The Mysterious Death of Jon Young

On January 7th, 2019, Kevin Young received a phone call that would upend his family’s life: his father’s house was on fire, and no one knew where he was. By morning, investigators had found human remains in the garage, and the evidence pointed to something far more sinister than an accident.

Dr. Jon Young was an 80-year-old retired archeologist who had spent decades studying the native peoples of the American southwest. He built his home in Taos, New Mexico, by hand out of adobe — a material so fire-resistant that his family knew immediately something was wrong.

Fire investigator Jimmy Vigil confirmed their fears: the blaze had ignited in at least five locations, almost simultaneously. The autopsy revealed what appeared to be a hole in Dr. Young’s skull. And his body, investigators noted, had been found wedged upright in a corner of the garage, a position that made no sense if he had simply succumbed to the smoke.

Yet despite mounting evidence of foul play, local law enforcement never officially investigated Dr. Young’s death as a homicide. The Taos County Sheriff’s Office said it was the fire marshal’s case. The fire marshal’s office said they don’t investigate homicides without law enforcement involvement. Seven years later, the case remains in a state of limbo, and no one has ever been charged.

Kevin and his son Austin came to Blood Trails hoping that’s about to change. This episode follows the trail they’ve been walking alone for years: a Jicarilla Apache family’s troubling visit weeks before the fire, a violent serial burglar operating nearby, a private investigator stonewalled at every turn, and the pry marks on a door that may hold the only physical clue to what really happened on Mirlo Road.

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