is episode six, naming names. Right after Christopher Whiteley was killed back in December 2020, his mom Kimberly and some of her family went out to the property near Lai Pan where it all happened. They didn't believe the sheriff's theory about a mountain lion attack and they wanted to see what else they could find.

[B]

We went out there with a gun. Me, my son in law and my boyfriend did.

[A]

They met up with the old guy who owns the property. His name is Kenneth and he's the great uncle of Christopher's girlfriend, Tyler. If you'll remember from way back in the first episode, Uncle Kenneth was at home when the sheriff's deputies first came by to speak with Tyler. When Christopher was still missing.

[C]

Is Christopher here? No, sir, he isn't.

[A]

That was uncle Kenneth.

[B]

He took us right almost to the spot where it happened. But then he turned and went the other direction. And then we could see the blood on the ground.

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

And all he was worried about is how to get his van running.

[A]

Uncle Kenneth couldn't stop talking about his broken down van to Kimberly. That was really weird. Christopher had just died in a horrible way. And no one knew what killed him on Kenneth's own property. But Kenneth was treating all of that like some kind of afterthought that didn't make sense.

[B]

And he was there when this happened.

[A]

Something else puzzled Kimberly.

[B]

There's a burnt house on the property. And that's where Tyler tried to tell me Christopher's body was. She sent me two pictures of that burnt house. That's not where Christopher's body was. Either way away from there.

[A]

Why was Tyler steering Kimberly away from the woods where Christopher's body was found to that burned out house? Was she confused or something else?

[B]

Tyler, I guarantee knows what happened. But Tyler's probably not going to tell you nothing. And she's one knows what happened.

[A]

It's all just kind of bizarre. And now it's my turn to see what I can find out. Nobody's returning my calls, especially in Lai Pan. So I'm just going to show up and knock on some doors and well, we're going to hope for the best. I roll into lai pan around 9:30 in the morning. It's kind of a ghost town. A handful of boarded up buildings and a feed store where the guy working there says he doesn't know anything. Next I stop by the only gas station in town. Maybe some old farts who know all the local dirt will be sitting around drinking coffee. Nope. Then I notice City Hall. It's in an old storefront next to the feed store. I meet up with the mayor and his name is Mike.

[C]

Named Mike. So friendly. Mayor of LA. 80 years old, year on my life.

[A]

I want to learn more about Lai Pan, but for a mayor, Mike isn't the town booster you might expect. Is there a way that you describe the place, help them get an understanding for what the town is like?

[C]

No, not really. I mean just small town. I wouldn't know how to describe it.

[A]

Okay, what about Christopher Whiteley?

[C]

Didn't know the guy at all. Or any type of body.

[A]

Despite not knowing anything about Christopher, Mayor Mike doesn't buy the whole theory that he was attacked by a killer mountain lion.

[C]

That was kind of the impression I got deal that it was kind of made up. It was all kind of a big, big mess. I never did know really what happened to him or anything else.

[A]

Mayor Mike has decided to let the mystery be. I move on down the road, and I have a little more luck at the dollar General store.

[C]

I actually know the gal who was the girlfriend.

[A]

Oh, Tyler.

[C]

I know Tyler personally, and she got banned from this store.

[A]

Oh, really?

[C]

Yeah, because she was stealing from the store. That's what we had to pay him.

[A]

That's too bad. Banned from dg. That's cold. In a tiny town where there's nowhere else to shop, this helpful guy tells me I should try the local food pantry. Tyler might be there, he says. And her great uncle Kenneth will be for sure.

[C]

That's our uncle. Looks like a VZ cop.

[A]

Is that Kenneth?

[C]

That's Kenneth. Okay, so he's out there working today. All right, I'll go.

[A]

Go say hi.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Probably give you some really good leak there.

