He found the usually locked front door ajar but no one home. The 38-year law enforcement veteran believes investigators have nailed down the motive but said, "If I told you what it was, it'd be obvious who I was talking about.". These 5 Unsolved Arkansas Crimes Will Haunt You - OnlyInYourState Mysteriously, she vanishes before they reach the destination, where her parents tell the driver that their daughter perished in a car accident many years ago. In Japan, the willow represents ghosts. In Chinese culture, a willow branch can ward off evil spirits. Barnett may have been the same John Barnett who, at the time of the 1900 census, was living in Independence Township (Lee County). Johnson was released on his 21st birthday, August 11, 2005, having spent seven years in prison. Volume 1. . But while the murder was an open and shut case, figuring out the victim's true identity has been impossible. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were 9,951 Arkansas murders. Anyone with information regarding Frazier's death is asked to email sheriff's Investigator J.D. Her body was found in a nearby ditch. Her case received assistance from the FBI, was the subject of several television specials, and inspired her mother to establish the Morgan Nick Foundation. 10 more unsolved Arkansas mysteries | thv11.com Driftwood? The memo also says the backups were supposed to be delivered to a Huckabee aide. She was last seen at 10:45 p.m. by her friends, emptying sand out of her shoes at her mother's car. Bidding farewell to their new acquaintance who said he was on his way to, of all places, Nashville the two officers left. Arrests were made, some jewels recovered, but the King himself was never caught. Pulaski County is the largest county in Arkansas, with a population of over 392,000 residents, and is home to Arkansas most popular city, Little Rock. Authorities in Arkansas are seeking information in a double homicide that has remained unsolved for 21 years. These Uniform Crime Reports show not only the information for the state as a whole, but also include data for many cities and counties as well, organized by the law enforcement agency. Rector was convicted on both counts and sentenced to death. However, a local witness claims that he saw two police officers beating two boys senseless in a store parking lot before tossing them into a truck and driving away. Some of the cases only hope of being solved lie in the hands and on the conscious of potential witnesses. Unsolved Murder in Sevier County. On April 30, shortly after 5 p.m., the body of Joseph Darnell Frazier, 48, of Hot Springs, was found in the 2500 block of Glazypeau Road. He took only womens jewelryand only the best pieces at that, never costume jewelry and never ordinary items like pearls. Some of those chapters chronicle Holocaust survivors that Jared interviewed throughout the years. Despite this, the many different law enforcement agencies in Arkansas will never stop trying to solve all of Arkansas true crimes, and seeking justice for the victims. A-State Announces 2017 Spring Graduation List, JPD: One arrested after downtown crowd gets out of hand, Two teens arrested in Jonesboro shootings, Sheriff investigating raw sewage dumped in Izard County, Suspect breaks into home and refuses to come out: JPD, Report: Male assaulted, shot at in Jonesboro. $2000.00 Reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or person (s) responsible for the death of Billy Jean Phillips, she was murdered in her Madison County home on September 2, 1994. This case, I had to use more anonymous sources because people didnt want to talk about it, Jared said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The victim was a young blonde, and she had been savagely beaten before being shot in the. Cicada 3301 appears to be interested in candidates that have in-depth knowledge of cryptography and a passion for privacy, both online and off. After the mysterious deaths of Kevin Ives and his friend Don Henry in Bryant, theories were rampant as to how these two young men died. 48-year-old Timothy Sharp is in the Sevier County Jail charged in the shooting death of his wife Crystal Sharp. The 40-year-old was a hardworking business owner, a loving sister and an incredible aunt to Penny's daughter. But only nine months after Clinton won the White House, Parks was gunned down in West Little Rock. A friend called Bergeron two days later with news of a special delivery letter from Tex, who wrote that he had left the state on business and that attorney Leon C. Horton would be managing his affairs during his absence. Sadly, after more than 20 years, it appears that the deaths of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Chris Byers will forever remain unsolved. In June of 2000, Amanda Tusing was found dead in the Big Bay Ditch in Craighead County, Arkansas, 14 miles from where her car was discovered three days earlier. Tusing vanished on June 14, 2000. The gem once belonged to the Maharajah of Mahratta in the Gujarat region of India. "Detectives have been working diligently on this case, but no arrests have been able to be made because of information lacking up to this point," he said. In his newest book, Whispers in the Willows, Jared explores three unsolved murder cases hes covered throughout the years, and more. Shortly after India received its independence from Great Britain, the ruling maharajah decided to convert his jewelry into foreign currency. Address: 137 W. Robinson Road De Queen, AR 71832 Administrative Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm Unsolved Cases We will post information regarding unsolved cases in Sevier County. The real Wick claimed she didn't know the victim. His research unearthed a memo that refers to potential backups of the destroyed drives. In recent years, DNA technology has led to hundreds, if not thousands, of decades-old cold cases being solved, and Arkansas is not the exception. It worked. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The Packard was found abandoned 56 miles east of the spot where the bodies were discovered. When investigators arrived at the scene, they say Timothy Sharp began approaching from behind the house and he did not have a weapon. All rights reserved. Noted now for being an obsolete method of execution, death by electrocution is still a legal secondary execution practice in Arkansas. Anyone with any information or questions can contact Detective Mark Fallis at (501) 321-6789, ext. Arkansas has its share of unsolved mysteries for supernatural sleuths Once confident of solving the case, they have lost their optimism with the years. He chronicles those experiences and cases, too. It was September 27, 2004, when the family of 22-year-old Rebekah Gould received the news they were not hoping to hear - her body was discovered in a ditch, bludgeoned to . Possible motives for the crime were numerous. It may be that last trait that can most be closely identified with the author. The list of his victims read like the Dallas social register: James Ling, Clint Murchison, Sr., P. E. Haggerty (then president of Texas Instruments), and at least a dozen others. If you have any information that could help crack it, please call the Sevier County Sheriff's Office. Some would argue, however, that not all of these cases were properly handled or the criminals involved truly got what they truly deserved. Fannin has been looking for him, unsuccessfully, for almost twenty years. Here's what is known about them SABRINA LYNN UNDERWOOD:. Her mother is a full blood Cherokee, Susie Ward. The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Over the years, roughly 7,797 of those murders in Arkansas were solved, leaving over 2,100 unsolved Arkansas murders today. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. Mary Isabel Piner/Ball/Johnson lived in Madison Co. AR came from NC and TN to AR. It began on the night of August 15, 1970, when Roberts, whose real name wasnt Robertshe was born Leroy Seviersummoned his friend and bodyguard Al Bergeron concerning a matter of utmost importance. After finishing some personal business, Bergeron went to the mansion. 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. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. North Arkansas Murder Remains Unsolved, Billboard Now Offers $25K The siblings are being held without bond.Captain Toby Giles of the Miller County Sheriff's Department says interviews and good police work led them to the suspects. She was a beautiful lady. The Phantom Killer: Behind An Unsolved Murder Spree In Arkansas Murder of Jimmy Hendricks and Kim Mills - Wikipedia At the sound of the alarm, the exit from the room containing the diamond was blocked by a gate descending from the ceilingbut the thief left the lawn chair in the doorway to keep the gate from dropping all the way to the floor. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. But Jim Parsons is determined to solve the mystery. They said it had political overtones, pointing to the untimely suicide of Vincent Foster a childhood friend of Clinton's and one of his closest allies only months earlier as evidence of a connection. From 1956 to 1966 a cat burglar heisted more than $1 million in jewels from palatial homes in north Dallas and the Park Cities. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. And yet another account says drivers pick up a young girl asking for a ride home. These 11 Arkansas Murder Cases Made Headlines - OnlyInYourState But he had a good reputation for paying his gambling debts. The West Memphis Three: Arkansas's most controversial murder case involves three men who were tried and convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three eight-year old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers) in West Memphis, Arkansas. As of this writing, however, the latest mention of this story dates back to late 2011. An El Paso truck driver reported seeing a black sedan following the Packard early on the afternoon of the murders; several hours later the two cars passed him going the opposite direction, followed closely by a third car with mysterious markings on the side. New book investigates unsolved murders across Northeast Arkansas New book investigates unsolved murders across Northeast Arkansas. But Shannon's life was stopped short on a late summer night on August 3rd, 2009. Theres a possibility that a law officer may have been involved in her murder.. Someone likely killed her at her home, detectives determined, then placed her body in her SUV and sent it tumbling off an embankment near some rental cabins she owned. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. "I'll be seeing and hearing gunshots over there," said Arbor. The latest murder happened in DeQueen, Arkansas. At the time of her death, Ted Hercutt told the News Sentinel in 2009, father anddaughter were embroiled in litigation over a piece of property. When a case goes cold its especially haunting to remember that there are actual people out there either waiting for their stories to be told or desperately trying to hide a secret from the world. Adding another twist in the case, Gary was recently charged with the murder of his mother's new husband, David Millstein. "As long as they don't give up, I think there's hope.". After trekking through the woods, they eventually found the source of the light. He asked to be put in touch with Tex personally, but Horton insisted on protecting his clients strict request for secrecy. Detectives meet regularly with prosecutors to go over the case, McCarter said, and DNA evidence was recently resubmitted to the state crime labfor testing. A brutal lynching leaves unanswered questions. Hailing from Forrest City, Arkansas, Larry Porter Chism is wanted by the United States Marshals for charges related to his escape from the Lonoke County Jail in the December of 1978. Since the case against the men depended on his testimony, charges had to be dismissed after his death. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. A few examples of Arkansas cold cases which have been solved by DNA in recent years include the 2000 murder of Tawana Blunt and the 1985 murder of Mildred Lee Matheny, as well as many others. After the discovery of her nude body in a dry creek bed, the medical examiner ruled . Anyone with information can call the sheriff's office at (501) 622-3660 or the criminal investigation division at (501) 622-3690. Escorted to the electric chair on January 4, 1946, he was all smiles, laughing and joking with his guards. Usually, its a quiet whisper because you dont want anyone to know you committed this horrible heinous crime.. "She was kind of vain in the fact that she wanted her hair to be perfect all the time," said her first cousin, John Madewell. Despite the heinous crime, a formal investigation was never performed. .In his confession, the thief said he sold it whole to someone from Phoenix for $25,000, of which he received only $6000. Unsolved Murder Files; Unsolved Mystery Files; Legend Files; Suggested Cases; The Investigators; Contributing . Next Horton tried to cash Roberts ample holdings of stocks and bonds. As expected, until these murders are solved, Little Rock murders discussion will continue on social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Websleuths, where individuals speculate and share information regarding Little Rock murders pictures, Little Rock murders crime scene photos, and Little Rock, Arkansas, murders autopsy photos, which are most often not released even after a case is solved. 48-year-old Timothy Sharp is in the Sevier County Jail charged in the shooting death of his wife Crystal Sharp. Dig deeper On the evening of the murders a "disoriented" African American man, covered in blood and mud, entered a Bojangles restaurant not far from where the bodies were found. Stephens did not return requests for comment for this story. He owned several businesses, along with nearly 1,000 acres of land. None of his relatives would claim the body, and he was buried in a pauper's grave. "Yes the kids were in there and when the kids saw it they ran to a neighbor's house where they called 911," said Sheriff Stringfellow. Explore. Her friends said that there was a "creepy" man talking to Morgan around the last time she was seen. The case remains unsolved and is shrouded in mystery. UNSOLVED MURDER: Garland County, - Dorrell Investigations - Facebook Constable John J. Sumpter, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff John McLemore were investigating reports of "cattle rustling" in Hot Springs when they watched a bright light descend behind some trees. They ranged from punishing Banks for an alleged affair with a white woman to sending a grim warning to the few successful black citizens of Crittenden County. Roten checked in with other districts all across the state, but the only two incidents appeared to come from Little Rock. When Harding College Associate Professor Ruby Stapleton was kidnapped from a Searcy laundromat in October 1963, her anxious students, colleagues and family had to wait an excruciating 11 days to learn her fate. The Sevier County Sheriff's Office, he insisted, has not forgotten about the killing. ", Texarkana Siblings Charged in Burned Bodies Case, La. A successful businesswoman,Shannon Hercutt founded her company,Auntie Belham's Realty and Nightly Rentals, as the demand for vacation rental properties in the Great Smoky Mountains skyrocketed in the 1990s. According to investigators, the man killed his wife in front of his children. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. Huckabee's staff obliged, wiping the memory of more than 100 computers before smashing their hard drives beyond repair. "We don't know if it's drug related or some sort of payback or what. In January 2007, outgoing Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee made a peculiar request of his staff: destroy the office computers. In one of Echols' many interviews while in prison, he issued a sobering notion to filmmakers of the West of Memphis documentary: "The person who killed those three kids is still out there walking on the street.". These cases are still remembered by many Arkansanswhopray for justice. Billie Jean Phillips She was murdered in her Madison County home on September 2, 1994. "I can take it." The Sevier County medical examiner did not respond to a request that he release the autopsy report. The Sharp's neighbor, Lisa Arbor can see their home from her front yard, but says although she's shocked, she's not surprised. Later that night, a large fire sprung up in parts of Pulaski, Lonoke, and Jefferson Counties. Murder Mystery: Most Likely To Be Murdered Part 2. Stephens had been outspoken about the case in years past, speaking with local media outlets, offering cash rewards for information and expressing a lack of confidence in the investigation. Some say it involves a motorcycle headlight, the remnant of a rider killed by a carload of drunk drivers. More specifically, in Little Rock, Arkansas most populated city, in 2018 the homicide rate was 20.07 per 100,000 residents. We've always constantlytried to do things to try to solve it. She noted it was a mystery what he was doing in that area of the county and she believes he was "either taken out there and murdered or dumped.". Mention "Woodson Lateral Road" to most Arkansans over 40 and you're bound to hear the Natural State's version of the vanishing hitchhiker legend. According to their YTD report, which shows crimes from January to the end of May 2021, there have been roughly 27 murders in Little Rock alone. It is a different world now. Indeed, the evidence has pointed to someone outside the family, someone who knew Shannon Hercutt, McCarter said. There were, however, plenty of clues. MCSO Notable - Arkansas 2023 www.knoxnews.com. The victim of the gangland-style slaying was Randy Farenthold, a 32- year-old Corpus Christi playboy euphemistically described as a sportsman in press accounts. There are rumors of an unidentified figure in military fatigues loitering in the area before the train ran over Kevin and Don. Golden was released on May 25, 2007, also his 21st birthday, after spending nine years in prison. Does a killer still roam free in Arkansas? Two weeks later, the two killers were caught in Portland, Oregon, and were sentenced by the state of Arkansas to die for their crimes The executions were carried out on January 8, 1997 by lethal injection. On August 19, 2011, they entered Alford pleas, which allow them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them. Also, the Federal Bureau of Investigation releases a Uniform Crime Report every year which shows, in detail, the crimes, crime rates, and locations of crimes in every state, county, and city. All rights reserved. A lot of new witnesses and implications have come to the surface, Jared said. All of the links in this post refer back to the author's references. Today (Friday, August 16) is the official release date for Jareds new book. All rights reserved. The Sevier County officials told appellant that they had a subpoena issued by the Sevier County Prosecuting Attorney and that they wanted to question him further in . The decision remains controversial as the families of the three victims are divided in their opinions as to the guilt or innocence of the West Memphis Three. Sevier County Sheriff Monte Stringfellow says that they responded to a call at a home in the 300 block of Dogtown Road, just after 11 p.m. Thursday night. A look at what bills could become laws in Arkansas next week, Tornado impacts Pike County, community begins clean up, Your Arkansas weather forecast from THV11, School bus crash causes traffic delays on I-630, The Democrat-Gazette ran a follow-up story, The story did little to dispel the rumors, though, famous philosophers and complex mathematical theorems, investigating reports of "cattle rustling", swept the country in the late 19th century, a handful of restaurants in Virginia Beach, Her case received assistance from the FBI, Arkansas' ugliest years of racial bloodshe, a formal investigation was never performed, the latest mention of this story dates back to late 2011, Parks' security firm was later contracted, Clinton's far-right critics pounced on the murder, also tried to link Clinton to the murders, dismissed such claims as "unsubstantiated", unnamed suspect might also have ties to Jerry's murder, were released per the controversial Alford Plea in 2011, physical evidence linking the WM3 to the crime scene, witnesses who originally testified against the trio, DNA from one of the shoelaces used to subdue, On the evening of the murders a "disoriented", was discovered in one of the sheets used to wrap the victims. Susie Ward/Piner and Mary Isabell Piner/Ball/Johnson are the focus of my search. In the nearly 20 years since her