The Tragic Disappearance of Raymond and Lela

The Tragic Disappearance of Raymond and Lela

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello friends, Steve Stockton here with you. Welcome to our
latest video. Today, we have something just a little different
for you. We're going to bring you the story of
a mysterious disappearance, a hit record, and the strange, sad,
bittersweet saga of Raymond and Laila. Join me, Let's take

(00:22):
a walk and see now. Eighty eight year old Raymond
and eighty three year old Leela Howard were described as
inseparable and completely in love. The pair had wedded in
nineteen eighty six, and ever since that day the two
did everything together. There are families lovingly joked that if
Lela was somewhere around, Raymond would be shortly behind her.

(00:45):
Nineteen ninety five, however, the Howards was struck with tragedy
when Raymond was involved in a car crash, which resulted
in him having a stroke and being left with excess
swelling on his skull. Raymond underwent surgery to relieve this
pressure on his brain, and while he survived, there were
some side effects. Raymond found himself plagued with agonizing headaches,

(01:07):
and his memory slowly began to deteriorate. Leila was not
without health issues of her own, and as the years
went by, she began to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Now these health issues are enough to make any one
of us feel defeated, but Layla and Raymond took things
in their stride. The two worked hard to live a

(01:27):
normal life and see out their golden years doing the
things they wanted to do. One of the things they
loved to do together was to attend outdoor music festivals.
On June twenty ninth, nineteen ninety seven, they made plans
to attend the annual music festival in Temple, Texas. Leyland

(01:47):
Raymond gathered their things and made preparations to make the
fifteen mile drive from their home in Salado, Texas, to
Temple with their ailing health in mind. Though Layla's son,
Hal Copeland offered to drive the pair to the festival,
but Leyland Raymond remained defiant. They wanted to drive themselves,
just as they had done every year. Hol surrendered and

(02:09):
watched as the two piled into their below do ozmobile
for what would be the last time. Hal waved goodbye
was the two drove off down the street. Not knowing
that he would never see his mother again. Night fell
and Hal began to worry as the cool air swept in.
His mother and Raymond still hadn't returned from their trip,

(02:29):
and he was worried that one of them had suffered
a medical incident along the way. However, all how and
the rest of the family could do was wait and
hoped that Leayland Raymond came back. The hours ticked away,
and as the sun rose on the morning of June thirtieth,
hal knew that something was very wrong. He contacted the
local police department and reported Leyland Raymond missing. What would

(02:51):
follow would be one of the most bizarre missing persons
investigations ever. The police set about tracing Leyland Raymond's last
step and came across a witness who had seen the
pair in Temple, Texas. The witness, who was a Walmart reader,
remembered seeing the two stopping in at the store in
Temple for a cup of coffee. After leaving the Walmart,

(03:13):
Laylan and Raymond's whereabouts were unaccounted for, and the police
knew the time was working against them. The search for
Laylan and Raymond intensified, and hundreds of potential witnesses were interviewed.
For days, the case went cold, but then in July
of nineteen ninety seven, something bizarre happened. On the evening
of July second, an officer in Arkansas pulled over an

(03:36):
oldsmobile that was driving without its headlights on. The officer
approached the car, he saw an elderly couple inside. The
two were polite and apologetic to the officer, displaying a
calm and happy demeanor, and there was no indication that
anything was wrong. The officer chatted with the couple, who
eventually asked for directions back to Texas. Somewhat amused, the

(03:57):
officer informed them that they were about five hundred miles
away from Texas gave them directions to get turned around
and get back on track. After providing these directions, the
officer let them go with a stern warning, and the
couple were on their way again. Unfortunately, reports of Leyland
Raymond's disappearance hadn't made it as far as Arkansas. Had

(04:18):
the officer who had just pulled them over seen the
news reports from Texas, he would have realized that he
had just pulled over two missing people, Layla and Raymond Howard.
Once again, Leylan and Raymond drove off into the darkness.
Leyland Raymond's disappearance began to gain more traction, and soon
their faces were plastered across missing persons posters, and news reports.

(04:42):
One witness claimed to have seen the pairt of Farmers
Market in Arkansas. However, this sighting was never verified. Those
in Texas and Arkansas began to ponder the case. There
were many possibilities and many theories began to rise. Meanwhile,
Leyland Raymond's family waited for any sign of them, silently
hoping and praying that they would come home. While the

(05:05):
search for Leyland Raymond was on, authorities in Salado took
a look at the home that the couple shared. According
to reports, the signs of middle decay was apparent in
the couple's dwelling. The calendar was open to February, despite
it being June when the two disappeared. Their clothes were
found to have been neatly folded on the bed, as

(05:25):
if they were ready to be packed into a suitcase
for the trip. Their beloved pat cat had been left
to its own devices and had no food or water,
and a myriad of other things in the home showed
signs of neglect. It was as if parts of their
brains had completely shut off before they walked out. Now
the police knew that Leylan and Raymond were extremely vulnerable,