[A]

So go to the food pantry and keep an eye out for a guy who looks like he's in ZZ Top. That sounds easy enough, except that I can't find the food pantry and I've got no phone signal to look it up on the map. It's time to go out to the house, to the kill site. I've put this off long enough. I head just outside of Lai Pan on this narrow road winding through the trees at the entrance to the property. You can't see the trailer or anything. You just have to pull in. I'd read a sheriff's office report claiming the property had a bad reputation as a hangout for transients and drug users. And over the last 10 years, the sheriff's office has been called out to the property a whopping three dozen times for everything from criminal trespassing to assault. The first thing I see is that burned out trailer house Kimberly told me about. All right, I'm at that trailer. There's a old RV full of junk, another one, and then a house like a double wide. The AC is running inside the rv, so maybe somebody's home. I give the door a knock. Sketchy. A guy cracks the door open. It looks like he's been sleeping.

[C]

Hey, how's it going? Good. How are you?

[A]

I'm all right. My name is Wes Ferguson.

[C]

I'm a reporter.

[A]

This guy doesn't give me his name, but he tells me he moved onto the property after Christopher's death and he didn't know him at all. Just like the Dollar General cashier. He also suggests that I go by the food pantry. This time I remember to ask for directions. So I head back into town and I turn off the main road. The food pantry Is in a tiny building on a back street. I see the zz top guy. He's helping a woman load up her groceries. So I wait till he's done with that, and then I walk up and wave.

[C]

Hey, my name's Wes.

[A]

Are you Kenneth?

[C]

Yep. Hey, kenneth.

[A]

I'm a reporter working on a story about christopher whiteley. I was wanting to know if you had time to talk later today.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Well, I got time right now.

[A]

Well, that was easy. We'll get right into it. After the break, Uncle kenneth and I find a picnic table in the shade where he can take a load off.

[C]

Too hot to be standing in the sun, that's for sure.

[A]

It's next to a playground where some kids are playing. This is my first time in laipan ever in my life. You know, it's kind of a cute little town, I think.

[C]

Oh, yeah? I've been here about 27 years.

[A]

Really? Seen any changes in that? 27 years?

[C]

No. Well, it's improved a little bit. We've got a dollar general store now and the pantry here. Other than that, nothing much has changed. Right?

[A]

Then a couple alley cats wander over, and one of them jumps on the picnic table.

[C]

Oh, hey.

[A]

Cute little guys.

[C]

Hey, little one.

[A]

Kenneth scratches the cat behind the ears. He's about 70 years old with that long beard. I heard that he did time in prison for murder, but that wasn't true at all. In fact, there were no violent crimes in his past When I ran a background check. Sitting here right now at the picnic table by the food pantry and the playground, uncle kenneth doesn't seem like he has anything to hide. Would you mind? For this? Just introduce yourself.

[C]

Oh, my name is Kenneth James ampy. I live in Lypan, Texas, 76462.

[A]

Well, you might not want to give everybody your address.

[C]

When I give my doctor's appointments, my probation officer and all that good stuff, they want it all. So I just. It just automatically comes out the whole time you ask me for my Social Security? Forget it. I ain't giving it to you.

[A]

No, I wouldn't ask for that. If you're wondering, the probation has to do with a fraudulent check.

[C]

I helped a friend out, and it turned out that he had stole a check and forged it. And not knowing it, I cashed it.

[A]

For all the talk about Kenneth's property Being a known hangout for drug users, Kenneth says that's just not true.

[C]

I don't do that stuff. I won't get nowhere near. I'll go. When I was living in irving, I was a Needle fanatic. I did etherbase and coke, but I won't touch nothing of that now. I sat down and figured out what I was spending on drugs and what I was paying my bills and all. And the drug bill was larger. So I moved out here and I got away from all of it. And I don't do nothing now.

[A]

That was a long time ago. Kenneth still has one vice, if you can call it that.

[C]

I got too much sugar in my system. I drank 2 liter Dr. Pepper, 79 bottles in a month's time. That's a lot. That's a lot.

[A]

That's like more than two a day.