disappearance, Morgan's story has gained national attention. "And everybody who worked for her obviously she was pretty strong-willedbut she had very loyal people whoworked for her. Easily the state's most infamous missing persons case, 6-year-old Morgan Nick was abducted from a little league baseball game in Alma in June of 1995. Parks was leaving El Chico when he was ambushed by two men in a white Chevrolet Caprice at the intersection of Chenal and Highway 10, where witnesses say the men shot Parks to death before speeding away. And a decade later, the case remains unsolved. Ted Hercutt was never charged, and he died in 2017. The Hercutt family said a $45,000. The stranger then showed Sumpter and McLemore his vessel: a cigar-shaped amalgamation of blimp and balloon that was nearly 60 feet long The pilot even offered them a ride, but the officers refused. Maybe somebody knows something who just can't talk about it right now, but down the road they may. Well, two of the clues were posted in Fayetteville and Little Rock. The long-time reporter told NEA Report his book title has meaning in correlation with a lot of the cases in the book, especially the three unsolved murder cases. The question on many residents' minds: were the two incidents linked? The first homicide of 2021 was the discovery on March 27 of the remains of Paige Autumn White, 32, of Hot Springs, in a wooded area off Blacksnake Road near the Whittington Avenue end, which is being handled by the National Park Service's investigation division, assisted by the FBI, Hot Springs Police Department, Garland County sheriff's office and Arkansas State Police. The property had been sold to a management company created and owned by Horton. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Texarkana Siblings Charged in Burned Bodies Case - KSLA Either way, the murders that took place in Arkansas left a mark on the state and made headlines in the news. In his telling, the father quickly realized his daughter did not die by accident, recruited a retired park ranger to investigate and pushed for an autopsy to be performed. He went on to criticizethe state highway patrol, whichworked the crash, and the sheriff's office, whichreceived the case after the autopsyon Aug. 6, 2009. He would not elaborate onShannon Hercutt's cause of death, nor would he say what deputiesfound when they went to her home. Garland County Prosecutor Michelle Lawrence confirmed Thursday the case was still under review by her office. She would'veworn her seat belt. The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Now the bodyguard began to investigate in earnest. The overall violent crime rate in Arkansas as of 2019 was 867.1 per 100,000 residents, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But an Amarillo bank did, and Horton converted the securities into cash, transferring the proceeds into his own commercial accounts. The report was []. UNSOLVED MURDER: Garland County, AR- TEELA HUDSON (17) and FRANK DELANEY (18) was found August 31, 1987 shot to death "execution-style " inside Delaney's car in eastern Garland County, and authorities are still trying to bring the killers to justice. During a previous escape, Chism shot and seriously wounded a correctional officer. After her children were dead, Riggs unsuccessfully attempted suicide. Jesse Millinger disappeared early in the year of 1903 and had not been heard of since. That may have been why somein the community grew to suspect the father had a hand in his daughter's killing. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? "911. She was dead before she hit the water. The three young men would later be released from prison, and the case would remain in a gray area among police and the public, with some believing the three men are guilty, and others believing that they are innocent. At the time it was thought he had been caught in a bear trap, frozen to death and thrown aside. The case was solved in 2019, however the prime suspect, Rory Allen Gregory, died in prison before the case could go to trial. His large, 300-pound frame had been set on fire and burned beyond recognition. 1993 :: Arkansas Supreme Court Decisions - Justia Law Despite a handful of photos scattered across the internet, along with unsolicited help from members of the web, the victim's identity is still shrouded in mystery. At first, her mother was uncertain, but eventually let her go. He was convicted of theft by false pretext and sentenced to a ten-year prison term, and was later convicted on four counts of forgery in Dallas. Additional Arkansas unsolved murders include unsolved murders Little Rock, Arkansas, including the 1989 murder of Anita Shell, the 2015 murder of Ebby Steppach, and the 1993 murder of Jerry Parks, among many others. In those halcyon days the dollar seemed like a good investment, and so the diamond found its way to New York, where it was purchased by E. B. McFarlin of San Antonio in 1956. Ted Hercutt, for example, said the SUV's airbags did not deploy,there were no skid marks at the scene and an electronic device in the Escalade showed it was going just 7 mph before it wrecked. Police assume he cut it up into little pieces (greatly reducing its value) and kept it.