Every Town - Introducing: Slaycation

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

If you enjoy Every Town, try Slaycation—a darkly comedic podcast exploring murders, mysterious deaths, and disappearances that happen while you’re on vacation. Hosted by a social worker turned true crime enthusiast, her comedy screenwriter husband, and their Emmy-nominated TV producer friend, this gripping series will have you laughing, gasping, and saying “WTF?” as you dive into bizarre slaycations. Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slaycation-true-crimes-murders-and-twisted-vacations/id1714880880 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6m5al8OnkyVCunFq56qwRE Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.slaycation.wtf/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between.

With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime. Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, as the true crime fans that we all are, I think we can all agree that some dark humor mixed into these stories from time to time can really help elevate the senses.

That's why I want to introduce you to a podcast which I love that does just that called Slaycation. Hosted by a former social worker and true crime junkie, her comedy screenwriter husband, and his Emmy-nominated TV producing partner, well, this show puts a darkly hilarious twist on vacations, gone terribly wrong. So right now, I'm going to play a clip from their episode, Spring Breakdown in Mexico. To hear the rest, just search Slaycation wherever you're listening or click the link in the show notes.

And don't forget, Slaycation is covering some wild spring break cases all March long, so hit subscribe to their feed to stay tuned. Pack your body bags. We're going on a Slaycation. These are murders and mysterious deaths that happened on vacation. As always, I'm your co-host, Adam Tex-Davis, and I'm joined by my lovely wife, Kim. The woman. Hi.

Hi. Hi. And my work husband, Jerry. Hi, guys. Hi. I can't do without the woman. The woman. What about the actual?

The yarn whore. I need my yarn whore. Thank you. Thank you. I need my work husband. I love you. And my husband. We love each other.

We do. We do. We love each other. One big happy slaycation family. All right. So, Kim, where will we be slakating today? Okay. Well, today we begin our slaycating journey along the southern coast of Texas to the tropical oasis of South Padre Island.

With access for an evening jaunt across a bridge to the border into the Mexican state of Tamalai. Lupas to the city of Maramoras, which happens to be the second largest city in that state of Mexico. Now think, it is 1989. No phones right at your fingertips, no internet, no navigation. Got to admit that a college student in the 80s is a different breed. If you had to do research, write a paper or book a fun-filled week of shenanigans and Tom Fooler, you had to. I remember the Tom Foolery.

Yes, remember. I'd like to book a week of shenanigans, please. And Tom Foolery. My friend Tom will be there. Last name, Fullery. But let's face it, you had to do the work. You did. You had to do the work.

You had to do the work. You were just going to be there. There's not to be a million cameras and uploads. You could just go and have fun. That's correct. And in that time, in that period, researching required leaving your house. And most college kids didn't have a computer, much less the internet.

If you were booking a trip, you had to talk to somebody. And if you were driving and you were lost, well, you had to look at a map. Yeah, yeah, right. You couldn't just pull up a GPS or look on your phone. If you got lost, especially in a foreign country, you know, back then if you got lost, you really didn't know where you were. Or my mom would be, Michael, ask someone. Right. Make a ask someone. Right. Right. So that's that too.

So any random person would know more. Someone. Yeah. Someone. Anyone. So it would be a reunion of sorts for these four spring breaking compadres. Mark Hillroy, a pre-med student at the University of Texas at Austin, Bill Huddleston and Bradley Moore, an engineering student, both juniors at Texas A&M University, and Brent Martin at Alvin Community College. So the boys, they had remained close, having grown up playing sports, attending elementary or high school together. Both Mark and his buddy Bradley had been to South Padre Island prior. And we're very much looking forward to the time to as the memorable mantra of a different world. Relax, relate, release. Thank you.

I don't know if you had, you guys didn't watch a different way. Oh, no, I've been talking about Whitney. Yeah, like. Yes. Whitley Gilbert. Yes. Yes. So anyway, that was the mantra.

Well, actually. Not Whitney. Whitley. Whitley. Right. Yeah. I got, I haven't thought of that show in a minute. I know.

It's been a while. Yeah. It has been said that Mark and Bradley had been talking about spring break since the fall. Although I don't know any college kid that isn't talking about spring break. Right. The second school starts. Right. These kids were also like serious students.

