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E075: Henry McCabe
1.5k Plays5 years ago
Henry McCabe’s case is filled with theories ranging from the supernatural, to ritual sacrifice, to suicide, or to the Smiley Face Killers. But no theory seems to fully explain all of the details of his bizarre death nor do they come close to revealing the cause behind the horrific phone call recording.
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Transcript
Starting a Podcast: Tips and Tools
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, have you ever considered creating your own podcast? Have you been inspired by listening to some of your favorites and thought, I'd love to try this out on my own? Whether it's a true crime podcast like ours, a motivational podcast, or maybe one filled with tips and strategies for those interested in the same activities you are,
00:00:19
Speaker
When Maggie and I first decided to start our podcast, we knew absolutely nothing about what podcasting would entail. But when we found that the platform Buzzsprout was one for which we didn't need any special equipment, just a computer microphone, some quiet space, and each other, we knew that this was the way to go.
00:00:36
Speaker
It is intuitive to use, fun to play around with, and so helpful in getting analytical data about our number of downloads to track trends and from where our listeners hail. Best yet, Buzzsprout is affordable, even by our teacher salary standards.
00:00:52
Speaker
Buzzsprout will get your podcasts listed on every major podcasting platform. So, what are you waiting for? Fulfill that dream of yours and start today. If you use our Coffee & Cases referral code, 709-643, linked on Facebook and in our show notes, not only will you help support our show, but you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your second month on a paid plan. It's that easy.
00:01:18
Speaker
Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. Join over a hundred thousand podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world. Now it's time for the world to hear what you have to say.
Eerie Noises and Imagination
00:01:32
Speaker
The bumps in the night. The driveway alarm goes off. The wall creaks.
00:01:39
Speaker
A dog barks in the neighborhood, angry at some dark shadow, waking you from your sleep. Now awake, your body tenses as every noise, even as slight as a whisper, seems a warning of some potential danger, some invasion to our home and to our safety. We've all been there. The noises alone are enough to feed the fear already dwelling in our minds, are food enough for those fears to come out to feast.
00:02:09
Speaker
But those noises we can at least convince ourselves with enough time are just part of our imagination. Inocuous things when seen in the light.
00:02:18
Speaker
the noises in our case this week were something far darker in nature, ones that couldn't be explained away. When Kareen's phone jangled at 2.28 a.m., she heard her husband's voice on the other end, well, not entirely his voice. She heard other noises too, groans,
00:02:47
Speaker
odd sounds. What was going on? Where was he? What was wrong? And what were those noises? Corrine's fears manifested themselves in droves and with all of the unanswered questions fed on her uncertainties. If only she knew, those fears would continue to grow even after her husband was found, that things would become far more confusing.
00:03:16
Speaker
This is the story of Henry McCabe.
00:03:56
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the case will take those tips to law enforcement so justice and closure can be brought to these families.
00:04:17
Speaker
With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, and to follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast. Because as these families know, conversation helps to keep their missing family member in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:04:44
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, before we begin our case this week, I just wanted to thank you guys so much that in the last few weeks, you guys have just written such kind words about us on reviews that we've gotten recently. And we're almost at 200 reviews. I'm super excited. You've been suggesting the podcast to your friends and on Facebook groups. Anytime Maggie and I see it, we're always like, thank you so much. And we get so excited and we'll message you and heart the comment. We're that excited about it.
00:05:14
Speaker
Thank you for purchasing our merchandise on our Facebook page. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do so. Just go to the Coffee & Cases Facebook page. Once our promotion ends, we will offer merchandise again at a later date, but it'll be a separate, you know, special period and we'll announce when that's going to be.
00:05:34
Speaker
And thank you guys so much, those of you who have donated to our Buy Me a Coffee page. You guys have been so encouraging and wonderful and Maggie and I just wanted to take a second to just sincerely thank you.
Introducing Henry McCabe's Case
00:05:51
Speaker
Now, before I tell you Maggie and you Sleuthhounds about Henry McCabe, I wanted to tell you two things. First, this case is on the Crime Door app. Yes, so that means after you listen to our episode, please check out the app where you can see videos and other podcast episodes about the case. I'm looking it up right now. Yes, so that way you don't forget. And second,
00:06:17
Speaker
I did want to go ahead and warn you that some elements of our episode this week may be disturbing to some listeners. We are going to be listening to a recording of that message Henry McCabe left for his wife, the one that I mentioned in the intro and
00:06:41
Speaker
It is very graphic and can be disturbing, so listener discretion is advised. And additionally, one of the theories that we're going to explore this week actually led author Steph Young to write the following, quote, if people knew the depth of this,
00:07:00
Speaker
they would be terrified to be outside at night, whether in the country or in the city." So consider that your warning. Now on to the specifics. I mean like I literally will say when it's dark, Anthony, I need to go to the car. Will you watch me from the front door? Oh my gosh, I'm the same. I'm the same.
00:07:22
Speaker
Let's just add to my fear.
Henry McCabe's Background
00:07:24
Speaker
Right? The night of September 6th, 2015, 32-year-old Henry McCabe decided to go out with some friends to relax. So just try to forget about this recent run of bad luck that he had had. Right? We get it. I understand. It's been my life.
00:07:43
Speaker
I'm so stressed right for so many things. Henry was an auditor for the state of Minnesota, so he was good with numbers, unlike us. And he resided in the small town of Mounds View with his wife of 11 years, Corinne, and their two daughters, ages 10 and 2.
00:08:04
Speaker
But, like I said, recent bad luck, so it must have felt as though no part of his life was sure anymore, you know, just as he thought he had turned a corner. And I say that because Henry McCabe had known struggle before.
