By:Jenn Abelson
The parents of a Kentucky man who was struck and killed by a Long Island Rail Road train in Lynbrook are desperately searching for more information about their son's whereabouts in the hours prior to his death on June 9.
Henry and Linda Hamblin of Corbin, Ky. visited Long Island last week to meet with police investigators. They also visited the site where the body of their son, Mark A. Hamblin, was found, and rode the train they believe he took on the morning of his death in an effort to piece together clues to his final hours.
An engineer of a westbound Long Island Rail Road train spotted the 26-year-old on the railroad tracks around 5:20 a.m., on the north side of an electrical platform near Earle Avenue and St. James Place, just east of the Lynbrook train station.
Hamblin's mother said her son had traveled to Long Island to watch the Belmont Stakes in Elmont on Saturday, June 9. The night before, he visited Lily Flanagan's restaurant and pub with friends in Rockville Centre.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority police found a credit card receipt for Lily Flanagan's in Hamblin's pocket dated at 2:08 a.m. Saturday morning. The credit card belonged to his mother, not his wife, as The Herald originally reported.
According to Linda Hamblin, her son left the pub alone because he was tired and told friends he would take the train back to his hotel in New York City. MTA police have not found any witnesses who saw Hamblin on the train or at the Rockville Centre train station, located about 150 feet from Lily Flanagan's Sunrise Highway location.
Lisa Schwartz, an MTA spokesperson, said the investigation is continuing and police have not determined whether Hamblin was struck by the same 5:20 a.m. train that found him, or an earlier one, or whether he walked on the tracks or was a passenger who fell while walking between cars.
Ron Spieler, manager of Lily Flanagan's, said he spoke with detectives but neither he nor his employees knew anything about Hamblin's whereabouts once he left the establishment.
Hamblin's father said he believes his son was on the 4:25 a.m. train, the next train Mark could have made after signing his 2:08 a.m. credit card receipt.
"There's over two hours that are unaccounted for," Henry Hamblin said. "We want to know if there were any witnesses who had seen him during that time."
Neither MTA police nor the Hamblins suspect foul play.
"Foul play is not suspected, but we are still awaiting results from the medical examiner," Schwartz said. She said these findings, including toxicology reports, will take six to eight weeks.
"We believe it's an accident," said Mrs. Hamblin, who dismissed suicide as a possible cause of death.
She described her son, a graduate of East Kentucky University, as a flag football fanatic who worked as a purchasing agent for a company that manufactures athletic clothing in Kentucky.
"We'd like to know if someone could help fill in some of the time," she said. "It's hard to have closure when you just don't know."
The Hamblins ask that anyone with information call their toll-free number 1-800-484-8498, pin number 2138. All callers will remain anonymous, they said.