Oh, yeah. Mark in particular, he was, um, read that his uncle was a doctor. and he really looked up to his uncle and he really wanted to be a doctor. So he was pre-med, very religious but very tolerant, good kid. You know what? Give me the rundown one more time. I just want to make sure I have it in my head. So there's four college kids.

Right. They all go to different schools? Two of them go to A&M. Okay. Texas A&M. Right. Two at University of Texas at Austin. Right.

Okay. And then the other one was a community college? Right. Okay. And they all grew up together? Yeah, they all grew up together. They played sports together. And what's funny is these, so Mark, Mark,

who's the person we're going to be talking more about in this episode. He was born in 1968, which sounds like a million years ago, but it's kind of around when we were all born. Yeah. You know, like this, and this spring break was happening in March of 1989, which could have been any of us. Yeah, any of us. Like we were all in college at that time. Exactly. That part of this story I found really, you know, relatable.

Okay. So four kids, they go to South Padre Island in Texas. Yes. Okay. So on Friday, March 10th, 1989. Bradley. He had finished his midterms. He hopped in his Mustang. And his first stop was Austin to pick up his buddy Mark. And the duo made their way along the Texas Highway, grabbed their friends, Brent and Bill. And on they went to South Padre Island. They happened to hit a heavy fog. And so

this slowed their trip down exponentially as they had to really be careful on the highway. But spirits were high. And the long drive gave them an opportunity to catch up, discuss their summer plans, their plans for the upcoming semester. And the boys would be going into their senior year, and they began to lament how different next year would be. They would likely be getting ready for graduation. And the reality of true adulting were on the horizon. Mark, who I think by most standards would be considered a hunk of burning love, was planning to sit for the MCATs, which is an extremely difficult admissions tests required to get into medical school.

And this was sort of the last hurrah as they all move on, go their separate ways following graduation, and really the last of their free time together as a friend group. So this was going to be maybe potentially their last spring break together? Yeah. Okay. Could I go back from one thing? Yeah. What is the standard for hunk of burning love?

Well, you know, I mean, if you've seen pictures of this, young man. He is... Which obviously you have. Well, yes. Yes. He's... Oh, all right.

He's like me except good looking. Okay. And he's tall and athletic. You know, blonde hair, blue-eyed. Right. Played all the sports. The chin. All the sports.

Yeah, no. He was pretty active. All right. So now you know Kim's type. Right. Yeah. So you must piece. Never mind.

So they arrived at South Padre Island mid-morning, March 11th. Okay. The foursome checked into their room at the Sheraton South Beach Padre Hotel and Beach Resort. They showered eight and went to have some fun in the sun and luxuriate on the beach and breathe in the sweet tropical air. Okay, yes. Yes, I'm enjoying myself right now because that's a great place to be. Yeah, the cosmos came. This is good.

All right. This is good. All right. I like when you're feeling it, honey. You got to be excited. Yeah. No. I mean, there was tons to do.

Every spring breakers dream come true with beer companies sponsoring an unparalleled amount of wild entertainment. They hosted free concerts, movies, a free call home, much to the delighted parents of these young hormonally fueled kids. with underdeveloped frontal lobes who took advantage of this generous offering. Objection, I believe the prosecution is projecting. Anyway, I digress.

But also, just to throw in here. So when these kids, they were so excited to spend time together, they, the second, you know, spring break is actually, you know, it unfolds over a few weeks, depending on the school's schedules, right? But it kind of concentrates into like a, a six or seven day period right used to. And so these guys were so excited to hang out.

They went down like the very beginning and they just planned on spending that's right. So just want to point because it's an interesting point is like when they got to Mexico, the spring break had not entered full swing, right? So it was still pretty chill. Like, so wait, Mexico. South Padre Island is Texas. Yes. Yes.

And then it connects to Mexico. Yeah, there's a bridge to Mexico. So the idea, but South Padre Island is a. It's a Texas. It's U.S. Right, but it's a spring break destination. Yes. Right.

It's a crazy spring break. Yeah. And they started in South Padre Island. Okay. That's where they started the first part of spring break. Okay. They said, this isn't crazy enough. Let's go to Mexico.

That's not exactly right. I mean, basically, they were like, they heard that there was a lot of fun and spring break partying happening in Matamoros in Mexico. Gotcha. They were base camped in South Padre Island. Okay. And sorry, what I meant to say was spring break had not got in full swing in South Padre. So when they first got there, it was a little quieter, right?

