The Day After: A Birthday Without Celebration
- jughead73
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
In the early hours of March 29, 2019, I remained awake, never having laid down to rest. The previous day had ended with confirmation of what I had desperately hoped wasn't true - Patrick, my husband of 20 years and my best friend, had been murdered. As the first light of dawn crept through the windows, a cruel realization took hold: today was supposed to be Patrick's 46th birthday.
Instead of waking him with birthday wishes, instead of watching him open the gifts we had carefully chosen, instead of celebrating another year of his life, I was facing a day of police interviews and decision for funeral arrangements. The cards and gifts sat unopened. The cake would never be baked. The candles would never be lit.
The night had passed in waves of grief so intense they felt physical. I had been thinking about everything I had heard - the threats that had been reported to police, baseless rumors circulating that Patrick was killed over a fishing pole or a pack of cigarettes. I felt I had lost all faith in humanity how could this happen? I had promised myself I would be strong for our children, but in those quiet morning hours, the enormity of our loss threatened to overwhelm me completely. How do you tell your children to get ready for the day when that day should have been their father's birthday celebration but was now the first full day of his absence?
With heavy steps, I prepared to face what would be the first of many painful milestones - the first birthday without him, the first interview with investigators, the first pieces of information about his final moments that would begin to paint the terrible picture of what had happened at The Reynolds' property located at 74 Grant 193 Grapevine, AR.
By mid-morning, we were seated in the sheriff's office, my children and I, still in shock, still struggling to comprehend how our ordinary Thursday had transformed into this nightmare. While we were there, one of the other victims exited an interview room. What struck me as strange was that he couldn't look me in the eye, despite knowing me and being a victim himself. He kept repeating "I am so sorry." Making me more aware that the ripples of this tragedy extended far beyond just our family. What I didn't know then, but would learn later, was that he lied to one of the other victims causing that victim to be shot and possibly delaying help to Patrick. The full complexity of what happened that day was still unfolding.
The investigators asked us questions about Patrick, about Philip Reynolds, about the days leading up to the murder. As I recounted the strange behavior we had noticed in Philip, the drug use we suspected, the concerning interaction with my son, I couldn't help but wonder if things might have been different if someone had acted on the numerous warnings they'd received. So many people - including his family members, neighbors, and even his sister from across the country - recognized the danger Philip posed and had reported it. Why had all these red flags been ignored until it was too late? I still wonder to this day if things might have been different if someone had recognized the danger he posed before it was too late.
As we would begin to learn the details of Patrick's final moments through descriptions of 911 calls, witnesses, police and neighbors. Each new piece of information was like a physical blow, yet somehow, knowing exactly what happened felt necessary - as if understanding the truth, however painful, was the only way to begin processing our loss.
Later that week, the Arkansas State Police came to speak with us. I would not allow my then 13-year-old son to hear the details. I didn't want my daughter to hear them either, but she was 18 and insisted on being present. ASP Officer Scott Clark began telling us the horrific details of Patrick's murder. Four fingers on Patrick's left hand had been cut off and were found on the ground beside the large oak tree near the back door of the house. He had been shot nine times. But when Officer Clark told us Patrick had been stabbed with a screwdriver, my baby girl screamed out in pain. I couldn't let her hear anymore because I already knew he had a kaiser blade used on him, but I knew she wouldn't leave, so I ended the conversation.
When we went to make funeral arrangements, I told them I wanted a lock of Patrick's hair and his fingerprints. I needed something tangible because we couldn't have an open casket, and none of this felt real. I just needed to hold one of his curls just to have something that felt real just anything that was really part of him.
On the night of the visitation, 911 calls were released. It was more than my daughter could handle. I remember her asking me in a deseperate pleas mom please tell me he did not kill my daddy with a weedeater. Only God's strength kept me standing for her sake. (I will get 911 calls posted sometime in the near future)
It wasn't until the day of his funeral that I learned even more devastating news. When we arrived, I asked about his prints and the lock of hair. I could tell by the funeral director's expression that something was wrong. Mr. Walton said gently, "You don't know, do you?" When I said know what I had no idea what I was about to hear, he told me that Patrick had been set on fire, and there was not enough hair left to collect for me.
This is the story of that day - March 29, 2019 - a birthday without celebration, the week prior to the funeral, the beginning of our search for answers, and the first steps on a long journey toward justice that would ultimately reveal profound failures in our legal system.
Note about audio evidence: In the Case Evidence section of this blog, I've included an audio recording of one of the threats made on the day of Patrick's murder. Please be aware that this recording contains strong language. I've chosen to include this unedited evidence despite its disturbing nature because it demonstrates the reality of what happened that day.
SOUTH ARKANSAS RECKONING just released an article that is very interesting about my journey and ACT 911 of 1989 please go and check it out http://www.southarkansasreckoning.com/
Future posts will document court hearings, evidence we've collected, and explain why legislative change is so critically important. Patrick's story must lead to meaningful reform so that other families don't experience the preventable tragedy that forever changed our lives.