[C]

I love my Dr. Pepper. I was in jail for eight days back in February. As soon as they told me, well, you're going home, you were bonded out. I stood up from the bunk and I hit the floor. I mean, my body just quit. Freaked them guards out big time in Weatherford. When I opened my eyes, I had four officers all around me. I was laying on that concrete floor and I was cold as all get out. Well, when I got out, my friend that come picked me up had bought me a 1 liter Dr. Pepper and I fucking downed that sucker. And I mean, I perked right up. You know, I finally getting sugar back in my system. Are you diabetic? No, I'm not. That's what's freaky as hell.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

See, I take a four pound bag of sugar in a week's time. I'll eat that whole thing a spoonful at a time. Really, I got to have my sugar.

[A]

I try to steer the conversation away from sugar. Back to Chris. What about his personality?

[C]

You know, what was he like? Well, I was told that he was not all right in the head. He had medical problems big time. And when my grandniece and him divorced and he was sent to jail for five years, he threw an ashtray at Tyler and hit the baby that she had in her arm.

[A]

We got into a lot of that in the last episode. I also want you to remember back to the first episode when Christopher's friend Paulie called 91 1. She said Kenneth and others had been warning Christopher to stay away from Tyler.

[B]

It's her uncle's house. And I heard her uncle talk to him the way her family talks to him on the phone. And they're like, if y' all ever get back together, we promise we'll do something to you. Like, you will not be, you know, a threat. Does he doesn't have a past of trying to kill Hunter before that warning.

[A]

To not get back Together is one that Christopher ignored in the moment. It doesn't really seem like the right time for me to ask Kenneth if he ever threatened Christopher. I want him to keep talking.

[C]

He just wasn't all there. He was a mama's boy, and if he didn't get his way, he'd throw a tantrum, and that tantrum would blow everything up.

[A]

Did you see him throw some tantrums?

[C]

No, never did.

[A]

Oh, so you weren't around him that much?

[C]

No.

[A]

Kenneth does have one fond memory of Christopher.

[C]

He liked to do tattoo work. He did the coloring of this for me.

[A]

Kenneth flashes a tattoo. Oh, he got a little Woody woodpecker.

[C]

Yeah, I had Woody on there, but it's just black, so he colored it in for me.

[A]

He did a good job. Other than that time, Christopher colored in his tattoo. Kenneth claims he didn't see much of Christopher.

[C]

They come out to the house, you know, and visit, and that was about it. So I was never around him that much.

[A]

Kenneth claims that Christopher and Tyler had not actually gotten back together. They weren't living together or even dating. So he says. Everything I had read said that Chris and Tyler had got back together.

[C]

But you're saying no, they never.

[A]

He wasn't living there. He ended up staying there more than just that one night?

[C]

No, he wasn't there constantly. And why he was there, whoever he come with, why they left him, I have no idea. Because she wasn't gonna get back with him. Like I say, he tried to hurt her, throwing ashtray at her, and he sliced her wrist a couple times, you know.

[A]

So why was Chris with her that night then?

[C]

He was there with some other female. Oh, really? Yeah. And they come to visit. You know who the female was? I had no idea. There was three of them. I remember there was a male, a female, and Chris. They come to see Deonna at the time. That was my niece.

[A]

Deanna is Kenneth's niece and Tyler's mom. I haven't been able to track her down. She's been in and out of jail, mostly on drug charges, talking to Kenneth. This is the first time I've ever heard anybody say that Deanna was over at the house the night before Christopher was killed. At first, Kenneth doesn't remember the name of the male who was supposedly over there that night. But this is interesting. In the middle of the night or very early in the morning on the night before Christopher's death, Kenneth says he was awakened by Diana and Christopher.

[C]

I was asleep on the couch after watching a movie. I guess it was something like 3am and it was Christopher and Diana come down, they wanted to ask me something. And I was on the couch and I was asleep. And all of a sudden, I guess some instinct told me to open my eyes and I looked and my niece was right there in my face. And I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I'm sound asleep and all of a sudden I open my eyes and there's somebody standing right on top of me.

[A]

What did they say? That's after the break. What did they say?

[C]

Oh, it scared the hell out of them. And they never said what they wanted. They just left because, I mean, my heart was going 90 to nothing. I was having trouble catching my breath and all.

[A]

So they didn't say anything, they just left?

[C]

Yeah, they just left. And it's a good thing they did. Or if I was laying up flat on my back, I accidentally stabbed her because I had right beside me, big ass knife. I had it out, I had it laying beside me. If I'd have grabbed that sucker, I would have sliced them. Not realize because here you wake up, have somebody stand over top of you and you can't see who it is because I had no lights on whatsoever in the house. It was dark as all hell. And all of a sudden here's this person standing up. I was slight. And my niece knows from previous experience that if she's going to wake me up is to catch me on my legs. Because if you get close to my chest, in my younger days, I would lash out instantly because I spent four years in prison. In prison, you gotta watch your back 24, 7. And when I first got out, anybody come up and touch me on the shoulder, I would swing instantly. I mean, I would go, go straight for the face.

[A]

Yeah, you gotta protect yourself.

[C]

Oh, yeah. So that's all I know that went on.

[A]

This whole story is bonkers. Kenneth says he was asleep at three in the morning when Christopher and Tyler's mom startle him awake. 3am, remember, is around the same time that Tyler said she and Christopher went to bed. And Kenneth is talking about the possibility of slicing people up while we're talking about a guy whose throat was ripped out on Kenneth's own property. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Could you tell if they were. Were they all tweaking when they were.

[C]

Out running around at 3am I have no idea. Like I say, I was asleep. And when I woke up here, this person was over top of me. And like I say, my heart went from zero to 90 instantly. I do Got heart problems. I didn't need that kind of reaction. And all I know is that they left and never took nothing with them.

[A]

Kenneth says that was the last time he ever saw Christopher, and then that was it.

[C]

And the next day, you know, the car was gone. I don't know if they left him there or. All I know is that all of a sudden I hear he was attacked. They found his body out in the woods, and it looked like somebody. He'd been attacked by an animal because of marks on his neck. But then when his mother come out there, told her the same thing, what the law told us, and she didn't believe it. And next thing I know, I'm hearing rumors that she's accusing Tyler of killing him. I don't see why, because Tyler had no reason to.

[A]

The more Kenneth talks, the more his story kind of loops back on itself and the details shift around a little. At first, he said there was an unknown man at the house with Christopher, Tyler, and Tyler's mom, Deonna, and maybe some other woman. Later on, Kenneth seems to identify the man.

[C]

Then I heard Deonna left. Her and her boyfriend at the time took off. So that was the only vehicle there besides mine, and mine was in my yard. Nobody come to ask me for a ride. And why they didn't come and ask me to give him a ride in, I have no idea. I'm easy to get along with, and I taxied my niece anywhere she wanted to go when she needed to go. And then all of a sudden, next day, I hear Tyler tells me that Christopher was attacked. He done crossed over the creek and was going down the road heading for 281 and got attacked. And that's what the law told us. I asked them where was the body found? So they showed me where the body was found. It was down by that direction. Yeah. It's like, here's the road. The body was found over here. They found blood and all.

[A]

Kenneth is really fuzzy on some of the details.

[C]

They said he was half eaten, so I don't know if it was from the cat or the hogs. And at the time, we had quite a few hogs running the area. And then we found out later on that there was a cat roaming the area. He's got this area marked off, and we had the wildlife out there and all. More than likely both. The cat got what he wanted, and then the hogs took over what was left. Cause a hog will eat bones and all, no big deal. But it was behind my double wide now, across the creek. Deep into the woods.

[A]

It seems weird that he would have gone that way.

[C]

As I understand it, he was heading for 281.

[A]

281 is the major highway running through that area. It's about 4 miles west of Kenneth's property.

[C]

As I understand it, he was walking to work that early in the morning. And that don't make no sense out here because you don't walk through this area at nighttime. And there's no reason you can't cut across field from that trailer. You cannot cut across because if you try to, you got, let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, about 20 fences. Barbed wire fences you got to crawl over, plus you got cattle and no telling what. All in them woods. So I have never been out in them woods again.