00:08:23
Speaker
Before he was able to immigrate to the United States, he had spent several years in a refugee camp in Ghana after escaping the Liberian Civil War. Obviously, we have this unspoken privilege of living in the United States that we don't know
00:08:46
Speaker
what, you know, something like, obviously we've had our own civil war, but it's so far in our history that we don't know what it's like for there to be, you know, that bloodshed on a daily basis. And so I can only imagine how bad it must be for you to say, you know what, I'm gonna move away from everything I've known. Yeah, I'm gonna drop everything. Right.
00:09:09
Speaker
In an article from January 19th, 2015, reporter Isa Mansouray noted that Henry's cousin, who was in this refugee camp with him, recalled Henry being like a father figure while in the camp, like helping them use funds and resources that were sent by their family members abroad to ensure that they were cared for and safe while in this camp. So I think that speaks to his character. Yeah.
00:09:35
Speaker
Getting to the United States was a relief to Henry. It was his dream and he worked really hard to get here. At the same time that he always still wanted to celebrate his roots, like he didn't want to forget where he came from. And in fact, when he came to the U.S., he actually came to California, he was able to connect with other Liberian citizens. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, so he was like super involved in like the Liberian American community.
00:10:02
Speaker
He even attended a Liberian party where he was drawn to one particular woman, a woman named Corrine. And you probably noticed that yes, yes, exactly. That article by Isa Manceray noted Corrine's memories of that night that she would normally not entertain flirtatious young men like Henry and often when they would ask her for her phone number she would give a fake one.
00:10:26
Speaker
But there was just something different about Henry and she actually gave him her real name and her real number and the relationship flourished. Now Henry took on another role, that of a loving partner. Yeah, so he was like father figure, now he's loving partner.
00:10:43
Speaker
And Kareen remembered that Henry had taught her how to cook traditional African food. And she joked that she made him skinnier in the process. So like she wasn't very good at first at making it. But she seemed to see his heart. And I say that because Mansa Ray reported that Kareen had asserted, quote, he just cares about people's needs.
00:11:10
Speaker
pushing for paid parental leave, caring for those that are oppressed and in need, material things were nothing to him." End quote. Yeah. Even as the two became a family, he and Kareen, and that family grew and they moved from California to Minnesota for Henry to take a job at the Minnesota Revenue Department. Hey, I feel that because I worked at the Kentucky Department of Revenue. Oh, there you go.
00:11:36
Speaker
But despite all of these changes, Henry maintained that love and concern for others over things. I feel like we need a lot more of that. Well, that's what I was gonna say. I think that sometimes that's, like you said, something that we can lack here in the United States because I feel like
00:11:55
Speaker
Even people that don't think they've grown up privileged, they have grown up privileged in the United States, have grown up more privileged than people like Henry. And we take so much for granted that we sometimes value things we shouldn't. Right. And don't value the things that we should. Yeah, exactly.
00:12:11
Speaker
In fact, while most of us, and this is what I was thinking about, are posting things, say on Facebook, like memes, or questions about where to find the best, you know, insert service here, the best hairdresser, the best, you know, whatever it is. Where should I eat today? Right, or we're posting pictures. Henry was posing questions about social justice and what part each of us can take to ensure that we achieve it. Those were his Facebook posts.
00:12:39
Speaker
So again, makes me feel like a horrible person. Me too. Cause I'm posting the picture. Yeah, me too. But his coworkers likewise had high praise for Henry. They remember a man who smiled continually, brought food for other people at work, and who was always ready to discuss local and international policies and politics, like in an inquisitive way, not in a judgmental one.
00:13:05
Speaker
which I feel like is good. And I feel like we should learn how to properly talk about politics and religion and things that make people uncomfortable. Those are important things to be able to discuss in a civil manner. Exactly. More specifically, Deputy Commissioner Ryan Church remembered of Henry, quote, it's really striking in that short time the impact Henry had.
00:13:25
Speaker
If you're greeted by Henry in the morning, you're greeted by an unforgettable smile. People just like to hang out with Henry. It was Henry's magnetism that made him a natural leader." And because of that likability, Henry had moved up at work. He was living what seemed like this stereotypical and all elusive American dream. But that dream was cracking a bit at the seams.
Challenges in Henry's Life
00:13:51
Speaker
And that's what I was saying. The turn of bad luck recently.
00:13:55
Speaker
According to one article that I read Maggie, Henry and his wife had separated. Now, there were other articles that didn't say anything about a separation, but then a few of them did. And those articles also said that she and the two girls were staying in California, because remember that's where they met. So like her family is there. And several sources noted that Henry had also been late on his rent.
00:14:23
Speaker
and that he had recently received a bad review at work. Now I didn't read anywhere why he had gotten a bad review and his boss had like all these lovely things to say about him. Nor did I read what exactly the review critiqued Henry on. So I don't know if this bad review were really a bad review or it's more like Maggie what you and I call bad reviews. So like
00:14:47
Speaker
So, Town's teachers get scored on a variety of elements and like accomplished and exemplary are at the top and Maggie and I, and I'm not kidding about this, we both cry when we get accomplished instead of exemplary because we are perfectionists. Yeah, and if I get a developing like
00:15:06
Speaker
the world is coming to an end. It's over. Yes. So I don't know if his quote unquote bad review was like our bad review where it wasn't really bad. But it wasn't to like the standard we had said. Right. Right. But he it he felt it was bad.
00:15:23
Speaker
And then you have that combined with rent being late, the stress of potentially this recent separation, and all these things were weighing on him. And now you can see why, you know, when two friends called him up and they're like, hey, do you want to go out tonight? He was probably like, yes, please. Exactly.
00:15:43
Speaker
So, even though we don't know the details of what exactly had been bothering Henry recently and about the bad review and things like that, we do know that on the night of September 6, 2015, Henry did decide to spend a night out with two of his friends, William Pappas Kennedy and Calvin Johnson.
