MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Tripp Brazeale

Episode of Crime Junkie · June 8, 2026 · 1 h 18 min

Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat examine the 2024 death of 15-year-old Tripp Brazeale in Forrest City, Arkansas, ruled a suicide after a deputy's pursuit.

Summary

Ashley Flowers recounted how, early on November 3, 2024, St. Francis County Deputy Trey Bynum chased 15-year-old Tripp Brazeale on a four-wheeler near Forrest City, Arkansas. Tripp fled into the woods, called his parents asking for a ride, and agreed to turn himself in, but a long apologetic text resembling a suicide note then arrived from his phone. He was found hanging from a tree with a ratchet strap the following afternoon, and his death was ruled a suicide.

Drawing on records obtained by Tripp's mother Jennifer and private investigator Cody Turner, Flowers laid out discrepancies: no stated probable cause for the pursuit, a redacted anonymous call identifying Tripp, deputies distancing themselves from knowing him, items found in places searchers had already covered, uninjured feet despite a supposed shoeless trek, a branch seemingly too thin to bear his weight, and a 49-minute gap in Bynum's body camera footage after which he appeared wearing latex gloves. She noted that daylight saving time ended that night, possibly extending the gap, that dispatch audio was reportedly lost when a hard drive was struck by lightning, and that a civilian ride-along, Preston Cox, later said he could not have changed what happened without getting Bynum in trouble.

Flowers described prior disciplinary records for Bynum and Sergeant David Kinney, the City of Marion's decision to end Bynum's employment, and a late update that Bynum had been rehired by the St. Francis County Sheriff's Office. She stressed that the show was not accusing anyone, reported that Tripp's father Gil and Turner were running for sheriff, and promoted a FOIA guide inspired by Jennifer's records requests. Brit Prawat reacted throughout and read statements aloud.

