Don Henry & Kevin Ives

In the early morning hours of August 23, 1987, a Union Pacific freight train ran over the bodies of 17-year-old Don Henry and 16-year-old Kevin Ives on the railroad tracks near Alexander, Arkansas, a small community south of Little Rock. The boys, who were close friends, had gone out the previous evening, reportedly to go 'spotlighting' for deer. The state medical examiner, Fahmy Malak, initially ruled the deaths accidental, attributing them to marijuana-induced unconsciousness on the tracks.

The boys' parents challenged this ruling vociferously. A second autopsy revealed that Don Henry had been stabbed in the back and Kevin Ives's skull had been crushed—injuries that preceded the train impact. The manner of death was changed to homicide. Dr. Malak's competence was questioned in this and other cases, eventually leading to his removal.

As the investigation deepened, it became entangled in allegations of drug trafficking at a rural airport near the tracks. Witnesses claimed that the boys had stumbled upon a drug drop site and were killed because of what they saw. Multiple witnesses connected to the case died under suspicious circumstances over the following years, including Keith McKaskle, who was stabbed 113 times, and Jeff Rhodes, who was shot and set on fire. At least six people linked to the case met violent ends.

Despite convictions in some of the related deaths, no one has ever been charged with the murders of Don Henry and Kevin Ives. Investigative journalist Mara Leveritt's book 'The Boys on the Tracks' detailed the case and the alleged connections to a wider drug smuggling operation. The families continue to seek justice, and the case remains one of Arkansas's most controversial unsolved crimes.