Details About Her Unsolved Murder And Why Police Haven't Caught The Killer. Possibly the most spectacular of the crimes were the September 1983 bludgeoning deaths of News-Sentinel editorial page editor Dan Osborne, his wife, Jane, and their 11-year-old son, Ben, at their home on South Harrison Street. Melanie ETHIER (1996) - ON Julie FORTIER (Unsolved Murder - 1980) - ON Stefan SCHWARTZ (1960) - B.C. She hadthree children. A patron had discovered her car keys and turned them in the night Witt disappeared. She was found not guilty in 2015. OPEN/ UNSOLVED CASES . Since the 1930s, people have been debating the cause of the light. She had accidentally left something on, and the battery was dead. The rest of Danas family became alarmed when they still had not heard from her that night. On September 16, 1989, almost two months after Dana was last seen, a hunter in Benton County, Arkansas came upon a shallow grave in a heavily wooded area. The FBI considers eyewitness identification notoriously unreliable, the story stated. Her logic is that since Smith admitted other slayings he would have admitted this one, as well, if he did it. But Melissa never came home, and Mary Anne grew worried. I feel rape was the motive I think she was big and strong enough to fight them and they probably strangled her and then dumped her.". The Social Security Administration records do not . The clothes she brought to the laundromat were in a drier when she was reporting missing that evening. The car shows signs of a struggle. In addition, while incarcerated in Illinois he pleaded guilty in March 1971 to killing Obie Fay Ash, 32, of Cotter, Arkansas. 322 South Main Streeet, Suite 615 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 682-2222 / Visit Website. Generally, cases are solved when the offender has been arrested and turned over to the court for prosecution. What haunted locations can I visit in Arkansas? The girl's stepfather found him in the midst of the attack and tried to beat him to death, although a sheriff's deputy arrived and intervened, according to local Fox affiliate station KNWA. Harsent was six months pregnant at the time of her death. Blades' husband, Larry, and her parents Louis and Geraldine Horton took issue with the sheriff's comments. The 2019 Fort Smith crime rate rose by 17% compared to 2018. 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. "Buff" Lamb was openly hostile in the unsolved abduction and murder of Carol Blades, a 20-year-old Nixa housewife. Law enforcement agencies should be contacted without delay. Her clothing was missing from the crime scene, including her jeans, undergarments, purse, one earring, and her Mickey Mouse watch. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This move prompts an interesting discussion about the rights and preservation of potential fantastical threats. In the weeks that followed, Danas friends and family spent their time searching on foot and by car, and handing out missing flyers of Dana. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Fort Smith Police Department. She was considering studying business at university. William Scott Smith Unemployed cook, Salem, Ore. . "It took them eight days to find her body. But she never made it inside. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. All charges were dropped in 2005. Therelationship between family and then-Christian County Sheriff L.E. Anstuz was a carpenter at Killian Construction in Springfield. 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. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite. If you have any possible . The BridgeWay mental-health hospital, admitting it had wronged a 14-year-old patient who . Trending pages Morgan Nick Don Henry and Kevin Ives Carson Prince Ann Sigmin and Garey Goff Gainesville Killers Tony Alamo Amanda Tusing Larry Chism All items (16) # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other A Amanda Tusing Ann Sigmin and Garey Goff There are fifty states in the unsolved murders in arkansas with the unsolved murders in arkansas of many states on their way to see a lot of perks, and when not to. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Fort Smith is 1 in 90 and property crime is 1 in 18. From mafia to monsters, check out these 10 unsolved mysteries in Arkansas. Records in the Missing Person File are retained indefinitely or until the individual is located or the record is canceled by the entering agency. And I was lucky enough to have her.. He may have been lost at times, but who of us has not been lost? Feeling bad, her mother left her a note asking her to join her for a burger later at Bowling World. Arkansas is famous for many homeowners. On Christmas Day, 1970 a year and 10 days after Blades disappeared her body was found in Stone County, 12 miles away. No one noticed the blood splatter on her keys at the time. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Gun sales shot up for a time, and sales of alarm systems and guard dogs also rose as the murders went unsolved . These are the places in Arkansas where people were killed most often, according to the latest FBI numbers. His name was never released. Interactive map produced by Yutao Chen. For more on Vine's crimes, watch "Snapped Notorious: The River Valley Killer.". Tara Strozier, a 40-year-old from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was last seen alive about 20 miles away across state lines in Cameron, Oklahoma, on July 17, according to the Fort Smith Police Department . They died never knowing what happened to Dana. Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas The 10 Murder Capitals Of Arkansas For 2021 1. 6:30/6:40 pm:Witness reports hearing woman in distress in Bowling World Parking. 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()});});}. Cornerstone Mountain Retreat, near Jasper, visitors can walk for miles in pristine forests. Shedid. 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. But one suspect is alive and living in an Illinois prison. She was shy and didn't like to smile much; she was self-conscious about a crooked front tooth. Went to the store, and people said that she had been there and bought what she needed and left, Georgia said. More Economy. All rights reserved. We all know she was really responsible, and she knew her dad was waiting on the medicine. 