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<v Speaker 1>Hello friends, Steve Stockton here with you. Welcome to our

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<v Speaker 1>latest video. Today, we have something just a little different

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<v Speaker 1>for you. We're going to bring you the story of

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<v Speaker 1>a mysterious disappearance, a hit record, and the strange, sad,

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<v Speaker 1>bittersweet saga of Raymond and Laila. Join me, Let's take

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<v Speaker 1>a walk and see now. Eighty eight year old Raymond

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<v Speaker 1>and eighty three year old Leela Howard were described as

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<v Speaker 1>inseparable and completely in love. The pair had wedded in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty six, and ever since that day the two

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<v Speaker 1>did everything together. There are families lovingly joked that if

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<v Speaker 1>Lela was somewhere around, Raymond would be shortly behind her.

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<v Speaker 1>Nineteen ninety five, however, the Howards was struck with tragedy

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<v Speaker 1>when Raymond was involved in a car crash, which resulted

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<v Speaker 1>in him having a stroke and being left with excess

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<v Speaker 1>swelling on his skull. Raymond underwent surgery to relieve this

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<v Speaker 1>pressure on his brain, and while he survived, there were

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<v Speaker 1>some side effects. Raymond found himself plagued with agonizing headaches,

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<v Speaker 1>and his memory slowly began to deteriorate. Leila was not

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<v Speaker 1>without health issues of her own, and as the years

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<v Speaker 1>went by, she began to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.

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<v Speaker 1>Now these health issues are enough to make any one

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<v Speaker 1>of us feel defeated, but Layla and Raymond took things

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<v Speaker 1>in their stride. The two worked hard to live a

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<v Speaker 1>normal life and see out their golden years doing the

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<v Speaker 1>things they wanted to do. One of the things they

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<v Speaker 1>loved to do together was to attend outdoor music festivals.

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<v Speaker 1>On June twenty ninth, nineteen ninety seven, they made plans

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<v Speaker 1>to attend the annual music festival in Temple, Texas. Leyland

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<v Speaker 1>Raymond gathered their things and made preparations to make the

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen mile drive from their home in Salado, Texas, to

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<v Speaker 1>Temple with their ailing health in mind. Though Layla's son,

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<v Speaker 1>Hal Copeland offered to drive the pair to the festival,

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<v Speaker 1>but Leyland Raymond remained defiant. They wanted to drive themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>just as they had done every year. Hol surrendered and

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<v Speaker 1>watched as the two piled into their below do ozmobile

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<v Speaker 1>for what would be the last time. Hal waved goodbye

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<v Speaker 1>was the two drove off down the street. Not knowing

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<v Speaker 1>that he would never see his mother again. Night fell

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<v Speaker 1>and Hal began to worry as the cool air swept in.

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<v Speaker 1>His mother and Raymond still hadn't returned from their trip,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was worried that one of them had suffered

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<v Speaker 1>a medical incident along the way. However, all how and

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the family could do was wait and

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<v Speaker 1>hoped that Leayland Raymond came back. The hours ticked away,

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<v Speaker 1>and as the sun rose on the morning of June thirtieth,

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<v Speaker 1>hal knew that something was very wrong. He contacted the

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<v Speaker 1>local police department and reported Leyland Raymond missing. What would

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<v Speaker 1>follow would be one of the most bizarre missing persons

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<v Speaker 1>investigations ever. The police set about tracing Leyland Raymond's last

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<v Speaker 1>step and came across a witness who had seen the

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<v Speaker 1>pair in Temple, Texas. The witness, who was a Walmart reader,

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<v Speaker 1>remembered seeing the two stopping in at the store in

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<v Speaker 1>Temple for a cup of coffee. After leaving the Walmart,

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<v Speaker 1>Laylan and Raymond's whereabouts were unaccounted for, and the police

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<v Speaker 1>knew the time was working against them. The search for

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<v Speaker 1>Laylan and Raymond intensified, and hundreds of potential witnesses were interviewed.