The Mysterious Night Out
00:16:04
Speaker
Well, first of all, William has three names.
00:16:07
Speaker
You're already doubting him. Yeah. Interviews with Kennedy and Johnson reveal a night filled with drinking at the nightclub Plavitsky's.
00:16:20
Speaker
Sounds good to me. Right. Yes. And it was located in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota. As Henry drank more and more, Calvin Johnson reported that he actually took Henry's wallet. I can only assume so Henry couldn't buy himself more drinks, right? So like an attempt to cut him off from drinking. Because, you know, I guess he'd already exceeded the limit. Correct.
00:16:47
Speaker
and William Kennedy actually took Henry's keys. Okay. So again, I can only assume that he did that so that Henry wouldn't try to drive while in this drunken state. Okay, good job William. Right. Now, I didn't read whether those two friends drink as well, but I can only assume that they did. Like, I
00:17:11
Speaker
I can't imagine that these three adult men went out to a nightclub until two in the morning, but that only Henry drank. Right. Maybe, yeah. Maybe in one of them maybe with like a designated dropper, but I would imagine probably not. Right. So, Johnson actually left the nightclub separately.
00:17:32
Speaker
And we can assume that he accidentally forgot to give Henry back his wallet because he later had the wallet in his possession that he turned over to police. Okay, so he willingly gave it to police? Yes, yes. And so he must have taken Henry's wallet so that he wouldn't buy any more drinks but more time passed maybe and then he left and he's like, oh shoot, I didn't, you know, give this back to him. And again, that would have been easy to do, especially if Johnson were drunk as well. True.
00:18:02
Speaker
Then Kennedy and McCabe left together. So he left with the three the three named person. And that is one theory and we'll talk about that.
00:18:14
Speaker
Now, notice Maggie that I did not say how they got to the club and that's because I don't think anyone really knows with 100% accuracy how it happened and to me, and I'll talk about this later, where Henry's car was seems of the utmost importance
00:18:34
Speaker
understanding this case and yet I didn't read a single article of research that mentioned where Henry's car was. So I didn't read like if they all three drove separately there. Right, because why would you take his keys if his car's not there? Right, but I didn't read any article that said yeah they found Henry's car in the parking lot because it's on this night that Henry McCabe disappears.
00:18:59
Speaker
we don't know like did they did you read anywhere where they said like his car was found at his apartment complex. Nope, not a single article and to me that's very important information. Yeah. So the only way that it makes sense to me the story that we get from the two friends
00:19:18
Speaker
why they would have taken his keys is if Henry had driven to the club. Yeah exactly. But then I feel like there would have been an article that said you know his car was searched but they found nothing in it or they found and I didn't read that in anything. Because if Henry didn't drive his car there then there's no need to take his keys because he wouldn't have even tried to drive because how are you gonna drive a car that's not even there? Right.
00:19:42
Speaker
So it only makes sense to me that Henry had driven there to meet them. Yeah, but then he leaves with William, correct? Yes. Do they leave in? They take William Kennedy's car. So he says, and Johnson verifies, that Henry had asked Kennedy to take him home. Okay. So they all hear this conversation.
00:20:11
Speaker
What doesn't make sense is that they didn't go to Henry McCabe's house. Nor does it make sense why only about 30 minutes later, Kareen McCabe received that terrifying message from Henry that I mentioned in the introduction, which we'll listen to here in a moment, nor why Henry never made it home.
00:20:37
Speaker
So he says, take me home. Kind of. Okay. So there's one little detail that he mentions that both Johnson and Kennedy, again, separately verify. Okay. And that is that Henry McCabe actually told Kennedy, instead of dropping me off at my home, I want to be dropped off at this one local gas station.
Strange Call and Disappearance
00:21:03
Speaker
I mean, I have no that makes no sense to near his home at all. No. And so. Kennedy reported to police, you know, because a missing person is report is filed the very next day. You'll see why here in a second, because after this message that's left this recording of Henry, you'll know why Kareen immediately called. But when these friends who were the last to see him alive,
00:21:33
Speaker
are talking to the police, William Kennedy, the one who was the last, actually the last person to see him, said, I dropped him off at this gas station in Fridley because that's where he wanted me to drop him off.
00:21:47
Speaker
then Johnson verifies that Henry McCabe said did say then he wanted dropped off at a gas station. It's weird. Super weird. I'm so confused by this detail and Maggie by why William Kennedy actually listened to Henry because
00:22:06
Speaker
If he's so drunk that they took his keys and his wallet, then why would they listen to this seemingly hairbrained request to be dropped off at this random location of a gas station? I'd be like, he's talking out of his head because he's so drunk. He obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm not gonna drop him off at a gas station. I'm gonna drop him off at his house. Yeah, I would be like, we're gonna go home. When you sober up, if you still need to go to the gas station, we'll talk about going to the gas station. But right now, you just need to lay down.
00:22:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't Kennedy have again done what was best for his friend and taken him home despite his request, especially when this town of Fridley, where Kennedy said he dropped him off at the gas station, was a six minute drive from Spring Lake Park, which is where the club was, in the opposite direction of Henry's home. Like, why would you leave him there alone? And why would he request to go there?
00:23:02
Speaker
Yeah, that's what makes no sense to me at all. And here's the other detail I wanted to let you in on. Kennedy, and remember he's the one who's driving Henry, right? After dropping Henry off, also forgot to give Henry McCabe his keys back.
00:23:23
Speaker
before he drove away. So now here's Henry, dropped off at a random gas station that is not near his home. He doesn't have his wallet, nor does he have his keys, and according to his friends, he's drunk. Right, so even if he had like a cell phone and could call a cab, how's he gonna pay for the cab? If he made it home, how's he gonna get into his home when he doesn't have his keys?
