Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"The story I told you last week proved that evil can strike without warning for no reason other than violence itself. So maybe you'll go into this story with a little more of an open mind. Is it really always the husband or did a man lose his entire family in the blink of an eye and get railroaded by a police department's tunnel vision?" — Ashley Flowers
"My cousin walked away from our family in 2011 for personal reasons we didn't understand... For seven years. For seven years, the local law enforcement didn't give up, and because of wonderful people like you who donated to the organization that studied his genetic genealogy, my cousin has been found." — Kim
"But that still doesn't change the lack of physical evidence. There has never been a reinvestigation into what happened to the Hendrix family. For the Bloomington police, it's closed and a man got away with murder." — Ashley Flowers
This episode of Crime Junkie focuses on the perplexing case of the Hendrix family. The narrative begins with host Ashley Flowers introducing the story and its connection to themes of unexplained violence and potential miscarriages of justice. The episode highlights the crucial role of listener support and donations to organizations like Season of Justice, which aid in solving cold cases through advanced DNA testing, exemplified by the story of David John Mylek and the emotional account from a listener whose cousin was identified through genetic genealogy.
The core of the episode is dedicated to the investigation into the deaths of the Hendrix family in 1983. The story is framed by Steve Hendrix's initial concern call to the Bloomington Police Department regarding his wife and children's disappearance. The transcript details the initial police response, including reenactments of calls and conversations with law enforcement, which reveal a lack of immediate evidence or concrete leads. The narrative then shifts to the legal proceedings, touching upon the prosecution's theory and the defense's arguments, including doubts surrounding polygraph tests and the potential for tunnel vision by investigators.
Ultimately, the episode recounts the acquittal of David Hendrix by a new jury, attributing the verdict to a fresh look at the evidence, or lack thereof, and the passage of time. The hosts discuss the complexities of the case, acknowledging that while there are aspects of David Hendrix's behavior that are questionable, the absence of definitive physical evidence remains a critical factor. The episode concludes by underscoring the ongoing mystery surrounding the Hendrix family's fate and the principle that unsolved crimes leave a lasting impact, urging continued critical thinking about justice and investigation.