Gary Simmons murder

[UMfan77]

A few nights ago, the segment about the unsolved murder of Gary Simmons was shown. The segment starts off about this bus driver that always got a creepy feeling about a cave that was nearby the busyard that he worked at. One day, he got the courage to go into the cave, and discovered a skeleton. The skeleton was determined to be Gary Simmons, a businessman who went missing in 1975. Right before he went missing, Gary Simmons was buying an expensive horse from a man named Jim Dixon, who is the main suspect for Gary Simmon's disappearance. But during the filming of the segment, a man came forward and said that Gary Simmon's disappearance wasn't related to a bad horse deal, but was more than likely related to him buying black-market gas, because Gary owned a chain of gas-stations,which were doing poorly during the Arab oil embargo in the early seventies. The police still think that Jim Dixon is the main suspect and want him for questioning.

[Brent88]

This segment was on LAST NIGHT! That was the first time I had seen it! It was VERY spooky to say the least.

[gaf]

Yes, it was spooky and what made it more so for me was that it took place less than an hour from my house and I'm well acquainted with that area. I had no idea that went on there.

[Starbright726]

The suspect's name is actually Tom Dixon, and he was officially charged with the auto theft of Gary Simmon's car. Unfortunately, so many years have gone by now that the staute of limitations has probably run out, and Dixon may in fact be dead. He hasn't been seen in thirty years, and there's no indication that he'll resurface now. :( This is a case that has ALWAYS bothered me. It will probably never be solved because evidence and witnesses have been lost over time. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

[CanadianUMFan]

The suspect's name is actually Tom Dixon, and he was officially charged with the auto theft of Gary Simmon's car. Unfortunately, so many years have gone by now that the staute of limitations has probably run out, and Dixon may in fact be dead. He hasn't been seen in thirty years, and there's no indication that he'll resurface now. :( This is a case that has ALWAYS bothered me. It will probably never be solved because evidence and witnesses have been lost over time. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

I just saw this segment today and was wondering if there was any update on this case. It is so strange that Dixon was able to disappear completely as well. One thing that perplexed me a little was when a cop that was interviewed said something like they never looked at the two disappearances suspiciously until a body was found. The cop just said that they looked at it as two men who were simply missing. Would they not have thought it suspicious way back in '74 that these two missing men just happened to be meeting over a $30k horse deal??? There was ample evidence of the two men getting together to make such a deal so one would think that alarm bells would have gone off for the police but didn't for some reason.

[wiseguy182]

I just saw this segment today and was wondering if there was any update on this case. It is so strange that Dixon was able to disappear completely as well. One thing that perplexed me a little was when a cop that was interviewed said something like they never looked at the two disappearances suspiciously until a body was found. The cop just said that they looked at it as two men who were simply missing. Would they not have thought it suspicious way back in '74 that these two missing men just happened to be meeting over a $30k horse deal??? There was ample evidence of the two men getting together to make such a deal so one would think that alarm bells would have gone off for the police but didn't for some reason.

no updates. Yeah, that is strange they didn't think to put 2 + 2 together. I noticed you also posted about the Swedish hitchhiker murders, I have this episode on tape as well.

[sdb4884]

I see this listed under underrated case. It sure was, it was a creepy case full of intrigue. It seems that Dixon could be guilty but with that witness late in the broadcast telling UM that he saw Simmons call his bank and look at the horse he was buying it threw the case in a totally different direction.

[dsmith]

I see this listed under underrated case. It sure was, it was a creepy case full of intrigue. It seems that Dixon could be guilty but with that witness late in the broadcast telling UM that he saw Simmons call his bank and look at the horse he was buying it threw the case in a totally different direction.


did you get update on this case

[XCalibur]

always thought this was one of those strange cases where there was more to it than the broadcast said.

For one thing, this Tom Dixon guy almost nothing seemed to be known about him. I mean where did he come from, did this guy have friends? Family who knew him and did he just dissapear?

Tom Dixon sounds like an alias anyway, I am betting he was some kind of con man and that wasn't even his real name, who may have lived in this area for a short time but no one really knew anything about him. I mean he just vanished off the face of the Earth after this.

Also, I'm surprised the guy at the junkyard he tried to get to smash the car didn't get suspicous. I mean who asks somebody to smash a perfectly good automobile unless they have something to hide? That ought to set off warning bells in anyone's head. If you don't need a vehicle anymore you sell it.

