CBI FOHVAMP . Submit Your Loved One. No suspect was ever identified. The architectural style is predominantly brick-oriented with many people to move, and land is worth in the unsolved murders in arkansas of your license. Rancher Ernest Wilhelm discovered her skeletal remains on his farmtwo miles west of Ponce de Leon. Tragically, we'll never know who murdered these young men. The murders remain unsolved. FORT SMITH, Ark The Fort Smith Police Department is investigating a homicide in the 1300 block of Jackson St. The Springtime Jonquil Festival In Arkansas Thats Unlike Any Other, Spend A Magical Evening Savoring This Wine And Fondue Experience In Arkansas, Arkansas Oldest Drive-In Theater Is Hiding In A Small Town And Youll Want To Visit, Dine At The Historic Spot In Arkansas Where The Legendary Gangster Al Capone Drank Whiskey, The Legend Of Arkansass Very Own Monster Will Chill You To The Bone, 9 True Arkansas Stories That Are Way Creepier Than The Clown Takeover, The Story Behind This Mysterious Creature In Arkansas Is Both Bizarre And Fascinating, The One Place You Have To Go In Arkansas If Youre Looking For Real Adventure, Naomi Rahim / Moment Collection via Getty Images, Calico Rock Historic District in Calico Rock, The Empress of Little Rock in Little Rock. The body was found on Forest Service Road 1551, located off Franklin County 111, also known as Jethro Road. The 2019 Fort Smith crime rate rose by 17% compared to 2018. 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. Westark Community College/University Of Arkansas, Afternoon:Melissa has lunch with a friend, She met her friend at Chick-fil-A which was just down the road from the college, Afternoon:Melissa works at the dentist office in the afternoon, She was employed part time as a dental assistant, 5:00 PM:Melissa's car doesn't start after leaving work. 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()});});}. A 19 year old college student disappears in a parking lot. Morning:Melissa goes to classes at Westark Community College, now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS). When her shift ended, her car wouldnt start. Photo credit: Kurt Wilson/ Missoulian. We have had several people tell us she was not getting along at home. A patron had discovered her car keys and turned them in the night Witt disappeared. Some of the biggest unsolved murders in Arkansas include the 1994 murder of Melissa "Missy" Witt, the 1995 murder of Marlo Taylor, and the 1987 double murder of Don Henry and Kevin Ives, among countless others which receive much less media attention. So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Arkansas. Oct. 18, 1981: An officer in Texas stops Pruett for speeding and locates a .38-caliber revolver and evidence from Larimer County. In December 1977 a man was arrested in connection to the death and questioned. Bucholtz and Jared started a Facebook group called Unsolved Murder of Rebekah Gould in the hopes of getting some tips from the public about her death. The Possible Police Connection A witness using the name of "Jerry" came forward to say that he saw sitting in a convenience store parking lot the night of August 22-23, 1987 and saw three teenaged boys, one on a motorcycle, hanging out . 100 Wayland Smith Drive , Uniontown, PA 15401 +1(724)437-7300 Currently Open. Both cases remain unsolved. Sure, that's fiction. Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. ", Dave Bowden, a corporal with Springfield police at the time, said in a news release:"Physical evidence gathered at and near the scene will be examined over the next several days to determine if the suspect can be linked to the crime. We understand if you have trouble getting to sleep tonight, these unsolved mysteries certainly shook us to the core. Ten months after Blades vanished, Sheriff Lamb told the publiche doubted there was a crime. If you have information on any of the persons . Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. Evening:Melissa arrives at Bowling World to have dinner with her mother but never makes it inside. Georgia was at work at the time, but her husband Lawrence was at home. Danas personal belongings, however, were not inside the car. Who Killed Dana Stidham? Records in the Missing Person File are retained indefinitely or until the individual is located or the record is canceled by the entering agency. Melissa's mother assumed that her daughter was with friends that evening. At approximately 7:45 PM, a person found Melissa's car keys and turned them in at the front desk at Bowling World. Both girls were 19 at the time of their death, and both were murdered and found in large forests in Arkansas. Arkansas Crime Information Center. Asking for witnesses who might have seen anything, no matter how small, to speak up. Cold Case Spotlight No answers 29 years after murder of Arkansas teen Dana Stidham Eighteen-year-old Dana Stidham was last seen on July 25, 1989 leaving a grocery store in Bella Visa,. "They was just looking for anything to say, they was all upset.". When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a term coined by the contemporary press, was a series of four unsolved serial murders and related violent crimes committed in and around the Texarkana region of Arkansas and Texas in the late winter and spring of 1946. Sloane McCaster, a member of Websleuths, an Internet forum of armchair detectives who look into unsolved crimes, met Mercedes at a club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. There are fifty states in the unsolved murders in arkansas near future, information on Arkansas construction project? Georgia has now outlived her husband and both of children. A federal judge is to review an unsolved 1987 murder case of 2 young boys from Arkansas who were believed to have been killed by Clinton operatives. 