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. Brad Cole, current Christian County sheriff, said the Blades murder is an open case. FORT SMITH, Ark. Faces of Unsolved Homicide - Project: Cold Case. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. The National Crime Information Center's (NCIC's) Missing Person File was implemented in 1975. More Cost of Living or Compare Fort Smith's Cost of Living. 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. "Since her death in 1989 our family has reached out to the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation on numerous occasions," he said. If you have information on any of the persons . Shes waited 42 years for answers. Arkansas law requires all missing persons to be entered immediately. In 1973, legislation created the White River Monster Refuge. The body wasdecomposed. WEATHER & CLIMATE Jenkins told Dateline. Melissa is still not home. Melissa Witt was abducted from the parking lot of Bowling World in the evening. Here's what is known about them SABRINA LYNN UNDERWOOD:. Eighteen-year-old Dana Stidham was last seen on July 25, 1989 leaving a grocery store in Bella Visa, Arkansas with medicine for her dad. A family is still looking for answers after a Sebastian County womans murder case remains unsolved 42-years later. FORT SMITH, Ark. 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 . We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. Manage Settings 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. Stephen Smith, 19, July 2015 Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student at the time, was found dead in the middle of the road on July 8, 2015, Bluffton Today reported . 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. All missing persons must be classified into one of the following categories: NCICs Unidentified Person File came online in 1983. Moody's father Jim wrote a letter about his son that he gave to the media. However, Missy's clothes and personal belongings were missing from the scene and were never found. Three people died and an officer was stabbed in the neck in an incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sunday. Melissa is pronounced deceased. He was caught in 2000 when he attempted to rape and kill a 16-year-old girl in her house. Any ties went to the larger city. In the summer of 1989, she continued to work at the store while figuring out what she wanted to do, Georgia said. 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. There were no signs of struggle. The National Crime Information Centers (NCICs) Missing Person File was implemented in 1975. Christopher Reese's 2014 murder in Notus, Idaho remains unsolved. But he was never charged in connection withAnstutz's murder. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. A strange phone call made to police a day or two prior to the discovery of the body helps support this theory, he said. 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. 1. She wouldn't let her dad wait on that.. You can also report any information you may have concerning a crime and could receive a . Melissa's mother, Mary Anne passes away. Rose Harsent, victim of the Peasenhall murder. It was leaking oil badly; there was mud on the windshield; new scratches on both sides;and the antenna on the backwas bent. Any ties went to the larger city. "Westill follow up on leads that come in from time to time," he said. Her husband slept thatday because he worked a third shift at Springday, a Springfield manufacturer. The man told Davis "vigilantes" who suspected him of killing Workman had shot up his mobile home. Furthermore, Swearingen was known to be in the area around the time Missy was abducted. 322 S. Main Street, Ste. The number of homicides stood at 4 - a decrease of 5 compared to 2018. Georgia dreads that outcome. Sergeant Jenkins said Benton County Police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO ) at 9:43 p.m. At 6:30 a.m. the next day, Danas car was found in the southbound lane of highway 71, Sgt. 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. Crime in Arkansas. She was running low on money, she was going to come out and have her mother buy her a hamburger. The 25-year-old store clerk child was gunned down in an overnight robbery. COST OF LIVING Compared to the rest of the country, Fort Smith's cost of living is 25.0% lower than the U.S. average. There were 'only' 26 cities in Arkansas where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 36 places had no murder. It was only after the car was impounded, some three days later, that it was dusted.". Turner retired from law enforcement in 2020 after nearly 24 years with the Ozark Police Department. "But he could be lying and if he was high on drugs or alcohol as he frequently was at the time he might not even remember," she said. Moody had not been reported missing, family members told police, because it wasn't unusual for him to not be in contact with his family for stretches of time. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. She said that in 2003 detectives from Missouri went to Illinois to interview Smith, whodenied ever being in Nixa. You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website. Heultimately raped and murdered two elderly women in the River Valley, Arkansas area: Juanita Wofford in 1993, and Ruth Henderson in 1995. Outdoor enthusiasts can try their hand at fly fishing on the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. 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. Next 10 CitiesHow we calculated the murder capitals of ArkansasWhile 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. Both Rush and Ensey believe police can solve the case. Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas, Download The Entire Arkansas Ranking Data. His father, Alex Murdaugh, a local attorney and the son of Randolph Murdaugh III, owns the boat.. I've stood in the same parking lot where Melissa went missing. We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. Blades had filled it with gas that day and investigators estimated 8 gallons were used. If you're looking at the places in Arkansas with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Updated: 6:31 AM CDT October 4, 2021. 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. There also was a younger male voice, also with a really strong Southern accent. A pseudo-documentary, The Legend of Boggy Creek, highlights the towns monster lore. 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. Resources. The FBI estimates the national clearance rate for murders is 61 percent. When Georgia received the call from police that evening that Danas body had been found, she said her only reaction was, It just couldn't be. Did The River Valley Killer Kidnap A Teenage Girl From A Bowling Alley Parking Lot And Murder Her? 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. Bowling World didnt have security cameras in the parking lot, and though some convenience stores in the vicinity did have cameras, they were too far away from the crime scene to be useful. Theres a seedy underbelly to almost everywhere, but knowing these dark occurrences happen in your own backyard is particularly nerve wracking. The light is the ghosts lantern used to search for his head. When they find her body, she had been exposed to extreme temperatures, Rush said. Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Fort Smith, AR. Danas parents lived in Hiwasse, Arkansas, a 10-minute drive from Centerton, and she visited them often, Georgia said. She was 75 years old. Jenkins told Dateline. Sort All Cases By: Company Area | Male | Female | County | Year | Last Name Results: 13 Record (s) Found. Her mother declined to give it to her. The following persons have active warrants for their arrest. 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. Unsolved murder of Melissa Witt in 1994. 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. Archive statistics are available upon request. 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. After stopping at the store, Blades went to a Nixa laundromat. The only clues left at the scene were a gold hoop earring, a crushed hair clip, her car keys, and pools of blood. More than 30 years later, Fisher's estranged wife was charged with first-degree murder. Rancher Ernest Wilhelm discovered her skeletal remains on his farmtwo miles west of Ponce de Leon. She parked her car, and before she would even make it inside the bowling alley, investigators believe Missy was abducted from the parking lot. The body was discovered by a Conco employee. No one has ever been charged. According to News-Leader reporting at the time, investigators believe Moody,23, actually was killed on Oct. 28, 1998, weeks before his body was found. The police looked at the good samaritan very closely before dismissing him as a suspect. 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. The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) receives monthly NCIC reports concerning the Missing and Unidentified Person files. The family alleged that the defendant failed to exercise ordinary care to provide for the safety of business. Photo credit: Kurt Wilson/ Missoulian. A mother's 30-year missions to uncover the truth about what happened to her son's in 1987 has led a federal judge to order an urgent review of several tightly guarded government . You can download the data here.We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. The suspect had an alibiand police could not disprove it; The widow's eyewitness account didn't persuade Greene County prosecutors to file charges. There is no required waiting period to report a missing person. 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. It just destroyed us.. Sergeant Jenkins said there are several people of interest in the case, and that it is still being worked as an active investigation. Hurrying to the scene, deputies found a bloody 1961 Ford with bullet holes in it. Aaron Smith Found Murdered on Serene Campground, A First Look at the Murder of Aaron Smith. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks. 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 send me images or newspaper clippings I assume that I may use them on my website. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI's Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year. The monthly statistics are calculated to address the most frequently requested inquiries. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. The cemetery is 13 miles northwest of Ava in Douglas County. We were very young. Some theorize she may have been the victim of a local serial killer, "The River Valley Killer.". 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? 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. Help bring awareness to the murder of Melissa Witt in hopes of generating new information that could bring justice to her case, Follow the Melissa Witt Facebook Group to follow the latest updates in the case. The suspect had passed a polygraph test and told Davis that when he had talked about killing Workman he was "joking.". We have had several people tell us she was not getting along at home. It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. Her death differed from the attacks on the other three women, though: She was not beaten in the same way. He was convicted of the murder of Melissa Trotter who was killed in a very similar manner as Missy. She was always smiling and happy, Georgia told Dateline. Arkansas Game and Fish Wildlife Biologist in the unsolved murders in arkansas to 2006. 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. She says her mothers abduction and murder affected the entire family. Once inside, the responders found the brutalized bodies of four teenage girls-Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison and Eliza Thomas. Three people in a vehicle spotted the Blades' car as it pulled off of northbound Highway 160 onto the shoulder; a man, possibly the killer,exited the passenger side. 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. Police learn the key witness in the stabbing death of a beloved aunt was an imposter; a return to the crime scene reveals a .
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