Cold and Missing: Mont Highley IV

WEBVTT

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The views and opinions expressed in Cold and

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Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All

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parties mentioned are considered innocent until

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proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing

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also contains adult themes and languages. Listener

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discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin

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-Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski.

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And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover

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cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone,

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and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your

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host, Ali. And I'm your co -host, Eli. Welcome

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back, everyone. And welcome back to both Ali

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and I. Man, November sure had a hold on us. We

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had colds back to back. Yes, it was the cold

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in our household that just had a grip on the

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both of us. And Eli had it really bad. And then

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I had it really bad the next week. So I do apologize.

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I think this is the first time in the history

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of the podcast that we've taken two consecutive

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weeks off. But we wanted to... get back into

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the recording booth, and get this new episode

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out to you guys. That's right, and we are on

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episode 148 this week. And this is a cold case.

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All right, let's get into it. Let's do it. Today,

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we are talking about the cold case of Mont Highley

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IV, and this takes place in Shorter, Alabama

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in November of 2003. But first, a little bit

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about Mont. Mont Highley IV and his family moved

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to Alabama when he was young, but shorter Alabama

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was his home that he remembered the most. He

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was the son of Gail and Dr. Highley III, so throughout

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the timeline today, I'll be referring to his

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dad as Dr. Highley and then Mont as Mont, since

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they share the same name. He also had two sisters,

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and they were a close family unit. They spent

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a lot of time together. They had a lake house,

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and then around 250 acres of hunting land they

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culled at the farm. The farm was just land, and

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it was pretty wild land with woods and creeks

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running through it. There was a trailer on the

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property as a home base where you could get warm

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and spend the night. It was a place full of memories,

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laughter, and time outdoors. This is where the

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family spent a lot of time hunting. Mont loved

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life. He loved people, the outdoors, and spending

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time with family. Those who knew him described

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him as loving and outgoing, the kind of person

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who made everyone around him feel welcome. One

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of his friends said, quote, In high school, Mont

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played both football and basketball. As an adult,

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he was working construction jobs and living in

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Florida. But Alabama was always his home, and

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he would often come back to spend weekends and

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the holidays with family. And that's exactly

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what he did for Thanksgiving in 2003. So with

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that, we will get into a timeline of events.

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So Thursday, November 27, 2003, Thanksgiving

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Day. That Thanksgiving, Mont spent the day with

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his family. His mother, Gail, would later remember

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that Mont was a little quieter than usual, but

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not in a way that worried her. just quieter.

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The next day, Friday, November 28th, the day

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after Thanksgiving, Mont and his father went

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hunting near Prattville, Alabama, finishing up

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around 5 p .m. As the sun began to set, Mont

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told his dad that he was going to spend the night

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at the family hunting cabin, the one they called

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The Farm in Macon County. He and his dad had

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plans to meet there again the next day for another

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hunting trip. The next few points in the timeline

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come from Alabama Cold Case Advocacy. I wasn't

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able to verify these with another source, but

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wanted to include them in the timeline, but just

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wanted to point out that I couldn't verify with

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a second source on these. So before he left Montgomery,

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Mont took a brief but friendly phone call, one

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his mother remembered because it seemed cheerful.

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Around 5 .30 that evening, he told his parents

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goodbye and got into his green Tahoe and drove

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toward the farm on County Road 30. At around

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6 to 6 .30 p .m., Monts stopped at a gas station

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near I -85. According to Alabama Cold Case Advocacy,

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security footage later confirmed that he bought

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some beer while at the convenience store. Also

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while there, he called a close friend and invited

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him to go hunting that night. The friend couldn't

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go because he already had plans. After 8 p .m.,

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Mont's phone showed a few calls, but the last

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cell phone activity from his phone was just after

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9 .30 that night. However, police report that

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the last seen sighting of Mont Highley was on County

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Road 30, according to police. Okay, and with

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that, we're back into the official timeline.

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So Saturday, November 29, 2003. That next afternoon,

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around 3 p .m., Mont's dad arrived at the farm

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for their planned hunting trip. But Mont wasn't

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there. The gate to the property, which Mont always

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kept locked, was wide open. While Mont was a

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strong guy, he didn't love being out at the property

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by himself. It creeped him out a little bit.

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His dad also noticed that the metal storage building

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was open too. The front door to the trailer on

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the property was ajar and lights inside were

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all left on. The TV was still playing, too, and

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the volume was loud. Dr. Highley said he could

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hear it from outside of the trailer. But Mott

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was gone, and so was his green Tahoe. Dr. Highley

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says, quote, I figured one of his friends came

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by and said, come on, we'll go celebrate. The

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Alabama -Auburn game had happened that day with

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a favorable outcome. Dr. Highley continues and

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says, quote, so I just locked up. I hunted, locked

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it up, and came home. Later, Dr. Highley would

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recall, quote, something felt strange. There

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were lots of things that weren't right. He was

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antsy about being out there by himself and he

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always locked the gate. Well, the gate was wide

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open. The next morning, Dr. Highley got a call

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from a man named Dale Segrist who lived about

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two and a half miles from the Highley family camp.

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Dr. Highley says, quote, he, referring to Dale,

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was a judge at that time. He called saying Mont's

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truck was found behind his mother's house. His

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son Mike had a group that hunted out there during

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the week, and there were about five or six of

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them. When the Hyleys arrived to Dale's property,

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they find Mont's green Tahoe. Inside the car

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were his wallet and briefcase, with $200 cash

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still in it. The keys were in the ignition, and

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his hunting rifle was still inside the car, and

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there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle.

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When his dad turned the keys, On his car, it

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started right up, so it didn't appear that he

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had any kind of engine trouble. The Segrists

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and the Heileys walked the property but found

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no other trace of Mont. Mont's parents began

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to panic. They decided to go check on their other

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home at the lake, Lake Martin, and there was

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no sign of Mont there. They started calling his

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friends and local hospitals to see if anybody

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had heard of him, but no one had seen or heard

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from him. That evening, his parents went back

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to the farm. This time they noticed details that

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his dad had missed before. Mont's new boots were

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sitting side by side on the porch, but they were

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wet. His pants were also wet from the thighs

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down and were found on the bedroom floor. Inside

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of the pockets were $100 cash and his cell phone.

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His dad would later say, quote, if my son was

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going to take one thing with him, it's a cell

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phone. That's when the family knew something

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was very wrong. They filed a missing person report

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that evening. So over the next few days, from

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December 1st through the 4th, this marks the

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search for Mont. Over the next few days, hundreds

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of people join the search for Mont. Friends,

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family, volunteers, and of course police comb

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hundreds of acres across the family farm and

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adjoining properties. Helicopters were brought

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in and tracking dogs were deployed looking for

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any sign of Mont. During the search on that first

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day, December 1st, Mont's family's golf cart

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was found stuck on a tree root. The family used

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the golf cart to get around the property. Around

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the golf cart was Mont's shirt, a pistol, and

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a rechargeable flashlight that was still working.

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In some reports, it's noted that his cell phone

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was found here around the golf cart instead of

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in his pants in the trailer, so there is some

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discrepancy about where his cell phone was found.

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The golf cart itself wasn't badly stuck. Dr.

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Highley was able to free it by himself, which made

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it strange that Mont would have abandoned it.

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If his father could get it unstuck, Mont surely

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would have been able to get it unstuck. The tracking

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dogs did pick up Mont's scent. It led from the

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Highleaf Farm to the Segrist property, then across

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the street to another property owned by a Segrist

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relative. And there, the scent trail stopped.

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Again, police searched for days, but finally

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on December 4th, six days after Mont disappeared,

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police called off the search for him after finding

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no additional signs. On December 19th, Mont's

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34th birthday come and goes without any sign

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of him. On Christmas of that year, his family

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raised the reward money for information to $50

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,000. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation was

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now involved in his disappearance, but investigators

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admitted that they were perplexed. There were

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no signs of a struggle anywhere and no clear

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crime scene. On January 14, 2004, nearly seven

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weeks after Mont vanished, A man and his child

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were walking behind a restaurant called The Back

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Forty, about half a mile from where Mont's Tahoe

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had been found and roughly two and a half miles

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from the family's hunting camp. The child wandered

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near an old grain silo. When the man went to

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go retrieve the child, he looked inside the grain

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silo and saw a body. According to the property

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owners, the silo hadn't been used since the 1980s.

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It was near a barn that housed dogs, and just

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10 yards away was a pig pen, which may have masked

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the smell of any decomposition that was happening.

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Neighbors later said that they thought that area

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had been searched by police when they were doing

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their initial search for Mont, but police couldn't

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confirm if the inside of the silo had ever been

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checked, but it does appear that they had looked

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around that property during the initial search.

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The body was identified the next day through

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dental records. It was Mont. Inside of the silo,

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police found something odd. A pair of pants folded

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neatly and placed on Mont's chest. His mother,

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who often did his laundry still, didn't recognize

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the pair of pants as one of his. Mont Mighley IV

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had been found, but no one could really say what

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happened to him. Police never release an official

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cause of death or results from an autopsy. On

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Sunday, January 18th, Mont's family held a memorial

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service, and the church was packed with mourners

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and people who wanted to pay their respects to

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Mont. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation officially

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takes over the case. Evidence was being processed,

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but due to a backlog at the state forensic lab,

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results are delayed for months in this investigation.

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It is reported that by mid -2004, so about six

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months after Mont's body had been found, a grand

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jury had been convened, but no indictments were

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returned. It wasn't until August of 2004, nearly

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nine months after Mont's disappearance, that

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the governor announced a $5 ,000 reward for the

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conviction of the murderer. And this was really

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the first public confirmation that Mont's death

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was being treated as a homicide. We know that

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the Alabama Bureau of Investigation re -canvassed

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the area, and new leads did come in, but no arrests

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or no suspects were ever named. Another grand

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jury is held in 2005, but again, the same result.

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No charges, no suspects. In October of 2022,

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billboards went up around the area to reignite

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interest in Mont's case, and in July of 2025,

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The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation confirmed

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that the case remains open and unsolved, but

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didn't provide any more updates on where they

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are in the case. So as of today, it's been almost

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22 years since Mont Highley IV was murdered. So

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if you know anything about the murder of Mont

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Highley IV, please contact the Alabama SBI Montgomery

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office at 1 -800 -392 -8011. So that is the cold

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case of Mont Highly IV. I really liked hearing

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about Mont and how heavily involved he was with

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his family. I loved knowing that he was a brother

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of two sisters and that he loved the outdoors.

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And just again, that he was so committed to spending

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time with his family and building his life with

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his extended family. at his side. It sounded

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like his home and the community that he built

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really meant a lot to him. Definitely. You know,

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in reading all of the interviews with the family,

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I got the sense that they were all very close

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and Mont, you know, really enjoyed coming home.

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He was living in Florida at this time, but according

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to reports, he was actually looking for jobs

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that would, like construction jobs that would

00:14:16.820 --> 00:14:20.759
keep him in Alabama closer to family. So it was

00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:23.169
definitely important for him. The first thing

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I want to take note of, which you said about

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Mont's mom, was that she noticed that he was

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quiet. It seemed like it would have been a personality

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trait for him to be, when he was with his family,

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a bit more involved, maybe rambunctious. But

00:14:40.190 --> 00:14:42.629
she took note that he was quiet and it was something

00:14:42.629 --> 00:14:45.830
that was not lost on me. Yeah, this is one of

00:14:45.830 --> 00:14:48.230
those examples of, you know, when someone goes

00:14:48.230 --> 00:14:51.399
missing or is murdered, how... everything kind

00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:54.720
of surrounding that time period kind of gets

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:58.080
looked at in a whole new way. So with Mom being

00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.419
quiet, is that related to ultimately what happened

00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:03.679
to him, or was he just having a quieter Thanksgiving?

00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:06.320
It's hard to know at this point, but his mother

00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:11.299
taking note of it I think is always notable.

00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.340
Like when a mom is noticing a change in her child,

00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.700
I always think that's worth noting. Another question

00:15:17.700 --> 00:15:24.100
I had was, Was Mont going out to the hunting

00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:28.200
home or the property something normal that he

00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:30.879
did regularly? And I honestly don't think that

00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:34.139
it was. Certainly not without someone else. We

00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:36.720
know that even on his way there, he called a

00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:38.779
friend on his cell phone to ask to meet him up

00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:41.200
there. The friend couldn't do it. And we know

00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.059
that the following day that his dad was supposed

00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:47.000
to be there. So for me, I don't think he went

00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:50.580
out there completely by himself. very often.

00:15:51.019 --> 00:15:54.980
And I don't know, I started to draw some conclusions

00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:59.159
with that information. Yeah. So I actually had

00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:01.120
the opposite impression. I had the impression

00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:04.539
that it was at least normal enough for him to

00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:07.879
go out there by himself, that his dad knew that

00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:09.580
he was like kind of creeped out to be there by

00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:12.840
himself, to like note that he always kept the

00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:15.700
gate locked when he was out there. So I got the

00:16:15.700 --> 00:16:18.379
impression that it was something. At least with

00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.539
some regularity, he would do. But I do agree

00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:23.879
with you that it seems like if he could avoid

00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:26.259
it, he wanted, you know, a buddy out there, a

00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:28.419
friend, someone to hang out with. It didn't seem

00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:29.960
like he really wanted to be there by himself

00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:33.159
that often. I had another clarifying question.

00:16:33.820 --> 00:16:36.379
You said something about the last time he was

00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:40.399
possibly seen was on the road. I don't remember

00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.840
the name of it, but I. Was just curious about

00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:47.539
more details on that. How was he seen on the

00:16:47.539 --> 00:16:50.100
road? Was he walking? Was he in his Tahoe? Was

00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:53.600
he in the golf cart? I'd love more information

00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.519
on that if you do have it. I would also love

00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.600
more information on that. We don't have the details.

00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.900
Police just state that he was last seen on County

00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:09.299
Road 30. That is what we know. I don't know if

00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:11.599
that's, you know, we have this information coming

00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:14.500
from the Alabama cold case advocacy that he was

00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:18.160
stopping at, you know, like a gas station and

00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.759
buying some beer. I don't know if that's coming

00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.660
from the footage of him pulling out. I believe

00:17:23.660 --> 00:17:29.779
that was on the Route 30 road. So maybe it's

00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:31.660
just coming from there or maybe there's more

00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:34.380
information that, you know, he was walking. It

00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:36.480
was the golf cart, the Tahoe, something like

00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.980
that. That's at least where police last put him.

00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:45.720
Well, something we do know for sure from his

00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.240
dad's memory is that the gate was unlocked. The

00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:54.559
lights were on. The TV was on. And we know now

00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.990
that the gate. would have been locked if Mont

00:17:57.990 --> 00:18:01.049
was inside and closed everything behind him.

00:18:01.069 --> 00:18:02.529
It seemed like to me that's something that the

00:18:02.529 --> 00:18:05.269
family usually does, or especially if someone

00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:07.829
is out at the property alone, they lock it up

00:18:07.829 --> 00:18:10.289
behind them. And that was not the case here.

00:18:10.410 --> 00:18:13.589
To me, that would have been a major red flag.

00:18:13.990 --> 00:18:17.529
I think it's possible that when you're not living

00:18:17.529 --> 00:18:20.130
your life assuming that something bad has happened

00:18:20.130 --> 00:18:22.390
to someone, it's completely possible that...

00:18:22.809 --> 00:18:25.250
The gate being unlocked and the TV being on and

00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:27.650
the lights being on wouldn't have read as a red

00:18:27.650 --> 00:18:32.109
flag to his dad. So I realize that that's a possibility

00:18:32.109 --> 00:18:34.809
here. Yeah. And his dad even, you know, kind

00:18:34.809 --> 00:18:38.210
of put backstory to it of being like, I know

00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:40.769
there was like an Auburn Alabama game happening

00:18:40.769 --> 00:18:45.170
the night before like that day. And I won't pretend

00:18:45.170 --> 00:18:47.569
to know which team the family was rooting for

00:18:47.569 --> 00:18:49.630
if it was Auburn or Alabama. I assume Alabama,

00:18:49.730 --> 00:18:52.670
but I guess it could be Auburn. But it was a

00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:54.769
favorable outcome. Like whoever Mont would have

00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:56.710
been rooting for would have won. So his dad just

00:18:56.710 --> 00:18:59.589
thought, hey, they probably left to go celebrate

00:18:59.589 --> 00:19:02.210
or watch the game somewhere at a bar or at a

00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:03.750
buddy's house or something like that. And he

00:19:03.750 --> 00:19:06.569
just kind of left quickly and didn't lock up.

