Murder In America - EP. 120 TEXAS - The Kidnapping, Torture, and Murder of 12 Year Old McKay Everett (Pt. 1)

Episode Date: August 11, 2023

Kidnappings with ransoms demanded are very rare crimes. But in 1995, Courtney’s small hometown of Conroe, Texas was forever affected when a 12 year old boy named McKay Everett was abducted and held for ransom, taken right from his home. The ransom caller demanded $500,000 and promised to call back the next morning with more instructions, but that phone call never came. And McKay’s parents would never get to see their son alive again. Paulette Everett Norman, McKay’s mom, agreed to be a guest on this episode, where she walked us through the worst week of her entire life, and how she learned that her sons kidnapper, was someone that her son loved and trusted. You're listening, to MURDER IN AMERICA. - Start your therapy journey today with BETTERHELP! Just head to https://www.betterhelp.com/MIA to get 10% off your first month!! - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash America. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life is a journey. I know this. I think we all know this. Some days feel good and other days feel absolutely overwhelming.

Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy sometimes to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is, nobody has all the answers. And no journey should be taken alone. However, having someone with you to listen, to understand, and to support you can make all the difference. I know that I have. I'm a huge therapy advocate I've advocated for therapy for years. And if you want to give therapy

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literally no downside because you don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash MIA. That's betterhelp.com. com slash m i a warning the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences we go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence rape murder and offenses against children this podcast is not for everyone you have been warned when i was a little girl i went to a school called a r turner elementary which was right outside of Conroe, Texas.

And one day, when my mom was picking me up from my second grade classroom, she pointed to the classroom next to mine and asked if I had ever heard of what happened to Miss Norman's son. I didn't have Ms. Norman as a teacher, but everyone that did had nothing but great things to say about her. And little did I know. About 10 years prior, she had faced every mother's worst nightmare. Once we got in the car, my mom told me that Ms. Norman's last name used to be Miss Everett.

And back in 1995, her 12-year-old son McKay was home alone when someone came by their house and abducted him. Later that night, the Everett's got a phone call demanding $500,000 where they would never see McKay alive again. In that moment, Paulette and Carl Everett's lives would never be the same. Their only child was in the hands of someone evil. The ransom caller also said to expect another phone call the next morning at 8 a.m., with directions on how to deliver the money. But as they anxiously sat by their phones alongside the FBI, that phone call never came.

You see, there was no exchange of money because the kidnapping plan had gone awry, and McKay Everett was already dead. His abductor had shoved him into the trunk of a car, drove 250 miles, and then murdered him, leaving McKay's body in the swamp lands of Louisiana. After my mom told me this story, I remember her telling me that there are bad people in the world, even in our little town of Conroe, Texas, which stuck with me throughout the years. This was one of the first true crime stories I had ever heard, and still to this day, day, it's one of the worst I've ever heard, because as it turns out, this crime was not committed

by a stranger. This wasn't the act of some shady criminal who happened upon the Everett's home. The person who abducted and murdered McKay was a family friend, someone that he loved and trusted. Throughout my life, I often thought about McKay. I thought about Miss Norman and how she was doing all these years later. So a couple months ago, I decided to reach out to her on Facebook. And after nearly 28 years, she said she is finally ready to tell her story. So I'm Courtney Browne. I'm Colin Brown. And I'm Paulette Everett Norman. And you're listening to Murder in America. Or she was Paulette Everett. She was Paulette McGee from McGee, Mississippi. I was born in Mississippi, McGee. I was Paulette McGee from McGee. And I'm the old

the oldest of six children. And we lived in the country most of the time and lived on a small type farm where we had a garden and an orchard, raised a few animals, had Shetland ponies and horses. Growing up, Pallette always dreamed of leaving Mississippi and creating a life for herself outside of her hometown. But first, she would go off to college to pursue an education. She initially wanted to be a nurse, but would later switch her major to teaching. It just seemed a good fit for me, and back then you were either a nurse or a teacher, if you were going to be educated.

And I was majoring in psychology, and I was like just a couple of courses, and I was an abnormal psych, and the first day, and we went in an auditorium, you know, an elevated, inclined auditorium and I kept noticing that the little professor, she was a little lady that part of her hand looked funny so after class I walked down and asked her about what happened to your finger and she said a patient bit it off and I was already going out to the state institution and I was already volunteering at a mental institution for children and but after that I thought no that's not what I need to do. So I said, where's the dean of women's office?

And I said, I've got to figure out how to change my major immediately. So Paulette decided to be an educator, and while she was earning her degree, she would meet a man named Carl Everett. Carl was three and a half years younger than me, and he was in high school, and I was in college. Carl was a football player in the nearby town of Mendenhall, Mississippi. And that summer for training, he and his friend Ricky had to run the 15 miles to the town of

McGee. So they did. But while they were there, they decided to stop by and visit the McGee's sisters, Paulette, and her younger sister, Patsy. Now that weekend, the famous soul singer Percy Sledge was performing in Jackson, so Pellette and Carl decided to go together for their very first date. I asked her if it was love at first sight, and here is what she said. I don't know if it was love at first sight or not, or if I just wanted to go hear Percy Sledge. After Carl graduated from high school, he too would go to Mississippi State to earn his degree in forestry, and in 1971, while still in school, he and Paulette would get married. By 1977, they both had master's degrees, and they were ready to take on the world.

Following graduation, Carl received a job offer at a forest plant in Huntsville, Texas. and he was glad to accept the offer. Both Carl and Paulette had always dreamed of leaving Mississippi, so in 1978 they piled all of their belongings into their vehicles. Paulette would later write in the book Deadly Betrayal, quote, The cars were stuffed to the ceiling with boxes. We were sweating, but we were happy. We were leaving to find our fortunes to begin our lives, to do something big.

We were so young and full of hope. End quote. Once all of their things were packed up, the Everett's got in their cars and headed west towards. Texas. Now Huntsville is a very country town with not a lot to do, and Houston is a very big and busy city. But in between those two cities is a town called Conroe, Texas. The Everett's decided that Conroe would be the perfect place to settle down because it was close enough to Carl's job, and they could still get a taste of the city life whenever they wanted. So they moved there. Paulette got a job as a teacher,

and for about a year Carl was working at the forestry plant in Huntsville. However, he soon figured out that it wasn't really the job for him. He started talking about his dissatisfaction with forestry with a friend of his named Jim Kendrick. Jim worked at a huge oil company out of Houston called Amico and he thought Carl had a lot of potential to succeed in the oil and gas industry. He became dissatisfied. with Forestry and our Sunday school director, Mr. Jim Kendrick, who's now deceased,

I kept mentioning to Carl, why don't you come and have lunch with me and I'll show you where I work and I'll show you how I earn my living. And Carl was a statistician as it relates to above-ground resources. And I think that's what attracted Mr. Kendrick to Carl is that he, dealt with below ground resources. And so I told Carl said, stop complaining and go see Mr. Kendrick. And within 30 days, Carl was out of forestry and into oil and gas. And not only did Carl like this job a lot more than forestry, it also paid a lot more. Soon enough, the Everettes were able to purchase their first home in the suburbs of Conroe, Texas.

