she says owen smith dreamed of playing guitar in nashville.year-old had a musician's vagabond soul. he was shipped to reform school for stealing a car. she never saw him again. her family was told owen had run away. she still has a letter sent by the school superintendent more than 70 years ago. >> we have been unable to get any information concerning his whereabouts. we will appreciate your notifying us immediately if you receive any word from or concerning him. >> reporter: she believes her brother was already dead. a few weeks later, his family was told his decomposed body was found under a house near the school. >> they think he crawled under there trying to keep warm, got pneumonia and died. that was their official cause of death was death from pneumonia, exposure. >> reporter: that wasn't based on anything scientific? >> nuh-uh. >> reporter: any autopsy? >> nuh-uh. >> reporter: she says another student told them a far different story. >> he looked back and my brother was running out across a field, an open field. and there was three men

she said owen smith dreamed of playing guitar at the grand ole op opry.-old has a musicians vagabond soul. he was shipped to reform school for stealing a car. she never saw him again. her family was told owen has run away. she still has a letter sent by the superintendent years ago. >> reporter: we will appreciate you notifying us immediately if you receive any word. >> reporter: she believes her brother was already dead. a few weeks later his family was told his decomposed body was found under a house near the school. >> they think he crawled under there, tried to keep warm, and that he got pneumonia and died, and that was their official cause of death was death from pneumonia and exposure. >> reporter: but was that based on anything scientific or any kind of autopsy? >> uh-uh. >> reporter: she says another student told them a far different story. >> he looked back, and my brother was running out across a field, an open field, and there was three men shooting at him with rifles. i believe until this day that they shot my brother that night, and i think t

. >> reporter: against the family's wishes, owen smith was buried on the school grounds.re. no one was ever charged in his death back in 1941. but because of that case, along with other accounts of alleged abuse, beatings and killings, the florida state law enforcement agency launched an investigation in 2008. its report concluded there was no evidence to suggest that any of the deceased died as a result of criminal conduct. the agency also said it couldn't find evidence to prove claims of physical or sexual abuse at the school. many former students like robert australia straley say that is a cover-up. >> i'm mad at the state, yes. angry at the state because they let this go on for 68 years. and did nothing about it. >> reporter: he says he was beaten with a leather strap and that some school leaders killed young boys and made them disappear. >> it is important to find all of the boys that were buried there. i mean, they were practically crawling out of their graves crying out, help, remember me. >> help, remember me, he says. ed lavandera, what a story. when will we be h

. >> against the family's wishes, owen smith was buried on the school grounds. was ever charged in his death back in 1941, but because of that case along with other alleged abuse and beatings, an investigation was launched in 2008. its report concluded there was no evidence to suggest that any of the deceased died as a result of criminal conduct. the agency also said it couldn't find evidence to prove claims of physical or sexual abuse at the school. but many former students, like robert, say that report is a whitewash coverup. state officials say they stand by the report's findings. >> i'm mad at the state, yes. i'm mad at the state because they let this go on for 68 years and did nothing about it. >> straley says he was beat with a leet they are strap and they killed some boys and made them disappear. >> it's important to find all of the boys that were buried there. i mean, they are practically crawling out of their graves crying out, help, remember me, you know. >> so, wolf, the florida department of law enforcement is still reviewing the report they got toda