00:19:07.170 --> 00:19:12.009
So his dad inevitably does his small hunting

00:19:12.009 --> 00:19:14.690
trip there, ends up going home, and then the

00:19:14.690 --> 00:19:17.849
following day gets the phone call from Dale S.

00:19:18.589 --> 00:19:22.119
Now. I want to know what his car is doing there,

00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:26.119
and I'm sure you do as well. Was it driven there?

00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:29.059
Was it dropped there? Did Mont drive it himself?

00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:33.960
There are so many questions behind this discovery.

00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.079
Yeah, it's definitely interesting. And, you know,

00:19:38.099 --> 00:19:40.799
if I could sit down and learn anything about

00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.599
this case, I would be interested to know if any

00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:46.950
evidence came out of... His car, you know, as

00:19:46.950 --> 00:19:49.349
far as like foreign fingerprints maybe would

00:19:49.349 --> 00:19:53.750
go, you know, was the seat moved at all or was

00:19:53.750 --> 00:19:58.650
it where Mont would have had it? I know that

00:19:58.650 --> 00:20:00.690
the police said there didn't seem to be any signs

00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:03.750
of struggle within the Tahoe. And, you know,

00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:06.190
his briefcase was in there. His wallet was in

00:20:06.190 --> 00:20:09.069
there with cash, quite a bit of cash still in

00:20:09.069 --> 00:20:13.390
it. And his hunting rifle was also found in the

00:20:13.390 --> 00:20:18.660
car. He would have had a weapon with him, presumably,

00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:23.140
if he was in that car. So it's very strange that

00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:26.460
it ended up there. This is another observation

00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:30.859
that I made, especially after the discovery of

00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:33.660
his car being out there and it being at a place

00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:38.099
that he knew. Something that I thought was there

00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:41.000
were a lot of people in his life that knew he

00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:44.069
was out there and that... presumably he would

00:20:44.069 --> 00:20:48.630
be out there alone. Again, that is not to design

00:20:48.630 --> 00:20:53.690
a pointing finger at anyone. But as far as this

00:20:53.690 --> 00:20:57.609
being a cold case, I think people having information

00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:01.009
that he was out there is worth mentioning. Yeah.

00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:04.009
And, you know, if that information from the Alabama

00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:07.650
cold case advocacy is accurate, you know, his

00:21:07.650 --> 00:21:11.000
cell phone was having activity. throughout that

00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.700
day like that that Friday after Thanksgiving

00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:16.900
up until about 9 30 so we know he called at least

00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:19.079
one friend but maybe he reached out to other

00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:22.579
people so again if I could know anything about

00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:25.000
this case his cell phone activity for one is

00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:27.500
one I'm really interested in who were those last

00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:31.339
communications with what were the last um you

00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:34.420
know movements on the cell phone lots of questions

00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:37.900
there and potentially answers. I think the cell

00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:41.019
phone could hold a lot of answers. And not to

00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:45.660
mention the discovery of the golf cart. I just

00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:48.740
want to know what you make of it. To me, it read

00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:53.779
that, and this isn't all speculation so far from

00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:57.480
my end, but to me, it read that Mont was maybe

00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:00.619
riding the golf cart and trying to get away from

00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:04.650
something and had a small crash or bump but then

00:22:04.650 --> 00:22:07.769
again it also said that his dad could move it

00:22:07.769 --> 00:22:11.490
pretty easily so I don't know I guess I wanted

00:22:11.490 --> 00:22:14.670
to know what you made of it as well yes I think

00:22:14.670 --> 00:22:18.549
the golf cart is a very interesting piece of

00:22:18.549 --> 00:22:21.289
evidence and I would love to get clarity around

00:22:21.289 --> 00:22:24.549
what exactly was found around the golf cart it

00:22:24.549 --> 00:22:27.549
seems like for sure his shirt was found there

00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:31.329
um like a rechargeable flashlight that was still

00:22:31.329 --> 00:22:34.150
in working order was found there a pistol was

00:22:34.150 --> 00:22:36.769
found there and then maybe his cell phone but

00:22:36.769 --> 00:22:38.329
there are reports that was found back in the

00:22:38.329 --> 00:22:41.630
trailer so i'd love to get clarity on that but

00:22:41.630 --> 00:22:45.869
then as far as what i make of it tons of questions

00:22:45.869 --> 00:22:50.309
around it i get the sense of panic when i think

00:22:50.309 --> 00:22:54.809
about it just you know it getting snug or It

00:22:54.809 --> 00:22:57.289
getting snagged on a tree root. But his dad,

00:22:57.430 --> 00:22:59.829
from my understanding of it, his dad just kind

00:22:59.829 --> 00:23:02.329
of like lifted the golf cart up over the root

00:23:02.329 --> 00:23:05.549
and then it was unstuck. It was free after that.

00:23:06.769 --> 00:23:10.130
So something as simple as that of just getting

00:23:10.130 --> 00:23:12.230
it unstuck, just kind of lifting it up over the

00:23:12.230 --> 00:23:15.329
barrier. It makes me just think that Mont was

00:23:15.329 --> 00:23:18.809
possibly panicked about something and didn't

00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:21.549
take the time to troubleshoot. It's like he had

00:23:21.549 --> 00:23:24.789
to go. He had to get away from it. But that's,

00:23:24.789 --> 00:23:26.809
again, all speculation on my part, but I just

00:23:26.809 --> 00:23:30.910
get the sense of panic around it. Yeah, a sense

00:23:30.910 --> 00:23:36.650
of panic and urgency, which brings me to when

00:23:36.650 --> 00:23:40.470
they had the dogs out doing scent trails after,

00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:44.410
you know, his car was found. Ultimately, the

00:23:44.410 --> 00:23:49.730
scents, the scent trails began and ended with

00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:55.700
no conclusion drawn. And that was heartbreaking

00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:58.079
for me, I think, to know that he was there and

00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:02.279
to know what inevitably happened is all of this

00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:07.960
happened very close to home. And it's so scary

00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:11.440
and disturbing and upsetting to know that. Yeah,

00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:15.440
the scent trail is... Some interesting evidence.

00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:19.220
We know that the dogs picked it up starting at

00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:22.779
the Highley’s farm property and then it went to

00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:26.440
Dale's property and then went across the street

00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:30.559
to a relative's of Dale's. Tons of questions

00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.160
there because why did it suddenly stop? And I

00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:34.960
would be curious as to where on the property

00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:37.319
it stopped. Like, did it stop near the road?

00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:39.420
So maybe he could have gotten into a car and

00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:42.299
that explains it? Or was it back out some ways?

00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.619
A lot more questions. Yeah. A couple of them

00:24:47.619 --> 00:24:50.559
being, why was his scent there in the first place?

00:24:51.420 --> 00:24:55.380
Questions we would love to have answers to. And

00:24:55.380 --> 00:24:59.380
ultimately what's found is Mont inside of a grain

00:24:59.380 --> 00:25:02.599
silo. And I don't think that he climbed in there

00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:07.240
himself. To me, it reads as someone was trying

00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:12.440
to hide him or hide what they most likely had

00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:17.980
done to him. And that's heartbreaking. I'm so

00:25:17.980 --> 00:25:21.339
sad to know that the family had to have that

00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:24.279
information, that they had to, if that makes

00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:27.079
sense, that they had to know it all, that their

00:25:27.079 --> 00:25:31.539
loved one was just discarded. Yeah, and when,

00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:34.000
you know, Mont's body was first found, police

00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.099
didn't reveal anything from the autopsy. We still

00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:38.460
don't have those results, but it wasn't even

00:25:38.460 --> 00:25:41.000
revealed that it was a murder until, you know,

00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:45.440
sometime later. The finding of the body, you

00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:47.420
know, was obviously very devastating for the

00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:51.880
family. But then there's that detail of the pants

00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:55.579
kind of neatly folded on his chest. Because that,

00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:59.700
to me, that's somebody that's not Mont putting

00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:04.940
them there. So I would be very curious to know

00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:08.259
if any, what police know about. The pair of pants.

