Henry McCabe

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2:00have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.

2:16Today, I'm discussing the case of Henry McCabe. Over Labor Day weekend in 2015, Henry McCabe, a father, husband, and respected community member, disappeared after a night out in Minnesota. For weeks, the only trace of Henry was a very disturbing voicemail. It's haunted his friends, family, and investigators ever since. That voicemail and Henry's case has been the subject of a massive amount of speculation, rumors, and at certain points, hostility. This is the case of Henry McCabe. Henry McCabe was born in Monrovia, Liberia in 1983, shortly before the start of the First Liberian Civil War. Due to the war, Henry and his family sought refuge in Ghana.

3:03Henry enrolled at the Precious Jules Foundation High School, where he became class president and eventually graduated. In 2003, he immigrated to the U.S. and enrolled at Chabot Community College, where he excelled as an honor student and played on the soccer team. He later transferred to California State University East Bay after receiving a scholarship. Here, he studied economics and accounting and joined the prestigious honor society Beta Alpha Psi. College is also where he met his wife, Kareen, in February 2004. They were married by August and eventually had two daughters together. Now, fast forward to January 2012.

3:43Henry's offered a position as a corporate auditor at the Minnesota Department of Revenue, and he and his family settle in Moundsview, Minnesota. It's a small city just north of Minneapolis with a population of about 12 ,000 around this time. The area is known for being very safe and family-oriented with a low violent crime rate. Henry also served as the local 401 chapter president for the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees from July 2013 through June 2015. There, he lobbied for things like paid parental leave. He loved sports, especially FC Barcelona, and like I said, even played a bit in college himself.

4:23He was also extremely interested and passionate about politics, both American and Liberian. His family even said that he'd spoken about returning to Liberia one day and running for president. He was an extremely intelligent and ambitious man who was prominent in his community, which is why his disappearance was so puzzling to his loved ones. It's Sunday, September 6, 2015, Labor Day weekend, and Henry's wife and two daughters are in California. Now, there are some conflicting reports out there about why they were in California. Some sources say that Corrine and their daughters were there taking care of family, while other sources say that they were prepping for the family to move back to California so Henry could pursue another job opportunity.

5:10Either way, we know that Henry is a bit of a social butterfly, so he's looking for something to do. According to reporting by Investigation Discovery, Henry's two nieces were staying with him over the holiday weekend, so they all decide to go to a barbecue. Here, he ends up connecting with 38-year-old William Pappas Kennedy. Kennedy would later tell CARE 11 News that this was the first time he and Henry spent time together, though they did know each other from Liberia. Henry ends up inviting Kennedy back to his home after the barbecue. Henry's nieces would later report that they just had a weird feeling about this man and were afraid of him.

5:47But it's unclear if they expressed this to Henry at the time, because really, they just keep hanging out, and eventually Henry and Kennedy decide to go to a local bar called Povlitsky's on 65 in Spring Lake Park. Henry tells his nieces that he won't be out too late, and would be back with a movie and some treats. Now, what happened at the club has been the subject of much speculation and online rumors. But here's what we know. William Kennedy admitted to taking Henry's keys, saying he was trying to prevent Henry from drinking and driving. According to reporting by the Pioneer Press, police reports indicate that another friend took Henry's wallet, supposedly to prevent him from buying more drinks.

6:31After this, Henry and William Kennedy left the club together in Kennedy's car. According to witness statements, they were last seen at about 1.40 a.m. But instead of taking Henry home, Kennedy tells investigators that when he asked Henry how to get back to his house, he asked to be dropped off at a Super America gas station on 73rd Avenue. This was a few miles from Henry's house. Kennedy told investigators that he asked Henry again, Are you sure? I don't mind taking you home. But Henry again asked to be dropped off at the gas station. So that's what Kennedy does. Just before 2.30 a.m., Henry leaves his wife, Karine, a two-minute-long voicemail.