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<v Speaker 1>For days, the case went cold, but then in July

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<v Speaker 1>of nineteen ninety seven, something bizarre happened. On the evening

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<v Speaker 1>of July second, an officer in Arkansas pulled over an

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<v Speaker 1>oldsmobile that was driving without its headlights on. The officer

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<v Speaker 1>approached the car, he saw an elderly couple inside. The

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<v Speaker 1>two were polite and apologetic to the officer, displaying a

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<v Speaker 1>calm and happy demeanor, and there was no indication that

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<v Speaker 1>anything was wrong. The officer chatted with the couple, who

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<v Speaker 1>eventually asked for directions back to Texas. Somewhat amused, the

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<v Speaker 1>officer informed them that they were about five hundred miles

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<v Speaker 1>away from Texas gave them directions to get turned around

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<v Speaker 1>and get back on track. After providing these directions, the

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<v Speaker 1>officer let them go with a stern warning, and the

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<v Speaker 1>couple were on their way again. Unfortunately, reports of Leyland

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<v Speaker 1>Raymond's disappearance hadn't made it as far as Arkansas. Had

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<v Speaker 1>the officer who had just pulled them over seen the

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<v Speaker 1>news reports from Texas, he would have realized that he

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<v Speaker 1>had just pulled over two missing people, Layla and Raymond Howard.

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<v Speaker 1>Once again, Leylan and Raymond drove off into the darkness.

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<v Speaker 1>Leyland Raymond's disappearance began to gain more traction, and soon

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<v Speaker 1>their faces were plastered across missing persons posters, and news reports.

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<v Speaker 1>One witness claimed to have seen the pairt of Farmers

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<v Speaker 1>Market in Arkansas. However, this sighting was never verified. Those

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<v Speaker 1>in Texas and Arkansas began to ponder the case. There

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<v Speaker 1>were many possibilities and many theories began to rise. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>Leyland Raymond's family waited for any sign of them, silently

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<v Speaker 1>hoping and praying that they would come home. While the

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<v Speaker 1>search for Leyland Raymond was on, authorities in Salado took

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<v Speaker 1>a look at the home that the couple shared. According

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<v Speaker 1>to reports, the signs of middle decay was apparent in

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<v Speaker 1>the couple's dwelling. The calendar was open to February, despite

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<v Speaker 1>it being June when the two disappeared. Their clothes were

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<v Speaker 1>found to have been neatly folded on the bed, as

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<v Speaker 1>if they were ready to be packed into a suitcase

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<v Speaker 1>for the trip. Their beloved pat cat had been left

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<v Speaker 1>to its own devices and had no food or water,

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<v Speaker 1>and a myriad of other things in the home showed

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<v Speaker 1>signs of neglect. It was as if parts of their

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<v Speaker 1>brains had completely shut off before they walked out. Now

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<v Speaker 1>the police knew that Leylan and Raymond were extremely vulnerable,

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<v Speaker 1>and the search for the pair was accelerated. Departments across

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<v Speaker 1>no fewer than eleven states were made aware of Leylan

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<v Speaker 1>and Raymond's disappearance, and their case made national news. The

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<v Speaker 1>title of Salado was now filled with journalists and reporters

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to get the inside scoop on this bizarre disappearance.

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<v Speaker 1>Investigators worked day and night, scouring rural country roads and parks,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to find the confused couple, but all their efforts

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<v Speaker 1>were for naught. July twelfth, nineteen ninety seven, would be

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<v Speaker 1>the day that truly shaped this bizarre case. Hikers near

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<v Speaker 1>Hot Springs, Arkansas made a strange discovery at the bottom

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<v Speaker 1>of a twenty five foot cliff leono'smobile. Inside was the

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<v Speaker 1>body of Raymond Howard, still in the passenger seat as

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<v Speaker 1>he had been for the entire trip. Sadly, Lailah Howard

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<v Speaker 1>was found twenty feet away, car keys still in her hand.

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<v Speaker 1>Friends of investigators determined that after the car had gone

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<v Speaker 1>off the cliff, she turned off the headlights and opened

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<v Speaker 1>the passenger side door for Raymond before dragging herself away

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<v Speaker 1>to succumb to her injuries. Bizarrely, who were no ski

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<v Speaker 1>marks at the scene, and an investigator estimated that the

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<v Speaker 1>two had been traveling at around fifty miles per hour

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<v Speaker 1>when the car plunged off the cliff. Now, it's conjectured

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<v Speaker 1>that Layla either couldn't see the cliff or had a

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<v Speaker 1>lapse in memory and was unable to control the car.

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<v Speaker 1>According to reports, the area where Leaylan and Raymond were

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<v Speaker 1>discovered had already been searched, but thick brush had prevented

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<v Speaker 1>investigators from noticing them. The search for Layla and Raymond

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<v Speaker 1>had now come to a tragician. Their families returned their

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<v Speaker 1>bodies to Texas for a final goodbye. However, in the

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<v Speaker 1>aftermath of Leylan Raymond's disappearance and eventual discovery, Texas musician

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<v Speaker 1>singer and songwriter Tony Scalzo found inspiration in their five

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<v Speaker 1>hundred mile journey. Now. He had first heard of the

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<v Speaker 1>case when he saw a headline that said elderly Salado

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<v Speaker 1>couple missing on a trip to nowhere. Tony became completely

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<v Speaker 1>obsessed with this bizarre tale of two lovers on a

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<v Speaker 1>road trip out on their own He would eventually go

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<v Speaker 1>on to pin a song titled in their honor called

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<v Speaker 1>The Way, which he produced and performed with his band Fastball.

