On June 25, 2020, 56-year-old James Escalante, who also went by Blackhawk, left home on a red mountain bike to help Dee, a friend of his and his girlfriend Sherry’s, whose truck had gotten stuck in the desert. 

But he never made it back home, and no one reported him missing until September 7th. Heather Escalante and her husband Jon, James’ son, began their own search. 

After Heather started posting on social media and looking for information, she heard that remains were found in the desert on August 8th by a hiker. The body was a John Doe. Half his face was missing, he had long black hair and there was no ID found. 

Heather contacted the detective working the case to say that she believed that the body could be James, and on December 15th, the family’s worst fears were confirmed. They got a call from the coroner. James Escalante was dead. His cause and manner of his death were undetermined. 

What happened out there in the desert?

 

On June 25, 2020, 56-year-old James Escalante, who also went by Blackhawk, left home on a red mountain bike to help Dee, a friend of his and his girlfriend Sherry&rsquo;s, whose truck had gotten stuck in the desert.&nbsp;
But he never made it back home, and no one reported him missing until September 7th. Heather Escalante and her husband Jon, James&rsquo; son, began their own search.&nbsp;
After Heather started posting on social media and looking for information, she heard that remains were found in the desert on August 8th by a hiker.&nbsp;The body was a John Doe. Half his face was missing, he had long black hair and there was no ID found.&nbsp;
Heather contacted the detective working the case to say that she believed that the body could be James, and on December 15th, the family&rsquo;s worst fears were confirmed. They got a call from the coroner. James Escalante was dead. His cause and manner of his death were undetermined.&nbsp;
What happened out there in the desert?
&nbsp;

Hell And Gone is a true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans that follows journalist and private investigator Catherine Townsend as she investigates unsolved deaths. 

Now in its fifth season, Hell and Gone is going weekly. 

Over the past five years of making true crime podcast Hell and Gone, host Catherine Townsend has received hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking for help with an unsolved murder that’s affected them, their families and their communities. 

In past seasons of the show, she’s only been able to focus on one case. But now, she’s hosting a new weekly show called Hell and Gone Murder Line. Every Thursday, Catherine features a new case, adds updates to old ones, and helps as much as she can to get the word out about unsolved murders. 

If you have a case you’d like Catherine and her team to look into, you can call the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. 

Hell And Gone is a true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans that follows journalist and private investigator Catherine Townsend as she investigates unsolved deaths. 
Now in its fifth season, Hell and Gone is going weekly. 
Over the past five years of making true crime podcast Hell and Gone, host Catherine Townsend has received hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking for help with an unsolved murder that’s affected them, their families and their communities. 
In past seasons of the show, she’s only been able to focus on one case. But now, she’s hosting a new weekly show called Hell and Gone Murder Line. Every Thursday, Catherine features a new case, adds updates to old ones, and helps as much as she can to get the word out about unsolved murders. 
If you have a case you’d like Catherine and her team to look into, you can call the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.

Hell and Gone

Hell And Gone is a true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans that follows journalist and private investigator Catherine Townsend as she investigates unsolved deaths. 
Now in its fifth season, Hell and Gone is going weekly. 
Over the past five years of making true crime podcast Hell and Gone, host Catherine Townsend has received hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking for help with an unsolved murder that’s affected them, their families and their communities. 
In past seasons of the show, she’s only been able to focus on one case. But now, she’s hosting a new weekly show called Hell and Gone Murder Line. Every Thursday, Catherine features a new case, adds updates to old ones, and helps as much as she can to get the word out about unsolved murders. 
If you have a case you’d like Catherine and her team to look into, you can call the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.

Hell and Gone Murder Line: James Escalante Part 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/298e8116-bf6d-4d3d-9ce0-b267008a74d9/transcript

On July 6, 1997 in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Marty LeBouef, Stacie Reeves and Nicole Guidry were all shot execution style in the head. Their bodies were left in the cooler at KK’s Corner. Thedr murders were shocking. And soon, people were talking about another death. One that some people in the community thought could be linked to KK’s Corner’s massacre. 