00:23:50
Speaker
This is just strange. It's also weird. I just keep going back to the fact why take his keys if his car wasn't even there and we don't know if his car was there. Right. That's just weird. Unless his car was there but then again you'd think we would have read that in some of the research. Right, exactly. Plus we have that lingering question that you kept asking Maggie why. Why did Henry want to be dropped off at a gas station?
00:24:18
Speaker
because he can't buy snacks, so that rules out why I would want to be dropped off at a gas station. He doesn't have his wallet, so that's out. No icy slurpee and candy bar for you. And day old Krispy Kreme donut, that's out. After Kennedy drove off, the next detail we know is that Henry contacted his estranged wife.
00:24:41
Speaker
And I'm deliberately being vague with the word contacted here because a call came in at 2.28 a.m. to Kareen's phone and some of the reports say that it was a phone call that Kareen was somehow able to record and other sources say that it was a voicemail that Henry left.
00:25:00
Speaker
I'm more inclined to think voicemail because I would have no idea how to record a call that was in progress other than to do like maybe a screen record or something like that but I seriously doubt that you would think of that yes especially when your adrenaline would be pumping and when you hear this recording you'll know why trying to figure out how to record it would not have even crossed my mind like I would have been too concerned about what I was hearing what the noises were what I could do to help
00:25:29
Speaker
those sorts of things. And once you hear the recording, I think you'll understand why I'm saying all of that. Maggie, I'm going to play you that phone call a couple of times and it's gonna play back-to-back. Okay. And I want to get your opinion on what you think the noises and the sounds are. Okay. Okay. I'm a little nervous, not gonna lie. You should be nervous
00:26:18
Speaker
Okay, what did that sound like to you? It almost kind of sounds like
00:26:29
Speaker
like it there's like something running like in the background like a chainsaw or something maybe and it sounds like almost like an infant crying in the background. That's what Rodney said too. He said that it sounded like a baby cry or something. It's like that kind of sounds like a baby cry but I can kind of hear like how people would get like a gurgle like noise like that at the very beginning like what is that? Right and I
00:26:58
Speaker
I couldn't find a complete recording of the audio. It has been cut for media release and stories and this is as complete of a recording as I could find and again it played twice so it wasn't very long. It was only a few seconds long each time but Kareen actually said that at the beginning of the recording which
00:27:23
Speaker
the complete recording is around two minutes while of those noises and screams. But Kareen said that at the very beginning, Henry said to her that he had been shot.
00:27:36
Speaker
that comment was followed by like sounds that you heard right then and that someone either Henry himself or someone else and most are inclined to believe it's someone else says at the end of the recording stop it. But again we don't have those parts of the recording.
00:28:00
Speaker
We only have a few seconds of a complete two minutes. And I cannot imagine hearing the full two minutes that would be traumatizing. Right. And now you know why. Like there's no part of me that would be like, I need to record this. Yeah. Let me figure out how to record. I would be freaking out. I'd be screaming into the phone. Yeah. What's going on? Where are you? You know, those sorts of things. There have been lots of speculative comments about those noises. Some people believe that the sounds are like otherworldly.
00:28:30
Speaker
And I'll admit, if I were to let my imagination take control, the noise isn't really like anything earthly that I've heard. It's almost like that, what could be a gurgle is almost like, to me it sounds a little bit, and this is gonna sound callous the way I'm saying it, but like a Chewbacca kind of noise, you know, like an animalistic, but like weird noise.
00:28:58
Speaker
Or it could be like gargly if he's been shot and there's like, you know, lots of blood. And others believe that the sounds are those of a wild animal. Like maybe Henry had been attacked by something. I feel like you would have heard different noises with that. Still others believe it sounds as though Henry is drowning, like the gurgles. And those noises are him attempting to get air. And I could hear that too.
00:29:25
Speaker
To me it does sound a bit like gurgles of water and I kind of hear a help help right after. So like let me just play that section of the recording one more time and you can think like gurgles and then help help. That help help right after the gurgle.
00:30:01
Speaker
right something I kind of hear like a help help no matter which theory though there's obvious pain and obvious danger and then there was nothing Maggie his phone went dead were they able to trace this phone
00:30:16
Speaker
They were able to get some pings. I'll talk about that here in just a second. But what happened to him and where was he? These are the questions that initially are going through their head. Now, Karine says she was immediately worried. Obviously. Yes. And she went to law enforcement after, you know, she had this recording, either via voicemail or she recorded it.
00:30:38
Speaker
And so she went the very next morning, or the very, I guess that very day because this was left, yeah, on September 7th. And on September 8th, Kareen also met with the Minnesota Community Policing Service. And I want to take a moment to clarify because that name of that organization sounds like I'm talking about the police because it's called the Policing Service.
00:31:03
Speaker
But that group was actually a nonprofit group whom Kareen had contacted to help aid in the search. So this is like a separate entity from the police that she had contacted the day after. In the days that followed, law enforcement conducted a thorough investigation. And in that investigation, they did find that after leaving the club, Henry's bank account was never accessed. So he hasn't used his card. But again, why would he? Because he doesn't have his wallet.
00:31:33
Speaker
His phone was never turned back on again after that night and he has never tried to contact any friends or family and that those are not good signs.
00:31:44
Speaker
They also checked Henry's phone records, and this is what you were asking about Maggie, and the pings, you know, see if he called anybody else, like maybe he contacted somebody else after this. And since he hadn't yet been found in these days after the disappearance, they wanted to see, okay, what cell phone towers pinged, we at least know he tried to call Kareen. So maybe we can try to trace him. And that's when things got a little bit interesting.
