Arkansas features cultural and social hub of the Arkansas Insurance Department. Arkansas Gravestones has over 1.3 million gravestone photos. It's believed that Melissa wore a white v-neck sweater and blue jeans. Despite various theories, the case remains unsolved. And even the victim and the victims loved ones dont know who the other party iswe normally draw these dead ends, Pevehouse said. All rights reserved. Melissa and Tara have biology class together on Friday, and then had plans to hang out that evening. Murder! Captain Philip Pevehouse with the Sebastian Co. Sheriffs Office says customers begin making calls to the Fort Smith Police Department about the store not having a cashier. No one has been convicted of her murder, and there is currently a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for Missy's abduction and murder. Lambblamed the Blades family for starting rumors that he was involved in the murder. 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. He ran into a grove of trees anda limb struck hisface. His name was never released. "I kind of bonded with her. is 6.0%). The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) receives monthly NCIC reports concerning the Missing and Unidentified Person files. The clothes she brought to the laundromat were in a drier when she was reporting missing that evening. A week later, her body was found some10 miles south of the cemetery and about six miles east of Oldfield, in Christian County. The real mystery is why it took so long for someone to decide "hey maybe we should bury this guy.". 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. Who Killed Dana Stidham? More than 30 years later, Fisher's estranged wife was charged with first-degree murder. Lawrence Timmons, 65, was indicted for Smith's murder while he was in jail on unrelated charges, a Lawrence County Sheriff's Office release stated. He weighed anestimated150 to 160 pounds. According to Sgt. Moody's father Jim wrote a letter about his son that he gave to the media. 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. When her shift ended, her car wouldnt start. Two boys and two girls went missing from their Oakland County communities, northwest of Detroit, Michigan, and all were found dead within 19 days. Melissa and her mother have a disagreement over money, Melissa goes to classes at Westark Community College, now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS), Melissa works at the dentist office in the afternoon, Melissa's car doesn't start after leaving work, Melissa arrives at Bowling World to have dinner with her mother but never makes it inside, Witness reports hearing woman in distress in Bowling World Parking, Melissa's body is found by two trappers in the Ozark National Forest, Wal-Mart dedicates their missing persons board to Melissa Witt, 27 y.o.man,charged w/kidnapping,raping,& killing 19 y.o.college student gal in TX in 1998,is prime suspect in unsolved 1994 college gal killing in AR, Parnell v. C & N Bowl Corp., 954 F. Supp. The police looked at the good samaritan very closely before dismissing him as a suspect. The car shows signs of a struggle. Image. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. 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. Do you feel thoroughly thrilled and chilled? It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. A patron had discovered her car keys and turned them in the night Witt disappeared. The state has a surprising number of bone chilling tales, from cold cases to urban legends. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. Unsolved Ozarks murders: Woman was last seen mowing cemetery, man shot by burglar Steve Pokin Springfield News-Leader The unsolved 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson of West Plains is but one. Georgia said that in the days following Danas disappearance, there were several sighting of her daughter reported to police, but none proved true. Thinking their daughter may have had car trouble, Lawrence and Georgia got in their car and drove around to find Dana. READ MORE 5. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Fort Smith is 1 in 90 and property crime is 1 in 18. 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. Soon after the shooting, the suspect went to prison for two years for other burglary convictions. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Gun sales shot up for a time, and sales of alarm systems and guard dogs also rose as the murders went unsolved . She parked her car, and before she would even make it inside the bowling alley, investigators believe Missy was abducted from the parking lot. Did The River Valley Killer Kidnap A Teenage Girl From A Bowling Alley Parking Lot And Murder Her? Rancher Ernest Wilhelm discovered her skeletal remains on his farmtwo miles west of Ponce de Leon. "This would have been around 1989 or 1990," McCaster told HuffPost. Of particular interest to Missouri investigators is that Smith raped and stabbed to death anIllinois woman named Jean Bianchi, a 27-year-old housewife. The National Crime Information Center's (NCIC's) Missing Person File was implemented in 1975. The 2019 Fort Smith crime rate rose by 17% compared to 2018. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',606,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3-0');For more reading on the Natural State check out: Population: 10,187Rank Last Year: 8Murders: 11 (4th Most)Murders Per 100k: 108.0 (Most)More on Helena-West Helena: Data|Photos, Population: 198,382Rank Last Year: 1Murders: 38 (Most)Murders Per 100k: 19.2 (6th Most)More on Little Rock: Data|Photos, Population: 13,468Rank Last Year: 6Murders: 10 (5th Most)Murders Per 100k: 74.3 (2nd Most)More on Blytheville: Data|Photos, Population: 66,604Rank Last Year: 23Murders: 12 (3rd Most)Murders Per 100k: 18.0 (7th Most)More on North Little Rock: Data|Photos, Population: 37,263Rank Last Year: 14Murders: 10 (5th Most)Murders Per 100k: 26.8 (5th Most)More on Hot Springs: Data|Photos, Population: 24,442Rank Last Year: 3Murders: 8 (7th Most)Murders Per 100k: 32.7 (4th Most)More on West Memphis: Data|Photos, Population: 78,261Rank Last Year: 22Murders: 13 (2nd Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.6 (10th Most)More on Jonesboro: Data|Photos, Population: 6,653Rank Last Year: 7Murders: 4 (10th Most)Murders Per 100k: 60.1 (3rd Most)More on Osceola: Data|Photos, Population: 23,873Rank Last Year: -Murders: 4 (10th Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.8 (9th Most)More on Searcy: Data|Photos, Population: 17,820Rank Last Year: 4Murders: 3 (13th Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.8 (8th Most)More on El Dorado: Data|Photos. Georgia was at work at the time, but her husband Lawrence was at home. However, with a period of no less than 90 days of community service. Arkansas isnt always peaceful forests and serene waterfalls. The Social Security Administration records do not . Danas parents continued to drive around, but did not find their daughter. The suspect apparently was spotted soon after the murder. This can be a post about an unsolved homicide, a missing person, an unidentified person, a wrongful conviction, or forensics. It was higher than in 97.1% U.S. cities. William Miller is a member of that group. Smith confessed that he raped Ash and stabbed her to death at theTV repair shop where he worked in Mountain Home, Arkansas. But Mary Ann knew this was out of character for Melissa. 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. A homicide can also be cleared if the victim of the crime hinders the prosecution by refusing to testify. While the city with highest number of murders period? We understand if you have trouble getting to sleep tonight, these unsolved mysteries certainly shook us to the core. She had accidentally left something on, and the battery was dead. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's last year of reporting. In addition, a homicide can be cleared if there is enough evidence to arrest and charge a suspect, but that suspect is dead. Outdoor enthusiasts can try their hand at fly fishing on the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. His father, Alex Murdaugh, a local attorney and the son of Randolph Murdaugh III, owns the boat.. Melissa drove a white 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage. Georgia dreads that outcome. Especially at the county levels.". Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Arkansas? There are fifty states in the unsolved murders in arkansas of the unsolved murders in arkansas of Arkansas insists that all policy holders have a long and rich history and should not be disappointed. We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. 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. 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 is no required waiting period to report a missing person. Anstuz was a carpenter at Killian Construction in Springfield. Melissa Witt was a hardworking and ambitious, 19-year-old college student. Went to the store, and people said that she had been there and bought what she needed and left, Georgia said. She hadthree children. "They was just looking for anything to say, they was all upset.". She was very sweet, but timid and scared to death of her boyfriend. DNA evidence then connected him to the other crimes. Some, however, have since theorized she was the victim of local serial killer Charles Ray Vine, also known as "The River Valley Killer.". We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. Cold case is finally cracked and the killer is identified. Book 2), Oklahoma Author Looking For Answers To Arkansas Cold Case. 100 Wayland Smith Drive , Uniontown, PA 15401 +1(724)437-7300 Currently Open. Sure, that's fiction. 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. The Little Rock and Fort Smith, the unsolved murders in arkansas near Morrilton, and Arkansas is the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. Archive statistics are available upon request. The FBI estimates the national clearance rate for murders is 61 percent. We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country. Connect with Never Forgotten I don't want to go to my grave not knowing, she told Dateline. 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. Updated: 6:31 AM CDT October 4, 2021. 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.". He was active in the area at that time, and he had attacked another teenager in Arkansas. Three people died and an officer was stabbed in the neck in an incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sunday. 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. It was only after the car was impounded, some three days later, that it was dusted.". 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. *This list consists of persons who have been reported missing to the Department of Public Safety under undetermined circumstances.