7:12Now, this voicemail is terrifying, and though the audio isn't clear, you can hear a lot of groans and crying. Many people believe they can hear Henry saying that he'd been shot, and the words stop it. According to reporting by ABC News, ultimately police have been, quote, unable to make a definite conclusion about the disturbing voicemail, end quote. but Henry's wife has confirmed that she believes that the sounds in the audio came from Henry. Another call was made to his brother Tim that night, and he received a similar voicemail, a lot of emotion and a lot of moaning. Tim told Fox 9 News, quote, He said certain words, like, they are afraid.

7:55One word he said was police. The other word he said at the beginning of the audio was poppus, end quote. That audio has never been released. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Money is this invisible thread that ties us all together. It's something everyone has to deal with. That's why teaching kids about money isn't just smart, it's essential. Greenlight is a debit card and money app for families. It's a safe way to teach kids and teens about money. With Greenlight, parents can send money quickly, get spending notifications, and even assign chores. Greenlight turns responsibility into real-world learning.

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10:13Additional content on Hulu app. Terms apply. Visit Disneyplus.com slash Hulu for details. On Tuesday, September 8th, when Henry didn't show up for work, his brother Tim and his wife Corrine reported him missing to the Moundsview Police Department. In addition to these extremely disturbing voicemails, it just wasn't like Henry to up and bail on his responsibilities. Henry not only had his family waiting and worried about him, but he was missing important work obligations as well. Being upset and needing a breather was one thing, but for most people who knew him, this was something completely different.

10:48Corrine decides to leave their two daughters with her mother in California and fly back to Minnesota to help with the search. Akiah Carrington, Henry's co-worker and fellow union member, told Care11 News, quote, This is a crisis. Henry is not the type of person to not show up for work, or to not show up for his community functions or his union functions. He's always around, always there. He's that friendly face you would see in the crowd, someone who makes you feel at home and welcome, end quote. In my research, I found no shortage of quotes from Henry's loved ones and community members who were positively impacted by him and just wanted to see him come home.

11:29This is truly a case where the community rallied behind the efforts to find him. And luckily, law enforcement snapped into action right away too. They immediately began searching the area near the Super America gas station where William Kennedy claimed to have dropped Henry off. They also obtained surveillance video from the area. But Henry wasn't on any of it. Law enforcement and volunteers looked for any possible routes Henry may have taken home. They posted flyers, went door-to-door, and canvassed the area. But there was nothing. There was no activity on his bank account, and he never reached out to his work or any friends or family.

12:08And on September 16th, his 32nd birthday came and went without his loved ones knowing where he was. Moundsview Police Chief Thomas Kinney said that Henry basically dropped off the radar, and later said, quote, We aren't ruling out any possibilities, whether it be he disappeared on his own, or if there was some kind of accident involved, or if there was some other intentional act of harm someone tried to bring upon Henry, end quote. Now, there were quite a few agencies involved in Henry's case at this point. the local Moundsview Police, the FBI, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

12:48They were all working the case. And Corinne had asked the non-profit organization Minnesota Community Police to help as well. According to their president, David Singleton, they're an independent body who helps review incidents in the neighborhood. Law enforcement officials also met with Liberian community members who were advocating as well. One community leader, Abdullah Ki-Atamba, told the Star Tribune, quote, there are no leads, absolutely nothing, and that's the scary part, end quote. Some people early on were also questioning Kennedy's story of dropping Henry off at the gas station. Salie Saurgo, who worked with Henry for three years, told CARE 11 News, quote, my heart is heavy.

13:33This is a situation that we just can't put our hands around. He is so driven. It doesn't make sense for someone to say, my friend was drunk and I dropped him off at the gas station. It doesn't make sense to me. End quote. Now, by the end of September, there are a lot of things happening in Henry's case. Advocates both in Minnesota and in California were asking the public for more support, saying the investigation was moving slowly. Their hope was that more support from the public might engage the police department. they were frustrated and wanted more answers and didn't want his case to go cold.

14:09While on the other hand, David Singleton was making statements that law enforcement was doing all they could and that it was bad characters within the case that were causing delays in finding Henry. Police Chief Kinney acknowledged and responded to their frustrations, saying his department and the FBI were actively investigating Henry's case and that they were doing as much as they could. And around this same time, they make a huge discovery After requesting and analyzing Henry's phone records and data, they see that he made three calls after he was last seen The subject of those calls is highly debated, and I was unable to find a credible source as to who he made these calls to But Corrine says that Henry made at least one call to her that night, where they argued after she accused him of infidelity We'll get back to that They also find that his phone last pinged near Silver Lake Road and Mississippi Street in New Brighton.

