1. Download the Uncovered Citizen Detective Guide to learn more about how thoughtful and safe online sleuthing. Sunday, August 8, 2021 The Bizarre History of a Long-Unsolved Murder On Sunday morning, August 2, 1964, a fisherman reported a bloodstained vehicle abandoned at the Water Valley Mill northeast of Springfield. Arkansas law requires all missing persons to be entered immediately. Shes waited 42 years for answers. Timmons already had a kidnapping conviction on his record, having abducted and held an 11-year-old boy in 1976, KYTV reported. Kentucky detective investigating possible connection between 2011 - MSN Two Hunters Person With Information / Witness, Larry SwearingenPerson With Information / Witness, Travis Dale CrouchPerson With Information / Witness, Unnamed older woman and younger manPerson With Information / Witness, Charles Ray VinesPerson With Information / Witness, Douglas Lawrence LoganPerson With Information / Witness, William Dillard TaylorPerson With Information / Witness, Tara LimbirdFriend / Acquaintance of Victim, Morning:Melissa and her mother have a disagreement over money. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. Often in unsolved murders, family members of the victim lose faith in the investigators trying to solve the case so charges can be filed. Records are retained indefinitely, unless removed by the entering agency. Arkansas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries by County. There was no one in the store, and there should have been, said Pevehouse. Home - Project: Cold Case For individuals wishing to review their own record or somebody who they know hasn't been out of the unsolved murders in arkansas as being the unsolved murders in arkansas in Arkansas. Two Hells Angels held in quadruple killing - SFGATE FPD Sergeant Tony Murphy said. On December 6, 1991, Austin, Texas was shell-shocked by a vicious crime. Category:Arkansas | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom If you want to get cheaper rates on your hand. Fort Smith Police Department - Public Awareness - Most Wanted Search teams on horses were deployed to search several areas in Bella Vista. Several of Danas personal items were found scattered in different areas of Bella Vista, but none near her car, Sgt. RELATED: Detective believes 1995 murder of Arkansas teen could be tied to another case, RELATED: Alma Police receive hundreds of tips since 'Still Missing Morgan' documentary aired. A family is still looking for answers after a Sebastian County womans murder case remains unsolved 42-years later. Unsolved murder of Melissa Witt in 1994. If a manila folder image appears, this means you are at the beginning of the case file. The FBI considers eyewitness identification notoriously unreliable, the story stated. Arkansas area. The light is the ghosts lantern used to search for his head. Asking for witnesses who might have seen anything, no matter how small, to speak up. Although the case may be cold, the Fort Smith police are still welcoming any information concerning the case. PDF National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City, OK At that point in the investigation, there was no reason to believe she was abducted. No suspect was ever identified. You just cant accept that your child is gone. I dont recall exactly what the male voice said, but it was something like, I cant. And then he hung up the phone., 9:40 am:Melissa's body is found by two trappers in the Ozark National Forest. Branford Antoine Lewis, who was given an additional 18 and 1/2 years on an existing sentence in early February, returned to Sebastian County Circuit Court on . Firefighters responded to reports of smoke rising from a yogurt shop on West Anderson Lane. It could not be determined how she was killed. He was caught in 2000 when he attempted to rape and kill a 16-year-old girl in her house. A trail of blood was later found in the parking lot. One of the bullets severed a major artery and Anstutz died an hour later at Cox Medical Center South. The Most Terrifying Unsolved Murders In Every State - YourTango He was described as 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall, a white man with a dark complexion andblack hair combed back. BOONE COUNTY, Ky. - Cold case detectives at the Boone County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky are investigating any possible connection between an unsolved double murder in 2011 and the 2017 . But Melissa never came home, and Mary Anne grew worried. During the school year, Dana had been working after school and on weekends at Harps Food Store in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Katherine Baker Case Report Number: 90-053018 ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) In 2020, Fayetteville has had seven homicides/murders; there were five in 2019, according to the Fayetteville police department (FPD). Jenkins told Dateline. The family alleged that the defendant failed to exercise ordinary care to provide for the safety of business. Arkansas: Unsolved Murders In Arkansas - Blogger Case of Missing Person: Nona Jean Young (Coleman) W/F, 02-26-51 . We have had several people tell us she was not getting along at home. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks. The officer told Mary Ann that since Melissa is over 18, she can leave on her own accord. Immediately making identification information available to the public has proven effective in helping to locate missing children as well as missing adults. The murders of Greg Collins, Daniel Bearden, James Milan, Jordan Kettleson, and Mike Samples remain unsolved. They were attributed to an alleged unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom of Texarkana or simply the Phantom Killer or Phantom Slayer. Melissa's mother assumed that her daughter was with friends that evening. The following persons have active warrants for their arrest. Both girls were 19 at the time of their death, and both were murdered and found in large forests in Arkansas. Police called the man a "suspect." Manage Settings Research Guide to the Criminal Case Files of Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1860 Diaz is president of the Vallejo chapter of. Donate. Her husband slept thatday because he worked a third shift at Springday, a Springfield manufacturer. They died never knowing what happened to Dana. Four teenagers were camping on the shores of Lake Bodom in Finland on June 5, 1960, when an unknown group or individual murdered three of them with a knife and blunt instrument. Dana had been very well-liked, her cousin Kristy said she didnt have any problems with anyone. And I was lucky enough to have her.. Also known as Missy, she was an honors student at Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Arkansas where she lived with her mother, Mary Ann. Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murder. 3 deaths potentially - MSN Its illegal to hunt "Whitey" within the protected land. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite. He chose not to cooperate and therefore remains a suspect in this murder. Sure, that's fiction. As time passes on, I am afraid my sons murderer or murderers will not be found.. Kristy said her family was struck with fear for what happened to Dana after that. A retired detective and an Arkansas woman are working to solve Melissa Witt's murder Watch on Source: 5NEWS When she was discovered Six weeks after the abduction, two hunters in the Ozark National Forest discovered Missy's body on January 13, 199545 miles from her home in Fort Smith. Cold Case Database - Defrosting Cold Cases He weighed anestimated150 to 160 pounds. Sergeant Shannon Jenkins of the Benton County Sheriff's Office told Dateline that they received a phone call from Danas brother, Larry, at 9:15 p.m. on the 25th to report Dana missing. Three years after her murder, Melissa's family, the Parnells' filed a suit against the C N Bowl Corp. It stated: The problems with the case, according to the story, included: Dave Smith, then a sergeant, said: "We have to find someone with firsthand knowledge that he was out there that night.". What haunted locations can I visit in Arkansas? The 2019 crime rate in Fort Smith, AR is 559 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 2.1 times higher than the U.S. average. The 19-year-old had stopped by to get a hamburger from her mother, according to a 2021 report from local station THV11KTHV. Murder! Over a month after she went missing, her body was found in the Ozark National Forest. FORT SMITH, Ark. It was described in news storiesas "torn up." The court determined that the events were not foreseeable and the case was ultimately dismissed. OPEN/ UNSOLVED CASES . Catching a killer: Shootings stir up memories of '81 murders Ten months after Blades vanished, Sheriff Lamb told the publiche doubted there was a crime. Submit Your Loved One. Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock Steven Fisher, 20, and his girlfriend Melisa Gregory, 17, were bludgeoned to death on a ranch northwest of Newton, Iowa, in 1983. There also was a younger male voice, also with a really strong Southern accent. On November 6, 2001, at approximately 11:00 AM, a woman arrived for an appointment at the Hair Gallery, located in Florence, Montana. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Fort Smith Police Department. The Files CANADA UNSOLVED So, we grew up without her basically our whole lives, said Enseys youngest daughter Nikki Ensey. The burglar tried to flee out the back but Anstutz confronted him and the two scuffled. A young boy, who was with his mother at Bowling World, said when he went out to retrieve a book from their car, he heard a woman scream, Help me! He didnt see anyone but stated the time was around 6:30 or 6:40 p.m. Some, however, have since theorized she was the victim of local serial killer Charles Ray Vine, also known as "The River Valley Killer.". by Crawlspace - True Crime & Mysteries, Arkansas : Melissa Witt by Cults, Crimes & Cabernet, CrimeCon UK Live: The Girl I Never Knew by Crimepedia, Episode 29: Unsolved Murder: Melissa Witt by Unsolved America. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. In Arkansas you also have added to the unsolved murders in arkansas an unusual place to visit. IE 11 is not supported. Thank you! Faces of Unsolved Homicide - Project: Cold Case Interactive map produced by Yutao Chen. The hunt for answers continues to this day, as the case remains open,THV11 KTHV reported. Her body was placed near a headstone-like rock. And even the victim and the victims loved ones dont know who the other party iswe normally draw these dead ends, Pevehouse said. Danas father passed away 10 years after his daughter was killed. That would be Helena-West Helena with 108.0 murders per 100,000 people. WEATHER & CLIMATE Her mother said no and before she left the house, she left Missy a note explaining that she loved her and that she would be at a local bowling alley later that afternoon if she wanted to come by and get something to eat. They questioned him. Arrested and charged with four counts each of murder were Charles Anthony Diaz, 47, of Vallejo, and Gerald Michael Lester, 47, of Fort Smith, Ark. Her parents and other family members offered $10,000 for information leading to an arrest. Bonnie and Clyde - Encyclopedia of Arkansas The Bizarre History of a Long-Unsolved Murder - Blogger List of unsolved murders (1900-1979) - Wikipedia View Cases - Unsolved Homicide - Texas Department Of Public Safety Your anonymous call could lead to a $1,000 reward. Chester Simons and Deborah Popp were found fatally shot in bed and police determined that Popp was shot by Simons, who then died by suicide, according to Fort Myers Police Department. I always wanted my son to be aman of his word. When a crime happens, and you dont know who the other party is. "This would have been around 1989 or 1990," McCaster told HuffPost. Pruett would soon confess to prosecutors and the media his guilt . In 1973, legislation created the White River Monster Refuge. Murder Capitals Of Arkansas For 2021 - RoadSnacks They wrote: "When 'Buff'Lamb was called the night Carols car was found, he did not take fingerprints or even caution people to stay away so the car could be dusted later. There are currently no cases that match the selected filters. Arkansas killer gets life term If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already. The cause of death is listed as"homicidal violence.". She wouldn't let her dad wait on that.. Denver Post . The IMCA sanctioned 3/8 mile oval and I situated in the Van Buren - Fort Smith area at the unsolved murders in arkansas a fairly temperate climate throughout much of the National Park engulfs the . The cemetery is 13 miles northwest of Ava in Douglas County. His father, Alex Murdaugh, a local attorney and the son of Randolph Murdaugh III, owns the boat.. She suffered a gunshot wound to her head. If anyone has information regarding any of the missing persons cases, please contact the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 907-269-5038 (local), 800-478-9333 (toll free) or email dps.missing.persons@alaska.gov. 18 unsolved slayings in this area in five years. That left us with 26 cities to rank.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'roadsnacks_net-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_13',706,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-mobile-leaderboard-2-0');Most Dangerous Cities In AmericaFinally, we averaged the two scores into an index:The raw number of murders in each cityThe murders per personWe felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Feeling bad, her mother left her a note asking her to join her for a burger later at Bowling World. Fort Smith jobs have decreased by 1.6%. Murder! 18 unsolved slayings in this area in five years There were no records found of her death. William Gardiner, a preacher of the Primitive Methodist Chapel, was suspected due . Christopher Reese's 2014 murder in Notus, Idaho remains unsolved. Workman was 6 feet tall and 135 pounds. We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. If you have any possible . The only clues left at the scene were a gold hoop earring, a crushed hair clip, her car keys, and pools of blood. Jenkins told Dateline. Melissas friends and family begin to hand out missing person flyers throughout the River Valley area. A homicide is considered cleared if at least one person has been arrested, formally charged and handed over to a court of law for trial. According to science fiction writer Richard Shaver, the cave is one of the entrances to a subterranean civilization. She was just the kind of daughter people wish they had. From mafia to monsters, check out these 10 unsolved mysteries in Arkansas. I would like to see if they could maybe come for now. The burlap sack also reminds us of the Scarecrow character in the Batman stories, a chilling psychopath who drugged and murdered townspeople while wearing a burlap sack over his head. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. Georgia has now outlived her husband and both of children. The Arkansas, Texas & Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Records were contacted in an attempt to locate a death certificate for Nona Young. However, she never made it inside. The day she disappeared Blades was driving the couple's 1965 Chevy Impala. Sheapparently died within hours of when she vanished, probably in the early hours of Saturday, July 1, 1989. More Cost of Living or Compare Fort Smith's Cost of Living. Unsolved Murders - Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's last year of reporting. She had been strangled to death and sexually assaulted. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. But Mary Ann knew this was out of character for Melissa. if(window.innerWidth<700){ezoicSiteSpeed(jQuery(document),String(/documentReady/).substring(1).slice(0,-1),String(/jQuery-document-dot-ready/).substring(1).slice(0,-1),function($){$("#skip_expand").html("(Expand+)");$("#toc ul").css("display","none");$("#skip_expand").on("click",function(){$("#toc ul").toggle()});$("#toc h3").on("click",function(){$("#toc ul").toggle()});});}. Kristy told Dateline she and Dana were especially close since they were only a year apart. Murderpedia . Cold case is finally cracked and the killer is identified. Here's The Most Harrowing Unsolved Murder From Every State In 1965 it was 90 percent. Murder Mystery: The Mickey Mouse Killer Part 1, A retired detective and an Arkansas woman are working to solve Melissa Witt's murder, Murder Mystery: The Mickey Mouse Killer Conclusion, Who Killed Missy Witt? When they find her body, she had been exposed to extreme temperatures, Rush said. Project: Cold Case is a not-for-profit organization with an ambitious goal of publicizing all unsolved homicides in the United States while linking information, families, and law enforcement, and ultimately, helping to solve cold cases. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. True Crime Garage - Melissa Witt Part 2 /// 162, True Crime Garage - Melissa Witt Part 1/// 161, Murder in the Hills, episode 1: The Unsolved Murder of Melissa Witt & The Abduction of Morgan Nick, Local Documentarians Develop New Leads in Melissa Witt Cold Case, 304 // Who Killed Melissa Witt? We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Crime News in Fort Smith, AR | Southwest Times Record While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn't want to rely on speculation and opinion. CBI FOHVAMP . However, they still have hope. He was looking for his cattle when he saw a white object in a grove of cedar trees, near a fallen tree;it was the skull of Carol Blades. 50 creepiest unsolved crime cases that will shake you to the core! At 9 a.m. the next morning, June 25, 1983, the victim's body was discovered near 2000 E. 22nd Street, hidden in the brush of a semi-secluded area not far from her home. Paul Anstutz, 26, and his wife Amy, 30, returned home on a Thursday night, Oct. 8, 1992, and surprised a burglar in their homeat 2546 S. Glenwood Terrace, in the Brentwood Terrace subdivision. Evening:Melissa arrives at Bowling World to have dinner with her mother but never makes it inside. She was shy and didn't like to smile much; she was self-conscious about a crooked front tooth. Best Places to Live in Fort Smith, Arkansas In 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. In December 1977 a man was arrested in connection to the death and questioned. We all know she was really responsible, and she knew her dad was waiting on the medicine. Resources. Archive statistics are available upon request. RoadSnacks is reader-supported. Melissa is pronounced deceased. According to the News-Leader story, Kemm-Highton encouraged Geraldine Horton, the mother of Carol Blades, to writeto Smith. Details About Her Unsolved Murder And Why Police Haven't Caught The Killer. Family members bristled at those comments. Episode 34 - Arkansas - Who Killed Melissa Witt? Arkansas Game and Fish Wildlife Biologist in the unsolved murders in arkansas to 2006. Her daughters are now 44 and 46. Georgia said they checked all the possible routes that Dana might have taken, and did not see her car anywhere. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. Cornerstone Mountain Retreat, near Jasper, visitors can walk for miles in pristine forests. Her car was found in the parking lot, but she was nowhere to be seen. There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people who killed . The massacre inspired the movie "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." The body was discovered by a Conco employee. Judge To Review Clinton 1987 Murder Of 2 Arkansas Boys - News Punch Arkansas isnt always peaceful forests and serene waterfalls. She was really sweet, everybody liked her, she was friends with everybody.. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Who Killed Dana Stidham? The majority of law enforcement officials consider photographs to be the most important tool in missing person cases. On the voice message recording, a lady called and with a really strong Southern accent could be heard saying, Go ahead and tell them what you found, he said. Georgia was at work at the time, but her husband Lawrence was at home. If you have any information regarding the missing persons or homicide victims on this website, please contact the Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 727-582-6153 or by email at jsuessiv@pcsonet.com. Missy had gone on home and changed her clothes, according to a neighbor who saw her come and go. Arkansas features cultural and social hub of the Arkansas Insurance Department. 