Speaker 1: Hello friends, Steve Stockton here with you. Welcome to our
Speaker 1: latest video. Today, we have something just a little different
Speaker 1: for you. We're going to bring you the story of
Speaker 1: a mysterious disappearance, a hit record, and the strange, sad,
Speaker 1: bittersweet saga of Raymond and Laila. Join me, Let's take
Speaker 1: a walk and see now. Eighty eight year old Raymond
Speaker 1: and eighty three year old Leela Howard were described as
Speaker 1: inseparable and completely in love. The pair had wedded in
Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six, and ever since that day the two
Speaker 1: did everything together. There are families lovingly joked that if
Speaker 1: Lela was somewhere around, Raymond would be shortly behind her.
Speaker 1: Nineteen ninety five, however, the Howards was struck with tragedy
Speaker 1: when Raymond was involved in a car crash, which resulted
Speaker 1: in him having a stroke and being left with excess
Speaker 1: swelling on his skull. Raymond underwent surgery to relieve this
Speaker 1: pressure on his brain, and while he survived, there were
Speaker 1: some side effects. Raymond found himself plagued with agonizing headaches,
Speaker 1: and his memory slowly began to deteriorate. Leila was not
Speaker 1: without health issues of her own, and as the years
Speaker 1: went by, she began to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Speaker 1: Now these health issues are enough to make any one
Speaker 1: of us feel defeated, but Layla and Raymond took things
Speaker 1: in their stride. The two worked hard to live a
Speaker 1: normal life and see out their golden years doing the
Speaker 1: things they wanted to do. One of the things they
Speaker 1: loved to do together was to attend outdoor music festivals.
Speaker 1: On June twenty ninth, nineteen ninety seven, they made plans
Speaker 1: to attend the annual music festival in Temple, Texas. Leyland
Speaker 1: Raymond gathered their things and made preparations to make the
Speaker 1: fifteen mile drive from their home in Salado, Texas, to
Speaker 1: Temple with their ailing health in mind. Though Layla's son,
Speaker 1: Hal Copeland offered to drive the pair to the festival,
Speaker 1: but Leyland Raymond remained defiant. They wanted to drive themselves,
Speaker 1: just as they had done every year. Hol surrendered and
Speaker 1: watched as the two piled into their below do ozmobile
Speaker 1: for what would be the last time. Hal waved goodbye
Speaker 1: was the two drove off down the street. Not knowing
Speaker 1: that he would never see his mother again. Night fell
Speaker 1: and Hal began to worry as the cool air swept in.
Speaker 1: His mother and Raymond still hadn't returned from their trip,
Speaker 1: and he was worried that one of them had suffered
Speaker 1: a medical incident along the way. However, all how and
Speaker 1: the rest of the family could do was wait and
Speaker 1: hoped that Leayland Raymond came back. The hours ticked away,
Speaker 1: and as the sun rose on the morning of June thirtieth,
Speaker 1: hal knew that something was very wrong. He contacted the
Speaker 1: local police department and reported Leyland Raymond missing. What would
Speaker 1: follow would be one of the most bizarre missing persons
Speaker 1: investigations ever. The police set about tracing Leyland Raymond's last
Speaker 1: step and came across a witness who had seen the
Speaker 1: pair in Temple, Texas. The witness, who was a Walmart reader,
Speaker 1: remembered seeing the two stopping in at the store in
Speaker 1: Temple for a cup of coffee. After leaving the Walmart,
Speaker 1: Laylan and Raymond's whereabouts were unaccounted for, and the police
Speaker 1: knew the time was working against them. The search for
Speaker 1: Laylan and Raymond intensified, and hundreds of potential witnesses were interviewed.
Speaker 1: For days, the case went cold, but then in July
Speaker 1: of nineteen ninety seven, something bizarre happened. On the evening
Speaker 1: of July second, an officer in Arkansas pulled over an
Speaker 1: oldsmobile that was driving without its headlights on. The officer
Speaker 1: approached the car, he saw an elderly couple inside. The
Speaker 1: two were polite and apologetic to the officer, displaying a
Speaker 1: calm and happy demeanor, and there was no indication that
Speaker 1: anything was wrong. The officer chatted with the couple, who
Speaker 1: eventually asked for directions back to Texas. Somewhat amused, the
Speaker 1: officer informed them that they were about five hundred miles
Speaker 1: away from Texas gave them directions to get turned around
Speaker 1: and get back on track. After providing these directions, the
Speaker 1: officer let them go with a stern warning, and the
Speaker 1: couple were on their way again. Unfortunately, reports of Leyland
Speaker 1: Raymond's disappearance hadn't made it as far as Arkansas. Had
Speaker 1: the officer who had just pulled them over seen the
Speaker 1: news reports from Texas, he would have realized that he
Speaker 1: had just pulled over two missing people, Layla and Raymond Howard.
Speaker 1: Once again, Leylan and Raymond drove off into the darkness.
Speaker 1: Leyland Raymond's disappearance began to gain more traction, and soon
Speaker 1: their faces were plastered across missing persons posters, and news reports.
Speaker 1: One witness claimed to have seen the pairt of Farmers
Speaker 1: Market in Arkansas. However, this sighting was never verified. Those
Speaker 1: in Texas and Arkansas began to ponder the case. There
Speaker 1: were many possibilities and many theories began to rise. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: Leyland Raymond's family waited for any sign of them, silently
Speaker 1: hoping and praying that they would come home. While the
Speaker 1: search for Leyland Raymond was on, authorities in Salado took
Speaker 1: a look at the home that the couple shared. According
Speaker 1: to reports, the signs of middle decay was apparent in
Speaker 1: the couple's dwelling. The calendar was open to February, despite
Speaker 1: it being June when the two disappeared. Their clothes were
Speaker 1: found to have been neatly folded on the bed, as
Speaker 1: if they were ready to be packed into a suitcase
Speaker 1: for the trip. Their beloved pat cat had been left
Speaker 1: to its own devices and had no food or water,
Speaker 1: and a myriad of other things in the home showed
Speaker 1: signs of neglect. It was as if parts of their
Speaker 1: brains had completely shut off before they walked out. Now
Speaker 1: the police knew that Leylan and Raymond were extremely vulnerable,
Speaker 1: and the search for the pair was accelerated. Departments across
Speaker 1: no fewer than eleven states were made aware of Leylan
Speaker 1: and Raymond's disappearance, and their case made national news. The
Speaker 1: title of Salado was now filled with journalists and reporters
Speaker 1: hoping to get the inside scoop on this bizarre disappearance.
Speaker 1: Investigators worked day and night, scouring rural country roads and parks,
Speaker 1: hoping to find the confused couple, but all their efforts
Speaker 1: were for naught. July twelfth, nineteen ninety seven, would be
Speaker 1: the day that truly shaped this bizarre case. Hikers near
Speaker 1: Hot Springs, Arkansas made a strange discovery at the bottom
Speaker 1: of a twenty five foot cliff leono'smobile. Inside was the
Speaker 1: body of Raymond Howard, still in the passenger seat as
Speaker 1: he had been for the entire trip. Sadly, Lailah Howard
Speaker 1: was found twenty feet away, car keys still in her hand.
Speaker 1: Friends of investigators determined that after the car had gone
Speaker 1: off the cliff, she turned off the headlights and opened
Speaker 1: the passenger side door for Raymond before dragging herself away
Speaker 1: to succumb to her injuries. Bizarrely, who were no ski
Speaker 1: marks at the scene, and an investigator estimated that the
Speaker 1: two had been traveling at around fifty miles per hour
Speaker 1: when the car plunged off the cliff. Now, it's conjectured
Speaker 1: that Layla either couldn't see the cliff or had a
Speaker 1: lapse in memory and was unable to control the car.
Speaker 1: According to reports, the area where Leaylan and Raymond were
Speaker 1: discovered had already been searched, but thick brush had prevented
Speaker 1: investigators from noticing them. The search for Layla and Raymond
Speaker 1: had now come to a tragician. Their families returned their
Speaker 1: bodies to Texas for a final goodbye. However, in the
Speaker 1: aftermath of Leylan Raymond's disappearance and eventual discovery, Texas musician
Speaker 1: singer and songwriter Tony Scalzo found inspiration in their five
Speaker 1: hundred mile journey. Now. He had first heard of the
Speaker 1: case when he saw a headline that said elderly Salado
Speaker 1: couple missing on a trip to nowhere. Tony became completely
Speaker 1: obsessed with this bizarre tale of two lovers on a
Speaker 1: road trip out on their own He would eventually go
Speaker 1: on to pin a song titled in their honor called
Speaker 1: The Way, which he produced and performed with his band Fastball.
Speaker 1: You can hear it here on YouTube. Something about the song,
Speaker 1: the lyrics, the music, and help send Fastballs nineteen ninety
Speaker 1: eight studio album All the Pain Money Can Buy to
Speaker 1: the top of the charts. Tony and his bandmates literally
Speaker 1: became superstars almost overnight. In an interview, Tony would later
Speaker 1: have this to say about the case quote, I looked
Speaker 1: in right away. This story sort of struck me. It
Speaker 1: was sort of an ongoing story, still no developments in
Speaker 1: the case of the missing couple. I just started getting
Speaker 1: these ideas, well, maybe they don't want to be found.
Speaker 1: Maybe they're just like sick of being responsible. They just
Speaker 1: want to go out and have fun. I believe that
Speaker 1: this song, in particular, it's a strong song. It's a
Speaker 1: strong song musically, and it's a strong song in the
Speaker 1: way it was put together Lyrically. I think it's one
Speaker 1: of the best things I've ever done. At the same time,
Speaker 1: I think a lot of its power comes from the
Speaker 1: story behind it, and I somehow put together this musical
Speaker 1: piece that was enhanced by the story, and I also
Speaker 1: believe that for the family and the people involved, the
Speaker 1: story was enhanced by the song. End the quote a
Speaker 1: fitting memorial for Raymond and Layla. The song was released
Speaker 1: about a year after their bodies were found, immortalizing your
Speaker 1: bittersweet story in a hit record. Now, of course, the
Speaker 1: song is a highly romanticized version of this tragic series
Speaker 1: of events, but it's one that people embrace and that
Speaker 1: people love. I myself was a fan of this song
Speaker 1: when it came out, had no idea about the story
Speaker 1: behind it. Otherwise, this bittersweet tale might have just faded
Speaker 1: into obscurity. Another case but two, perhaps senile senior citizens
Speaker 1: who became lost and perished. In closing, I'd like to
Speaker 1: leave you with the words of a Reddit user named
Speaker 1: Franken Fudder, obviously rocky horror picture show fan, who had
Speaker 1: a very poignant and profoundly touching summation of this case.
Speaker 1: He writes, quote, what was going through their heads as
Speaker 1: the car plunged off the cliff edge? Fear? Confusion. I'd
Speaker 1: like to think otherwise, perhaps in that moment, it wasn't
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety seven anymore. Maybe it was a much earlier
Speaker 1: time for them. Maybe their damaged psyches spared them from
Speaker 1: the sad reality. Perhaps, in that moment, for Leland Raymond,
Speaker 1: there were no more medications, no more hearing aids, and
Speaker 1: no more doctor appointments, no aching joints, no glasses, no operations,
Speaker 1: no pacemakers, no forgetting, and no more confusion. Maybe in
Speaker 1: that moment, and for their entire trip, Leylan and Raymond
Speaker 1: saw themselves as a newly wedded couple, their young skin
Speaker 1: perpetually gleaming in the summer sun, Layla in her best
Speaker 1: white wedding dress and Raymond in his finest black tuxedo.
Speaker 1: Maybe they envisioned a just married sign hanging on the
Speaker 1: back of their rear window, and empty soup cans tied
Speaker 1: to their rear bumper. I wonder if they held hands.
Speaker 1: Maybe when Leyla and Raymond Howard drove off that cliff
Speaker 1: in Arkansas in nineteen ninety seven, they weren't scared. Maybe
Speaker 1: they were smiling. Well, friends, there you have it. Now
Speaker 1: you know the story behind the song and the sad,
Speaker 1: strange saga of Raymond and Layla. As always, I look
Speaker 1: forward to your comments, but please keep it friendly and respectful.
Speaker 1: Till we meet again. Be good, to your cells and
Speaker 1: each other. Stay safe out there. As for me, I'll
Speaker 1: see you a little further on down the trail. I'm
Speaker 1: Steve Stockton and i'll talk to you next time. Please
Speaker 1: give your animals a hug and tell them Steve says hi.