Every day, 78-year-old Richard Novak in Bedford, N.S., recalls his late brother, Kenny, when he hears a passing train. Kenny, along with David Burrows and Terry Burt, veered off a planned camping trip in Cape Breton Highlands National Park and ended up in Maine in July 1970. The trio was found on a railway track and struck by a train in Houlton, Maine, early on July 10. Novak, who has Parkinson’s disease, reflects on this tragedy daily and wishes for closure by reopening the case. He aims to engage with Maine locals to resolve unanswered questions and find peace.
The trio, originally from the Sydney area, was ruled to have died accidentally, likely asleep at the time of the collision. Novak recalls the pain he felt upon learning about the deaths of his youngest brother Kenny, who was passionate about music, comic books, and studying Latin. The group’s purpose for heading to the U.S. remains unclear, with speculations of attending a concert.
The timeline of events suggests the trio hitchhiked to the U.S. from Woodstock, N.B., entering illegally on July 9. They were last seen in Ingonish, N.S., on July 6, before their tragic encounter with the train in Houlton. Witnesses recounted interactions with the youth, including a conversation about reaching Interstate 95. The circumstances leading to their presence on the railway track, resulting in their deaths, remain a mystery.
Autopsies revealed severe injuries as the cause of death, with no evidence of alcohol or drugs in their systems. The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation, concluding that the deaths were accidental due to the damp ground conditions prompting the trio to choose the rail bed as a dry sleeping area. Despite efforts to seek justice and clarity, Novak believes foul play was involved, advocating for a thorough reinvestigation to bring closure to this tragic incident.
