Lela and Raymond Howard
Encyclopedia
Lela and Raymond Howard were an elderly married couple from Salado, Texas
that made national headlines in July 1997 when they disappeared while driving to a local festival. They were later found deceased over 500 miles away near Hot Springs, Arkansas
. The hit song "The Way
" by Fastball
was inspired by their story.
(now a ghost town
) to William Arthur Howard and Fannie Adele Hardin Howard. Raymond was a carpenter and belonged to the local carpenter's union. He moved to Salado after marrying Lela Howard and resided there for eleven years. He was first married to Ethel Lewis who preceded him in death after 56 years of marriage. Approximately two years before his death, Raymond was in a car accident where he consequently underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his skull. Later he complained of headaches and memory problems. He kept driving for some time after that until he hit a parked car and his children took his keys from him.
. Raymond moved in with Lela in Salado. The couple would frequently go out socializing or to church events.
, a fifteen mile trip. They stopped at the neighborhood Wal-Mart
for coffee, something they often did during the week.
About twelve hours after they initially left home, they were stopped in northern Arkansas
near the town of Subiaco
by Logan County
sheriff's deputy Harold Cole because they were driving with no headlights. Cole radioed Lela's information in, but, unaware that the couple was lost or missing and having no reason to detain them, let them go.
Looking back on the incident, officer Cole later stated that there were warning signs that something might have been wrong. It took several miles of flashing his lights before Lela pulled over, she was fumbling a little when Cole instructed her to turn on her headlights, and though she said she was going to Texas, she was headed the wrong way. However this was not enough to warrant holding them.
"I feel terrible about it. I just wished I'd known more that night to give me a little suspicion. There was just nothing there out of the ordinary... I was impressed by the lady... She was polite. She was kind. She was gentle… I had no probable cause to detain them any longer. And I certainly had no probable cause to think they were wanted," Cole said.
Forty-five minutes later they were stopped again near the town of Plainview
by a Yell County sheriff's deputy for driving with their high-beams on. Although by this time the couple had been reported as missing, unfortunately no computer checks were run, and again they were let go. This was the last time they were seen alive.
When the couple did not return home by 4 p.m. that day, Lela's son Hal Copeland called the Bell County
sheriff's office to report them missing.
Several relatives of the Howards spent the July fourth weekend searching for them. They distributed fliers, drove back roads, and questioned law enforcement officials and storekeepers. The Howards' grandson James Stewart offered a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the couple.
Police were flooded with tips about the couple nationwide after a segment was aired on CBS's This Morning
, however none of them led anywhere according to officer Wayne Jordan of the Arkansas State Police.
found the Howards' maroon Oldsmobile Delta 88
and the bodies of Lela and Raymond at the bottom of a 25-foot cliff. The highway they were driving on before the crash was known for being a treacherous, curvy road.
Although it was initially reported that Raymond was driving the car, when the full investigation's details were released, they showed that Lela had in fact been behind the wheel. Police estimated that Lela was driving about 50 miles per hour when she ran a stop sign and drove off the road and over the cliff, most likely due to a combination of the dark, winding road and mental fatigue. There were no skid marks, indicating Lela was unaware she had run the sign. The report stated that after the crash, Lela put the car in parking gear and removed the keys. She walked around to the passenger side door which she apparently opened, then walked about 20 feet away from the car before collapsing. Raymond never left the passenger seat. She was 83 years old. He was 88.
to come up with some way to ensure that drivers 75 years of age and older could "exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle."
This fueled a national debate on whether or not such a bill would infringe on the rights of senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons strongly disapproved of any such legislation stating, "It is discriminatory in all senses of the word."
However others such as Homer Lear of the Silver-Haired Legislature disagreed and said the idea did have merit.
" by the group Fastball
was written by bassist Tony Scalzo
after reading the reports of the Howards' disappearance. "It's a romanticized take on what happened," said Scalzo. He "pictured them taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met."
Salado, Texas
Salado is a village in Bell County, Texas, United States. Salado was first incorporated in 1867 for the sole purpose of building a bridge across the Salado Creek...
that made national headlines in July 1997 when they disappeared while driving to a local festival. They were later found deceased over 500 miles away near Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. The hit song "The Way
The Way (song)
"The Way" is a song by the American alternative rock band Fastball from their second studio album, All the Pain Money Can Buy. It peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in April and remained there for seven weeks. The song also reached #1 on Canada's Singles Chart...
" by Fastball
Fastball (band)
Fastball is an American rock band that formed in Austin, Texas in the 1990s. The band originally called themselves "Magneto U.S.A." but changed their name after signing with Hollywood Records....
was inspired by their story.
Raymond Howard
Arthur Raymond Howard was born in The Grove, TexasThe Grove, Texas
The Grove is an unincorporated community in Coryell County, Texas, United States. It is located some sixteen miles southeast of Gatesville, Texas in the eastern portion of the county.The Grove is located on Texas State Highway 36....
(now a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
) to William Arthur Howard and Fannie Adele Hardin Howard. Raymond was a carpenter and belonged to the local carpenter's union. He moved to Salado after marrying Lela Howard and resided there for eleven years. He was first married to Ethel Lewis who preceded him in death after 56 years of marriage. Approximately two years before his death, Raymond was in a car accident where he consequently underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his skull. Later he complained of headaches and memory problems. He kept driving for some time after that until he hit a parked car and his children took his keys from him.