[A]

The law enforcement theory that Christopher was trudging through the woods past all those barbed wire fences to hitch a ride to work, it all falls apart when you apply a little common sense. Not to mention that his dad, Robert, was on his way to pick him up at the front entrance in another direction. So going back to that morning, I know Chris's dad has said that, you know, Chris had called him trying to get a ride. Have you heard all this? And, yeah, they said that. So Chris is on the phone with his dad. I don't remember exactly what time it was early, but then there was a noise, and Chris says, hold on, I gotta deal with these people. And then he hangs up. And so boys wondered who were the people that he had to deal with.

[C]

Probably talking. He's trying to somebody. There's the house. So. Well, Tyler now usually argue.

[A]

I'm not sure what Kenneth means by Tyler and them usually arguing, but he's already given me so much to process. Now, I'm not saying I take Kenneth's word as gospel. He says he's clean now, but he does have a history of drug use and that whole sugar issue, which maybe affects his mental faculties. At any rate, I hope a medical doctor can help him get a handle on that. Some of the stuff Kenneth told me, like Christopher being half eaten by hogs, is easy to disprove if you just look at the photos or read the autopsy report. But one of the biggest questions about this case that we keep coming back to has always been, who else was at the house before Christopher vanished? And now Kenneth is claiming it was Tyler's mom, Deonna, and her boyfriend at the time. Whoever he is, were they the ones Christopher's dad heard on the phone that morning? What else do they know. To my knowledge, neither of these people was ever interviewed by the authorities. Law enforcement latched onto the whole mountain lion theory, and from what the record shows, they ignored the mountain of details pointing toward another reason for Christopher's death. And if Kenneth says he's lying there at night with a big ass knife by his side ready to slice, was there maybe some blood on the knife or somewhere else on the floor or on that couch when the deputies made their welfare check? Also, what about all those threats to Christopher? His friend Polly said Tyler's family was warning Christopher to stay away from her. I'm not saying this happened at all because I just don't know. But I could see their history of domestic violence coming to a head. Like, what if it was self defense? Or did Tyler's family think they were protecting her by just getting rid of Christopher? I really hate speculating like this when I have zero evidence, but we're kind of running out of other ideas here, and I could see the law turning a blind eye to this kind of rough justice. Uncle Kenneth and I end up talking for a little over an hour. Well, Mr. Kenneth, thank you so much, sir.

[C]

No problem. I hope it helps you out.

[A]

I think so. Take care of yourself.

[C]

Where all this stuff is, Tyler's the one that caused him to get hurt. I have no idea why.

[A]

My efforts to find Tyler are a total bust. Around quitting time, I head over to the only bar in town. It's actually kind of fancy with this whole Texas frontier saloon thing going on. Talking to folks, I hear all kinds of rumors, and they say that everybody in town to this day is still convinced that Tyler killed Christopher. But they don't have any evidence and they don't seem too worked up about it.

[C]

Foreign.

[A]

Thank you for joining me. As we've dug into the mystery of Christopher Whiteley's death, this episode is kind of like a miniature finale for the season. But we do have two more episodes for you coming up. The first one is a fascinating interview with mountain lion filmmaker Ben Masters. And in our final episode, Charlie and I will wrap things up. I'd really love to hear what you think happened or if you have any questions. For me and Charlie, the best way to reach me is to leave a voicemail at 512-806-0479. You can also look up the Unforgotten on social media and comment on one of our posts, or you can send us a direct message. Thank you for listening to the Unforgotten to dig deeper into the story and see photos case files and more. Check out our [e-mail] the Unforgotten is a free range production. Season 4 Killsight was produced here at Free Range in association with the Dallas Morning News. Editing by Aislin Gaddis sound design and audio engineering from Austin Sisler with Eastside Studios. Charlie Scudder and I are executive producers. Special thanks to Morgan o'. Hanlon. Don't forget on forgottenpod. Com. See you soon.