news. we heard about a car accident that had a red car. and we thought it was him, right away. and so, we went and looked and it ended up being car pieces for a different car. and so, then, when that wasn t him either, we started to get extremely worried. after that. we drove up and down the back roads, though. we looked. up and down the highway. any way i could think of that might lead through town, anywhere. rachel posted messages on facebook. has anyone heard from haile or nick? still, nothing. by friday afternoon, they were out of their minds with worry. i mean, we called and called and called. no answers. no nothing. we kept getting the voicemails. and i was like, nick, this is getting serious. you know, we i started crying, on one of em. and i was like, you better not be making fun of me. this better not be a joke. yeah. before the day was over, the family would find out, this was no joke. something terrible had happened to nick and haile but
like, i said what do you mean, shot to death? when i could finally get something out. and he said, well, he was shot three times. i was like, shot? what do you mean shot three times? and that that was i couldn t function. i couldn t really hear, after that. were you there, rachel, during that? i walked in. and then, my dad said that somebody somebody shot nickel baby. and i remember, i just went right outside, and i sat in snow. i just buried my head in mhands, . and then, he tapped me on the shoulder, and told me, haile s gone, too. that s your brother and your best friend. do you remember what was racing through your head, rachel? basically, why? i guess, we all just couldn t believe it
with with no cares. yeah. they all spent the night together at a friend s apartment. on thanksgiving morning, nick and haile left around 11:00 a. m. they said they were going to go to my mom and dad s house. the plan was to meet later at grandma s house but nick and haile never showed up. kimberly and rachel tried calling them. is it strange for nick not to answer his phone? absolutely. even if i would have called over and over again, he would have called or answered and been like, what do you want? strange for haile to not answer her phone? extremely. she would have never not answered my phone call. adding to their worry was the weather. it had started snowing. so i m thinking, okay, the weather. maybe, he got stranded somewhere. and i was hoping that he was just staying overnight in a safe place. yeah, in a safe place. are you worried about a car accident? i was very worried. sure enough, on friday morning, there was frightening
teenage cousins, nick brady and haile kifer had gone missing the day before, thanksgiving. now, as she learned the circumstances of her son s death, nick s mother had so many questions. how do you reconcile, in your head, your beautiful boy, who loves the outdoors, and what they re telling you, that he broke into somebody s house? i just, i couldn t imagine it. it just was so not him. so you just couldn t reconcile? yeah. i had a lot of trouble. kimberly had never heard the name byron smith, but rachel had. i knew that my brother had worked for him, in the summer. but i didn t know him at all. nick had once done yard work at byron smith s house. now, the sheriff had evidence of what he was doing there again. byron had set up surveillance cameras at his home. frightened, after a string of break-ins. those cameras proved there was no mistake about the break-in.
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