Don Henry and Kevin Ives: The Unsolved Mystery of the Boys on the Tracks

Before dawn on August 23, 1987, a freight train approached two teenagers lying motionless on railroad tracks near Alexander, Arkansas. The crew sounded the horn and applied the emergency brakes, but the train could not stop in time.

The boys were 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives. Their deaths would become known as the “Boys on the Tracks” case—an investigation marked by disputed forensic findings, allegations of corruption, and families who refused to stop asking questions.

Who Were Don Henry and Kevin Ives?

Don and Kevin attended Bryant High School. They enjoyed hunting, spending time with their girlfriends, and working on their cars.

On the night before their deaths, they planned to go spotlighting, a form of nighttime hunting. They left Don’s home with a rifle and a light, heading toward familiar ground near the railroad tracks.

Hours later, the train crew saw them lying side by side. Neither appeared to react as the train approached. Unsolved Mysteries

The Original Explanation: An Accident

Arkansas medical examiner Dr. Fahmy Malak ruled the deaths accidental. His explanation was that marijuana had left the boys in a deep sleep on the tracks.

Their families questioned how both teenagers could have failed to respond to an approaching freight train. They also wanted answers about the green tarp that crew members reported seeing partially covering the boys.

The parents pursued independent opinions, sought records, and pushed for further investigation. In February 1988, Deputy Prosecutor Richard Garrett held public hearings. The boys’ bodies were subsequently exhumed for a second examination by Georgia medical examiner Dr. Joseph Burton. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

The Forensic Evidence That Challenged the Ruling

The central question was whether all the injuries could be explained by the train—or whether someone had attacked the boys beforehand.

FBI records documenting Burton’s account describe a penetrating wound on the left side of Don’s back. Cuts in his shirt corresponded to the area of that injury. Burton also reported sharp-object damage to the fabric, with blood on its fibers.

The shirt had been recovered nearby. According to Burton, Don was not wearing it when the train struck him.

Kevin had an abrasion on his cheek whose dimensions Burton said matched the butt plate of the rifle found at the scene. These findings led him to question an accidental or suicidal explanation and recommend investigating a possible homicide.

The records also complicate the missing-tarp story. Burton later provided the FBI with light-green material he thought might be part of it. But he acknowledged that it had arrived without documentation establishing its origin. idfiles.com

Forensic evidence helped challenge the original ruling. It did not identify an attacker.

Suspicions, Corruption, and Unanswered Questions

A grand jury investigated the deaths, and its conclusions shifted toward homicide. Investigators considered a possible drug connection, while later accounts expanded into allegations involving Mena Airport and powerful political figures.

Those theories have never established who killed Don and Kevin. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Distrust deepened when Dan Harmon, who had helped lead the investigation, was convicted in 1997 of racketeering, extortion conspiracies, and a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. His convictions documented criminal conduct by a prosecutor. They did not establish his involvement in the boys’ murders. FindLaw

The Families’ Search for Answers

Kevin’s mother, Linda Ives, continued seeking answers for decades. Her efforts included a federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in 2016. She died in 2021 without knowing who killed her son.

The case remains unsolved. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Don and Kevin’s story shows how much can depend on the examination and interpretation of physical evidence. A wound, a cut in a shirt, and a patterned abrasion helped challenge an explanation the families could not accept. Establishing who was responsible remained a separate, unanswered question.

Behind the controversy were two teenagers with families, friendships, and futures they never had the chance to live.

Listen to the Don Henry and Kevin Ives episode of Forensic Tales on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.