On Saturday, May 17, 1997, not even three weeks before the triple homicide at KK’s Corner, Kevin Abel was fatally shot in the head at home. 

Police ruled Kevin’s death a suicide, but Stacie Reeves, who had been dating Kevin, believed that he had been murdered and that his murder could be tied to law enforcement, and possibly to alleged drug deals at KK’s Corner.

Stacie Reeves arrived at that crime scene with her young twin daughters only minutes after police showed up there. She told police that she and Kevin were going on a date that night and that she had been planning to pick him up with her girls. And she said that he owed a LOT of money to drug dealers, who had been taking his truck as collateral. 

What really happened to Kevin Abel. Did he kill himself? Who were the drug dealers that he owed money to? And did Kevin’s death have anything to do with the KK’s Corner killings?  

If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. 

On July 6, 1997 in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Marty LeBouef, Stacie Reeves and Nicole Guidry were all shot execution style in the head.&nbsp;Their bodies were left in the cooler at KK&rsquo;s Corner. Thedr murders were shocking. And soon, people were talking about another death. One that some people in the community thought could be linked to KK&rsquo;s Corner&rsquo;s massacre.&nbsp;
On Saturday, May 17, 1997, not even three weeks before the triple homicide at KK&rsquo;s Corner, Kevin Abel was fatally shot in the head at home.&nbsp;
Police ruled Kevin&rsquo;s death a suicide, but Stacie Reeves, who had been dating Kevin, believed that he had been murdered and that his murder could be tied to law enforcement, and possibly to alleged drug deals at KK&rsquo;s Corner.
Stacie Reeves arrived at that crime scene with her young twin daughters only minutes after police showed up there. She told police that she and Kevin were going on a date that night and that she had been planning to pick him up with her girls. And she said that he owed a LOT of money to drug dealers, who had been taking his truck as collateral.&nbsp;
What really happened to Kevin Abel. Did he kill himself? Who were the drug dealers that he owed money to? And did Kevin&rsquo;s death have anything to do with the KK&rsquo;s Corner killings?&nbsp;&nbsp;
If you have a case you&rsquo;d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.&nbsp;

Hell and Gone Murder Line: KK's Corner Part 3

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ec57d4d8-50a1-49d6-8e60-b2a501695e59/transcript

Just after midnight on July 6, 1997, 21-year-old Marty LeBouef, 26-year-old Stacie Reeves and 14-year-old Nicole Guidry  were fatally shot in a triple homicide at KK’s Corner convenience store near Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

The killings shocked the community.  For months police struggled to find answers. No one seemed to have seen anything, and there was no real physical evidence. 

Eventually, a suspect was arrested: Thomas Cisco. 

Police questioned Cisco. He confessed that he had been at KK’s Corner on the night of the murders and said that he was involved. But as we explained last week, Thomas told a lot of conflicting stories, and a lot of the details that he gave to detectives trying to confirm his stories didn’t make sense. 

Was it Thomas or something else? Was he even there that night? And if he was there, who was the second man? And could the killers or killers still be out there? 

If you have a case you’d Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. 

Just after midnight on July 6, 1997, 21-year-old Marty LeBouef, 26-year-old Stacie Reeves and 14-year-old Nicole Guidry&nbsp; were fatally shot in a triple homicide at KK&rsquo;s Corner convenience store near Lake Charles, Louisiana.&nbsp;
The killings shocked the community.&nbsp; For months police struggled to find answers. No one seemed to have seen anything, and there was no real physical evidence.&nbsp;
Eventually, a suspect was arrested: Thomas Cisco.&nbsp;
Police questioned Cisco. He confessed that he had been at KK&rsquo;s Corner on the night of the murders and said that he was involved. But as we explained last week, Thomas told a lot of conflicting stories, and a lot of the details that he gave to detectives trying to confirm his stories didn&rsquo;t make sense.&nbsp;
Was it Thomas or something else? Was he even there that night? And if he was there, who was the second man? And could the killers or killers still be out there?&nbsp;
If you have a case you&rsquo;d Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145.&nbsp;

