The bare facts about Dan Harmon and the "train deaths" in chronological order

     By Jean Duffey

  • August 23, 1987 - The bodies of Kevin Ives, 17, and Don Henry, 16, were run over and mutilated by a passing train in Saline County, Arkansas. The state's medical examiner, Fahmy Malak, ruled the deaths accidental in spite of evidence to the contrary.

  • February, 1988 - Failing to get anything accomplished through government agencies, the parents took advantage of the media's interest in the case, and held a press conference to demand a new autopsy. Dan Harmon, who had no official capacity at the time, offered to help the parents.

  • April, 1988 - Harmon was appointed by Circuit Judge John Cole to head a county grand jury investigation, which ruled the deaths homicides after hearing the evidence of an out-of-state medical examiner. The media made Harmon a folk hero, and even though several witnesses began turning up dead during his investigation, neither Linda Ives nor the media were suspicious of Harmon.

  • March, 1990 - I became administrator of the district's drug task force and immediately began to link Harmon and other public officials to illegal drug activity. We took our evidence to Assistant U.S. Attorney, Bob Govar, who was heading a federal grand jury investigation of public official corruption in Saline County.

  • June, 1990 - Harmon became the district's prosecutor-elect and used his powerful media friends to launched a smear campaign against me.

  • November, 1990 - I was professionally destroyed and my task force was dismantled, but we continued to investigate until we linked the murders of Kevin and Don to a large drug operation involving public officials.

  • December, 1990 - I took the evidence my task force developed to U.S. Attorney Chuck Banks, who promised he would carry on our investigation. Instead, Banks ousted Govar and shut down the grand jury probe of Saline County public officials.

  • January, 1991 - Harmon took office as the district's prosecutor and subpoenaed me to bring him all the evidence I had against him and other public officials. To protect witnesses, I ignored the subpoena, and Judge Cole issued a felony warrant for my arrest, even though "avoiding service" is a misdemeanor.

  • February, 1991 - I received death threats and left the state to wait for the promised federal indictments against Harmon and other public officials, which would clear my name.

  • June, 1991 - Chuck Banks held a press conference, cleared all Saline County public officials, and insinuated the grand jury had made the decision. Three grand jurors got word to me they were unanimously ready to indict Harmon and others but were sent home without being allowed to vote. Destroyed and defeated, my husband and I moved our family to Texas.

  • January, 1994 - The FBI opened their own "train deaths" investigation after a witness went to Linda Ives claiming he saw Dan Harmon on the tracks with Kevin and Don the night they were murdered. The witness was put into protective custody, passed a polygraph test, and corroborated evidence the FBI told Linda they already had.

  • March, 1994 - The FBI persuaded me to get involved again by telling me they had recommended Chuck Banks be charged with obstruction of justice for shutting down the 1990 federal grand jury.

  • June, 1994 - Linda and I met and began sharing information with each other, the FBI, and the many investigative reporters who were by then interested in Arkansas scandals. The connection between the murders and Mena began to develop.

  • January, 1995 - I predicted the FBI investigation was going to be shut down ,because the Mena connection would expose the CIA's involvement.

  • November, 1995 - FBI Special Agent Bill Temple told Linda and Larry Ives they should consider that there was no crime committed against their son. Linda and I decided to declare war against our government and go public.

  • March, 1996 - Our video, Obstruction of Justice, was released, and we set up the Kevin Ives Civil Justice Foundation to raise money for a civil suit.

  • November, 1996 - Dan Harmon's now ex-wife was caught out of Harmon's jurisdiction with cocaine packages from the district's evidence locker. A local paper ran the story and the feds put on a big show, raiding Harmon's office and confiscating court records.

  • April, 1997 - After a year and a half of promises that Harmon and other public officials were being thoroughly and seriously investigated, Harmon was indicted on what appeared at first glance to be a significant case. Although Linda and I had repeatedly predicted that the investigation would be "1990 All Over Again," we were thrilled to be wrong, but as it has turned out, we weren't.

  • June, 1997 - Harmon's indictment and trial has been a sham. No evidence against Harmon was used that would expose Chuck Banks or Mena, so the government is left with a pathetically weak case.



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