Paulette also started a job at a new school called B.B. Rice Elementary, where she was a first grade teacher. Life was going really well for them, and it would only get better from here. In 1982, Paulette found out she was pregnant, which was a huge surprise. I was three months pregnant by the time I found out I was pregnant. I was, I think, frightened and anxious and we didn't think we could have children and then all of a sudden I was pregnant. And so it was just kind of a new thing. And it had always been Carl and me and dogs or a cat. And so that was going to be a new thing.

Pellette was anxious about the new journey she and Carl were about to embark on, especially since things. were first-time parents. But at the same time, they were so excited. On March 1, 1983, Pallette would go into labor, and she nearly lost her life during childbirth. The doctors told her that she wouldn't be able to have any more children, which was difficult to hear. But the good news was they had a baby who was happy and healthy, and his name was Samuel McKay Everett. But they would call him McKay. Yeah, he was born on March the 1st, 1983. We were thrilled, wasn't an easy pregnancy.

I could have no other children. And I, you know, struggled even afterwards to realize, you know, this is it. You know, there will be no other children. But, you know, we adjusted. and we were thrilled that McKay was healthy and easy baby. You know, he wasn't difficult or sickly or anything like that. So that made it easy. And he would, you know, at an early age, he would laugh and, you know, be silly, you know, even as an infant.

So we were like, well, this is a whole different way than we thought it would be. We thought we might have a colicky baby or some, you know, that was not happy. or easily frustrated, but that wasn't the case. He was very, very easy. As McKay grew up, he was the child Carl and Pellett had always dreamed of having. He learned to walk way sooner than the average child, and from there on, he was always on the moo. McKay loved to climb, ride bikes, skateboard, rollerblade, swim, you name it. He had a very adventurous soul and always kept his parents on.

their toes. McKay was, I call him the old couch hopper because he would run through the den and hop over the couch. The couch was floating in the room and he'd leap over the couch. But he was full of life and he was tenderhearted. We had a lot of pets. We would try to rehab caps for the vet and taking strays, you know, and give them home and get them all their shots.

do for him. So he loved his pets. And not only did McKay have a soft spot for animals, but he also had a heart for the less fortunate. And he was very kind to others. He had friends at school. Sometimes his friends, he would say, Mom, they don't have any friends. Now they're my friend, but nobody will sit with them. Or he had go, can I have them? an extra quarter and we go what bar and we had one case where one kid was kind of blackmailing him give me a quarter I'm going to slug you so we learned what do you need the quarter for and it was he needed the quarter because someone didn't have money for milk so he was kind and yet he would stand his ground if somebody you know messed with and he had bought the tore out of them so it was

just kind of, you know, we knew he knew how to stand up for himself, we knew he knew how to fight if he needed to, but we also knew he was very kind and loving. And what more could you ask for from a child? Someone that is kind and treats others with respect, but also knows how to stand their ground. McKay had a good head on his shoulders, and his parents were very proud of the person he was. Now, by this point, Carl was moving up in the oil and gas industry, and by the end of the 1980s, he'd even started his own company. The business was doing so well that Paulette left teaching to help manage the office, and things were really looking up for the Everett's. They had good jobs, money, and Paul had even started some passion projects, where she would renovate homes in the area. But in 1990, they wanted a house of their own, so they started building one in a quiet wooded area in Northwest Conroe.

And although she no longer lives there, me and Colin drove by to look at the house after we interviewed Paulette, and it is absolutely beautiful. It's this two-story 6,500 square foot mansion in the woods. To get there, you have to drive through these small little roads surrounded by tall, thick trees, but then you see it. 5,4.38 Pine Springs Court. The large brick house sits on the small brick house. three acres of land and behind the home is this forest of pine and oak trees. It looks like something out of a magazine and the landscaping is breathtaking. When building it, Paulette and McKay planted hundreds of azalea bushes, and there were these beautiful mimosa trees covering

the front lawn. Paulette loved to garden and so did McKay. It was something they bonded over in the springtime. She would later write in the book Deadly Betrayal, quote, He just loved the spring. When the flowers and bushes bloomed, he loved mimosa trees, and he would stick his nose in the blooms and come away with pollen on his face. Every time I see a mimosa tree now, I can still smell the beautiful blooms. I can see McKay running around in the front yard. End quote. The Everett's were really proud of the home they built, the home where McKay would grow up. Pallette wrote again in deadly betrayal, quote,

God, I love that home. Carl and I, we worked so hard to make it. To get to a place where you could really focus on building something to sink down roots. We wanted a house and a home. We wanted to give McKay a place to play in and grow up in, end quote. Their house was also the perfect location for an adventurous little boy like McKay. He would often spend his time running around in the front yard or venturing off into the woods, letting his imagination roam free.

That was McKay, and he did not like shoes, so I would buy, you know, just cheap white socks. And I would look out, we had lots of windows in that house, and I would see just white feet. That's how he played out there in white socks. But even though their home seemed like it was secluded in the middle of nowhere, they did have neighbors who really looked out for one another. The neighborhood kids would often play in the woods, building forts and little bridges over the small creeks. They would ride their bikes up and down the paved roads

and spend holidays together playing games organized by the parents in the neighborhood. Pellette and Carl really felt a sense of community. It was on acreage, but we had neighbors all on the two streets that were in the little neighborhood. And it was a lot of children. And we would have like get-togethers, neighborhood get-togethers and all the kids that show up and all the parents and everybody bring food.

So, yeah, it was a very fun, loving. group of people. Now, in 1993, Carl began expanding his horizons, and he was working with Amway, which is a multi-level marketing company. He was still working in the oil and gas industry, but this was a way for him to make some extra money on the side. However, this extra job came with extra responsibilities, and Carl spent a lot of his time working, so the weekends were usually dedicated to family time and traveling.

Well, Carl and I would take the cow trips. He loved going to New York. We took him to Carnegie Hall at Christmas and New Year's to see the Messiah because he liked music and he liked classical music. Carl would take him just the two of them on trips. During the week, McCabe was at school normally, and Carl was out of town working. And I kept the home front going and took care of McKay

and then did whatever extra I needed to do in the oil and gas industry for Carl. And it was, so we did a lot of out-of-town things, like Carl took McKay, to like a dune ranch and to space camp and things like that, that were fun for him. And then they go fishing. And then we had a boat out at Bentwater, and so we would be out there a lot. So McKay was a very well-rounded kid. He got to see the world and spent a lot of weekends adventuring with his family. The Everett's had a great life together.

Now, in 1995, McKay was 12 years old, and like most kids that age, he didn't want to be all lovey and gushy towards his parents. So his way of saying, I love you, to his mom and dad, was saying, How about them lions? I think he had watched a program where that was part of the script on the TV program, And it just stuck and it worked well because he was getting to the age that he didn't want us kissing him when we took him to school and let him out of the car. He was like, no, we're not doing that anymore. He'd do it at home, but, you know, so he would say, I'm going to say that.