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<v Speaker 1>You can hear it here on YouTube. Something about the song,

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<v Speaker 1>the lyrics, the music, and help send Fastballs nineteen ninety

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<v Speaker 1>eight studio album All the Pain Money Can Buy to

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<v Speaker 1>the top of the charts. Tony and his bandmates literally

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<v Speaker 1>became superstars almost overnight. In an interview, Tony would later

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<v Speaker 1>have this to say about the case quote, I looked

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<v Speaker 1>in right away. This story sort of struck me. It

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<v Speaker 1>was sort of an ongoing story, still no developments in

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<v Speaker 1>the case of the missing couple. I just started getting

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<v Speaker 1>these ideas, well, maybe they don't want to be found.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe they're just like sick of being responsible. They just

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<v Speaker 1>want to go out and have fun. I believe that

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<v Speaker 1>this song, in particular, it's a strong song. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>strong song musically, and it's a strong song in the

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<v Speaker 1>way it was put together Lyrically. I think it's one

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<v Speaker 1>of the best things I've ever done. At the same time,

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<v Speaker 1>I think a lot of its power comes from the

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<v Speaker 1>story behind it, and I somehow put together this musical

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<v Speaker 1>piece that was enhanced by the story, and I also

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<v Speaker 1>believe that for the family and the people involved, the

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<v Speaker 1>story was enhanced by the song. End the quote a

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<v Speaker 1>fitting memorial for Raymond and Layla. The song was released

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<v Speaker 1>about a year after their bodies were found, immortalizing your

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<v Speaker 1>bittersweet story in a hit record. Now, of course, the

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<v Speaker 1>song is a highly romanticized version of this tragic series

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<v Speaker 1>of events, but it's one that people embrace and that

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<v Speaker 1>people love. I myself was a fan of this song

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<v Speaker 1>when it came out, had no idea about the story

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<v Speaker 1>behind it. Otherwise, this bittersweet tale might have just faded

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<v Speaker 1>into obscurity. Another case but two, perhaps senile senior citizens

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<v Speaker 1>who became lost and perished. In closing, I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>leave you with the words of a Reddit user named

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<v Speaker 1>Franken Fudder, obviously rocky horror picture show fan, who had

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<v Speaker 1>a very poignant and profoundly touching summation of this case.

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<v Speaker 1>He writes, quote, what was going through their heads as

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<v Speaker 1>the car plunged off the cliff edge? Fear? Confusion. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>like to think otherwise, perhaps in that moment, it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen ninety seven anymore. Maybe it was a much earlier

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<v Speaker 1>time for them. Maybe their damaged psyches spared them from

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<v Speaker 1>the sad reality. Perhaps, in that moment, for Leland Raymond,

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<v Speaker 1>there were no more medications, no more hearing aids, and

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<v Speaker 1>no more doctor appointments, no aching joints, no glasses, no operations,

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<v Speaker 1>no pacemakers, no forgetting, and no more confusion. Maybe in

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<v Speaker 1>that moment, and for their entire trip, Leylan and Raymond

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<v Speaker 1>saw themselves as a newly wedded couple, their young skin

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<v Speaker 1>perpetually gleaming in the summer sun, Layla in her best

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<v Speaker 1>white wedding dress and Raymond in his finest black tuxedo.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe they envisioned a just married sign hanging on the

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<v Speaker 1>back of their rear window, and empty soup cans tied

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<v Speaker 1>to their rear bumper. I wonder if they held hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe when Leyla and Raymond Howard drove off that cliff

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<v Speaker 1>in Arkansas in nineteen ninety seven, they weren't scared. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>they were smiling. Well, friends, there you have it. Now

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<v Speaker 1>you know the story behind the song and the sad,

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<v Speaker 1>strange saga of Raymond and Layla. As always, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to your comments, but please keep it friendly and respectful.

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<v Speaker 1>Till we meet again. Be good, to your cells and

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<v Speaker 1>each other. Stay safe out there. As for me, I'll

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<v Speaker 1>see you a little further on down the trail. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Stockton and i'll talk to you next time. Please

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<v Speaker 1>give your animals a hug and tell them Steve says hi.