It was a little more low key. Right. I mean, at this point, the bigger amount of people, the larger group of spring breakers, would not have arrived yet. Okay. And so when they heard that there was lots going on in Matamoros, they were like, all right, let's go check it out. Because up to that point, they'd been spending the day, you know, on the beach, they're meeting girls. They're going to get missed handline contest, all that kind of stuff. Exactly. Exactly.

So they're ready for a little change of pace. And so they planned a day trip over to Matamoros, which was going to be on March 13th, which would be the first. fourth day after they arrived. Okay. And they have a very simple plan. The plan is to have fun. And they're going to have fun visiting bars and clubs in Matamoros. And then they're going to head back that night to their hotel, the Sheraton, back in South Padre Island. And that is the plan. The Quartet had initially connected with a group of young female students from Purdue University who happened to be staying at the Sheraton across the hall from them. And the group hit it all. They partied all night.

The next day, the cycle of fun continued. More tanning, more beach action, more soaking up the rays, and more mistaking. Calling home? No. Calling home is like a one-time thing. Oh, okay. I mean, the boys even added a nap to their routine to gear up for the nighttime antics. I like that.

Yeah. That's good kids. Good kids. The alcohol in Madamortis, Mexico, was cheap and plentiful. And the drinking age there, although these young men were of drinking age, I believe at that point, was 18. Right. So that was a great reason to cross the border and get your drink on. Yeah.

You don't even need a fake ID like our daughter. Right. Right. Which she leaves out for us to find. Yeah. Actually, she asked us to pay for it. Yeah, that is true. Did she really?

Yeah. And how'd that go? She got one. Oh, God, she was going to find a way. Yeah. She was going to find a way. She was like, don't make me steal the money from you guys. So they're in Mexico?

Well, yes. With the Purdue girls? It was any and every girl. These guys, they're meeting girls everywhere. Right, right. They like go anywhere. It's like a bunch of four good-looking guys. And all right.

You guys keep stressing how good-looking they are. You are beautiful. You're very good looking at it. I love you. I don't want you to feel insecure. Yet another evening of fun and shenanigans started for the boys at the Sonic Drive-in at Port Isabel to grab some eats. Sonic Driven. This is on the way to Mexico.

Yes, that's correct. Is this the first time they're going to Mexico? So they've gone back and forth now a couple of times. Yeah. All right. Just making sure. All right. So there's a couple of nights later.

They're going back to Mexico. They stop at Sonic. And they met up with some co-eds from the University of Kansas who had the same plan in mind. And following their meal, they got into their vehicles and the girls tailing the boys to the Texas-Mexican border of Brownsville. Once they got there, they parked and made their way over the Gateway International Bridge

into the city of, say it with me, metamoras. Metamortas. Very good boys. So the group continued. the folly and festivities with some laughs and drank at a watering hole called Sergeant Pepper. It's literally a hole. It literally is.

Sergeant Pepper. A dive. A dive bar. Gotcha. The next day started the same in true groundhog day fashion. The boys got up, got ready to do it all again. The day started with another glorious day of sunning at the beach, a bevy of bikini beauties, and the daily occurrence of the Miss Tan Line Contest and more parties.

Mm-hmm. One at a condo being hosted by some of Mark's old frat brothers. Mark had pledged Lamachia Alpha when he attended Tarleton State University on a basketball scholarship. Yeah. Before transferring to a University of Texas at Austin. Mm-hmm. So he transferred from one school. Yeah.

Yeah. But he was in a fraternity and then some of the old frat brothers are having a condo party, you said? Yeah, yeah, they was having a party at there. It was either a condo party or a conga party. We're not sure. The research wasn't clear. Right. Oh.

Yeah. You just never know with these things. Or is a Congo party in a condo? Right. It's a condom party. Maybe that's what it was. In the Congo. So later that evening, March 13th, into the 14th, the boys were back in Metamores.

Okay. And now it was. an absolute madhouse. Right. Now it's later in the week. So spring break is now gone from like, to like it is in full swing. Like tens of thousands of kids.

Yes. Packed in this town. Exactly. It was estimated about 15,000 spring breakers. In that one Mustang. And also in the sonic. In the song. So it's packed.