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. An old wives tale is one thing, but once physical evidence gets involved these stories become especially chilling. During the school year, Dana had been working after school and on weekends at Harps Food Store in Bella Vista, Arkansas. From mafia to monsters, check out these 10 unsolved mysteries in Arkansas. But as she got ready to go to campus for class, she had a small disagreement with her Mom after asking her if she could borrow money. Danas father passed away 10 years after his daughter was killed. 615Little Rock, AR 72201501-682-2222Contact UsGoogle Map, ACT 346 (Court Access)AIBRS InformationCENSORCJIS Online PortalCrime StatisticsJusticeXchangeSystem RegulationsTraining CalendarsVictims InformationDirections to ACIC, One State Police Plaza DrLittle Rock, AR 72209, Donate to the Arkansas Disaster Relief Program, The Official Website of the State of Arkansas, Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, Arkansas Full Time Law Enforcement Officer Salary Stipend. The following persons have active warrants for their arrest. The most serious crime committed in the state by the Barrow Gang was the murder of Marshal Henry D. Humphrey of Alma (Crawford County), committed while the gang was hiding out in a tourist camp in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in June 1933. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Drugs is a possibility. City of Fort Collins Police Services, 2221 Timberline Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525 Phone: 970.221.6540 (non-emergency) . Jenkins told Dateline. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. They made this determination based on evidence of a struggle around her car, including blood found in the parking lot, as well as Missy's keys and an earring found nearby. Over a month after she went missing, her body was found in the Ozark National Forest. 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. Soon after the shooting, the suspect went to prison for two years for other burglary convictions. The ones they had for checks, they were able to backtrack those people and talk to them about what did you see?, said Pevehouse. *While use of the Unidentified Person File is increasing, it is not yet mandated by law to make entries into this file. He ran across a field in a southeast direction and when he realized he was being observed by at least one of the three in the other car he lifted a coat to hide his face. That caused him to jerk the coat down. Kristy said her family was struck with fear for what happened to Dana after that. She was considering studying business at university. Above the railroad tracks near Gurdon, a mysterious floating light has been spotted. Fort Smith unsolved murder subject of new billboard campaign, Nonprofit launches billboard campaign to bring attention to 27-year-old cold case, Were not giving up: Search still alive 27 years after Melissa Witts disappearance and death, Nonprofit making sure Missy Witt cold case stays front & center, Who Killed Missy Witt team holds press conference on 27th anniversary of kidnapping, Non-profit group asking for information on 27-year-old Fort Smith murder case, More than a story: Nonprofit works to bring awareness to Melissa Witt case, Missy Witt: Cave Springs woman writes book about unsolved murder, Police Say Suspected Killer's Grandparents Withheld Evidence, Arrested man not suspect in girl's kidnap, cops say, Strangled (Who Killed Melissa Witt? She was our joy. The massacre inspired the movie "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is requesting your assistance in closing these open cases. His father, Alex Murdaugh, a local attorney and the son of Randolph Murdaugh III, owns the boat.. But one suspect is alive and living in an Illinois prison. 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. In a May 13, 1990, News-Leader story, Whitney said: I dont think this was a planned-out deal, other than they saw her and made a quick plan, he says. He was active in the area at that time, and he had attacked another teenager in Arkansas. An autopsy could not determine cause of death; she was not shot and apparently was not raped. We were very young. FPD Sergeant Tony Murphy said. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI's Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year. In 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. A trapper, looking for deer sign on A US Forest Service road about 18 miles north of Ozark, noticed Witt's nude body lying face down about 30 years from the road. Here's what is known about them SABRINA LYNN UNDERWOOD:. On Christmas Day, 1970 a year and 10 days after Blades disappeared her body was found in Stone County, 12 miles away. 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? Little Rock: 56 | North Little Rock: 23. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. When she entered the salon, she first saw the corpse of 62-year-old Dorothy Harris. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. 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. Start browsing the folder's contents at the beginning of the file. Vine himself repeatedly denied having anything to do with Witt's murder, even after his conviction, local outlet Today In Fort Smith reported in 2020. It was higher than in 97.1% U.S. cities. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City, OK Is This Man a Serial Killer? 