The cold case death of Kenneth Engie - Edmore, North Dakota - October 4, 1988
An unsuspecting uncle made a shocking discovery on October 4, 1988 when he walked into the garage of his nephew Kenneth Engie. He turned out to be dead on the garage floor. Six feet away lay a .22 caliber rifle and a small pool of blood. Had he done something to himself? The police were called in.
They immediately investigated the crime scene and ensured that Kenneth's body was examined for trauma. The truck parked next to the body and the pool of blood were also subjected to investigation. Despite the gun and the blood, the police had the strong impression that Engie had taken his own life and waited impatiently for the results.
The results of the various studies cautiously pointed in the direction of suicide. No signs of abuse were found on Kenneth's body and his cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning. However, there was also a caveat. The gas tank in the truck was almost completely full, and what was especially unusual was the fact that the car's ignition was turned off. The blood tested was not Kenneth's. It is unclear who it came from. Engie's family was certain that he absolutely did not committed suicide. The police investigated whether anyone could have a motive to kill him. Turns out, one of his friends had it.
Kenneth's friend Curtis Heck
Curtis was a friend of Kenneth's, and like him was also a car mechanic. The evening before Kenneth's death, both gentlemen had gone for a drink in the local bar. The barmaid who worked there was liked by both of them, and Kenneth reportedly asked her to come home with him. When the girl said she would already go with Curtis, an argument apparently broke out between the two friends. That argument did not stop at just swear words, and the two ended up in a physical fight. According to Curtis, he got the better of Kenneth and told him to leave. However, he was so angry that he reportedly put his car in reverse and deliberately rammed Curtis' truck before driving home intoxicated.
Statement of Curtis
The police became seriously interested in Curtis' statement and wanted to hear it. He said that an hour later he arrived at Kenneth's trailer with the barmaid and that he gave Kenneth's parked car a few good kicks as revenge for damaging his truck. At that moment, when he heard some groans coming from the garage, he decided to go take a look, according to his statement. Inside, he saw Kenneth lying on the floor, and it was clear to Curtis that he wasn't feeling well. Because Curtis suspected that it was due to the many drinks he had, he decided to leave without helping. In addition, he said he was still angry with Kenneth, so he didn't see why he had to help him.
The police believed Curtis's story and dismissed Kenneth's death as an unfortunate accident. According to authorities, Kenneth had probably been waiting in his truck in the garage that night for Curtis, leaving the truck running. As drunk as he was, he probably did not realize that he was poisoning himself with carbon monoxide. According to police, he eventually turned off the engine and got out of his truck, only to fall down nearby from the poisoning. According to them, Kenneth's death was either an accident or suicide.
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