Page 12 - Alfred Wright News Today

Unimaginable to me that dogs would not have found his body. >> tom maddox, a sheriff in the county was on scene during the search. >> he showed me the circumference of the area. he showed me this whole circular piece here had been searched. he told me numerous times if he was in the area, that he would -- they would find him. the sheriffs daughter and alfred wright were friendly and knew each other in their health care jobs. they told the family. >> your son is just a missing person. my guys are...

15 years ago, james bird jr. was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to his death by three white men. people who live in this area, black and white, say racial tension is always just beneath the surface and that things arent always as they appear. which is why when alfreds watch and items of clothing turned up on a ranch near the liquor store where he was last seen, his family raced there to try to find him. his wife was the first to spot a piece of blue cloth, the same color as the medical sc...

>> reporter: in an area of the ranch supposedly already searched by deputies was the body of alfred wright, found nearly three weeks after his truck broke down. >> when i first found him, when we found him, i walked up on him. and said, daddy, i knew you were going to find me. he was in this area and his feet were back here. he was neatly laid, he was neatly laid. >> reporter: wearing only boxer shorts, his shoes, and a single sock with his cell phone tucked inside, it wasnt just the position, b...

Questions like, how did searchers miss alfred wrights body, even though it was found just up the road from where he vanished. also, what makes authorities so sure he died of a self-inflicted drug overdose when his family says he did not do drugs. and how can they rule out foul play when one autopsy says that alfred wrights throat had been cut and an ear was missing. why was he undressed when he was found. those and other questions are casting doubt on the official version, so is the fact that al...

In his system. what kind of drugs? >> reporter: the coroner found a combination of three different drugs, cocaine, meth and also amphetamin amphetamines, and concluded that the death was accidental, caused by drug intoxication, anderson. >> in that coroners report, did it indicate how long the drugs had been in his system? >> reporter: no, it did not, and thats a very big question that the family wants answered. they want to know whether, in fact, those drugs entered alfred wrights system during...

The sheriff offered an explanation, that this was probably drug related, that he was probably having some hallucination that caused him to rip off his clothes, and so there was no foul play. does that sound like your husband? >> no, not at all. not at all. after theyd found the clothing and his watch, his i.d., they told me that there was still no evidence of foul play. >> reporter: did you believe that? >> no, i dont. >> reporter: alfred wright had been missing for 19 days, and with many questi...

Department told him specially trained dogs lost alfreds scent near a creek. >> if alfreds boy was there, it is incredible -- its actually unimaginable to me that dogs would not have found his body. >> reporter: tom maddox is the sheriff of sabine county and he was on-scene during the search. >> can you show me the circumference of the area, show me that this whole circular piece here had been searched. he also told me that, numerous times, that if he was in the area, that he would -- they would ...

Alfred wrights body filled with drugs and ruled his death an overdose. the family had never seen alfred take drugs. they dont believe the report. and they dont believe that drugs explained the condition of alfreds body. knowing that the watch was found here, his clothes are found here, and then the body is found there, what does that lead you to think? >> it leads me to believe that theres a crime scene somewhere and the timing is of the utmost importance. every single day that goes by, evidence...

And he put a cell phone in his sock and took off running like the truck was going to blow up. >> reporter: the clerk did not want to be interviewed but said he left of his own free will. >> did he have anything to be afraid of or any enemies? >> not that i know of. >> reporter: alfred wright grew up in jasper. his dad is a pastor and middle school gym teacher. his mom raised five children including the youngest, who tried out for "american idol." ♪ its been a long time coming >> reporter: alfr...

White men. people who live in this area, black and white, say racial tension is always just beneath the surface and that things arent always as they appear, which is why when alfreds watch and items of clothing turned up on a ranch near the liquor store where he was last seen, his family raced there to try to find him. his wife was the first to spot a piece of blue cloth, the same color as the medical scrubs alfred was wearing the last time she saw him. >> it was a perfectly r rectangular piece ...