(05:48):
and the search for the pair was accelerated. Departments across
no fewer than eleven states were made aware of Leylan
and Raymond's disappearance, and their case made national news. The
title of Salado was now filled with journalists and reporters
hoping to get the inside scoop on this bizarre disappearance.
Investigators worked day and night, scouring rural country roads and parks,

(06:12):
hoping to find the confused couple, but all their efforts
were for naught. July twelfth, nineteen ninety seven, would be
the day that truly shaped this bizarre case. Hikers near
Hot Springs, Arkansas made a strange discovery at the bottom
of a twenty five foot cliff leono'smobile. Inside was the

(06:34):
body of Raymond Howard, still in the passenger seat as
he had been for the entire trip. Sadly, Lailah Howard
was found twenty feet away, car keys still in her hand.
Friends of investigators determined that after the car had gone
off the cliff, she turned off the headlights and opened
the passenger side door for Raymond before dragging herself away

(06:55):
to succumb to her injuries. Bizarrely, who were no ski
marks at the scene, and an investigator estimated that the
two had been traveling at around fifty miles per hour
when the car plunged off the cliff. Now, it's conjectured
that Layla either couldn't see the cliff or had a
lapse in memory and was unable to control the car.

(07:17):
According to reports, the area where Leaylan and Raymond were
discovered had already been searched, but thick brush had prevented
investigators from noticing them. The search for Layla and Raymond
had now come to a tragician. Their families returned their
bodies to Texas for a final goodbye. However, in the

(07:37):
aftermath of Leylan Raymond's disappearance and eventual discovery, Texas musician
singer and songwriter Tony Scalzo found inspiration in their five
hundred mile journey. Now. He had first heard of the
case when he saw a headline that said elderly Salado
couple missing on a trip to nowhere. Tony became completely

(08:00):
obsessed with this bizarre tale of two lovers on a
road trip out on their own He would eventually go
on to pin a song titled in their honor called
The Way, which he produced and performed with his band Fastball.
You can hear it here on YouTube. Something about the song,
the lyrics, the music, and help send Fastballs nineteen ninety

(08:22):
eight studio album All the Pain Money Can Buy to
the top of the charts. Tony and his bandmates literally
became superstars almost overnight. In an interview, Tony would later
have this to say about the case quote, I looked
in right away. This story sort of struck me. It
was sort of an ongoing story, still no developments in

(08:45):
the case of the missing couple. I just started getting
these ideas, well, maybe they don't want to be found.
Maybe they're just like sick of being responsible. They just
want to go out and have fun. I believe that
this song, in particular, it's a strong song. It's a
strong song musically, and it's a strong song in the

(09:05):
way it was put together Lyrically. I think it's one
of the best things I've ever done. At the same time,
I think a lot of its power comes from the
story behind it, and I somehow put together this musical
piece that was enhanced by the story, and I also
believe that for the family and the people involved, the
story was enhanced by the song. End the quote a

(09:29):
fitting memorial for Raymond and Layla. The song was released
about a year after their bodies were found, immortalizing your
bittersweet story in a hit record. Now, of course, the
song is a highly romanticized version of this tragic series
of events, but it's one that people embrace and that
people love. I myself was a fan of this song

(09:49):
when it came out, had no idea about the story
behind it. Otherwise, this bittersweet tale might have just faded
into obscurity. Another case but two, perhaps senile senior citizens
who became lost and perished. In closing, I'd like to
leave you with the words of a Reddit user named
Franken Fudder, obviously rocky horror picture show fan, who had

(10:13):
a very poignant and profoundly touching summation of this case.
He writes, quote, what was going through their heads as
the car plunged off the cliff edge? Fear? Confusion. I'd
like to think otherwise, perhaps in that moment, it wasn't
nineteen ninety seven anymore. Maybe it was a much earlier

(10:35):
time for them. Maybe their damaged psyches spared them from
the sad reality. Perhaps, in that moment, for Leland Raymond,
there were no more medications, no more hearing aids, and
no more doctor appointments, no aching joints, no glasses, no operations,
no pacemakers, no forgetting, and no more confusion. Maybe in

(11:00):
that moment, and for their entire trip, Leylan and Raymond
saw themselves as a newly wedded couple, their young skin
perpetually gleaming in the summer sun, Layla in her best
white wedding dress and Raymond in his finest black tuxedo.
Maybe they envisioned a just married sign hanging on the

(11:20):
back of their rear window, and empty soup cans tied
to their rear bumper. I wonder if they held hands.
Maybe when Leyla and Raymond Howard drove off that cliff
in Arkansas in nineteen ninety seven, they weren't scared. Maybe
they were smiling. Well, friends, there you have it. Now

(11:43):
you know the story behind the song and the sad,
strange saga of Raymond and Layla. As always, I look
forward to your comments, but please keep it friendly and respectful.
Till we meet again. Be good, to your cells and
each other. Stay safe out there. As for me, I'll

(12:05):
see you a little further on down the trail. I'm
Steve Stockton and i'll talk to you next time. Please
give your animals a hug and tell them Steve says hi.