15:07This is about five miles from where William Kennedy said he dropped Henry off and last saw him. So investigators go back to Kennedy and ask him about the discrepancy, and he basically says maybe he'd gotten confused and he dropped him off at a different gas station. Now, it's worth noting here that investigators did secure a warrant for Kennedy's cell phone records as well. After this, Kennedy approached Care 11 News himself to share his story. He said he was being attacked on social media and had to take time off work. He stood firm that he didn't hurt Henry and offered to pay for and take a polygraph test to clear his name, adding, quote, I wish I'd never given him a ride with all that's going on.

15:50I wish I never did. We were not friends, more like acquaintances, end quote. Chief Kinney told the media that Kennedy was not a person of interest, and that his story was just one of many that they were currently investigating, while at the same time, David Singleton was outright accusing Kennedy of lying about what happened that night. After analyzing the cell phone data and cross-referencing that with surveillance in this new area, police discovered that Kennedy did not drop Henry off at the Super America, but instead dropped him off at a completely different gas station called the Holiday Station in Fridley, even further from the bar and Henry's home.

16:31Surveillance video here shows Kennedy stopping the car, Henry getting out, and walking away seemingly unharmed, while Kennedy also drives away. So we have three locations here. The first location where Kennedy says he dropped Henry off at, the actual gas station Henry was dropped off at a few miles away, and where his cell phone last pinged. Law enforcement and volunteers searched the new areas of interest, but nothing was found that could lead them to Henry. According to reporting by Pioneer Press, a search warrant revealed that Henry's life was a little turbulent at the time of his disappearance.

17:10He didn't have a lot of money, and a recent rent check had bounced. He'd also recently received a bad review at work. This fueled rumors that maybe Henry left on his own accord, or possibly died by suicide. Really, at this point, it seems like investigators are just banging their heads against the wall. They send these voicemails off to the FBI for, quote, further analysis and cleaning up, end quote, but it's unclear what came of those efforts. Near the end of October, there was a$10 ,000 reward for information leading to Henry's whereabouts. But that reward was rescinded by the Minnesota Community Police not long after.

17:51According to reporting by CARE 11 News, a few days after Corrine hired a new agency to help search for Henry, the nonprofit previously assisting with the case, the Minnesota Community Police, began casting suspicion on Corrine. They rescinded the$10 ,000 reward. said they were no longer working with Corrine, and accused her of withholding information that they believed would lead to finding Henry alive. They also sent an audio recording of a private conversation they had with Corrine to all major news outlets in their area. Singleton said that this would prove his claims, though as far as I could find, none of the news stations he shared this audio with chose to publish it.

18:32In relation to their claims against Corrine, David Singleton said, quote, she is withholding information that we believe could lead to the location and recovery of Henry McCabe. We feel like we've all been misled. We have an ethical and moral obligation to the community and this organization to do the right thing, end quote. Now, Corrine disputes these allegations. She says that the agency didn't stop working with her, she fired the Minnesota to community police and hired a new agency that were a better fit for her family's needs. She also said that she told police everything she knew. It really was a case of he said, she said, and people were divided.

19:16Some people believe the non-profit was just upset after being fired, and that Singleton in particular was lashing out against Corrine, while others thought that maybe she knew more than she was saying, and may have even been responsible for Henry's disappearance. But it seems that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I can't speak to the relationship between Corrine and David Singleton, but I've seen a video of her speaking with investigators, and she flat out told them that she does believe Henry was cheating, hiding, and might be alive somewhere on the East Coast. She also told them that when she spoke to Henry on the phone that night, before the voicemail, she accused him of cheating, and she said that she was coming home from California to talk to him about it.