And so that's what we have at the cemetery. In September of 1995, McKay had just started the seventh grade at Pete Jr. High in Conroe, Texas. And he had signed up for football that year. His very first game was on September 11, 1995. That morning, Carl snapped a picture of him standing in front of their home with a big grin on his face. Unbeknownst to everyone, this would be the very last picture of McKay Everett. But that day went on as usual. McKay went to school.

Both Carl and Pellette went off to work. And later that night, he ran around the football field with his team. teammates. It was a pretty uneventful game, but Carl and Pellet couldn't have been more proud of their son. Paulette would later write in deadly betrayal, quote, I'll never forget that week. It started out normal. I remember so well watching him out on the football field. I was so proud of McKay. He was just finding his wings. The whole world was open to him. End quote. McKay Everett had the world at his fingertips. He was playing football that year, making new friends, and even gained a little bit more independence.

As a 12-year-old, McKay didn't want to have a babysitter anymore. And 12 is usually the age where kids start staying home by themselves. And although Paulette knew he was ready for that, she still did have some reservations. I think we all have reservations when you're trying to make that transition between being dependent and a little more independent. and looking out for themselves and asking them to make adult decisions. But you don't know if there's going to be an adult decision they're going to have to make when you leave them. And that's kind of a wrestling point for parents. I would tell parents now, predators know that that is the age when we are trying to teach our children how to be more independent.

And they take advantage of that. And although they still had their fears, as they let go of the reins a little bit, Paulette and Carl still had many things in place to ensure that there was extra protection for their son. For instance, they had a very good security system at their house, and a secret room in case of an emergency. We had a secret room where all of us could be, if it ain't be. We had our utilities set away from the house, the panels that we needed to, so the utilities couldn't be cut.

And so we had made, we knew that we were at risk and the fact that how we lived and our lifestyle could cause someone to take from us. We, of course, assumed that they would try to just rob, you know. We thought that if anyone would be a threat, they would want our finances. Never do we assume that someone would try to take Medicaid. Which brings us to Tuesday, September 12, 1995. It was a school day, so McKay had to be up early. That morning, like most mornings, Paulette made him his favorite breakfast, which was grits. And to get him out of bed, she would go to his room and spit a grit at him,

something that they would always do as a little family joke. On September 12, 1995, it was the typical day. It was a school day. We're from the south, so we had grits. And I don't believe in yelling at children to wake them up. and so I would just spit a grit at him. He'd spit a grit at me. So we would laugh and that was why we woke up.

We weren't yelling, screaming, household. I just don't think that's good for kids. And Carl took him K to school, dropped him off. He did tell me later, he said, it was almost as if I knew in my heart that that was the last goodbye. Carl didn't know why he felt that way. Call it a parent's intuition. But before McKay stepped out of the car, he looked at his dad and said,

How about them lions? Their way of saying, I love you. Then he shut the door and walked into school. That would be the last time Carl would ever see his son alive. Hours later, when the school day ended, Pallette decided to take McKay to get some yogurt in town. Then they came back home and she helped him with his homework, which was to write a paper on how he would spend a million dollars.

Pellet sat at the computer typing away as McKay blurted out each thing he would buy, and he was getting creative with it. They were laughing and having fun. And after they were finished, Pallette looked at her son and said, See, homework can be fun on occasion. Now, following this, Paulette had to get ready. She and Carl had an Amway meeting that night at 8 p.m. And McKay assured them that he didn't need a babysitter.

He was 12 years old, and he could handle being at home by himself. So they weren't worried. After all, McKay knew how to work their security system better than they did. And he knew to never open the door to a stranger. In fact, there was one. incident where an alarm had accidentally gone off when McKay was home by himself, and a sheriff's deputy was sent to their house to investigate. But when the sheriff knocked on the door, McKay wouldn't even open it for him because he didn't know that man, and he was always told

never to open the door for a stranger, even if that person was in uniform. So as you can see, McKay was very responsible, and Paulette and Carl felt comfortable leaving him at home alone. Now, Carl ended up leaving for the meeting a little earlier that night, and Paulette was going to ride there with their neighbor, Randy. So shortly before 8 p.m., Paulette gathered her things and left McKay with a flashlight. The weather was rainy, and so we left a flashlight on the counter from McKay, just in case the utilities went off. And from here, she said goodbye to McKay and told him to lock the door and turn the alarm on. So he did.

Pallette then walked outside to where her neighbor Randy was waiting in the car. But before leaving, Pallette turned around one last time. And through the French glass door, she saw McKay smiling with his feet propped up on the Ottoman. He was eating ice cream and watching TV. Pellette didn't know it at the time, but this would be the very last time she would ever see McKay alive. And now we're going to take our ad break. This show is sponsored by Better Help.

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Over the next few hours, the Amway meeting took place in downtown Conroe. It was only about 10 minutes away from the Everett's house, and by now it was pouring down rain. So Carl made sure to call home and check on McKay to make sure they still had power and that he was doing okay at home by himself. And then Carl would call home about every 30 minutes to check on McKay and go, how's it going, you know, and McKay would answer the phone and say, quote, calling me. I'm fine. Now, the Amway meeting ended at 10 p.m., but afterwards, everyone went to a restaurant in town for some coffee. On the way to the restaurant, Carl pulled out his mobile phone and

called home. He was going to tell McKay that they were just going to grab some coffee and then they would make their way back soon. But the phone rang and rang with no answer, which was strange, but he wasn't panicking just yet. From here, everyone gets to the restaurant and orders their coffee. But Carl feels a little unsettled. Why didn't McKay pick up? So he excuses himself from the table and walks over to the restaurant's pay phone. But again, when he calls home, there's no answer. And Carl knows deep down that something isn't right.

McKay always answers the phone. And it's not like he would be outside playing or anything. It's 10 o'clock on a school night, and it's raining out. Now, Carl doesn't want to freak anyone out just yet. So he goes back to the table and tells every, that he's going to go home and check on McKay. And then he leaves. And Pallette had no idea that anything was wrong.

She assumed that Carl was just ready for the evening to end and wanted to go back home. And Carl went on home, and I didn't know why. He just said, I'm going to go check on McKay. And I did not know that McKay had failed to answer the phone. On the 10-minute drive back to their house, Carl tries the house phone again with no answer, and now he's really worried. But then he pulls up to the house and his heart sinks.

Their door was open about six to eight inches. And interestingly enough, the alarm wasn't going off, which meant McKay had to have disarmed it himself. Now from here, Carl starts frantically running through the home, screaming McKay's name, but he's met with silence. And soon enough, that silence would be interrupted by their phone ringing. At first, Carl thought that it might be McKay calling, but when he answered, it was a woman. The phone rang and when he answered the phone, it was the ransom to man call or it was female

with a raspy voice, says all they knew. The ransom call went something like this. Money involved, and if you want to see him alive, it's going to cost you $500,000. And it's going to be bundled in $10,000 bundles of $100 bills. We will call you tomorrow at 8 a.m. with instructions on how to deliver the money. If you call the police, you'll never see your son alive again. At first, Carl thought that this had to be some sick prank. He even ran outside screaming McKay.

name just in case he was nearby, but soon enough the reality of the situation started settling in. Someone had kidnapped his son for ransom. Now as you may know, ransoms are incredibly rare, so the fact that this was happening in my small hometown back in 1995 is shocking to say the least. And although they are rare, it's important to know that you always call the police. They have way more resources than you do by yourself, so always call them no matter what the person demands. And that's exactly what Carl did. There was so long a million lives that they're kidnapped my son.