Hell and Gone Murder Line: KK's Corner Part 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/31ae233d-d23f-4121-aea9-b29f00731562/transcript

It was a few minutes before midnight on Saturday July 5, 1997. 21-year-old Marty LeBouef was working behind the counter as a cashier at KK’s Corner convenience store on Highway 14 in Calcasieu Parish, a few miles from Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

Marty and his co-worker, 26-year-old Stacie Reeves, were working together that night. There was someone else there too. Stacie had a friend, 14-year-old Nicole Guidry, there with her. 

Nicole sometimes babysat for Stacie’s twin daughters, who were 23 months old, and was keeping Stacie company until the store closed. Then the plan was for her to ride home with Stacie and spend the night with her kids while Stacie went crabbing.

Nicole was turning fifteen later that summer and was about to start the ninth grade. 

Marty hadn’t been scheduled to work that night, but one of his coworkers had called in sick, so Marty stepped in. 

Closing time was midnight. That time came and went. 

And Marty, Stacie and Nicole never made it home. 

Around 5 a.m. on July 6, one of Marty and Stacie’s coworkers showed up to open the store, and she immediately noticed that something was very wrong. 

The cash register was open. Money was missing from the drawer. The alarm was off. And Marty and Stacy were nowhere to be found. 

The employee went to the office to use the phone there and called the police.

Once the deputy got to the store, he noticed Stacie and Marty’s cars in the parking lot. Inside, he found the door to the back office had been kicked in, and the safe was open. At first he thought that this had been a robbery and that Stacie and Marty may be restrained in the back of the store, locked in the cooler.

But once he opened the door to the cooler, he saw the bloodbath. There were three bodies - Marty, Stacie and Nicole lying on the floor. All three had been shot multiple times, execution style.  

It was a few minutes before midnight on Saturday July 5, 1997. 21-year-old Marty LeBouef was working behind the counter as a cashier at KK&rsquo;s Corner convenience store on Highway 14 in Calcasieu Parish, a few miles from Lake Charles, Louisiana.&nbsp;
Marty and his co-worker, 26-year-old Stacie Reeves, were working together that night. There was someone else there too. Stacie had a friend, 14-year-old Nicole Guidry, there with her.&nbsp;
Nicole sometimes babysat for Stacie&rsquo;s twin daughters, who were 23 months old, and was keeping Stacie company until the store closed. Then the plan was for her to ride home with Stacie and spend the night with her kids while Stacie went crabbing.
Nicole was turning fifteen later that summer and was about to start the ninth grade.&nbsp;
Marty hadn&rsquo;t been scheduled to work that night, but one of his coworkers had called in sick, so Marty stepped in.&nbsp;
Closing time was midnight. That time came and went.&nbsp;
And Marty, Stacie and Nicole never made it home.&nbsp;
Around 5 a.m. on July 6, one of Marty and Stacie&rsquo;s coworkers showed up to open the store, and she immediately noticed that something was very wrong.&nbsp;
The cash register was open. Money was missing from the drawer. The alarm was off. And Marty and Stacy were nowhere to be found.&nbsp;
The employee went to the office to use the phone there and called the police.
Once the deputy got to the store, he noticed Stacie and Marty&rsquo;s cars in the parking lot. Inside, he found the door to the back office had been kicked in, and the safe was open. At first he thought that this had been a robbery and that Stacie and Marty may be restrained in the back of the store, locked in the cooler.
But once he opened the door to the cooler, he saw the bloodbath. There were three bodies - Marty, Stacie and Nicole lying on the floor. All three had been shot multiple times, execution style.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hell and Gone Murder Line: KK's Corner Part 1

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f575b140-9f1c-4c2d-a4ef-b298009722c6/transcript

Hell and Gone Murder Line: James Escalante Part 2

In 1 playlist(s)

Hell and Gone

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips