Man trespasses Kennedy Space Center in search of ‘secret’ launchpad, killed by train days later, family says

What happened leading up to his unauthorized search of the Space Center and the days before his death remains a mystery to his family. Reporter Steve Barrett spoke with his brother John Hutchinson on Wednesday.

Hutchinson said his brother's downward spiral began when he was watching new power lines going up in Oak Hill leading to the Space Center. He said they caused Kenny Hutchinson to believe Elon Musk had built a secret launchpad.

John Hutchinson said his brother talked his way through a guard gate at the Space Center and traveled miles on a railroad track searching for that secret launchpad.

Where he ended up has the historic launchpad 39-B.

Kenny Hutchinson’s family said he was issued a trespass warning and the 37-year-old and his wife were then driven off the property, while his truck was impounded.

“He spiraled into a direction where he wasn’t worried about nothing but figuring something out,” John Hutchinson said.

Ten days later, Kenny Hutchinson was hit and killed by a train on a different track near his Oak Hill home.

An incident report from the Sheriff's Office said Kenny Hutchinson was lying on the tracks for an unknown reason and tried to move from the tracks before he was struck and killed.

“He tried to get up. It was just too late, you know,” John Hutchinson said. “He was just in a daze, just couldn’t figure it all out - trying to figure out so much stuff at once.”

He said he is still left wondering why his brother was on the tracks and how he managed to get so far onto the Kennedy Space Center property days earlier.