Introduction
The family Thanksgiving quickly turned into a horrible nightmare when high school senior Thomas Brown suddenly disappeared. More than two years later, his remains have been found and identified, continuing to remain a mystery.
Events
Thomas Brown was a resident of a small town called Canadian, Texas, where they attended the local high school, played football, and led a healthy academic and social life. On November 23, 2016, after quality family time, Thomas asked his mother, Penny Kendall Meek, for gas money and her debit card to go out with his two good friends. They spent the evening together until Thomas left to go get gas at a self-serve station at 11:20 pm. There are records indicating the debit card being used there around this time, along with video footage. Everyone believed he was on his way home to make sure he was back in time by his curfew of midnight.
However, when Thomas uncharacteristically missed his curfew, Penny and Thomas’ older brother Tucker became concerned. Meek recalled, “Tucker said, ‘Well, something is wrong.’ Because he was not responding to his cellphone, and there is no way he turned his cellphone off. Maybe he got into an accident, he was hurt and couldn’t respond” (Thomas Brown: Seeds of Doubt). They both began to text him but had no response, and eventually, the messages showed as no longer delivered, indicating the phone was turned off.
Penny and Tucker went out to search for Thomas, checking his last known locations and friends’ houses without any results. Meek said, “I got home around 1:30 am, and my husband, who is not a night owl, was asleep. I woke him up to tell him that Tucker did not come home” (Thomas Brown: Seeds of Doubt). After a while, she contacted the deputy sheriff’s office, and they began searching through the night, still not having found Thomas or his vehicle. Later that, the car was found in the remote suburbs of the town, a few miles from Thomas’s home, with all possessions missing. Thomas was declared missing.
Search and Investigation
The search was turned into a criminal investigation as a.25 caliber shell and blood matching Thomas’s DNA was found in the car. The family and the community began a widespread media and social media campaign, as the community used all its resources to search the town, expanding the search area up to 50 miles. However, nothing but Thomas’s backpack was found. The lead investigator on the case, Philip Klein, believes it is most likely a homicide, “let me just say it this way, people don’t just poof disappear” (Baker). At the end of 2017, the family indicated they lost confidence in the County Sheriff’s Office asked for the investigation to be turned over to the state.
In February 2018, the Texas Attorney General agreed to review the case as Meek posted on social media, “We are thankful that the Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the case…I feel like we are headed in a good direction that will bring resolution to the case” (Aldrich).
The case garnered national attention in 2018, and there was increased attention from investigators. On January 15, 2019, remains were found in the 20-mile radius of the crime scene and were identified to be Thomas via dental records. Klein commented, “What will happen now is that the OAG and the Texas Rangers will continue their investigation and will continue to interview people and build evidence” (Stafford). The events are ongoing, and this remains an active homicide investigation.
Conclusion
Despite the horrible grief, the identification of his remains comes as some closure for the family. Although the family requests privacy through this time, they remain thankful; as Meek described, “I don’t have words to describe the support we have gotten throughout the panhandle” (Hillier). Hopefully, the investigation can use the new findings to determine what occurred more than two years ago as both the family and the local community seek well-deserved answers to such horrific events. Meanwhile, the family honors Thomas by setting up a scholarship in his name.
Works Cited
Aldrich, Abbie. “Texas Attorney General Agrees to Review Case of Missing Canadian Teen.” ABC 7 News. 2018. Web.
Baker, Judd. “Lead Investigator in Thomas Brown Case Releases Statement.” Myhighplains. 2018. Web.
Hillier, Bianca. “High School Senior Thomas Brown Missing from Texas After Vanishing Over Thanksgiving 2016.” NBC News, 2018. Web.
Stafford, Cassie. “Investigators Detail How Thomas Brown Was Found, What’s Next?” News Channel 10: KFDA, 2019. Web.
“Thomas Brown: Seeds of Doubt.” Stitcher, uploaded by UnFound – A Missing Persons Program. 2018. Web.