Okay. And they're demanding $500,000. They're going to call me in the morning at 8 o'clock if I want to see them alive and well again. While Carl is waiting for the police, one of their neighbors, named Bill Kahn, had come outside after, hearing some commotion next door. Carl filled him in on everything and asked if he would call the restaurant where Paulette was. So Bill called and asked to speak with Randy, the one who would be taking Paul at home that night. Then Bill tells Randy that McKay is missing and that he needed to drive

Paula at home immediately. What happened with you when you first found out McKay was missing? I was devastated when they called friends and said we need to go home. He gets me in the the car, we're on 105 and turning them along, Myers when he tells me that McKay is missing. I crumble into the floorboard and start screaming and screamed and screamed and screamed. Before Paulette made it home, two Montgomery County police officers were sent to the Everett's home, and they couldn't even believe what they were hearing. A kidnapping for ransom in Conroe, Texas, this was absolutely unheard of, but they knew they needed to take action immediately if McKay was ever going to make it home alive.

So they called for every available resource they could find. And soon enough, the Everett's beautiful home in the woods was a crime scene. Their safe neighborhood was now lit up with blue and red lights. And within minutes, their sense of safety was stripped from them. From here, dozens of law enforcement officers worked tirelessly, doing everything in their power to help find McKay and to find the person who took him. Crime scene technicians walked through every inch of the Everett's home, taking photographs dusting for prints. They looked for tire impressions.

And it was around that time when Paulette pulled up to her house. And when I get to the house, there's, um, Carla had already called the law enforcement everything. There was, um, fingerprint dust everywhere. There was a yellow crime tape. law enforcement everywhere, flashing lights, you know, because it was night. People were everywhere, and it was just a mass of people. Now, the small town of Conroe definitely did not have the resources to deal with the kidnapping, so the FBI was called in.

And with that, there was some hope that maybe they could help bring McKay back home. The FBI was called in because there was a ransom demand because of the Lindbergh law, and they tapped all the phones because they thought we would get a call. As the FBI set up a shop at the Everett's home, Pallette felt like her entire world was crashing down. She could barely even move or speak. It was as if she was going in slow motion, while everything around her was moving so quickly.

And as the hours passed, everyone waited anxiously for that phone ring. The money was ready. The phones were tapped, but soon enough, 8 a.m. came and went, and there was no phone call. We never got a call. We had the money ready, but we never got a call. Once it became clear that the kidnapper was not going to place another call to the Everett's, the FBI put all of their focus into the evidence. One thing they knew for sure was that there was no forced entry.

In addition, their alarm system had been turned off likely by McKay himself, which led them to one horrifying conclusion. This was not the act of a stranger. Whoever took McKay was someone that he trusted. Both Paulette and Carl were adamant that McKay would have never opened the door for someone he didn't know. And again, we know this because he wouldn't even open the door for that police officer. the year prior. So at this point, the FBI sat Carl and Pellett down, gave them a piece of paper, and asked them to make three lists. The first list was for people that McKay loved and trusted. The second was people he would have opened the door for. And the third was for people who knew

their family's schedule. Over the next few minutes, Pellette and Carl scribbled down the names of everyone they could think of that fell under those categories. And it was a very surreal moment for both of them. Paulette would later tell the show Evil Lies Here, quote, I'm supposed to list the people I know, not possible strangers or barely acquaintances who would have come to my door. They want to know about the people I know that could have McKay. It's chilling.

I was horrified to think that someone we knew, that McKay knew and loved, would have the gall to take him. end quote. We created those lists, and we didn't assess them or process anything in our mind as we created them. We just created the list. Well, then the FBI did the process of elimination.

They told us, they said there's one name on all three, Hilton Crawford. Hilton Crawford, the man who changed Paulette's life forever, the family friend and former police officer who came by their home and kidnapped their only child for ransom. As the Everetts were learning that Hilton Crawford was responsible for McKay's disappearance, they were shocked. This was the ultimate betrayal. Not only had Hilton known the family for years, but they had taken trips together. Paulette taught elementary school with his wife, and McKay even called him Uncle Hilty. So who was Hilton Crawford, and what led him to commit the unthinkable?

Well, let's take a look into his background and everything that led up to September 12, 1995. Hilton Crawford was born on March 14, 1939, and was raised in Beaumont, Texas. In high school, he met a woman named Connie Parigi, who he would go on to marry. But after high school, in the late 1950s, Hilton spent some time in the Marines. and after being discharged, he decided to join the Beaumont Police Department. He would serve as an officer there for five years, but then in 1966, he accepted the job of sheriff's deputy for Jefferson County. In total, Hilton Crawford worked as a law enforcement officer for over 15 years, which is

a disturbing thought. But in 1975, he ran for sheriff and lost. So following that, he and his wife Connie moved to Conroe, Texas, where Hilton decided to leave the police force and start working in the police. private security business. While he was doing that, his wife got a job at BB Rice Elementary in Conroe, Texas. And her classroom happened to be right across the hall from Paulette's first grade class. And that's how the Everett's crossed paths with the Crawfords. Paulette and Connie worked together. Of course, she never in her wildest dreams would have ever believed that her co-worker's husband

would one day kidnap and murder her only child. On the outside, the Crawfords looked like a great family. Connie was a school teacher, Hilton worked in security, but he was also a family man. He and Connie had two sons, Kevin and Chris. And growing up, Hilton coached for their Little League baseball teams. All the kids loved him. He was the kind of guy that was always seen smiling and cracking jokes with the people around him. Hilton was also involved in YMCA and the Make a Wish Foundation for children with critical illness. He seemed like a great guy. It also seemed like the Crawford's had a lot of money. Hilton always wore fancy clothing, expensive, and expensive, of jewelry, drove nice cars, which was odd because he and Connie didn't have the highest paying

jobs. They also loved to host parties at their home in the upscale neighborhood in Conroe. They had a two-story house with expensive furniture, nice landscaping, and a large pool outback. It was obvious to many people that the Crawfords really cared about their outward appearance. Hilton and Connie also took many vacations, but their favorite places to go were Las Vegas and Atlantic City, two of the biggest gambling destinations in the United States. You see, Hilton had a gambling problem, and that was no secret to the people that knew him. He would usually go to Vegas two or three times a year, and he had connections that would give him free hotel rooms for him and his guests. One summer, while Carl and Paulette were having dinner with the Crawfords, he invited them on one of his Vegas trips.