00:32:14
Speaker
So we know that Henry had used his phone because he left a message or she recorded it, right? We know that he called Kareen and when those calls were traced the last call pinged at a tower in Brighton
00:32:29
Speaker
which was actually four miles away from the gas station that Kennedy said was where he left Henry. But that really kind of makes sense to me because you left your drunk friend at a gas station with no way to get home so maybe he like thought he was hitching a ride with people but then these weren't very good people that he got in a car with. And that's another theory because there's no way
00:32:52
Speaker
Police are thinking like, okay, Kennedy says he dropped him off at 2 a.m. He's leaving this message at 2.28. There's no way he walked four miles. No way. Especially in a drunken stupor, right, if he were as drunk as they're saying that he was.
00:33:08
Speaker
Well, now is when police started questioning William Pappas Kennedy, right? And they're like, where did you say you dropped him off? You know, at a gas station in Fridley was where you said, but if that's true, then why is his cell phone pinging elsewhere? And upon that further questioning, Kennedy actually admitted, well, it could have been a different gas station instead. Like I could have been wrong about which gas station I dropped him off. Oh, like maybe I thought I was there, but I wasn't. Right. And again,
00:33:38
Speaker
If he had a lot of people were like, oh was this an intentional misdirection on his part to try to like lead police on a wild goose chase But if he had been drinking as well we talked about that which likely was the case then maybe that was Like an honest mistake where he was like, you know, I thought I dropped him off at the Fridley gas station but it could have been a
00:34:02
Speaker
different gas station. He may not have been familiar with that area like I mean we lived in this like our new town for a while now and I still rely on like GPS to make sure I know where I'm at so it could just be he wasn't familiar with the area. Right and I will say when the police started exploring those pings
00:34:24
Speaker
They were able to verify that there was a gas station with like same colors of logo and everything where Henry could have been dropped off and that gas station was near a lake which could explain the gurgles. So it could be possible that Kennedy's only mistake was which gas station he had dropped him off.
00:34:48
Speaker
But police argue there wasn't like video surveillance footage of Kennedy's car dropping Henry off.
Discovery and Unanswered Questions
00:34:56
Speaker
But then they're like, but just because we don't have proof that he was there doesn't necessarily mean that he wasn't. Exactly.
00:35:05
Speaker
Law enforcement, because of the recording of those agonized noises from Henry, made the following statement to Avian Tan of ABC News about his case, quote, investigators aren't ruling out any possibilities, whether it be that he disappeared on his own or if there was some kind of accident involved or if there was some other intentional act of harm someone tried to bring upon to Henry, end quote. So, like, they're not ruling anything out at this point.
00:35:33
Speaker
how can you with that video with that recording right and search parties actually now that they know where his cell phone is pinging began scouring that area and a group of about 50 people set out on September 26th to look for any sign of what happened to Henry unfortunately they didn't find anything to aid in the search but on November 2nd 2015 so almost a month later
00:36:02
Speaker
a kayaker on Rush Lake discovered a partially submerged corpse and after some testing that body was verified as Henry McCabe. Now a lot of people thought okay maybe now we're gonna get some answers. The last thing they probably expected was that there would be more questions all due to one little detail.
00:36:33
Speaker
Henry had no wounds on his body. So we can just go ahead and cut out the chainsaw thing I said. Right, no chainsaw. Yeah. No shot though, because remember he said, I've been shot. That's what Kareen said that he claimed at the beginning. No wounds on his body, no sign of trauma, no defensive marks, which means no animal attacked him, right? That theory's out. Could he swim?
00:37:02
Speaker
I didn't read either way, but I feel like
00:37:09
Speaker
Again, his family, obviously, they know now that he was found in this lake. And I feel like if he couldn't, then they would have said, oh, like maybe he walked in. Right. Right. They would have said, yeah, he didn't know how to swim. But then, you know, none of them are also stepping forward and saying, you know, he's like an Olympic swimmer. So I didn't read either way, which makes me think that, you know, basic swimming.
00:37:35
Speaker
So he wasn't shot like we said. So what was it then that would cause him to make those terrorized screams and those groans? So I'm going to walk you through some of the theories and then I'll see what you think. Okay. Okay. I have lots of them and some of them are super short. And of course I'm going to play my devil's advocate with each one too. Okay. Okay.
00:38:01
Speaker
Okay, theory one, supernatural. There are some people who want to believe that the odd noises are odd because they're not human. They theorize that the noises are alien in nature. Some people say it's proof of a Bigfoot creature, which I know we've talked about in Central Kentucky, right? But since there are many unexplained issues,
00:38:25
Speaker
A supernatural explanation kind of helps because if something doesn't make logical sense, well, it doesn't have to, right? Because it's not logical. And as much as I find these theories fascinating and entertaining, it's just a little bit too outlandish for me. Also, how do you know what an alien sounds like to know that it's an alien sound? Or Bigfoot. Yeah.
00:38:46
Speaker
No. Right. Theory two. His quote-unquote friends. And I'm using air quotes not to say that they're not his friends but just because this theory posits that they are not. Okay. Could Johnson and Kennedy have been in on a plan to get rid of Henry McCabe? There are those who argue that this is why they really took his keys in his wallet.
00:39:10
Speaker
They argue that Kennedy misled law enforcement originally by giving the wrong gas station location, that he did that on purpose.
00:39:20
Speaker
Here's my devil's advocate stance. If they did have something to do with it, for what purpose? Yeah, what did they get from the death of Henry? I can't find anything that they would gain. And then why tell a lie that's actually so similar to the truth, right? Because there was a gas station that was near the lake, right near where his cell phone pinged, you know?
00:39:41
Speaker
And additionally, Kennedy has never been arrested for Henry McCabe's death, which tells me that there isn't solid evidence to link him to a crime, nor has Johnson, who has also never been arrested, related to Henry McCabe's death, right? So I feel like if they had any kind of evidence, they would have at least been named persons of interest. Yeah, I feel like maybe it was just coincidental that
00:40:06
Speaker
they had the keys in the wallet. I do think, like, I think that came from a caring place on their behalf. And like, I'm super forgetful. Like Anthony's wallet still might be in my purse from when he went to the doctor last week. Like, because I just don't remember to give that kind of stuff back. So, and like I said, I get lost if you don't tell me like an address that I can put into my GPS. So again, like maybe it was just all coincidence.
