If you missed the first two episodes, click for Part One and Part Two
1993 brought a major break in the case when a new witness, Tommy Niehouse, came forward and contacted Linda Ives. After giving his account, he was immediately placed in witness protection. Around the same time, newly elected Saline County Sheriff Judy Pridgon assigned Detective John Brown to the case. Brown and Ives soon uncovered yet another witness, Sharline Wilson, a former girlfriend of Dan Harmon. Wilson’s testimony aligned with Niehouse’s account, and when combined with other witness statements, provided a chillingly clear picture of what happened that night. Wilson also had damning stories about Harmon, including his involvement in drug trafficking and cocaine-fueled parties at the Governor’s Mansion—allegedly attended by Bill Clinton. If true, I’m sure he “didn’t inhale.”
By 1994, the FBI formally entered the case—though in reality, they had long been involved. Around this time, the FBI cleared Jean Duffey of the false charges brought against her by Cale and Harmon. Duffey and Linda Ives began working together, making significant strides in their investigation. Meanwhile, Dan Harmon was under multiple investigations for a long list of alleged crimes. For a brief moment, it seemed justice was within reach.
However, as has been the recurring theme in this case, each breakthrough was swiftly followed by a cover-up. Initially, the Arkansas division of the FBI uncovered rampant corruption at both the county and state levels. Their early findings even suggested that U.S. Attorney Chuck Banks should be indicted for obstruction. But the closer they got to Mena Airport, the DEA, and Governor Clinton, the more attention the case attracted from Washington. In 1995, Special Agent Ivian C. Smith abruptly and inexplicably shut down the investigation. When FOIA requests were later submitted for the FBI’s documents on the case, the agency gave a bureaucratic shrug and flatly denied that any such investigation had ever occurred.
In 1996, Duffey and Ives released the documentary Obstruction of Justice: The Mena Connection, naming Kirk Lane and Jay Campbell as the probable killers. Lane and Campbell sued for defamation—and lost. The jury found that enough evidence had been presented for a reasonable person to conclude their guilt. Notably, Detective John Brown, once an ally of the investigation, switched sides and testified on behalf of Lane and Campbell. His handling of Sharline Wilson’s testimony has also been questioned, as his version of her confession deviated from her original and is believed to have been coerced to alter key details.
In 2007, Jay Campbell was convicted on 23 felony counts, including drug and sex trafficking, and faced a potential sentence of more than 300 years in prison. However, Judge John Cole—who had sealed the grand jury findings years earlier—came out of retirement to preside over the case and reduced the sentence to 40 years, though it was later overturned. In 2010, Campbell was finally convicted and sentenced to 15 years.
Dan Harmon was convicted in 1997 on five of 11 felony charges, including racketeering and kidnapping. He served nine years of a 10-year sentence before being released. In 2010, he was arrested again—this time for selling drugs in a school zone. Allegedly, he exchanged prescription medication for cash and a peek at a woman’s breasts. He was acquitted in June of that year. The last known information on Harmon suggests he returned to Benton, Arkansas, where he worked as a breakfast cook at a Waffle House before securing a data entry job at the courthouse—thanks to his old connections. Naturally, this caused controversy.
And what became of the infamous medical examiner, Fahmy Malak? Justice never quite caught up with him. Despite public outrage—including protests from a citizens’ group called Victims of Malak’s Incredible Testimonies (VOMIT)—Governor Bill Clinton and Arkansas Health Department Director Jocelyn Elders not only defended Malak but rewarded him with a 40% pay raise. Clinton even hired two out-of-state medical examiners to review Malak’s work, paying them $20,000 from his discretionary fund. They declared Malak’s work “outstanding.”
However, when Clinton began his presidential campaign, Malak suddenly became a liability. He was quietly asked to resign, though he didn’t walk away empty-handed. As a final favor for covering up multiple murders, he was handed a cushy job as a special consultant on venereal disease at the health department. Meanwhile, Jocelyn Elders followed Clinton to Washington, where she became U.S. Surgeon General—despite her own string of scandals.
Asa Hutchinson, the former U.S. Attorney with jurisdiction over Mena while Barry Seal was running his smuggling operation, is now Governor of Arkansas. Some may argue he is too far removed from these events to be complicit. But consider this: his specially appointed Arkansas Drug Czar is none other than Kirk Lane. Do you really believe Hutchinson’s vetting process is that incompetent?
Linda Ives has since passed away, but her legacy continues with Jean Duffey and the website they created to document their work, idfiles.com. At the time of her death, Linda was suing the FBI for the unredacted files on Kevin and Don’s murders. While the FBI initially claimed they had no such files, they have now admitted to possessing over 17,000 documents. Some 2,000 heavily redacted documents have been released so far.
Officially, the investigation into the murders of Kevin Ives and Don Henry remains open. In reality, nearly all evidence has been purged from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, and no meaningful updates have been provided in years. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the current Saline County Sheriff, Rodney Wright, is Dan Harmon’s nephew.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed western horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy as well as other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
