UM ran a story yesterday where Curtis Heck and a man named Kenneth (who's last name I am trying to find out. I think they called him Angy- does anyone know his last name?)

Anyhow, both men got into a bar fight and later Kenneth was found dead in his garage from carbon monoxide poisoning. Some believe he was left for dead by Curtis Heck.

Does anyone have an update on the story? Or does anyone know the last name of Kenneth?

Kenneth's last name was Ingey, not sure how to spell it but was pronounced (N G)

I found the case to be interesting and it is very sad when anyone passes before their time but both Curtis Heck and Ken Engy seemed a bit "thick" for lack of a better word.

Lets take a look what led up this UM. Two guys drunk out of their gord get into a fight in a bar about who gets to take the barmaid home. The guy who comes out on the losing end of the scuffle decides he is going respond with a high school sophmore gesture and ram the other guys car. Instead of calling the authorities or going through the proper channels - Curtis Heck decides "Golly i'm a grease monkey and so is Kenny so I'm just gonna ram his car".

Meanwhile Ken holes up in his garage still drunk out of his mind with his car running holding a shotgun waiting for Heck. Engy maybe eventually realizes that the carbon monoxide is filling up the garage so he turns his engine off and decides to pace around his garage with his shotgun his veins full of piss and vinegar because he couldn't take the barmaid home and was shown up by Heck. He doesn't realize that the carbon monoxide is still present in the garage because he is drunk and angry and not thinking like a rational human being and passes out on the floor.

Heck arrives and being just as juvenille as Engy takes his frustration out on Engy's truck before entering the garage to tell him off. He notices Ken is on the floor drunk out of his gord and in his own words leaves him "to spend the night on the garage floor". It is also probable that Heck is also drunk at this juncture and unable to tell Engy is in some dire straits. Although Engy's passing tragic in a way it was sorta lucky he did pass out on the floor in his drunken state of mind he probably would have pulled the shotgun on heck and the two would of scuffled over it and one of them could have been shot and killer and the other hung with a murder charge. You wanna know who the real loser is in this scenario?

The barmaid who was considering going home with either of these losers.

Later.

I found the case to be interesting and it is very sad when anyone passes before their time but both Curtis Heck and Ken Engy seemed a bit "thick" for lack of a better word.

Lets take a look what led up this UM. Two guys drunk out of their gord get into a fight in a bar about who gets to take the barmaid home. The guy who comes out on the losing end of the scuffle decides he is going respond with a high school sophmore gesture and ram the other guys car. Instead of calling the authorities or going through the proper channels - Curtis Heck decides "Golly i'm a grease monkey and so is Kenny so I'm just gonna ram his car".

Meanwhile Ken holes up in his garage still drunk out of his mind with his car running holding a shotgun waiting for Heck. Engy maybe eventually realizes that the carbon monoxide is filling up the garage so he turns his engine off and decides to pace around his garage with his shotgun his veins full of piss and vinegar because he couldn't take the barmaid home and was shown up by Heck. He doesn't realize that the carbon monoxide is still present in the garage because he is drunk and angry and not thinking like a rational human being and passes out on the floor.

Heck arrives and being just as juvenille as Engy takes his frustration out on Engy's truck before entering the garage to tell him off. He notices Ken is on the floor drunk out of his gord and in his own words leaves him "to spend the night on the garage floor". It is also probable that Heck is also drunk at this juncture and unable to tell Engy is in some dire straits. Although Engy's passing tragic in a way it was sorta lucky he did pass out on the floor in his drunken state of mind he probably would have pulled the shotgun on heck and the two would of scuffled over it and one of them could have been shot and killer and the other hung with a murder charge. You wanna know who the real loser is in this scenario?

The barmaid who was considering going home with either of these losers.

Later.

POST. OF. THE. DAY.

DarkDante,

Do you not think the above post was a little insensitive? Someone has died. Kenneth is gone, never again to see the light of day. A lot of people have been subject to a lot of pain and distress over this tragedy. Maybe the barmaid and Curtis Heck changed their lifestyles as a result of the events that occurred on that fateful night. I am surprised that a person of your apparent intellect would try to make light and humor out of such a tragic tale. I certainly do not mean to sound condescending or self-righteous, but primarily this board is a channel for UM viewers to show compassion and empathy for crime victims while attempting to enact justice where it is necessary. Surely, as you usually always do, you can post something more positive and worthwhile than what is present above.

I respect you very much and do not intend to embarrass or demean you in any way. I am simply of the opinion that posts such as the one above are contrary to the values of the majority of this board's members.

Thank you for taking my thoughts under consideration.

I'll try to put things in perspective again here. First off I do not post in accordance with anyone elses values but my own. I'm no devil but I'm certainly no saint either and I doubt anyone can claim that they are truly 100% saint like either. True Crime stories have been one of my passions for about ten years now with UM mainly being the outlet I have for viewing a lot of these cases. In those ten years there are a handful of them (maybe ten or twelve) that I really don't seem to have the same sympathy for the victims that I do in the 99% of the other cases - Thats just my honest subjective opinion.

This case I felt while tragic and I did note that in my post was a case of two people who for lack of a better term really sealed their own fate because of an incident which could have been resolved quite easily if the two men had been given sometime to cool off. As far as the barmaid and Curtis changing their lifestyle we are still not 100% sure that Curtis is not somehow involved in Kenny's death (I think he is innocent beyond not winning any prizes for being observant) so I'm not going to speculate on whether they turned their lives around or not - I'd like to think they have but I'd also like to think that for instance the guy who abducted Nyleen Kay Marshall really didn't do those horrid things he described in his letter. The likelyhood of both scenerios though makes me think that realistically that neither situation is as pragmatic as we'd like to believe.

Anyhow back to my point - I am not glad in any way shape or form that Ken Engy has died however looking at the big picture of things it could have been a lot worse if there was another confrontation in the garage that night. Did I find certain aspects of this segment funny? - Yes I did and I'm sorry if it offends anyone as I can't realize that for one that Curtis Heck apparently being an auto repair man would not even think to first call an insurance company to report his car had basically been trashed in an attack and instead went to Engy's house and did the same stupid thing to Engy's car that Engy did to his. I'm sorry that makes no sense.

Also Kenneth Engy in my opinion was a bit of a hothead as well - Did he deserve to die? - Hell No - Was he looking to get in a confrontation that would lead to his death that night? - Yes

Anytime a drunken man is put together with a shotgun nothing good can come of it. I find a lot of the aspects of this segment ironic and hopefully someone out there has learned from it and realized that to take a arguement to the level that these two did is foolish and can only result in something tragic happening. I'm sorry if I went against your grain although I must admit I will continue to call "em how I see em" and in this case in my mind something tragic was going to happen that night anyhow and we are lucky we don't have 3 dead bodies as oppose to one. May Ken Engy rest in peace

Later.

I have my own theory about this case. I believe Ingey started the truck to get warm and let the engine run for a while (he would have been disoriented from the drinking). He then turned the engine off himself a short while later but DID NOT GET OUT OF THE TRUCK. I feel he probably in the truck for awhile and stewed over the situation with Curtis Heck (again, alcohol was a contributing factor). Finally, he got out of the track and collapsed (because the truck had been running, there were still carbon monoxide fumes in the garage that did him in.

I am his brother and more than happy to share what I know, I got it on Unsolved Mysteries for a very good reason.

I am his brother and more than happy to share what I know, I got it on Unsolved Mysteries for a very good reason.

Thanks for posting. Yes please do share anything you know or anything that UM didn't bother to mention. Personally I never thought Heck killed him. It seemed like such a minor fight they had earlier and if Kenneth had been drinking his reaction to the carbon monoxide and the ability of getting out of there in time would have been compromised. I'm open to hearing anything you have to say though. Do you think Curtis Heck (or someone else) made it so he couldn't leave the garage?

I am his brother and more than happy to share what I know, I got it on Unsolved Mysteries for a very good reason.


I always felt it was family or connection to the UM producers who got this segment on the show.