1. She hadthree children. On Christmas Day, 1970 a year and 10 days after Blades disappeared her body was found in Stone County, 12 miles away. A week later, her body was found some10 miles south of the cemetery and about six miles east of Oldfield, in Christian County. She had accidentally left something on, and the battery was dead. William Miller is a member of that group. An old wives tale is one thing, but once physical evidence gets involved these stories become especially chilling. Murder of Arkansas woman still unsolved nearly 30 years later - KTHV Western Arkansas was also on the circuit of back roads Clyde Barrow used to evade lawmen from other states. Contact. But could he have been responsible for another murder? "It was the family that accused me of that," Lamb told the News-Leader in December 1980. Drugs is a possibility. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. Blades had filled it with gas that day and investigators estimated 8 gallons were used. I don't want to go to my grave not knowing, she told Dateline. Lois Ensey left behind a husband and two daughters ages two and four. Lifestyle is a possibility that may play a role in his death.". Swamp gas, pressurized quartz crystal, and headlight reflections have been possible explanations. It was higher than in 97.1% U.S. cities. KHBS CNN Three people are dead and a police officer is recovering from being. Went to the store, and people said that she had been there and bought what she needed and left, Georgia said. More Economy. Melissa's mother, Mary Anne passes away. Man arrested in 2004 Arkansas murder case - KHBS Both cases remain unsolved. Example video title will go here for this video. Three people died and an officer was stabbed in the neck in an incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sunday. In the summer of 1989, she continued to work at the store while figuring out what she wanted to do, Georgia said. Blades' husband, Larry, and her parents Louis and Geraldine Horton took issue with the sheriff's comments. The victim is identified as 35-year-old . Melissa and Tara have biology class together on Friday, and then had plans to hang out that evening. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. For nearly three decades the homicide case of Fort Smith teen Melissa Witt has gone unsolved, but a former detective refuses to give up hope. Swearingen denied murdering Missy Witt and was executed on January 27, 2009, for Melissa Trotter's murder. Fort Smith murder unsolved after 42 years, family still has hope In 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. If you have any information, you can call the River Valley crime stoppers at (479)-78-CRIME. Juan Ignacio Blanco MALE murderers: . The keys were still in the ignition. He was shot in the back and, police say, beaten. Melissa is still not home. Did The River Valley Killer Kidnap A Teenage Girl From A Bowling Alley Parking Lot And Murder Her? We were very young. in Library Science. Heultimately raped and murdered two elderly women in the River Valley, Arkansas area: Juanita Wofford in 1993, and Ruth Henderson in 1995. While the city with highest number of murders period? If you send me images or newspaper clippings I assume that I may use them on my website. All rights reserved. Connect with Never Forgotten She was later found dead by trappers, who spotted her by a logging trail in the Ozark National Forest, about 50 miles from where she was abducted, the KTHV reported. Dig deeper into the stories you've heard before, and encounter many others you haven't, in ways that actually help. He was active in the area at that time, and he had attacked another teenager in Arkansas. Oklahoma men charged in alleged torture, murder of missing mom from Sort All Cases By: Company Area | Male | Female | County | Year | Last Name Results: 13 Record (s) Found. Furthermore, Swearingen was known to be in the area around the time Missy was abducted. He may have been lost at times, but who of us has not been lost? Jane BERNARD (Unsolved Murder - 1966) - ON Lucas SHORTREED (Unsolved - 2008) - ON Tammy LAMONDIN (1999) - ON Marguerite CARDWELL (1973) - AB Bowmanville Jane Doe (2006) - ON Kimberly MCANDREW (1989) - NS Le Roi Francis LA FRANCE (1964) - B.C. It was only after the car was impounded, some three days later, that it was dusted.". There is no waiting period before a person can be entered into the NCIC Missing Person File. Over a month after she went missing, her body was found in the Ozark National Forest. He was convicted of the murder of Melissa Trotter who was killed in a very similar manner as Missy. This move prompts an interesting discussion about the rights and preservation of potential fantastical threats. She was considering studying business at university. On July 25, 1989, Dana went over to her parents house to do some laundry, Georgia said. Smith was also questioned in the 1983 unsolved murder of a 14-year-old girl in Idaho. Danas parents continued to drive around, but did not find their daughter. 8 Strange, Unsolved Crimes That Are Sure to Haunt You - The Lineup 1992 Natasha Atchley White Female San Jacinto County Ranger Company A Re #: 160 1997 Harold William "Bill" Roland White Male