00:40:32
Speaker
My only complaint about them, and I said this before, is why they would even drop him off at a gas station. Yes. Like, I feel like that just probably wasn't a very responsible friend decision. Right. But I don't think that implements you as a murderer. Right. Theory number three, his wife.
00:40:49
Speaker
are some people who believe that his wife had something to do with Henry's death. If we followed this theory, she wanted him gone because they were going through a separation anyway. Could the call have been proof of someone who she hired or knew who was like doing the job? But why would she give it to police?
00:41:15
Speaker
That's a great question unless you said, you know, she's trying to mislead them or whatever. Right. There are those out there who support this theory and they note that by October 23rd, 2015, so like barely over a month after joining in this attempt to find Henry, the Minnesota Community Policing Services, remember the one that she hired right after calling the police.
00:41:41
Speaker
They withdrew their reward for information about Henry and broke off ties with Kareen due to, in their words, quote, her willingness to mislead the public and this committee, end quote.
00:41:59
Speaker
And like how she misled them, I don't know. That wasn't in any of the research that I could find, but that is not a positive statement. That obviously casts some doubt. That's like, why would they break ties with her? And like, like you said, like,
00:42:16
Speaker
That's not like a positive thing. And she probably did have something to gain from the death of Henry. Right. Like I'm sure he had some type of life insurance policy as a state employee, even if you don't a person, like if you don't purchase additional ones, they usually provide you with a small one.
00:42:32
Speaker
So that's one theory, but again, she's never been arrested though. Exactly. She has never been charged with his death and Henry McCabe called his brother that night as well. They were able to tell from cell phone records and the content of that message that he left with his brother is similar in sound and in tone and
00:42:55
Speaker
to that that he made to Kareen. So it's not like he called up his brother and he's like, hey, what's up? I miss you. Like, how have you been? And then he's screaming in these, this voicemail to Kareen. It's the same kind of screaming danger. And like, I feel Anthony would probably be the
00:43:14
Speaker
I probably would call 911 if I were in that situation, but Anthony would be the next person that I would dial. And so I can see why he would call her even if they are separated. You're still close to her. That was your wife, the mother of your kids. Or if you're in extreme danger and you can't get out your phone and see where the numbers are and you just have to hit whoever you've called recently.
00:43:40
Speaker
True. You know, then they could be the most recent phone calls that he made. True. Theory four is suicide or accident. With this theory, Henry McCabe would have had to have known what he was doing, whether it's suicide or accidental drowning. So then there couldn't have been, dropped him off at the wrong gas station.
00:44:05
Speaker
if he knew he was gonna be drowning himself. Well, Kennedy might not have recalled which gas station, but Henry would have known exactly what gas station he wanted dropped off at because it would be the one near the lake, right? So, if that is the case, then that would also imply that he wasn't as impaired as his friends thought he was if it were a suicide.
00:44:32
Speaker
Right, because he would have to know. Exactly. In this theory, Henry either purposefully or accidentally went into that lake. So either he was dropped off at the wrong gas station and he wanders and he walks into the lake, right, by accident, or he means to walk into the lake. But why would you call people?
00:44:57
Speaker
That's a great question. I mean, if it was an accident, I could see why you would call. Like maybe someone could come and help you before you drowned. Yep. But if it's suicide, I don't know why you would call. And see, I think that's a great point because that is my clear problem with this theory. If he intentionally went to the lake to commit suicide, why would he call Kareen? Like just to make her suffer? And that sounds not like his personality. No, it does not fit his personality to me at all. And if it's an accident, again,
00:45:25
Speaker
and obviously I've never been in this situation, but I don't know if I would, as I'm drowning, have the wherewithal to be like, let me call somebody to let them know that I'm in trouble. Instead, I'd be flailing around trying to get to shore. Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't pull out my phone.
00:45:46
Speaker
So, plus, if he were suicidal or he accidentally drowned, why a lake for which he would still have to walk miles to reach? And he didn't have time to reach it. Right. Like, even if he's dropped off at that gas station, well, I guess he would have had time to reach the lake from the gas station. But why say, hey, drop me off at this gas station and then walk
00:46:13
Speaker
for 20 some minutes through thick foliage that's nearly like um impassible yeah that's nearly impassable and all of this done at two o'clock in the morning
00:46:29
Speaker
Like that seems, number one, too far to believe it's an accident, you know, that you're going to walk almost 30 minutes through thick foliage and then accidentally find yourself there and make a phone call. And it's far too difficult for me to think that it's a suicide plan either. So like,
00:46:45
Speaker
if you know if you're going there to commit suicide you wouldn't be like drop me off at this gas station and I'm gonna walk for 30 minutes through the forest at 2 a.m right to get to this lake and and even then you're walking in the dark in this terrain
00:47:05
Speaker
you know, from the gas station and you're able to do it in 28 minutes when you're potentially impaired. And I feel like he has been through so much in his life. Like you are a survivor of a civil war. You've lived in a refugee camp. I don't see your mental break being a bad review at work. Right. Yeah. I think you're right. That would not be like the breaking point. Exactly. Theory five is that it was staged.
00:47:35
Speaker
There are some who think that maybe Henry's call was all fake, originally at least. They believe that Henry either wanted to make Kareen feel worried about him or wanted to find a way to quote-unquote start over but that in the middle of the staging he actually did drown. Like he would get in the lake
00:48:01
Speaker
You know, right. This theory would explain why he would make a phone call. That's true. Instead of just focusing on swimming to safety. And it would explain why Henry had no wounds, including defensive wounds. What it doesn't explain is why there is a voice, perhaps not Henry's, saying stop it in the recording unless he's not alone. But then who's with him?
00:48:27
Speaker
Great question. And his family insists that that is not like Henry to do something like that. And yet he's got these two little girls at home and everybody, even before he had children, is describing him as this father figure. Yeah, seems very out of character. Yeah. Theory six, drugs or owing money.
Theories and Speculations
00:48:46
Speaker
In this theory, Henry asked to be brought to that gas station with the intention of meeting someone there, which would explain why he would want to go to this gas station, not near his home. Exactly. If he were planning on meeting someone at the gas station to either purchase drugs or pay someone money, then he would have shown up thinking that he could do one of those things only to realize that he didn't have his wallet.
00:49:15
Speaker
So we can. Right. And so somebody's gonna be mad. Right. Because remember, yeah, Johnson forgot to give it back to him. So could whomever he was to meet up with have been so mad that he or she murdered Henry McKay? Right, like maybe it was one of those situations like, you have to have me this money by this time or you're dead. Right, and then he shows up at the gas station thinking he could pay it and he doesn't have his wallet. And they're like, hmm, likely story.
00:49:44
Speaker
you know, maybe they do drive to the lake. Right, and potentially drown him. But I have some questions about this theory too, because this is what I do. I just sit and question. So first,
00:49:58
Speaker
Did he think he would be able to buy drugs or pay off someone and then they're going to give him a ride back home? True. Right? Like, why would you say, hey, drop me off at this gas station and said, you would say, hey, take me to this gas station. I'll only be a minute. Or take me to my car and then he dropped to the gas station. So you wouldn't be like, um, let me meet you to buy drugs. Hey, and then can you give me a lift home?
00:50:25
Speaker
That's highly unlikely. And second, how did he then get from the gas station to the lake unless they drove him there? Which I suppose they could have done. But why would they have allowed the phone call to have taken place once they get there? Maybe it was like they didn't know he was doing it and that's why they say stop it at the end.
00:50:46
Speaker
Right, which could be. Like I said, maybe he somehow was able to press like the redial and you know without them seeing him do it you know or you know perhaps whatever message maybe they knew he was recording it and it was a message and maybe that message was actually meant for Kareen
00:51:09
Speaker
right, like as a warning. But then why give his brother the message too? And thirdly, his family and friends swear again that Henry would have never done drugs. Yeah, again seems kind of out of character. Right.
00:51:24
Speaker
Theory seven, a ride from the wrong person. You mentioned this earlier, Mackie. This theory, similar to the previous one with the drugs or owing money and that Henry had tried to hitch a ride with somebody to get home. So maybe he did intend to meet somebody there, but then he's trying to hitch a ride home cause he's like, wait a minute, I didn't think this through. And maybe whoever picked him up had attempted to rob him. And then again, finding that Henry didn't have his wallet, they killed him.
00:51:53
Speaker
Here's why I don't believe this theory. Number one, it makes no sense for Henry to tell a friend to drop him off at a gas station, only to try to get a stranger to take him the rest of the way home. Right. Cause you could have, like you said, he could have said, do you care to wait for a few minutes? I'll be right back.
00:52:08
Speaker
Blah, blah, blah. Right. And number two, why would a driver have taken Henry in the opposite direction of his home? And it feels completely nonsensical for someone to kill a stranger by driving him miles out of the way to drown him. Like that form of murder is not the quickest nor the most convenient. And I feel like if you're angered by something, that's an impulsive act. And that just seems like far too much work for a spontaneous murderer.
00:52:38
Speaker
That was like their intentions, like they knew from the beginning of picking him up, like maybe they were looking for someone to kill. Well, and that's gonna be my final theory. Okay. Before I get to that one though, theory eight, the Liberian Civil War. Hmm.
00:52:54
Speaker
According to an article in the spokesman recorder from November 12th, 2015, at a vigil held for Henry, the Liberian acting counsel general in Minnesota, a man by the name of Jackson George, asserted, quote, we Liberians have a tradition. No grown up person will walk into that place and kill himself.
00:53:16
Speaker
From the consulate and embassy's point of view, we're not going to close this case until justice is done." So what did they speculate happened to him? Well, we know that Henry and many others saw the cruelty of the Liberian Civil War, and that's why they escaped from their home country.
00:53:36
Speaker
In fact, Henry spent time, remember, in that refugee camp after escaping Liberia and it's Henry's mother who still lives in Liberia who believes that her son was sacrificed in a Liberian ritual that is in some way related to that civil war. But again,
00:53:59
Speaker
I'm not sure about this because to me, like ritual, I would think that there would be some sort of marking or something on him that would indicate that
00:54:13
Speaker
Also this quote like I don't understand what that means like he's saying like we will not rest until we find out what happened to him. Right and saying that I guess something to do with Liberian tradition that he would have never gone to this lake alone and killed himself. Like you said though when I hear the word ritual like I think you're cutting someone's heart out or like
00:54:38
Speaker
Right, I do too. Or I would picture again there would be some marking on him that would indicate. Drowning doesn't sound very ritualistic. Yeah, I agree. But the final theory
00:54:52
Speaker
the SFK, the smiley face killers. And it's this last theory that's actually quite controversial because there are as many people who believe in the smiley face killers as there are who do not believe that they are real. Yeah, and I've briefly read about them.