He told them that all they had to pay for was their plane ticket. Pollett respectfully declined, but Carl decided to take him up on that offer. And while there, he noticed that Hilton was a high roller. He was also known to brag about all of the money he made on these trips. In fact, one evening when the Everetts were over at their house, Hilton excused himself from the table and came back with a large shoebox. Before opening it, he told them, quote, I'm about to show you the most money you've ever seen at once.

He then proceeded to show them thousands of dollars in cash in the shoebox. Now, following this, Carl would end up going on a few more trips with Hilton to Vegas, in Atlantic City. But after one of these trips, he told Pellett that Hilton's gambling habits were getting a little out of hand. And from here, she knew that Carl wouldn't be going on any more trips with Hilton Crawford. Carl had gone on a couple of trips to Vegas and one to New Jersey. I was teaching school, and I became very uncomfortable. And I told Carl, I said, I don't think this is how we want to live our life. And I said, I'll handle it.

And so I told Crawford's wife, I said, please tell your husband not to call Carl anymore and invite him on any of these trips. This isn't how we want to live. And I said, I don't think that we want to be involved with any of that activity. and so that ended that. That was his last trip. Now, it's around this time when McKay was born. Most of the Everett's family were still back in Mississippi, so their friends were really important to them.

After McKay's birth, Carl and Pellet introduced their new son to the Crawfords. Hilton even held baby McKay in his arms. Throughout the years, the two families stayed in contact. For Halloween, McKay would stop by the Crawford's home, and he could always count on Hilton to stuff his bag full of candy. On Christmases, the Crawfords would buy McKay presents. And even though there was a bit of an age difference, McKay really loved the Crawford's two sons, Kevin and Chris. Back in the early 90s, when everyone was starting to get computers, McKay would go by their home and the boys would teach him how to use one. They would also play video games together and swim in the Crawford's pool.

McKay really loved their family, so much so he even called them Uncle Hilty and Aunt Connie. Now, in 1985, Carl and Hilton would venture into some business opportunities together. Like we mentioned, Carl was in the oil and gas business, and that year, he sold Hilton some interest in an oil well. But unfortunately, it ended up being a dry well, so they both lost their investments. Not long afterwards, Hilton reached out to Carl and asked if he wanted to be his business partner for this restaurant in town. Hilton said that in order for them to follow through with everything, he would need to see the Everett's financial statements. So Carl sent them over, but soon after he informed Hilton that he wasn't interested in being his partner anymore. Carl already had a lot on his plate, so he changed his mind, which was a good decision, because the restaurant eventually went under.

It was such a bad business decision that Hilton had to file for bankruptcy afterwards. So at this point in time, Hilton Crawford was not only recovering from his 1987 bankruptcy, but he was also in a lot of gambling debt, and it wasn't just from the casinos in Vegas and Atlantic City. He also loved to bet in horse races. It was known that there was some illegal activity going on at these races, and Hilton Crawford owed a lot of money to a lot of people. In fact, according to the book Deadly Betrayal by 1995, he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to bookies and horse trainers in the Houston area, and they were all pressing him to get their money.

There was one man named Joe Duhon who trained horses in Shreveport, Louisiana. Joe and Hilton had known each other for 20 years, and Hilton even hired him to train one of his horses for an upcoming race, which isn't cheap. After the race, Hilton owed him about $4,500, but he couldn't pay it. Joe kept calling Hilton asking for payment, and Hilton would tell him, I'm going to get you your money, and if I can't, I'll kill myself or someone else. And to make matters worse, in May of 1995, just months before McKay's kidnapping,

Hilton would file for bankruptcy again. He was in a rut, and through these hard times, something kept popping up in his mind. The Everett's bank statements. Although Carl sent them a few years back for that business deal, Hilton knew exactly how much money the Everett's had, and as the old saying goes, money is the root of all evil, faced with his second bankruptcy in less than 10 years, In addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling debt, Hilton Crawford started

coming up with a plan. In August of 1995, about a month before the kidnapping, Hilton approached a security guard at his business, and he asked him, how long would it take for a body to put off an odor inside of the trunk of a car? Now, the security guard had previously worked in the funeral business, so he told Crawford that it depended on the weather. If it's a hot day and a body is in the trunk, it'll probably start to be a little. to smell within three to four days.

Now, apparently, this employee had no idea what Hilton was planning, so he never told authorities about this morbid question. Soon after this, in August of 1995, Pellette and Carl said that Hilton had called them a number of times, wanting to spend quality time with McKay. One day, he asked if he could pick him up from school and take him to get some yogurt in town. Another day, he asked if McKay wanted to go with him to get some. some pizza, then another time he tried to take McKay to the park.

And although he never actually did any of these things with McKay, Colette and Carl just thought he was being friendly, when in reality, he was trying to gain McKay's trust. He wanted to pick him up from their house, pick him up from school, doing everything he could so when that day came, McKay wouldn't think twice about getting in his car. Paulette would later write in deadly betrayal, quote,

I've lost a lot of sleep overthinking about signs. If I had seen the signs, maybe I could have prevented the whole thing. This part just kills me, you know. Maybe there was something I should have seen or taken action on. Hilton created an incredibly stupid crime, but he was no dummy. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing. He planned it. On the outside, he was a stupid crime.

nice to McKay, but on the inside he was planning to kidnap my son." End quote. Now Carl and Pellett didn't let Hilton spend one-on-one time with McKay, so Hilton used another tactic to gain his trust. About three weeks before the kidnapping, Hilton invited Carl and McKay over to his house. As we know, McKay was signed up to play football that year, so Hilton invited them over and they spent the evening tossing the football in Hilton's driveway. He was giving the impression that he was McKay's good Uncle Hilty, who just wanted to help him with his throwing skills. When the evening ended, McKay ran over to Hilton,

gave him a hug, and then kissed him on the forehead, having no idea that in just a few weeks, his uncle Hilty would kidnap and murder him. About a week later, Hilton reached out to his friend at the horse track named Jay Haren, and he asked him if he would be willing to babysit a kid for a few days, for $80,000. And he told them that it is a kidnapping scheme, but the kid wouldn't be harmed and he would be returned back to his parents a few days later. But Hilton's friend declined the offer.

And I think this alone goes to show the type of shady people that were at these horse tracks. The fact that Hilton even felt comfortable enough making him this offer is concerning in and of itself. but the fact that the man didn't tell authorities is even more concerning. It's clear that Hilton Crawford ran with a bad group of people. And he was fully expecting this Kidnap for Ransom Plan to work out. In fact, it was around this time when he and his wife went to look for homes in a very expensive neighborhood in Montgomery County called Bentwater. Now, keep in mind, they were going through bankruptcy at the time.

but they met with the realtor and were looking at houses that were around $300,000. And he and his wife told the realtor that they were about to come in to a lot of money. Of course, the realtor had no idea that it was ransom money. But soon enough, the kidnapping for ransom plan was in full effect. Now, Hilton knew if he was going to kidnap McKay, he would have to go by the home when Carl and Pellet weren't there. And then he remembered the Amway meeting, scheduled for September 12, 1995. He too was a part of Amway, so he knew that Carl and Pellet were supposed to attend the meeting.

But he decided to call in check just to make sure. So on September 3rd, nine days before the meeting, Hilton called the Everett's to see if they would be there. And they told him they would. Then on September 12th, the day of the Amway meeting, Hilton calls the Everett's again. Here is Paulette describing those phone calls. Just wanting to know if I was going to be home or was I going to the meeting or anything. And it never clicked in my head that he was checking it out. Just go open out the situation.

Is this a good night? Is this not a good night? to act in this manner. Here was Pallette thinking that their family friend was just checking in on them. She never could have imagined the true intention behind those phone calls. Now, a very important part of the ransom

was the ransom call. Clearly, Hilden couldn't call himself because the Everett's would recognize his voice. So he reached out to a former employee of his at his security business. Her name was Irene Flores. She was 55 years old. and she had known about Hilton for about 10 years.

She had also spent some time in jail, so Hilton figured she would agree to do the job. At the time of our story, she was working at the Harris County Park and Recreation Department. When one day in early September, she got a call from Hilton Crawford. He offered her $30,000, and all she had to do was make that phone call,

and she agreed to do it. Once the ransom call was set up, everything was in place, and on the morning of September 12, 1995, everyone in Conroe, Texas, woke up thinking it was an average day. Pellette and McKay got yogurt after school. She helped him with his homework. At 5 p.m. she talked to Hilton, confirming that she and Carl would be at the Amway meeting.

And then at around 8 p.m., she left for the meeting with her neighbor Randy. Phone records would later show that Hilton called Irene Flores that night at around 7.15. p.m. likely to make sure everything was still going to plan. And once he got that confirmation, he drove his gold 1994 Chrysler to the Everett's house at about 8.25 p.m. Inside, McKay was on the phone with a girl from school named Elizabeth Schaefer. Believe it or not, Elizabeth actually lived next door to the Crawfords. And at one point, Hilton came up to her and told her that McKay would be a good catch because his family is rich, which is Erie. But McKay and Elizabeth talked on the phone nearly every day. And on this night, Elizabeth said that McKay called her

shortly before 8.30 p.m. But their conversation was brief. Because soon after she answered, McKay heard a knock at the back door. He told her to quote, Hold on, wait one second. Elizabeth then heard him set the phone down and open a door. Now something to note here is that all friends and family close to the Everett's knew to always use the back door to get into the home. The front door was barely ever used,

so that's why Hilton was at the back door. But McKay hears the knock and he goes to him. check who it is. And standing there at the back door is his uncle Hilty. Now what exactly happens here is a little unclear, but the FBI would later say that Hilton likely told McKay, your parents were in a car crash. They're hurt and I need to get you to them. The FBI told us they think that because McKay knew, Crawford, and that Crawford, and that Crawford more than likely said, your parents have been hurt, I will get you to them.

Well, they use, and this was reinforced to me not only by the FBI, but the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they will create overwhelming emotion and fear and trepidation, and then when you live with that or you're presented with that, your cognitive thinking shuts down, And you go with just an impulse reaction, emotional response, which is not always a wise response. So here was this family friend, a man that McKay trusted, telling him that his parents were hurt and that he needed to leave. Of course, anyone in that situation would believe him.

Yes. I would have done the same thing. Any of us would. I even had to wrestle with that after McKay's death. If I had been home with McKay and he had said, Carl has heard to come with me, I would have done the same thing. So from here, McKay disarms the security system, runs out of the house, leaving the back door ajar,

and he gets into Hilton's Gold Chrysler. Now, one thing Hilton didn't count on was that the Everett's neighbor was actually taking the trash out that evening when he watched a gold Chrysler nearly back into his trash can, he had sitting out on the street. He wasn't able to see inside of the car because it was dark, but he did see an emblem on the trunk that read Crown Motors. And from here, the gold Chrysler speeds down the street off into the dark night.

According to McKay's friend Elizabeth Schaefer, she didn't hear anything after McKay opened the door because she actually had another phone call coming in, so she answered it. And by the time she clicked back over, McKay wasn't there, so she just hung up. Unbeknownst to her, the neighbor, or McKay for that matter, he had just been kidnapped by Hilton Crawford. The first few minutes of that car ride, I'm sure McKay was worried sick about his mom and dad. But that worry would soon turn into fear and anger.

At 8.37 p.m., just minutes into the drive, Hilton places a call to Irene Flores. The call would last two minutes and 29 seconds. He likely told her that he had McKay, and from here she should drive to the payphone and follow through with the ransom call. It's possible he even used code words to communicate with Irene, but McKay was a smart kid,

and he knew right then that something wasn't right. So, he starts asking questions, demanding to know what's going on with his parents. It's believed that Hilton became flustered and pulled off to the side of the road. He then looked around to make sure there were no witnesses, and when the coast was clear, he pulled McKay out of the car and hit him with something on the left side of his head. The blow to McKay's head was so brutal,

it broke several bones in his face, and it likely knocked him out. But from here, Hilton threw him into the trunk and took off down the road once more. Now, while all of this was happening, Irene Flores had a friend drop her off at a payphone in town. Once there, she called to Everett's house phone about 30 to 50 times. Hilton instructed her to keep calling until someone answered. And at around 11 p.m., Carl finally picked up. Irene told him that they had McKay, and if they ever wanted to see him alive, he would have to pay $500,000.

She also told him that they would call him again tomorrow at 8 a.m. Once she was finished with the ransom call, she called Hilton to let him know that it was done. Then Irene went home and went to bed, while Hilton Crawford made his way to Louisiana, with McKay in the trunk of his car. Soon enough, the investigation at the Everett's is underway, and the FBI had a list of suspects before they started zeroing in on Hilton Crawford. They looked into a family friend of theirs from church who had a key to their. house. And they even looked into Carl and Pellet, who were quickly cleared. Carl was actually given a polygraph at his house that night, which he passed. Now, something interesting to note is that Carl actually called the Crawford's house phone that night at around 1140. With Hilton's background

as a police officer, he thought he could help them find McKay. But Hilton didn't answer the phone. As we know, he was already on his way to Louisiana, but his wife Connie did answer the phone. Carl quickly explained the situation to her, and he asked if he could speak to Hilton, but she said Hilton wasn't home. So Carl asks, well, where is he? She says she doesn't know.

So Carl asks if he could have Hilton's phone number, but weirdly enough, she couldn't remember it. Now, it's around this time as the Everidge Street fills with law enforcement officers, the neighbor across the street would tell investigators about the Gold Chrysler seen backing out of the Everett's driveway earlier that evening, which was a huge lead in their investigation. As it turns out, the Everett did know someone with a Gold Chrysler, Hilton Crawford. So then the FBI had Carl and Pellett make those lists.

And again, the only name on all three was Hilton Crawford. He was now their main suspect. That night, as everything was unfolding, Paulette and Carl were distraught. Carl was pacing around the home, saying, I failed, I didn't protect my son, I needed to get him home. And Paulette could barely even move or speak. And I was so livid that anyone would have the gall to come to my back door. and abduct my child, I was just livid. You have no idea.