So it's crazy. It's crazy. Right. Right. You had about 15,000 spring breakers making the rounds. at various nightclubs and bars on the main tourist strip. And the boys decided on Los Sombarros. While not your average college watering hole,

it did have the shortest line. And they decided to make that the first stop to get their drink on. Short line, red flagged. And after throwing back a few, Mark, Brad, Brent, and Bill went all in on the cray. And their next stop was a spot called the London pub, which would rebrand itself as the Hard Rock Cafe.

For spring break week. Right. They changed the name to the Hard Rock. That's so weird. But I think also at the time in the late 80s, the Hard Rock Cafe was like a big deal. Like, remember everyone had to get the T-shirts. So maybe they were thinking it would appeal to these American kids. Yeah.

More than London. Right. Both were weird. Yeah. But anyways, they went in the London pub now called the Hard Rock. Cafe for a few days. Okay. Right. And they drank and had a great time. And of course, it was drunken and rowdy and drunken chaos ensued with the boys ducking beer cans being thrown all around. Were you there? Maybe. I mean, you could have been. I could have been. I did find a

Miss Tanline award in the closet one time. Remember the T-shirt that's at the London pub, but it was crossed out and Hard Rock Cafe was written in a Sharpie? Oh, my God. That's hilarious. Hi, my name is Kim. That is hilarious. I'll be your waiter. All right, so it's crazy time at the Hard Rock Cafe.

It's crazy time. And it was starting to wind down, at least for our four college students. Because also, remember, they had to drive back to South Padre Island. Oh, yeah, they had to drive back. And I don't know what the situation was with drinking and driving, but somebody had to drive back from Mexico. back to the and and they had to navigate their way through the crowd and the flog in the flog I think the flog had lifted okay do you have any idea what time this is this like four about two a.m okay two to 30 a.m. okay so now they're headed back to Sam South Padreira Island

they're headed back well they're headed back to their car right so they're navigating the streets in this Mexican town Matamoros right right late at night heading to their car right right and And, you know, lots of people to weave in and out of. Milling about various states of drunkenness. Okay. And at one point, Mark and his friend Bill are talking. Bill says, I'll be right back. I got to go pee and he goes behind a tree to pee.

And comes back and Mark is not there. I mean, it was like he just vanished. I think they looked up. They saw him talking to someone. There were some reports that said he was talking to. a woman. Another report said he was talking to a guy. Yep. I saw both of those, but they

basically saw him there. Bill walked away for a second to pee, comes back, and Mark's gone. Mark's gone. The other two are still there. Yeah. And the other two were standing a little bit away from Mark and Bill when Bill had gone to pee. So they didn't see what happened to Mark. Okay. So the assumption was

oh, Mark must have just walked ahead to the car. Right? Right. And maybe got a ride with somebody. although it was very... Well, who had the car keys? I don't know who had the keys. I know the guy said their initial thought was that Mark probably just walked ahead to the car

and was waiting for them to drive back to South Padre Island. Right. Then when they got to the car and he wasn't there, Mark was not at the car. Yeah. They then assumed, like Kim said, like, oh, maybe he got a ride with somebody, but that also didn't seem...

That seemed very out of character for him. And there's no... It's going to reach him because, you know, cell phones. Right, exactly. No text matches. Like, I'm right here, right, by the X, Y, and Z. So it's very, and it's very out of character for him to, to just like, like, go off

like that. And so, um, so they started searching around for him. Right, just to get like the cursory, like, hey, where? Is he there? Maybe he went off to urinate. Maybe he's saying goodbye to somebody or getting a phone number, whatever.

Yeah. After a while, they don't find them. And so they actually go to, the police and they report him missing. The thing is, and this is true whether in Mexico or the United States on spring break, kids just, you know, the assumption is, oh, he's with a girl or he's found some other people to party with. The authorities were not alarmed at all. At all. They really were not remotely. And they were just more like, you know what, relax. I'm sure he's somewhere sleeping it off. He's going to wake up, not remember what happened, and he'll be back. Right. He unfortunately does not come back

and that was the first part of Slaycation's episode 19 Spring Breakdown in Mexico Hope you all enjoyed it to hear the rest of it and lots more twisted tales of murder and mayhem on vacation including Spring Break cases all March long

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