Well, a family member often knows things that none of us would, so I'd be quite interested in hearing anything that Rick Engie has to say, but in my personal opinion, I don't think that Curtis Heck had any intention of murdering or even seriously hurting Kenneth Engie. The two of them got into a stupid argument with each other, and in the end, I agree with many other posters that Kenneth probably died waiting for Curtis to come and finish the fight.

I also consider the possibility that Curtis may have been the one who, when he saw the situation that Kenneth was in, turned off the engine, not realizing that there was still enough carbon monoxide lingering in the garage to kill Kenneth anyway.

I am tired after a long weekend, I will provide what I feel is important later in the week.

FYI, there was no heater in the truck in the shop/garage. I also posted some on the Kenny Nygard thread above or wherever as new to site. Maybe Friday or Saturday. I was in Google when I found this site while looking up the case, not sure why it is found under that name. Rick

I am his brother and more than happy to share what I know, I got it on Unsolved Mysteries for a very good reason.
Hi Rick. Are you able to show a photo of Kenneth? There isnt one on the UM Website. I'm just curious to see what he looked like

I'm fairly certain that Kenneth Engie planned on murdering Curtis Heck that night. You don't sit out in your truck and wait for the inevitable confrontation with a loaded rifle. Carbon monoxide probably saved Curtis Heck's life that night.

I'm fairly certain that Kenneth Engie planned on murdering Curtis Heck that night. You don't sit out in your truck and wait for the inevitable confrontation with a loaded rifle. Carbon monoxide probably saved Curtis Heck's life that night.

I tend to agree. Plus he was already drunk so he wasn't thinking clearly.

Must have been an exceptionally long weekend for you not to come back and post, pal. Just face it, your so-claimed brother was a fat drunk who would not have been able to please the barmaid anyway.

I am tired after a long weekend, I will provide what I feel is important later in the week.

FYI, there was no heater in the truck in the shop/garage. I also posted some on the Kenny Nygard thread above or wherever as new to site. Maybe Friday or Saturday. I was in Google when I found this site while looking up the case, not sure why it is found under that name. Rick

Last post was a bit harsh. By the way, I found a photo of Kenneth, but I'm on my cell phone and can't directly post it here. You can view it here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31957744/kenneth-dean-engie

This (https://web.archive.org/web/20241022123431/https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/the-vault/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-or-murder-36-years-after-kenneth-engies-death-some-still-suspect-foul-play) recent article was written and was essentially a rehash of the UM segment, but I did find this part interesting:

A preliminary autopsy indicated that Engie suffered a seizure before his death, which could have caused him to bite down on his lip, Dr. R. A. Gallo was reported saying.

The time of death was estimated to be between 2 and 3 a.m., according to Gallo's preliminary report. There was a bump on the back of Engie's head that was not serious enough to be the cause of death, and no gunshot wound, it said.

The report said Engie had 55.6% carbon monoxide in his blood. Gallo indicated that 40-50% could be fatal.

Curtis Heck arrived at the bar to pick up the barmaid at 1 a.m. that morning, and they got into a fight before Engie totaled Heck's truck. It took Heck close to an hour to get his truck to start. If Engie died as a result from injuries sustained in a second fight back at his residence, how did he get those high levels of carbon monoxide in his blood? This article puts to rest the theory that he was attacked and murdered. It was an accidental death brought on by too much alcohol.

Last post was a bit harsh. By the way, I found a photo of Kenneth, but I'm on my cell phone and can't directly post it here. You can view it here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31957744/kenneth-dean-engie

Actually, I don't think it was that harsh. Think about it. Engie goes to a bar, gets drunk, lingers there, hits on the bartender (and fails), probably insults her, may or may not start a bar fight with Curtis Heck, loses, leaves the bar, gets behind the wheel drunk, bashes Heck's truck, drives home, sits in his truck with a rifle waiting for Heck, and dies of his own stupidity.

Would you want a guy like that in your community? I'm guessing he wasn't up for a Best Citizen award at the time any of this went down. It was not a great story for UM in my opinion.

And, the case is sometimes labeled "Kenneth Nygaard" because that was Engie's uncle's last name. I've seen it in threads as well as segment videos.

Actually, I don't think it was that harsh. Think about it. Engie goes to a bar, gets drunk, lingers there, hits on the bartender (and fails), probably insults her, may or may not start a bar fight with Curtis Heck, loses, leaves the bar, gets behind the wheel drunk, bashes Heck's truck, drives home, sits in his truck with a rifle waiting for Heck, and dies of his own stupidity.

Would you want a guy like that in your community? I'm guessing he wasn't up for a Best Citizen award at the time any of this went down. It was not a great story for UM in my opinion.

And, the case is sometimes labeled "Kenneth Nygaard" because that was Engie's uncle's last name. I've seen it in threads as well as segment videos.

Well, since you called Kenneth "fat" (photo clearly shows he's not) and offended his brother into not posting again...yeah, I'd say your post was out of line.

I am surprised you feel entitled enough to speak to someone's family like this.

Speaking from experience, please remember that when people die, the person you remember often has nothing to do with the way they died. You remember a childhood, game nights, vacations, etc. I am sure his brother doesn't see him this way. There are a lot of things I did in my 20s that I regret. Unlike Kenneth, I was able to redeem myself.

So yes, your comment would be harsh for someone who knows nothing about him. You only know what you saw on a television show that is several decades old.

Last post was a bit harsh. By the way, I found a photo of Kenneth, but I'm on my cell phone and can't directly post it here. You can view it here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31957744/kenneth-dean-engie

Let's see if I got this right?
1) Dark Dante posted comments in 2005. Provoking comments that they were insensitive.
2) RickEngie posted he was Kenneth Engies brother volunteering info but postponed after a long hard weekend. That was 2012.
3) Stacktime made a responding comment in 2023 .
4)1990UMfan found it harsh in 2025
5) Stacktime responded
6)1990UMfan pointed out that Kenneth Engie wasn't fat in his photo.
7)cdr369 commented Stacktime was harsh

Is RickEngie really Kenneth's brother or an imposter? No posts since 2012!
What kind of superpowers does Stacktime have to retroactively scare off RickEngie 11 years prior to his post?

1990UMfan thank you for the link to the memorial and photo.

Dark Dante thank you for the well thought out and clearly presented comments. I agree.

Stacktime thanks for the rough humor. I do not disagree.

By the power invested in me by the south wind, mule's kick, coyote yip, and thunder snow I pronounce Dark Dante and Stacktime honorary Plainsmen!

Let's see if I got this right?
1) Dark Dante posted comments in 2005. Provoking comments that they were insensitive.
2) RickEngie posted he was Kenneth Engies brother volunteering info but postponed after a long hard weekend. That was 2012.
3) Stacktime made a responding comment in 2023 .
4)1990UMfan found it harsh in 2025
5) Stacktime responded
6)1990UMfan pointed out that Kenneth Engie wasn't fat in his photo.
7)cdr369 commented Stacktime was harsh

Is RickEngie really Kenneth's brother or an imposter? No posts since 2012!
What kind of superpowers does Stacktime have to retroactively scare off RickEngie 11 years prior to his post?

1990UMfan thank you for the link to the memorial and photo.

Dark Dante thank you for the well thought out and clearly presented comments. I agree.

Stacktime thanks for the rough humor. I do not disagree.

By the power invested in me by the south wind, mule's kick, coyote yip, and thunder snow I pronounce Dark Dante and Stacktime honorary Plainsmen!

Thanks DF82. In the interest of keeping this forum focused on cases, and not personal matters, I'll no longer comment about this one unless some new forensic element arises.

My personal opinion is that this case falls into the category of Misadventure. This is different than victim blaming. It is obvious that everyone involved made questionable decisions and inappropriate actions under the influence of alchohol and hormones that contributed to that night's events and a fatality.

Somewhere I read that when things like this happen to us it a tragedy. When it happens to someone else it's funny.

Incidents like this are still common in rural communities here on the Great Plains. They are considered part of everyday life and usually taken in stride.

I totally agree about the need for forensic evidence in this specific case. Even if a full blown reconstruction was done it might not provide a definitive answer. I think someone mentioned that Curtis Heck, uncle Nygaard and others are now deceased. So they can't be interviewed. I guess this case like others considered solved by law enforcement will remain unexplained.