The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is requesting your assistance in closing these open cases. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Fort Smith Police Department.
Amy Anstutz saw the burglar in the house. Its illegal to hunt "Whitey" within the protected land. 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson of West Plains, Pokin Around: Inspired by a readers question, an investigation into the 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson, 'I want justice for my father': An investigation into the 1989 death of Ronnie Johnson, Woman, 15 at the time, disputes account that turkey hunters found Ronnie Johnson's body in the woods, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 2023 www.news-leader.com. Furthermore, Swearingen was known to be in the area around the time Missy was abducted. Blades was 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds. I've stood in the same parking lot where Melissa went missing. It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. He chose not to cooperate and therefore remains a suspect in this murder. A 1995 News-Leader story mentioned by name two suspects brothers who lived near the cemetery. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite. On July 10, 1995, the News-Leader ran a story by reporter Robert Keyes with the headline "Killing 'solved' but never tried." Shedid. Rose Harsent was stabbed to death on 1 June 1902, in Peasenhall, Suffolk, England by an unknown assailant. 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. Police learn the key witness in the stabbing death of a beloved aunt was an imposter; a return to the crime scene reveals a .
Fort Smith (Sebastian County) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas No suspect was ever identified. No suspect was ever identified.
Murder Capitals Of Arkansas For 2021 - RoadSnacks Judge orders North Little Rock mental health facility to pay $2.5M in teen rape case. Melissa Witt was abducted from the parking lot of Bowling World in the evening. ", 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.
Here's The Most Harrowing Unsolved Murder From Every State 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. However, they still have hope. A family is still looking for answers after a Sebastian County womans murder case remains unsolved 42-years later. Making it tougher for investigators to gather evidence. Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Arkansas? A pseudo-documentary, The Legend of Boggy Creek, highlights the towns monster lore. Unsolved murder of Melissa Witt in 1994.
Murder and mystery in South Carolina: A timeline of the Murdaugh - CNN The keys were still in the ignition. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! If she was going to be late, she always called.. All rights reserved.
Man arrested in 2004 Arkansas murder case - KHBS There were 'only' 26 cities in Arkansas where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 36 places had no murder. 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. You may also email information to the Detectives, by clicking on the link. "It's better that it not be brought up because the more something like that is bought up, the worse it gets," he said. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's last year of reporting. 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. The majority of law enforcement officials consider photographs to be the most important tool in missing person cases. 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.
ADC inmate implicated in 2021 murder gets additional 15- years tacked Sure, that's fiction. Cold case is finally cracked and the killer is identified. READ MORE 5. Her logic is that since Smith admitted other slayings he would have admitted this one, as well, if he did it. Branford Antoine Lewis, who was given an additional 18 and 1/2 years on an existing sentence in early February, returned to Sebastian County Circuit Court on . You can download the data here.We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments.
A CLOSER LOOK: 4 Arkansas missing person cases. Gone but not forgotten Melissa's mother, Mary Anne passes away. It had been abandoned on the shoulder of northbound Highway 160. Timmons already had a kidnapping conviction on his record, having abducted and held an 11-year-old boy in 1976, KYTV reported. The National Crime Information Center's (NCIC's) Missing Person File was implemented in 1975. He was shot in the back and, police say, beaten. Often in unsolved murders, family members of the victim lose faith in the investigators trying to solve the case so charges can be filed. Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. by Crawlspace - True Crime & Mysteries, Arkansas : Melissa Witt by Cults, Crimes & Cabernet, CrimeCon UK Live: The Girl I Never Knew by Crimepedia, Episode 29: Unsolved Murder: Melissa Witt by Unsolved America. Would you dare investigate what clawed monster lives in the deep? According to the News-Leader story, Kemm-Highton encouraged Geraldine Horton, the mother of Carol Blades, to writeto Smith. The BridgeWay mental-health hospital, admitting it had wronged a 14-year-old patient who . Did the River Valley Killer Have Other Victims? Kristen said she spent weekends driving to nearby states with her mother and her aunt, Georgia, to see if anyone had seen Dana. The News-Leader contacted Kelle Ann Workman's brother, Marc. Katherine Baker Case Report Number: 90-053018
Eldorado Jane Doe: An Enduring Arkansas Mystery Begs To Be Solved Catching a killer: Shootings stir up memories of '81 murders At that point in the investigation, there was no reason to believe she was abducted. We all know she was really responsible, and she knew her dad was waiting on the medicine. The city with highest murder rate in Arkansas? The Category is reserved for cases of Unsolved Mysteries that occurred in Arkansas. The light is the ghosts lantern used to search for his head. On December 6, 1991, Austin, Texas was shell-shocked by a vicious crime. Outdoor enthusiasts can try their hand at fly fishing on the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. The three people at the time thought nothing of seeing theman dash across the field until they learned Blades was missing and her car was the one they had seenabandoned along Highway 160. 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. Records in the Missing Person File are retained indefinitely or until the individual is located or the record is canceled by the entering agency. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Fort Smith is 1 in 90 and property crime is 1 in 18. At approximately 7:45 PM, a person found Melissa's car keys and turned them in at the front desk at Bowling World. For many years there has been one person of interest that has been interviewed and questioned; he is in prison in Illinois," Cole said, referring to Smith. 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. Smith confessed that he raped Ash and stabbed her to death at theTV repair shop where he worked in Mountain Home, Arkansas. In 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. FORT SMITH, Ark. 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. Contact. If a manila folder image appears, this means you are at the beginning of the case file. Melissa and Tara have biology class together on Friday, and then had plans to hang out that evening. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Fort Smith, AR. 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 . Heultimately raped and murdered two elderly women in the River Valley, Arkansas area: Juanita Wofford in 1993, and Ruth Henderson in 1995.
Judge To Review Clinton 1987 Murder Of 2 Arkansas Boys - News Punch The FBI estimates the national clearance rate for murders is 61 percent. FORT SMITH, Ark The Fort Smith Police Department is investigating a homicide in the 1300 block of Jackson St. SHARES. A friend of the family found the keys to the Chevy Impala in the field the man ran across. Shes waited 42 years for answers. Dana had been very well-liked, her cousin Kristy said she didnt have any problems with anyone. Turner retired from law enforcement in 2020 after nearly 24 years with the Ozark Police Department. Some, however, have since theorized she was the victim of local serial killer Charles Ray Vine, also known as "The River Valley Killer.". After Vine's arrest, the possibility he killed Witt was considered. Her body was found a year later in the Ozark Mountains by trappers.
Fort Smith Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout The FBI considers eyewitness identification notoriously unreliable, the story stated. We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country. Fort Smith jobs have decreased by 1.6%. CBI FOHVAMP . Arkansas area. At that time, we didnt have Caller ID in the office; it was a voice recording on the machine we had at our Major Crimes Office. 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. Book 2), Oklahoma Author Looking For Answers To Arkansas Cold Case. 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. Her daughters are now 44 and 46. 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?
PDF OPEN UNSOLVED CASES - Larimer County, Colorado The Most Terrifying Unsolved Murders In Every State - YourTango View Cases - Unsolved Homicide - Texas Department Of Public Safety He was elected sheriff in 1968; lost in 1972 (some say because of the unsolved Blades murder); and re-elected in 1976 and 1980. The hunt for answers continues to this day, as the case remains open,THV11 KTHV reported. Melissa Witt was abducted from a bowling alley parking lot in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1994. Three people died and an officer was stabbed in the neck in an incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sunday. Love Arkansas? Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. Danas parents continued to drive around, but did not find their daughter. The car shows signs of a struggle. She said that in 2003 detectives from Missouri went to Illinois to interview Smith, whodenied ever being in Nixa. The monthly statistics are calculated to address the most frequently requested inquiries. A homicide can also be cleared if the victim of the crime hinders the prosecution by refusing to testify. 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. The body wasdecomposed. 6:30/6:40 pm:Witness reports hearing woman in distress in Bowling World Parking.
Murder! 18 unsolved slayings in this area in five years Melissa Witt was a hardworking and ambitious, 19-year-old college student.
Suspect identified in cold case kidnapping, rape, murder of Arkansas Her parents and other family members offered $10,000 for information leading to an arrest. William Gardiner, a preacher of the Primitive Methodist Chapel, was suspected due . More Cost of Living or Compare Fort Smith's Cost of Living. 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. 322 South Main Streeet, Suite 615 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 682-2222 / Visit Website.