Lela Howard
Lela Copeland Howard was born in the farming community of Oenaville, Texas to Jeff and Effie Morris French. She was first married to Jessie David Copeland who preceded her in death after 43 years of marriage.Marriage
Raymond met Lela at the First Nazarene Church of Belton, of which both were members. After Raymond's first wife died, they would frequently talk after morning and evening services. They were married shortly thereafter at a parson's house in San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Raymond moved in with Lela in Salado. The couple would frequently go out socializing or to church events.
Disappearance
The couple left their home on the morning of Saturday, June 28, 1997. They were headed to the Pioneer Days Festival, a festival honoring longtime residents, in nearby TempleTemple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an...
, a fifteen mile trip. They stopped at the neighborhood Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
for coffee, something they often did during the week.
About twelve hours after they initially left home, they were stopped in northern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
near the town of Subiaco
Subiaco, Arkansas
Subiaco is a town in Logan County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Subiaco in the Lazio region of Italy...
by Logan County
Logan County, Arkansas
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,353. There are two county seats: Booneville and Paris.-History :...
sheriff's deputy Harold Cole because they were driving with no headlights. Cole radioed Lela's information in, but, unaware that the couple was lost or missing and having no reason to detain them, let them go.
Looking back on the incident, officer Cole later stated that there were warning signs that something might have been wrong. It took several miles of flashing his lights before Lela pulled over, she was fumbling a little when Cole instructed her to turn on her headlights, and though she said she was going to Texas, she was headed the wrong way. However this was not enough to warrant holding them.
"I feel terrible about it. I just wished I'd known more that night to give me a little suspicion. There was just nothing there out of the ordinary... I was impressed by the lady... She was polite. She was kind. She was gentle… I had no probable cause to detain them any longer. And I certainly had no probable cause to think they were wanted," Cole said.
Forty-five minutes later they were stopped again near the town of Plainview
Plainview, Arkansas
Plainview is a city in Yell County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 755 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
by a Yell County sheriff's deputy for driving with their high-beams on. Although by this time the couple had been reported as missing, unfortunately no computer checks were run, and again they were let go. This was the last time they were seen alive.
When the couple did not return home by 4 p.m. that day, Lela's son Hal Copeland called the Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
sheriff's office to report them missing.
Several relatives of the Howards spent the July fourth weekend searching for them. They distributed fliers, drove back roads, and questioned law enforcement officials and storekeepers. The Howards' grandson James Stewart offered a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the couple.
Police were flooded with tips about the couple nationwide after a segment was aired on CBS's This Morning
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
, however none of them led anywhere according to officer Wayne Jordan of the Arkansas State Police.
Death and discovery
Exactly two weeks after they disappeared, two teenagers on a hike through the Ouachita MountainsOuachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The range's subterranean roots may extend as far as central Texas, or beyond it to the current location of the Marathon Uplift. Along with the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains form the U.S...
found the Howards' maroon Oldsmobile Delta 88
Oldsmobile 88
The Oldsmobile 88 was a full-size car sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and produced from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 to 1974 the 88 was the division's top-selling line, particularly the entry-level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88...
and the bodies of Lela and Raymond at the bottom of a 25-foot cliff. The highway they were driving on before the crash was known for being a treacherous, curvy road.
Although it was initially reported that Raymond was driving the car, when the full investigation's details were released, they showed that Lela had in fact been behind the wheel. Police estimated that Lela was driving about 50 miles per hour when she ran a stop sign and drove off the road and over the cliff, most likely due to a combination of the dark, winding road and mental fatigue. There were no skid marks, indicating Lela was unaware she had run the sign. The report stated that after the crash, Lela put the car in parking gear and removed the keys. She walked around to the passenger side door which she apparently opened, then walked about 20 feet away from the car before collapsing. Raymond never left the passenger seat. She was 83 years old. He was 88.
Aftermath
Because the disappearance of Lela and Raymond made national headlines, their eventual discovery raised concerns on whether or not the elderly need to undergo driver testing. Texas State Representative Tony Goolsby introduced a bill that would order the Department of TransportationTexas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
to come up with some way to ensure that drivers 75 years of age and older could "exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle."
This fueled a national debate on whether or not such a bill would infringe on the rights of senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons strongly disapproved of any such legislation stating, "It is discriminatory in all senses of the word."
However others such as Homer Lear of the Silver-Haired Legislature disagreed and said the idea did have merit.
In popular culture
The song "The WayThe Way (song)
"The Way" is a song by the American alternative rock band Fastball from their second studio album, All the Pain Money Can Buy. It peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in April and remained there for seven weeks. The song also reached #1 on Canada's Singles Chart...
" by the group Fastball
Fastball (band)
Fastball is an American rock band that formed in Austin, Texas in the 1990s. The band originally called themselves "Magneto U.S.A." but changed their name after signing with Hollywood Records....
was written by bassist Tony Scalzo
Tony Scalzo
Tony Scalzo is an American rock musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the band Fastball....
after reading the reports of the Howards' disappearance. "It's a romanticized take on what happened," said Scalzo. He "pictured them taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met."