20:01End quote. Put a stop to your cheating ways. End quote. She adds that she thinks Henry may have gotten another woman pregnant, panicked, and left. She thinks he's alive and he was scared of this potential secret pregnancy ruining his life. So while Corrine may have not told David Singleton this information, she did tell the investigators on Henry's case what she knew and believed. But it wasn't long after this that both Corrine and David Singleton were unfortunately proven wrong. Henry was not out there alive somewhere. On November 2nd, 2015, at about 4.20pm, a kayaker discovered Henry's remains, partially submerged in Rush Lake, six miles from where his phone last pinged.

20:51An autopsy was performed, but his body was really badly decomposed They don't even know how long he was in the water for But Henry had no visible wounds to indicate foul play There were no stab wounds, no gunshot wounds, or broken bones Henry's Samsung phone was found in his pocket But the battery had been taken out, and that was found in a different pocket Speculation around this ranges from foul play to Henry not wanting to be found In the end, Henry's death was ruled an accidental drowning Likely from being intoxicated And his case was closed Henry's family did not agree with this Corinne, his brother Tim, and Henry's mother Openly stated that they believe he was murdered Even David Singleton was on their side He argued that the audio evidence they have does not support the idea that this death was not suspicious.

21:51And the community was outraged. Most people who knew Henry don't believe that his case was as simple as an accidental drowning. And they have questions about how he may have gotten six miles from where his phone last pinged, especially without his keys or wallet. Investigators have never found an answer to that question. Henry's loved ones have been left with so many more questions than answers. And David Singleton's accusations continued. In a press conference, he said, quote, if Henry McCabe's death was an accident like some may suggest, why are some of the people closest to him withholding and manipulating pertinent information?

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23:49A vigil was held for Henry at Rush Lake that was attended by over 100 people. Pastor Marie Vaugh said, quote, quote, Henry was not an isolated person in the middle of the dark. Henry had a life. Henry had a family. He had children, and he had a mother. Henry had brothers. Henry had friends, end quote. Hundreds of community members and high-ranking government employees from around Minnesota attended Henry's funeral just before Christmas. During his service, his oldest daughter, who was 10 at the time, described Henry as the best dad anyone could ask for. She asked why he had to die like he did, and called his death the worst punishment ever.

24:33And officially, that's pretty much where Henry's case is today. But I do have an update on David Singleton, the extremely outspoken president of the non-profit Minnesota Community Police. In January 2025, the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Singleton, along with five non-profit organizations he was currently running, along with his for-profit legal consulting business. The five organizations named in the lawsuit are the Minnesota Civilian Public Safety Commission, Inc., League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions, DWI Prevention Services, Inc., Minnesota Police Reserve Officers Association, and United Criminal Justice Reform Commission.

25:21Minnesota Community Police was not named. Now, there's a lot to this lawsuit, But essentially, the AG says that Singleton was operating these non-profits, and specifically using official sounding names, to operate deceptively. And really, to make people believe they were official government organizations versus non-profit organizations. They also say that Singleton engaged in Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation Act violations, like not having a board of directors, failing to hold annual board meetings, not maintaining financial records, and breaching their fiduciary duties. Attorney General Ellison said, quote, It is appalling that the defendant founded and used non-profits not to help Minnesotans, but to defraud them and leave chaos and confusion in his wake.

26:11My office launched this investigation and filed this lawsuit because we will not allow non-profits to be misused to deceive and cheat Minnesotans. End quote. In March, Ellison filed a settlement, which, according to the AG's office, is also known as a consent judgment. This permanently bans David Singleton from creating or serving as an officer or director of a nonprofit organization going forward. The five nonprofits named in the lawsuit were ordered to be dissolved. He's also been ordered to pay back thousands of dollars for paid legal services he never provided. While all of this may not be directly related to Henry's case, I do think it calls into question his character.

26:57Either way, in the end, as it relates to Henry McCabe, we're left with few facts and a lot of speculation, accusations, and theories. Some people have proposed witchcraft, others wonder if he was kidnapped and killed to prevent him from completing an audit that could have potentially harmed someone's business. Others wonder if his death was politically motivated. Henry survived over a decade of the Liberian Civil War before immigrating to the U.S., and he was very outspoken about both American and Liberian politics. At this time, Minnesota was home to about 25 ,000 people from Liberia, and some people wonder if maybe Henry said the wrong thing to the wrong person, and it cost him his life.