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

always thought this was one of those strange cases where there was more to it than the broadcast said.

For one thing, this Tom Dixon guy almost nothing seemed to be known about him. I mean where did he come from, did this guy have friends? Family who knew him and did he just dissapear?

Tom Dixon sounds like an alias anyway, I am betting he was some kind of con man and that wasn't even his real name, who may have lived in this area for a short time but no one really knew anything about him. I mean he just vanished off the face of the Earth after this.

Also, I'm surprised the guy at the junkyard he tried to get to smash the car didn't get suspicous. I mean who asks somebody to smash a perfectly good automobile unless they have something to hide? That ought to set off warning bells in anyone's head. If you don't need a vehicle anymore you sell it.


I wonder if Gary had even bothered to research Tom Dixon's background. But then again, if he had been using an alias, maybe it would've been complicated to do so. Who knows though.

[XCalibur]

I wonder if Gary had even bothered to research Tom Dixon's background. But then again, if he had been using an alias, maybe it would've been complicated to do so. Who knows though.

yeah thats what I'm saying, the UM broadcast as best as I can remember mentioned nothing about this guy's background. Its like he was in this area, made this deal with Simmons, he turns up dead and Dixon dissapears off the face of the Earth. Nothing before it, nothing afterward.

Thats why I believe Tom Dixon may have been an alias, and this guy was a conman whose true identity is unknown. Unless there was more than the broadcast revealed. Its relatively easy for a person who doesn't actually exist to dissapear, someone who wants to pull something underhanded may go to a different area, use a made up name, pull of the job, go back to his actual identity, and presto, there is no more Tom Dixon. You don't even neccessarily have to make fake identifications, just move in and introduce yourself to a few people under a name then you are that person. It was probably a little easier in the early 70's than it would be today because there is so much more focus on identification nowadays.

The unusual thing though is that con men don't typically murder, there motivation is generally to bleed as much money as possible without attracting to much interest from the police. Getting your hands dirtied with murder attracts more attention from law enforcement and is generally detrimental to your scams. Makes me think this may have been a job gone wrong. Gary Simmons may have caught wind of Dixon's plans or found out more than he was supposed to know and Dixon had to kill him.

To bad we may never know the truth about this.

[sdb4884]

did you get update on this case

No update as far as I know.

[sdb4884]

yeah thats what I'm saying, the UM broadcast as best as I can remember mentioned nothing about this guy's background. Its like he was in this area, made this deal with Simmons, he turns up dead and Dixon dissapears off the face of the Earth. Nothing before it, nothing afterward.

Thats why I believe Tom Dixon may have been an alias, and this guy was a conman whose true identity is unknown. Unless there was more than the broadcast revealed. Its relatively easy for a person who doesn't actually exist to dissapear, someone who wants to pull something underhanded may go to a different area, use a made up name, pull of the job, go back to his actual identity, and presto, there is no more Tom Dixon. You don't even neccessarily have to make fake identifications, just move in and introduce yourself to a few people under a name then you are that person. It was probably a little easier in the early 70's than it would be today because there is so much more focus on identification nowadays.

The unusual thing though is that con men don't typically murder, there motivation is generally to bleed as much money as possible without attracting to much interest from the police. Getting your hands dirtied with murder attracts more attention from law enforcement and is generally detrimental to your scams. Makes me think this may have been a job gone wrong. Gary Simmons may have caught wind of Dixon's plans or found out more than he was supposed to know and Dixon had to kill him.

To bad we may never know the truth about this.

I'm pretty sure judging by the photos UM got of Tom Dixon that he had a prior record of some kind due to one of the photos being a side on mug shot. I think Tom Dixon is probably his real name, I wonder what priors did he have?

[RobinW]

Also, I'm surprised the guy at the junkyard he tried to get to smash the car didn't get suspicous. I mean who asks somebody to smash a perfectly good automobile unless they have something to hide? That ought to set off warning bells in anyone's head. If you don't need a vehicle anymore you sell it.

That scene is one of the more amusing WTF moments on UM, especially when Dixon asks for advice on what he should do, and the junkyard guy flat out tells him to put a brick on the accelerator and drive the car into the lake! I guess one of the prerequisites for working in a junkyard is a Ph.D in advising people how to cover up their crimes...