I mean, if I could have gotten my hands on, whoever it was, I would have saved a whole lot of court costs and incarceration costs and everything. She would later write in deadly betrayal, quote, I cannot say which was destroyed first, my mind, my body, or my spirit, but September 12th destroyed all three. The impact was sudden and it came out of nowhere. On that day, I felt like I had been run over by an 18-wheeler, end quote. And she had a million questions running through her mind.

Is McKay hungry? Is he allowed to go to the bathroom? Is he suffering? The devastation she faced knowing that her only child was gone didn't just have an emotional effect on her, but a physical one as well. It was as if her body was shutting down. So at some point, she decided to lie down on the couch.

And then at about 2 a.m., she experienced something unexplainable. the morning after McKay was taken, it was about 2 a.m. And nobody was asleep at our house. And I was laying on the living room couch, and I didn't know what was happening. I was 45 years old. I call myself young and dumb, you know. I didn't know why my arm was pulling like it was palsied. I didn't know why my leg was dragging some.

My eyesight was wacky. My speech slow. and he got slower and slower and deeper and deeper. And I didn't know what that was, but about 2 a.m. and the pastor and his wife were there. And I was laying on the sofa in the living room, and all of a sudden I had such a jerk reaction,

involuntary. It nearly flipped me over. I was laying on my back and nearly flipped me over and flipped me onto the floor, and several people caught me. And I am convinced that was when McKay died. I asked her if she thought it was a mother's intuition, and she said this. You know, we're told that.

We're parents and grandmas tell us all that kind of stuff, and you really don't quite get it. I got it at that moment. There is a definite connection between a mother and her children. I think we have a physical side, then I think we have a spiritual side. And I think that's part of our spiritual connection. That's a special thing.

It's been quite a thing to live with. I'm glad God made us the way he did to feel those connections and to feel the love and the support. But you just don't ever think life is going to get so surreal and so out of control. that you can't keep your children safe, but it can. And it's devastating when you cannot keep a little one safe. That is just earth-shaking.

And to keep them safe from someone they thought they could trust, why would you protect Trey Child's trust? Now, like we mentioned, the ransom caller was supposed to call again at 8 a.m. that morning, but the call never came, which wasn't a good sign. If the whole point of kidnapping McKay was to get money, then why wouldn't they call? So, I think things went awry, and then he started trying to cover up his, that's why we didn't get the phone call. McKay was dead. There was no way to swap anything. So all of his, what he thought was a master plan, and he was being so smart, he was being an idiot.

By the following day, September 14th, the FBI finally went public with the details of the case. They hadn't by this point because they still had hoped that McKay was alive. But when Hilton Crawford returned to Conroe, Texas, without McKay, they knew that it wasn't looking good. Now, they did get a warrant for Hilton's Gold Chrysler. The FBI would end up finding it at the elementary school where Connie Crawford worked. And when they looked at it, it was spotless. It had obviously been cleaned recently, and the tire. were brand new, all four of them.

Which is interesting because usually when someone replaces their tires, they'll replace one or two at a time, not all four. But even more suspicious was that the Crown Motors emblem on the back had recently been scraped off. Investigators would later say that you could actually still see the scrape marks. But from here, they went to look in the trunk, and what do you know, when they opened it up, there was no lining. It had been completely removed.

It was clear that Hilton worked hard to try to remove any evidence. But investigators were sure they'd be able to find something, so they impounded the Chrysler for further testing. In the meantime, the FBI spoke with Hilton about his whereabouts on the night of September 12th, and he told them that at 8 p.m., around the time McKay went missing, he was in Lufkin, Texas for work, which is a two-hour drive north of Conroe. Then he said at 9.30 he left Lufkin and drove to Jasper, Texas. He said he stayed there for a couple of hours, and then at 11.30, he drove to Beaumont, Texas,

and said that he got there at 1 a.m. and checked into a Best Western. Now, why someone in security would need to be driving to all these cities in Texas in the middle of the night is beyond me. And the FBI was thinking the same thing. It just didn't make any sense. So they asked Hilton to take a polygraph, but he refused because he said he had. had, quote, high blood pressure. But that's okay, because investigators were right around the corner from their biggest

lead yet, and it all came from Hilton's phone records. When the FBI got a hold of them, they saw that on the night of McKay's disappearance, he called one number six different times, and that was the number of Irene Flores. So they immediately bring her in for an interview, and after a few hours she admits to making the ransom call. She also confirms that Hilton Crawford was indeed the person who hired her to do it. So they place Irene Flores under arrest for her part in the crime, and now they finally have enough to arrest Hilton as well.

In the early morning hours of September 15, 1995, police surrounded the Crawford home in their upscale neighborhood, and placed the 56-year-old former cop under arrest for the aggravated kidnapping of McKay Everett. Soon enough, my small hometown of Conroe, Texas, was making national news. Everyone was shocked that not only was this monster a former cop, but he was also a family friend of the Everett's, someone they thought they could trust. And everyone following this story had one.

One question. Where is McKay? Even with Hilton's arrest, he wasn't giving anyone that information. So guards at the jail set Hilton up with the TV. And through the media, Carl Everett pleaded with him to bring his son home. He even held a football that Hilton had gifted McKay. Here is part of Carl's plea. I just want you to search down real deep in your heart.

Whatever did happen, I hope your heart. I hope your heart will just soft and understand that all we really want is for McKay to be back home and safe. In my heart, I know that you would never harm my son. You loved him like your own son. You gave him this ball. He called you Uncle Hilty, and he loved you dearly. Three weeks ago, we were at your home, playing with this ball. And when we got ready to leave, I said, go give Uncle Hilty a hug.

And McKay came over and hugged and kissed you on your forehead. Carl went on to say this. He's just a young guy. He's our only child. But Hilton still wouldn't say where McKay was located. So Paulette had to take matters into her own hands. Even with Crawford's arrest, you still didn't have McKay. We didn't have McKay.

And the clock kept ticking. And on Saturday, Carl came to me and he said, I need you to go to Crawford's wife, and she's with her sister. So I told him, I said, I can't drive because, You know, my arm was pulling, my leg was dragging, my eyesight was just wacky. I said, I can't, I don't feel safe to drive. And I felt like somebody had just drained me of all my energy. And so my neighbor, he said, well, get the neighbor to drive me.

So she drove me. And I told her when we got there, don't pull all the way up the driveway because we're unannounced. Along the car ride, Paulette kept thinking about what she was going to say to Connie once she got there. There were so many things running through her mind. It was overwhelming. She also thought about how Connie was a devout Catholic, always holding her rosary with her.

But in my head, I kept saying there are no beads for McKay. There are no beads for McKay. And Crawford's wife was a Catholic. She was always saying a rosary bit, you know, saying a rosary. And I thought, there's no beads for McKay. Which was true. Wherever McKay was, he didn't have any rosary beads to give him comfort. There were no beads, no comfort or mercy for McKay. So when I got out of the vehicle, Carper's wife ran down the hill screaming at me. McKay's dead, McKay's dead. I know he's dead.