00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.539
And from my understanding, it was like a new

00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:12.700
pair of pants. That's kind of how they were described,

00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:15.140
was like a new pair of pants. So I don't know

00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:17.640
if that meant it had tags on it or if they just

00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:22.720
were very clean. I'm not sure. But very strange

00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:26.660
detail there. Yeah, I was just going to say that.

00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:31.640
A lot of odd and end details that don't string

00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:35.700
together, but glaring things that stand out like

00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:41.680
brand new pants. folded on top of someone who

00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:46.140
is dead inside of a green silo. All of it reads

00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:49.900
as very, very suspicious and very odd to me.

00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:53.920
Ultimately, I would love answers for Mont and

00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:56.400
justice for his family because they absolutely

00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:59.440
deserve that here. Well, then there are additional

00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.400
just strange details like... The pants that his

00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:05.079
family found in the trailer that were wet, like

00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:07.980
up to the thigh, and then his shoes were wet.

00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:12.220
But what does that mean? Where does that all

00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:15.960
come into play? And do they think his shirt that

00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:19.559
was found by the golf cart was wet? Lots of questions

00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:23.859
about what happened that Friday night when Mott

00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:27.220
went to the farm and likely disappeared that

00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.839
night, it does seem. That's the evening that

00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:32.759
police mark as Mott's disappearance was that

00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:34.920
Friday after Thanksgiving when he was out on

00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:38.660
the farm. So many questions. And ultimately,

00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:43.079
Mott's family want answers here. And there seems

00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:45.700
to be so much evidence in this case, strange

00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:48.240
evidence, that it just really makes me think

00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.400
that there has to be something here. You know,

00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:55.039
if we can go back with fresh eyes, with new testing.

00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:59.319
more scientific testing, more sensitive testing,

00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.200
go back and what evidence do we have? I think

00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:04.359
we could get some more answers in Mont's case

00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:08.259
and have someone held accountable for his very

00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:11.539
untimely death and his murder. So again, if you

00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:13.799
know anything about the murder of Mont Highley

00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:17.839
IV, please call the Alabama SBI Montgomery office

00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:24.339
at 1 -800 -392 -8011. As always, I will be providing

00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:27.859
graphics of Mont, and those will be shared on

00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:30.440
our Instagram. If you're not following us there

00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:33.779
already, I really encourage you to do so. At

00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:36.079
Cold and Missing, it's where we share graphics

00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:39.680
of all of our episodes, all of our cold cases,

00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:43.000
all of our missing person cases. It's a great

00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:46.440
way to engage with us and the true crime community

00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:50.079
in general, especially if you are interested

00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:52.960
in amplifying cases like the ones that we cover

00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.619
here at Cold and Missing. And if we ever need

00:28:55.619 --> 00:28:57.819
to take time off because we're sick, we always

00:28:57.819 --> 00:29:00.160
update the Instagram. So that has been updated

00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:02.400
over the last two weeks. So if you've been missing

00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:04.000
Cold and Missing and wondering where we're at,

00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:06.519
follow us at Cold and Missing and you'll always

00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:09.220
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00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:11.680
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00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:13.240
been off these last two weeks, some really kind

00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:15.380
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00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:17.900
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00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:19.920
everyone who has taken the time out of their

00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:23.059
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00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:25.539
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00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:27.819
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00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:30.400
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00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:32.819
It helps others find these cases and ultimately

00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:35.839
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00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:38.500
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00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:42.140
So thank you. And if you or someone you love

00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:44.559
is hard of hearing, we have all of our transcripts

00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:46.660
for our episodes, the official transcripts on

00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:50.000
our website, www .coldandmissing .com. Those

00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.099
have all of the correct spellings of names and

00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:54.759
locations. So if you or someone you love needs

00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:57.640
to follow along there, you can find all of them

00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:01.779
on our website. But that is all I have for you

00:30:01.779 --> 00:30:04.079
today. Thank you so much for listening to Cold

00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:06.839
and Missing. I'm your host, Ali. And I'm your

00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:09.599
co -host, Eli. Have a good week and stay safe,

00:30:09.680 --> 00:30:11.039
y 'all. Stay safe, y 'all.