[XiaoGouPi]

Yeah!! What was the junkyard guy thinking? Tell somebody to put a brick in the car and drive it in the lake?

Who in the right mind would suggest someone to do something like that?

It sounded as if he was making a sick joke or he knew exactly why Tom Dixon wanted not to just get rid of the car, but make it disappear for good, and so he gave him an ingenius suggestion.

And the way the guy gave the suggestion was like, 'hes done it before'.


Anybody slightly rational should have detected something 'amiss' here when a person wants to get rid of a in-no-way out of shape car so desperately and even so thoroughly to the point where its non-existant anymore.

[sdb4884]

Yeah!! What was the junkyard guy thinking? Tell somebody to put a brick in the car and drive it in the lake?

Who in the right mind would suggest someone to do something like that?

It sounded as if he was making a sick joke or he knew exactly why Tom Dixon wanted not to just get rid of the car, but make it disappear for good, and so he gave him an ingenius suggestion.

And the way the guy gave the suggestion was like, 'hes done it before'.


Anybody slightly rational should have detected something 'amiss' here when a person wants to get rid of a in-no-way out of shape car so desperately and even so thoroughly to the point where its non-existant anymore.

I think the junkyard man was probably involved a lot with criminals and dodgy dealings which is the reason why he didn't blink an eyelid suggesting what he did to Dixon.

[TracyLynnS]

I think the junkyard man was probably involved a lot with criminals and dodgy dealings which is the reason why he didn't blink an eyelid suggesting what he did to Dixon.

Yep, I think you're right. A regular businessman looking to make money would have probably charged the suspicious man to "destroy" the vehicle, get all pertinent information he could, let the man leave, then call the cops.

That way, he gets paid by the bad guy to destroy the car while handing the evidence over to the authorities. But if he had shady dealings with other criminals, turning that car over to the cops would have ruined any further business he could expect from them and possibly even mark him for retaliation.

[sdb4884]

It was just so dodgy for Dixon to crush a car without explaination and even more dodgy for the guy at the wreckers to suggest to dump it in the river. :lol:

[asmitty]

Yep, I think you're right. A regular businessman looking to make money would have probably charged the suspicious man to "destroy" the vehicle, get all pertinent information he could, let the man leave, then call the cops.

That way, he gets paid by the bad guy to destroy the car while handing the evidence over to the authorities. But if he had shady dealings with other criminals, turning that car over to the cops would have ruined any further business he could expect from them and possibly even mark him for retaliation.

I don't necessarily agree with this. I personally think that hindsight is 20/20 but in the moment your mind isn't racing to the idea that the man standing in front of you is a criminal looking to destroy evidence. Remember, this happened many, many years ago. People weren't suspicious about things like this back then as much as they are today. Forensic and crime TV shows were not the norm back then like today. I think he might have thought something was off about the request, his mind just didn't jump directly to destroying evidence of a crime.

[LoveSparky]

Makes me think this may have been a job gone wrong. Gary Simmons may have caught wind of Dixon's plans or found out more than he was supposed to know and Dixon had to kill him.

This is one of the most plausible theories I've read about ANY of the unsolved mysteries discussed on this board. However, I do wonder about the black market fuel. What made that guy show up spouting that particular theory? It ocurred to me that maybe the black market fuel badguys hired Tom Dixon to kill Gary? But, why go thru the whole horse scam bull? Why not just hire a thug to plug him on his way home from work one night, for example? I'm wanting to discount the whole black market fuel theory.

[sdb4884]

There is another Tom Dixon amongst the UM universe, Thomas David Dixon is a convicted bank robber put behind bars as a result of a UM viewers Tip, thought it was interesting but this Dixon is clearly younger than the elusive Tom Dixon from the Simmons murder case.

[idol]

One lesson from this case if you ever become a bus driver and have a creepy feeling about a cave that is nearby, bring someone with you when you go into the cave.

[UMfan77]

That bus driver, Tyrone, must've been psychic or something. The body might not ever been discovered if it wasn't for his "creepy feeling".

[XiaoGouPi]

Hi, I just re-watched this segment today and I realized a few perspectives missed out by myself and people earlier.