00:55:11
Speaker
because they're on like the first list of cases that we came up with before we started doing the more like local cases and they're on there so i briefly read about them for a second and that's kind of what i read like some people think it's a thing some people think it's not right and if it is true
00:55:27
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, this is the stuff of nightmares. If not, it's just a matter of coincidence. So the camp of individuals who believe in the smiley face killers, and this group includes respected law enforcement officials and investigators like Detective Kevin Cannon, Detective Anthony Dwart, the criminal justice professor Lee Gilbertson, like these individuals who do believe in the smiley face killers, they tell us that they are actually a group
00:55:57
Speaker
of serial killers, which is crazy. Right, not an individual serial, a group, like a network of serial killers who often abduct and torture via waterboarding intoxicated young men, usually of college age. And after having their murderous entertainment, they then stage the body to make it look like an accidental drowning. And we would be none the wiser
00:56:26
Speaker
except that they leave behind a small mark of their presence, a smiley face graffiti. Among the victims, for those who believe this theory, are William Hurley and Patrick McNeil. Those are probably two of the bigger names that are associated with the smiley face killers. And Maggie, do you know what was there near Henry McCabe? I swear to God, if you say a smiley face, I will pee my pants. There was smiley face graffiti.
00:56:57
Speaker
So could he have managed to call Kareen while he was being waterboarded? Right, hence the drowning, gurgling sound. And the stop it if that was said at the end because someone else would have been there. Yep, and there wasn't some people I saw noted that there's not sounds of splashing water in the background of the recording. So that could explain why there's no splashing water. But then why would Henry have told Kareen that he had been shot?
00:57:26
Speaker
Maybe she had misunderstood though. Maybe it was like so chaotic. She thought that's what he said. I mean, it could have been right. And again, your adrenaline is pumping is pumping at this moment. But to play devil's advocate.
00:57:41
Speaker
Couldn't it just be coincidence that the Griffey is there? Yeah, it could, definitely. And that's at minimum what those who want to debunk this theory of the smiley face killer say, like just as there are well-respected individuals who believe in the SFK, more believe that it's just an urban legend. So logically speaking, it could be a matter, and this is something I'm actually talking with my students about,
00:58:03
Speaker
In class right now, I'm at a correlation and not causation. So like, just because a drowning occurs and there happens to be a smiley face graffiti there, which is arguably the most common graffiti to leave, right, it doesn't mean that the two are related. Right. Right. So if they were related, the network of individuals who would have to be involved in the SFK would be a group number that would be astronomical.
00:58:33
Speaker
Well, where did the majority of these? Oh, it's everywhere. Okay. And none of the victims actually showed signs of torture. The graffiti that was left at various scenes was of all styles, colors, and sizes, which again, those who believe in it are like, well, yeah, that makes sense because the group is made up of all different individuals. Yeah, but the people that don't believe in it could say it should be like a specific style. Right.
00:58:59
Speaker
with the added knowledge that in 2015, the two leading causes of death in the very age group that are quote unquote targeted by the smiley face killers are accident and suicide. And that many of those accidents are alcohol related. And we find that both the method, right, alcohol related drowning, and the marker, most common graffiti of a smiley face,
00:59:25
Speaker
could be far too common in and of themselves to say that they're related, right? Like they just both happen to occur frequently. Right, and we've talked about coincidences in another case. Right.
00:59:37
Speaker
So, what is more likely instead, those who don't believe this theory argue, is that the SFK, ironically, are a creation of our imaginations that actually soothe our consciousness in some way? Oh, because we can say, like, we can assign it to someone. Exactly. In an article in Rolling Stone Magazine about the SFK, writer Niall Capello interviewed associate professor of social work and criminology at Chatham University, Christine Sartechi,
01:00:04
Speaker
and criminologist and serial killer expert Scott Bond, both of whom note that people don't deal well with the unknown, like we need to process and understand things. So, like you just said Maggie, we want to assign it to something tangible because it makes us feel better. Even if that something tangible is as scary as the smiley face killers, Bond said quote, it protects you.
01:00:30
Speaker
reduces the world to us and them and it enables you to point the finger and to have someone to blame." So it makes us feel better because then there is a danger, yes, but one that can be avoided, one that could be caught. So those are the theories. What do you think is most likely what happened Maggie? I think that I would lean towards maybe like
01:01:01
Speaker
a combination of things like he got a ride from a stranger and that stranger maybe just so happened to be like a smiley face killer and they saw an opportunity. I don't know. I don't know. This one's hard because I feel like every theory could be. Could be? But then there are also questions where you're like. And every theory couldn't be at the same time. Right. And we still don't know exactly what happened.
01:01:29
Speaker
Very often, the simplest answer is the correct one. And law enforcement agrees.
Pursuing Justice for Henry McCabe
01:01:35
Speaker
An article in the Minnesota Star Tribune indicated that Henry McCabe's autopsy revealed that he likely died from drowning. Plus, we know from his friends that Henry was heavily intoxicated. If the strange voicemails contained any clues, then surely the FBI would have found them in their investigation, right?
01:01:58
Speaker
Yet those close to the case, like Henry's mother, still believe foul play was involved. She said, quote, this is what they did to my son. Somebody killed my son, end quote. But who is this they? And his mother isn't the only one with lingering suspicions.
01:02:22
Speaker
A friend, David Kessel, is urging police not to dismiss the case, remarking, quote, somebody killed that man. Somebody got to pay for it. For somebody to die like that, it's shameful. It's a scare in our community. Somebody got to pay for it, end quote.
01:02:39
Speaker
Even the pastor at the funeral stated, quote, Henry was not an isolated person in the middle of the dark. Henry had a life. Henry had a family. He had children and he had a mother. Henry had brothers. Henry had friends. Before Henry died, he was pleading with someone who dropped him in the dark, end quote.
01:03:04
Speaker
in the dark. Food for fears to feed upon. That is, until we reach our hands out to help as a guide back to safety, comfort, and to knowledge.
01:03:20
Speaker
If you have any information concerning Henry McCabe's case, please contact Mounds View Police at 763-717-4070 or the Ramsey County Dispatch Center at 651-484-9155.
01:03:41
Speaker
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01:04:03
Speaker
Please tell your friends about our podcast so that more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to write our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.