Well, that right there, nobody knows, but you know? Next, Connie looks Paulette in the eyes and says, Hilton hired a hitman for a child. Now, in Paulette's mind, she pictured Crawford's wife absolutely distraught over this situation. She figured she would walk in and there would be rosary beads, maybe tissues everywhere, a house and disarray, anything to show that they felt horrible about what was happening. But that wasn't the case. So I walked through their house.

I walked through the garage, through the laundry room, into the dining room, living room, kitchen. And then I saw there were no rosary beads. They were eating hamburgers. Now, the fact that Crawford's wife knew that McKay was dead, when they still didn't have his body, was infuriating. Paulette said she felt this anger rush over her. I told myself in my head, keep your hands to yourself, because if you touch her, you will become the bad guy, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And I saw a bedroom off to the side, and I said, may I take her in her in this bedroom and talk to her? I asked her sister. She said, yes. So I told him my neighbor, I said, you need to get me some help because I don't think I can do this. And so I went in the room and Proffert's wife started talking. And I started, I thought I don't have anything to write with her anything. So I stuck my head out the door and said I need some paper and pen.

And they got that for me. And then the next thing I know, I heard the doorbell and it was the FBI. And they came so quick. She said some things. I read them down. I would hand them out the door to the FBI. and then I told her, I said, you need to go to the jail, you need to take your sons, and you don't need to leave until you get a map of where my son is.

And surprisingly, Connie does just that. After speaking with Pauette, she went to the jail where Hilton was, and she asked him to draw a map of where they could find McKay's body. Hilton was apprehensive at first. Investigators said he was physically shaking, but he eventually gave them detailed instructions on where to find McKay Everett. Go east on Interstate 10 past Lafayette, Louisiana to a place called Whiskey Bay. Exit the freeway and go back under it to the other side.

There's a shell-type road that's unpaved and leading up to an iron gate. When looking at the gate, you'll see a wooden shed. McKay's body is in some brush off to the left, about 30 feet off the road. That's where he was shot. Following this, the FBI quickly called federal agents in Lafayette, and they asked them to locate McKay's body. So a little after 1 a.m., they made their way over to Whiskey Bay. It's in the swamp lands of Louisiana, far away from civilization, and at night, it's very dark out there, making it the perfect place to dump a body. This wasn't the first time someone dumped a body in this area, and it wouldn't be the last.

Once there, the agents followed Crawford's detailed instructions, and up ahead they could see drag marks in the weeds. So they followed those drag marks, and soon enough, they came across the body of a young boy with two 45 shell casings around him. McKay Everett's body had been out in the summer heat for five days, so he was in an advanced stage of decomposition. The coroner would later say that, quote, his body was laden with millions of maggots, and even more heartbreaking was that animals had been scavenging on his body for days.

Even the most seasoned investigators at the scene were deeply disturbed by this discovery. who would leave a young boy out here in the middle of nowhere, dumped like a piece of trash? Clearly, the person responsible is a monster in its truest form. Following their discovery at Whiskey Bay, McKay was then taken to the coroner, where James Freeman conducted the autopsy. He found that McKay's cause of death was likely from his gunshot wounds. but he also had severe blunt force trauma to his right temple. This injury could have also caused his death because his bones were pushing in towards his brain.

But now that McKay was finally located, it was time to inform Carl and Pellet. After speaking with Connie Crawford, Pallet was exhausted, so she decided to lie down in bed. So I lay down, I dozed off the next morning. on Sunday morning and it was early hours of the morning and crawling out by the bed and he said Polly I'm sorry I wasn't able to get him came and there in the room were family friends FBI the pastor and his wife and that's I started making this funny funny sound and someone ran and got a wiping my throat. And I thought I was looking down on everybody.

Pallette said at that moment, she had an out-of-body experience, where she was literally looking down on everyone in the room who was beside her. And she noticed that the noise she was making was upsetting everyone in the room. And then the next thing I knew, I was gone. And I was in heaven. and there were six angels and Kay was riding on their shoulders and they were taking him into an amphitheater

and I was yelling at him, look at me, just look at me one more time which he did not. And then a voice of God told me you can't stay and I still get frustrated because I think, why didn't you ask me if I wanted to stay?

Why did you just say you can't stay? and the next thing I know I was back in my bed. The house was quiet. It had been mass pandemonium for a week. I told myself, I've been

in a car wreck. I'm coming out from a coma. And then I told myself, don't play those kind of mind games all up. And then I heard tapping on the lamp shade. And my grandmother

was my rock, and her words came back to me. She said, God knows you. He knows you personally. Every hair on your head is numbered. He calls the stars by their names. And I, this is true because there was a moth making that tapping voice. And I tell myself, only God, knew, and only I knew that I had just finished reading Chuck's Window's book, flying closer to the flame, where he says we need to be like the moth, who will try so hard to get to the light, he'll even sing his wings.

After Pellette's out-of-body experience, she came back too and had to face her new reality. Her only child was gone, murdered by a family friend. But there were still so many questions. that were unanswered. What 56-year-old former police officer murders a child? And why? The Everetts were about to learn a whole lot about Hilton Crawford, things they could have never imagined. They knew he was a gambler, but they truly had no idea who this man was. On the outside, he was a family man who ran a business and was respected,

and was respected in his community. But what would be uncovered would prove that evil walks this earth, even in the small, unassuming Texas towns, like my hometown of Conroe, Texas. In next week's episode, we are going to walk you through exactly what happened on September 12, 1995. And why the kidnapping plan went awry.

We will also talk about Hilton's Seasers. history of being a criminal, ties to the mafia, the ring of accomplices who tried to help him cover up this horrible murder, and then finally, his execution, and Pellette's experience getting to watch it. Now, if you want to listen to Part 2 right now, we're going to be dropping it on our Patreon feed early, so if you don't want to wait a week, all you have to do is download the Patreon app. type in Murder in America and subscribe to our Patreon. It's just $5 a month, and you also get every single episode ad free.

So when you subscribe, it's really worth it. We also have some extra goodies coming to our Patreon soon. So if you're looking to become a member, this is the best time. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. And Courtney. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. We are so glad to be back from the break. And Courtney, this story obviously means a lot to you.

You want to talk about it? Yeah, I just, I mean, like I said in the episode, this was the very first true crime story I had ever heard. And it's just so horrific. And the fact that it happened in my small hometown is just so wild. So I always knew I wanted to tell this story. And we're so thankful for Paulette for agreeing to meet with us and sharing her story. Yeah, Paulette is an amazing woman. We once again just want to thank her for talking to us for such a long time.

It was a very long interview, too, two and a half hours. Yeah, it was. And then just the ending, it all wrapped up really beautifully. And we're just very grateful we get to tell McKay story. If you don't want to wait to hear part two of this episode, you can go sign up to become a Patreon member today. The episode is going to be posted on there a week in advance. So you can go listen now. I want to shout out all of our new patrons to. Daphne Bactylia Cologne Taylor Peterson Kayla Manwell Phyllis Wright Cassandra Campbell James Taylor Dustin Gist Alexander Lemis

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