First, from the bus driver's perspective, I thought the segment should or could try to explain why the bus guy was having this premonition feeling about the cliff behind the bus yard.

Somehow it almost seems theres a supernatural linkage in this case where the ghost of the victim couldn't rest and reached out to the bus driver. You know I was somewhat expecting the segment to showcase some expert explaining that maybe the Tyrone guy had a brain wave frequency that was more in tune with another dimension or something; that's why the spirit of Gary Simmons was able to call out to him and not other bus drivers there.


Second, the segment failed to clarify was there ever a missing report filed for Gary Simmons when he disappeared in 1974? What were the findings of that investigation?

I thought it to be rather elementary / common sense to check out who was the individual that the missing person was last known to be with.

The secretary saw Gary Simmons and Tom Dixon leave the office together. And later she got phone calls instructing her to pay out Tom Dixon. And subsequently when Dixon collected the cheque alone later, or when Simmons didn't come back for work the next day, wouldn't there be at least some suspicion aroused at all?

If there was a missing report on Gary Simmons, and the police must have had questioned his secretary, if that was done, then wouldn't it be obvious that Tom Dixon would have become the prime suspect immediately since he was the last known person to have been with Simmons?


And yet, theres nothing. Its like nobody ever bothered to look at all.


WHY ?


It just seems so incomprehensible to me that this case could have just sat there for almost 2 decades until the bus driver's creepy discovery of the skeletal remains in the cave later.

[rhzunam]

This case was on the first unsolved mysteries ep I ever saw and thus it was my favorite case ever for a long time. It had from the missing case to even the supernatural case in the discovery of the body. To me the weird thing is if the case isn't about black market gas, why did that worker said so. I used to think he was trying to divert the case but now I think I was just exaggerating.

[sdb4884]

One of my favorites, just so intriguing. Would have been great if it was solved too.

[XiaoGouPi]

This case was on the first unsolved mysteries ep I ever saw and thus it was my favorite case ever for a long time. It had from the missing case to even the supernatural case in the discovery of the body. To me the weird thing is if the case isn't about black market gas, why did that worker said so. I used to think he was trying to divert the case but now I think I was just exaggerating.


Well I guess its beyond any doubt that Tom Dixon is the killer.

If Gary Simmons' murder had any linkage to black market gas, then Tom Dixon would have had some involvement in gas dealings too. Or he was a hired gun by one of Gary's competitors and merely used the horse deal as a ruse to lure Simmons in.

Who the mastermind was will be the person who will stand to benefit the most from Simmons' death.

However, the segment practically never provided any background on Tom Dixon at all; he is such a shady character.

[RobinW]

Man, if I was Tyrone the bus driver, I probably would have been scared about going to the police. I can't imagine how their conversation went:

"Um, yeah, I had a psychic intuition that there might be a body in this cave, so I went in there and found it."

Even though the crime had happened two decades beforehand, I'd still be worried the cops would suspect I was involved somehow.

[XiaoGouPi]

Man, if I was Tyrone the bus driver, I probably would have been scared about going to the police. I can't imagine how their conversation went:

"Um, yeah, I had a psychic intuition that there might be a body in this cave, so I went in there and found it."

Even though the crime had happened two decades beforehand, I'd still be worried the cops would suspect I was involved somehow.


Its unlikely that Tyrone is a possible suspect in Gary Simmons' murder quite simply because of his age.

He would most probably be in his teens or even younger during 1974 when Simmons' murder took place.

Also, there is no possible connection that can be established that Simmons and Tyrone had some form of prior interaction/ relationship to link him up to the murder.

Plus, there is just a lack of motive. What possible motivation would Tyrone have wanting Simmons dead?

Last but not least, if Tyrone was indeed the killer, why would he be dumb enough to inform police about the case, much less say write a letter to UM ?

[RobinW]

Well, cops are known for sometimes having tunnel vision when they can't find any obvious suspects in a crime. Yes, given his age, it's unlikely Tyrone could have committed the murder, but there's still the risk of being subject to intense interrogation by cops who could easily assume Tyrone knows who did commit the murder or is deliberately holding back information.

I think of that UM episode about Etta Smith, the psychic who found a woman's body and was locked up after reporting it to the police. They figured she was involved because they didn't believe she could know so much about the murder because of a vision.