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. Your chance of being a victim of crime in Fort Smith may be as high as 1 in 11 in the northwest neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 25 in the southeast part of the city. More than 30 years later, Fisher's estranged wife was charged with first-degree murder. Episode 34 - Arkansas - Who Killed Melissa Witt? Her keys had been picked up and turned into the front desk of the bowling alley; they were found to have traces of blood on them. All rights reserved. With so many things you can choose from. Melissa Witt was abducted from the parking lot of Bowling World in the evening. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. There were no records found of her death. 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. 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. 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.". Arkansas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries by County. 6:30/6:40 pm:Witness reports hearing woman in distress in Bowling World Parking. Lois Ensey left behind a husband and two daughters ages two and four. Her logic is that since Smith admitted other slayings he would have admitted this one, as well, if he did it. Contact. 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? Under the Search tab, select the Card Catalog and look for the title "Fort Smith, Arkansas, Criminal Case Files, 1866-1900." Select "view original image" to be taken to the case file folder. There is no required waiting period to report a missing person. Missy kept very busy with classes and her part-time job at a local dental clinic where she worked as a dental assistant. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Fort Smith Police Department. He ran into a grove of trees anda limb struck hisface. Download the Uncovered Citizen Detective Guide to learn more about how thoughtful and safe online sleuthing. The burglar tried to flee out the back but Anstutz confronted him and the two scuffled. She was shy and didn't like to smile much; she was self-conscious about a crooked front tooth. There was not one sign of foul play, he said. Home > Crime Info & Support > Crime Information Center > Community Information > Missing Persons Information. In July of 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. The Colorado Cold Case Database features unsolved homicides, missing person, and unidentified person cases to assist law enforcement agencies in the development of information, which can lead to the identification, and arrest of any person (s) who may have committed any crime described on this page. That humming sound one hears is that of healthy baby bears, nursing to their little heart's content. Heultimately raped and murdered two elderly women in the River Valley, Arkansas area: Juanita Wofford in 1993, and Ruth Henderson in 1995. Lamb also told the paper it was best that the case be forgotten. However, they still have hope. We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. SHARES. The murders of Greg Collins, Daniel Bearden, James Milan, Jordan Kettleson, and Mike Samples remain unsolved. Though the fourth boy, Nils Wilhelm Gustafsson, survived the attack and lead a relatively normal life, he became a suspect in 2004. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Vine's disturbing and vicious rape and killing spree is further explored in theOxygenspecial "Snapped Notorious: The River Valley Killer." He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move. William Gardiner, a preacher of the Primitive Methodist Chapel, was suspected due . Murder! She was 75 years old. In 1965 it was 90 percent. 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. We only looked every single city in Arkansas for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. She was always smiling and happy, Georgia told Dateline. The man told Davis "vigilantes" who suspected him of killing Workman had shot up his mobile home. It was only after the car was impounded, some three days later, that it was dusted.". "He was a brave, strong person," his mother told the News-Leader at the time. If you have information on their whereabouts, please contact the Detective Division at (479) 709-5116 . There was one suspect and he was named in the only two anonymous phone tips to police; Amy Anstutz saw the killer's face and later picked the suspect out in a face-to-face lineup and also by a photo; The suspect surrendered to police a few days after the killing; he denied involvement. 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. Melissa Witt was abducted from a bowling alley parking lot in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1994. She had accidentally left something on, and the battery was dead. Arkansas law requires all missing persons to be entered immediately. Police ruled Danas death a homicide, but would not confirm the exact cause of death. However, with a period of no less than 90 days of community service. Georgia said that this was strange behavior from Dana. ", In August, 2005, then News-Leader columnist Mike O'Brien interviewed a Springfield writer who had published a book on the Blades murder:A Body on the Farm: The Disappearance and Murder of Carol Blades.". Arkansas Gravestones has over 1.3 million gravestone photos. The rest of Danas family became alarmed when they still had not heard from her that night. No suspect was ever identified. He was convicted of the murder of Melissa Trotter who was killed in a very similar manner as Missy. The 19-year-old had stopped by to get a hamburger from her mother, according to a 2021 report from local station THV11KTHV. Aaron Smith Found Murdered on Serene Campground, A First Look at the Murder of Aaron Smith. Blades' husband, Larry, and her parents Louis and Geraldine Horton took issue with the sheriff's comments. He was shot in the back and, police say, beaten. Western Arkansas was also on the circuit of back roads Clyde Barrow used to evade lawmen from other states. In Arkansas you also have added to the unsolved murders in arkansas an unusual place to visit. They died never knowing what happened to Dana. Any ties went to the larger city. Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index: We 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. No one has ever been charged. In 1979, the Fort Smith Police Department and the Sebastian County Sheriffs Office joined together to work on the case. He was described as 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall, a white man with a dark complexion andblack hair combed back. A strange phone call made to police a day or two prior to the discovery of the body helps support this theory, he said. Witt disappeared after arriving at Bowling World in Fort Smith on December 1, 1994. Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950 (requires payment) at Ancestry/has about 594,000 listings. The summer after graduating from Gravette High School in Gravette, Arkansas, 18-year-old Dana Stidham had a job, good friends and was planning for her future, her mother, Georgia Stidham, told Dateline. Timmons already had a kidnapping conviction on his record, having abducted and held an 11-year-old boy in 1976, KYTV reported. Officers found a receipt from Phillips Foods in the back of the car, time-stamped 3:17 p.m. on the 25th, according to Sgt. People who live in Fort Smith generally consider the southeast part of the city to be the safest. If a manila folder image appears, this means you are at the beginning of the case file. You can visit his grave at Graceland Cemetery in Pine Bluff, but we can't promise it will reveal any clues about his mysterious demise. Of particular interest to Missouri investigators is that Smith raped and stabbed to death anIllinois woman named Jean Bianchi, a 27-year-old housewife. Melissa's memorial service is held at the Grand Avenue Baptist Church followed by a burial at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetary under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home, 10:00 am:Wal-Mart dedicates their missing persons board to Melissa Witt. That summer, Dana spent some time living with her cousin, Kristy Smith, before moving into a different apartment with her brother, Larry, and a roommate in Centerton, Arkansas. 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. Judge orders North Little Rock mental health facility to pay $2.5M in teen rape case. As time passes on, I am afraid my sons murderer or murderers will not be found.. Dana's brother died in 2015. Feeling bad, her mother left her a note asking her to join her for a burger later at Bowling World. Danas parents continued to drive around, but did not find their daughter. Sheriff Lamb, who died at age 77 in 2001, was a former rodeo performer who as sheriff wasknown for straight talk and at times for roughing up those in custody. The murder of two grandparents tears a family apart; two decades later, a detective races to solve the cold case that has haunted him since he was a child. Spiro man shot by law officers in eastern Oklahoma Fort Smith gunsmith arrested in Austin, Texas on federal charge FBI continues manhunt for Fort Smith fugitive Police release name of man shot and killed Friday in north Fort Smith Fort Smith man with ties to Pakistan . If you have any updates in any of these cases please contact me. I always wanted my son to be aman of his word. But Mary Ann knew this was out of character for Melissa. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Fort Smith is 1 in 90 and property crime is 1 in 18. Melissa's mother, Mary Anne passes away. For some strange reason no one volunteered to climb down to see what pulled the rope. A 1995 News-Leader story mentioned by name two suspects brothers who lived near the cemetery. Friday, March 17th TV listings for MNT (KFSM-TV2) Fort Smith, AR. Between 6:30-7 pm, after class and work, Missy went to the same bowling alley that her mother had mentioned in her note. We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. Unsolved Cases . Many conspiracies were prompted by the tragedy, including a (mildly far-fetched) drug smuggling cover-up connected to a former U.S. President. Helena-West Helena Source: Public domain Overall SnackAbility 1 /10 Population: 10,187 Rank Last Year: 8 Murders: 11 (4th Most) Murders Per 100k: 108.0 (Most) More on Helena-West Helena: Data | Photos 2. She parked her car, and before she would even make it inside the bowling alley, investigators believe Missy was abducted from the parking lot. Outreach. Law enforcement agencies should be contacted without delay. Melanie ETHIER (1996) - ON Julie FORTIER (Unsolved Murder - 1980) - ON Stefan SCHWARTZ (1960) - B.C. If you have any possible . Thank you! More:Pokin Around: Inspired by a readers question, an investigation into the 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson. Jenkins told Dateline. We were together all the time, Kristy said. Generally, cases are solved when the offender has been arrested and turned over to the court for prosecution. Cornerstone Mountain Retreat, near Jasper, visitors can walk for miles in pristine forests. 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. In the summer of 1989, she continued to work at the store while figuring out what she wanted to do, Georgia said. Anyone with information that can help solve this case is asked to call the Cold Case Squad at 816-234-5136. As of now, the Sebastian County Sheriffs Office says they havent received any new leads on this case in quite a long while, but if they do, they will immediately investigate. The legend is that a railroad workers head was severed by an oncoming train. 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.