Chapters

0:40
The pursuit and manhunt
Flowers opens with Deputy Bynum's chase of a four-wheeler rider and the search that ended with the rider found hanging in the woods.
10:44
The parents' account
Tripp's parents describe his call asking for a ride, the plan to turn himself in, and the out-of-character text that followed.
18:37
Why was he chased?
Recorded interviews and the sheriff's pursuit policy show no clear reason given for pursuing Tripp.
27:26
Anonymous caller and prior warnings
Flowers covers claims that deputies were targeting Tripp and a redacted anonymous call identifying him.
33:24
Search anomalies
The locations of Tripp's belongings, a deputy's warning to avoid Crow Creek, and the implausible shoeless trek are examined.
40:21
Logistics of the hanging
A thin branch, an unused deer stand, and a long-buried strap raise questions echoed by an independent pathologist.
45:38
The body camera gap
Flowers walks through the timeline of Bynum's camera shutoff, latex gloves, and the sheriff's body cam policy.
53:44
The civilian ride-along
Ride-along Preston Cox's whispered exchange with Bynum and his later comments to the PI are discussed.
1:01:35
Daylight saving time and lost records
Flowers realizes the clocks fell back that night, and learns dispatch records were lost to a lightning strike.
1:05:56
Phone analysis and nurse's letter
Tripp's phone awaits forensic analysis and his nurse practitioner reads a letter doubting suicide.
1:09:23
Deputies' records and Marion's decision
Bynum's and Kinney's disciplinary histories are detailed and Brit reads Marion's statement ending Bynum's employment.
1:14:10
Update: Bynum rehired
Flowers reports that Bynum has been rehired by the St. Francis County Sheriff's Office.
1:15:43
The family's fight and FOIA
Gil and Cody's sheriff campaigns and the show's new FOIA guide are described.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Ashley Flowers
Flowers reported that Tripp's mother believed the apparent suicide text was not written in her son's voice.
“Jennifer said that the text did not sound like Tripp at all. Like he would never say those things”
Listen from 13:11 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Ashley Flowers
Flowers argued that the central unanswered question was why deputies chased Tripp at all.
“This is at the heart of everything for me. Why was he being chased?”
Listen from 21:40 · Police pursuit policy
Ashley Flowers
Flowers reported a 49-minute gap in Bynum's body camera footage between the pursuit and the towing of the four-wheeler.
“There is a 49-minute gap between when Bynum turns off his body cam after he stops his truck and when he turns it back on to tow the four-wheeler”
Listen from 26:07 · Body camera footage
Ashley Flowers
Flowers criticized the redaction of all information about the anonymous caller who identified Tripp.
“Anything about who this caller was or how they knew it was Tripp is redacted in all of the materials that we received”
Listen from 31:40 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Ashley Flowers
Flowers questioned how Tripp could have made an hours-long trek through rough woods without shoes yet have no marks on his feet.
“That means that he would have had to have made this like hours-long trek without shoes over whatever is on the forest floor”
Listen from 36:44 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Ashley Flowers
Flowers noted that the branch found at the scene appeared far thinner than what a pathologist's research suggested would hold Tripp's weight.
“But the branch that the Brazils found looks barely more than two inches in diameter”
Listen from 42:41 · Autopsy
Ashley Flowers
Flowers relayed the PI's question of why Tripp would not have used the nearby deer stand and its ladder if he took the strap from it.
“why not make use of the actual deer stand and its ladder while you're right there?”
Listen from 43:35 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Brit Prawat
Prawat questioned the value of body cameras if deputies can switch them on and off at will.
“Like, what's the point of body cams if you can just turn them on and off”
Listen from 48:24 · Body camera footage
Brit Prawat
Prawat argued that if the event was complete, it would only be complete after towing, so turning the camera off earlier made no sense.
“Right, because like to me, if you know you're going to tow it, towing it would be like the end of the event then”
Listen from 49:47 · Body camera footage
Ashley Flowers
Flowers reported that PI Cody Turner, a former EMT, believes the four-wheeler looks like it was struck by a vehicle.
“And he said that it really looks to him like the four-wheeler worked”
Listen from 51:58 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Linked moment · 54:03Skip to 54:03 using a listen link in the info box.
Ashley Flowers
Flowers speculated that Bynum's recorded remark 'I got him' might mean his truck struck the ATV.
“Could it be that you got him, like, your truck hit the ATV?”
Listen from 54:03 · Body camera footage
Ashley Flowers
Flowers discovered that daylight saving time ended the night Tripp died, meaning the camera gap could be an hour longer.
“When was Daylight Savings? No. In November 2024. It was November freaking 3rd, 2024”
Listen from 1:03:18 · Daylight saving time
Ashley Flowers Can’t be judged
Flowers relayed Cody Turner's expectation that forensic data from Tripp's phone would come back within the month.
“he has someone working on it and that the data should come back as soon as this month”
Listen from 1:05:56 · Death of Tripp Brazeale
Ashley Flowers
Flowers reported the sheriff's office told Jennifer that dispatch recordings were lost when a hard drive was struck by lightning.
“their hard drive that like they kept all that on was struck by lightning”
Listen from 1:06:13 · St. Francis County Sheriff's Office
Ashley Flowers
Flowers stressed the show was not accusing anyone while noting both nearby deputies had misconduct histories.
“And I want to be clear that we're not accusing anyone. What I know is that two deputies were around the woods”
Listen from 1:09:58 · Police misconduct
Ashley Flowers
Flowers reported that Tripp's father Gil is running for St. Francis County Sheriff because of the case.
“And Gil is actually running for St. Francis County Sheriff now because of everything”
Listen from 1:16:51 · St. Francis County Sheriff's Office

People

In the conversation

Ashley FlowersCreator and host of the true crime podcast Crime Junkie and founder of Audiochuck
Brit PrawatCo-host of Crime Junkie, introduced in the episode as 'Britt'

Discussed

Tripp Brazeale15-year-old Arkansas dirt bike rider whose 2024 death was ruled a suicide
Jennifer BrazealeTripp's mother, who pursued records requests about his death
Gil BrazealeTripp's father, former law enforcement officer running for St. Francis County Sheriff
Cody TurnerFormer detective and private investigator hired by the Brazeale family
Preston CoxCivilian ride-along with Deputy Bynum on the night of the pursuit
Ashley MatthewsKentucky forensic pathologist consulted by the family
Sandra DavisNeighbor who helped search and said Tripp feared someone was after him
Jason BradshawDeputy who called Gil Brazeale asking about Tripp
Bobby MaySt. Francis County Sheriff who rehired Trey Bynum

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From the publisher

In November 2024, 15-year-old Tripp Brazeale was found hanging from a tree in the middle of the woods of Forrest City, Arkansas. His death was quickly ruled a suicide, but in the weeks and months that followed, details of the case began to emerge that led Tripp's family, friends, and a private investigator to realize things might not be as clear-cut as they were led to believe.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime