Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies continue to work on the cases, which date from the last week of 2020 through . 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. Five famous cases the police may never mark closed.. He chronicles those experiences and cases, too. Authorities in Arkansas are seeking information in a double homicide that has remained unsolved for 21 years. Until then, natives of the Natural State will remain haunted by these unsolved mysteries. Love Arkansas? The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. "You may remain anonymous. He watches the waves prod it landward and his imagination plays over the shape. Even Rudolf Nureyev would have difficulty performing such a feat. They were released with ten-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison. Her body was found in a nearby ditch. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Now the bodyguard began to investigate in earnest. Moreover, witnesses who originally testified against the trio later said they were pressured by law enforcement officials to do so. So when authorities found her body inside her crashed SUV at the bottom of a steep slope off Walker Trail 10 years ago on Saturday they quickly ruled her deathan accident. But Shannon's life was stopped short on a late summer night on August 3rd, 2009. The train engineer noticed them but was unable to stop in time to prevent running over them; he later rationalized that due to the noise of the oncoming train, the boys had to have been dead and positioned on the tracks before he arrived. The case remains unsolved and is shrouded in mystery. Anyone with any information or questions can contact Detective Mark Fallis at (501) 321-6789, ext. On June 6, 1972, it was neither. Investigators never found any evidence that he was involved in the killing, McCarter said. Lavinia and her husband were sentenced to death in October 1845. Name: Date: Victims: Location : B: Charles Jason BALDWIN: May 5, 1993: 3 ? On June 4, 1968, while the museum was open to the public, a thief smashed the display case and snatched the jewel. MCSO Most Wanted - Arkansas He had been beaten to death early on the morn- of June 4, only a few short hours after his stepmother Sissy had lost her first bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to Dolph Briscoe. Entry Category: Criminal Activities - Encyclopedia Of Arkansas If you should happen to spot a short, muscular man with a long stride walking down the street with a screwdriver in his hand, wearing cheap rubber rain shoes and surgical gloves and possibly even a handsome piece of jewelry or two, Walter Fannin would like to hear from you. Address: 137 W. Robinson Road De Queen, AR 71832. Chitwood decided a court of inquiry was necessary, and Judge Dee Brown Walker agreed. Authorities say the couple's 13 and 15 year old sons witnessed the shooting of their mother. More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. But only nine months after Clinton won the White House, Parks was gunned down in West Little Rock. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office confirmed Thursday there was nothing new in the case to report and the investigation is ongoing. These cases that involve Arkansas have yet to be solved and victims have yet to see justice. The Kings last performance came more than a decade ago, in February 1966, and Fannin now says resignedly of the cases, Theyll never be solved.. The police have the man who did it, and he is indeed behind bars. Jared said his book also has chapters that include other cases, too. They were seen dancing with an unknown American in a Mexican cabaret. Billie Jean Phillips She was murdered in her Madison County home on September 2, 1994. Her husband and her family are basically from Pocahontas, Jared said. Main Page; Discuss; All Pages; Community; Interactive Maps; Recent Blog Posts; Netflix series. Andy Taylor and Barney Fife meet Spock and Captain Kirk? Although many of Arkansas cold cases will or have remained cold for decades, and often times run completely out of leads as tips run out, there have been countless Arkansas cold cases solved and Arkansas murders solved in the past few years thanks to technological advancements as well as advancements in DNA technology. Karen Johnson Swift, a mother of four, went missing. Madewell recalled drivingbackto Sevier County from Ohio the day after Hercutt's death on Aug. 3, 2009. "I know you have paid someone to kill Shannon," Penny Stephens told Ted Hercutt, his mouth agape. Due to the size and population of Little Rock, Arkansas, murders are more common there than in most other cities in Arkansas. If you have any information that could help crack it, please call the Sevier County Sheriff's Office. Sadly, after more than 20 years, it appears that the deaths of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Chris Byers will forever remain unsolved. Authorities also discovered that the names in the Bible belonged to a family the victim stayed with while living in Dallas. Anyone with information can call the sheriff's office at (501) 622-3660 or the criminal investigation division at (501) 622-3690. Dr. Doug [], JONESBORO, Ark. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Boredom is the eternal curse of the fisherman. Whether you agree or disagree with the amount of justice served in the courts decisions, theres no doubt that these terrible murders or even the punishments served by the perpetrators will be erased from the minds of Natural State natives anytime soon. [ Feb 15, 2023 ] Two severe crashes in Greene County Crime [ Feb 15 , 2023 . 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. Murder of Jimmy Hendricks and Kim Mills - Wikipedia While the authorities' search for the "highway apostle" yielded no tangible evidence, the story permeated Little Rock by word of mouth. 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. Investigators said the case remains under investigation. Born in 1895, Banks lived through Arkansas' ugliest years of racial bloodshe. Leave them blank to get signed up. Some say it involves a motorcycle headlight, the remnant of a rider killed by a carload of drunk drivers. Fannin has been looking for him, unsuccessfully, for almost twenty years. While browsing the internet for a list of murders in Arkansas, list of Arkansas murders, or all murders in Arkansas, youll find both solved and unsolved cases, some of which have received a lot of media attention, and others that have almost no information or receive no attention from the media. Parks' security firm was later contracted to guard Clinton's presidential campaign headquarters in 1992. Hercuttwouldn't have been out driving that late. 10 more unsolved Arkansas mysteries | thv11.com Huckabee's staff obliged, wiping the memory of more than 100 computers before smashing their hard drives beyond repair. 48-year-old Timothy Sharp is in the Sevier County Jail charged in the shooting death of his wife Crystal Sharp. The two youths were among the youngest people ever charged with murder in American history. Other advocates of the WM3's innocence point to one of the victim's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, as the real assailant. Indeed, the evidence has pointed to someone outside the family, someone who knew Shannon Hercutt, McCarter said. The third case began in October, 2011. Crow at jdcrow@garlandcounty.org or call (501) 622-3751. Investigators say the Sevier's parents turned them in after being contacted by police. The local police quickly rushed to the conclusion, claiming the boys had died from a drug overdose on the tracks. "It's sad," John Madewell said. He discovered that another elderly woman who had sold real estate to Horton had disappeared in 1969, in an apparently unrelated case. No conclusive proof of their cause of death has ever been established. The 2013 murder of Patricia Collins, the 2009 murder of Terry Sullivan, the 2006 murder of Hosea "Junior" Prince, the 1977 murder of Stanley Smith, and the 1996 murder of Lela Mae Adcock can also be found listed under a separate category of Tennessee murders, unsolved central Tennessee murders. Some examples of the most gruesome murders which you can find on their list of unsolved murders include the 1998 abduction and murder of Brittany Locklear, the 2000 murder of Keke Jefferson-Moore, the 2001 murder of Michelle Howard, the 1992 murder of Tammy Zywicki, the 1994 murder of Melissa Witt, the 2017 murder of Brandi Seals, and the 1985 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. The victim was a young blonde, and she had been savagely beaten before being shot in the. 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. You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know," the release said. Get more stories delivered right to your email. The Category is reserved for cases of Unsolved Mysteries that occurred in Arkansas. There was, in short, no apparent motive. Tusing vanished on June 14, 2000. While most of the stories share similar motifs, the legend seems to have emanated from a report published in 1980. 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. The indictment alleges that the four mentwo from Corpus Christi, two from Louisville, Kentuckyarranged, for Randy to buy Mafia skim money at a discount. In the months that followed, the Phantom Killer embarked on a murder spree, which the media coined the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. It was one of many reported "airship" sightings that swept the country in the late 19th century. The maharajahs had little trouble acquiring or keeping precious stones, ancient law automatically imposed the death penalty on any subject who possessed a jewel weighing more than one carat. Its available now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format. Packard stopped making automobiles in 1958, and garages willing to repair cars overnight vanished long ago. Some northern Arkansas unsolved murders include the 1998 murder of Valeria Christina Roberson, the 2000 murder of Amanda Renee Tusing, the 2001 murder of Tammy Jarvis, and the 2002 murder of Edward Choi, among many others. Where is the diamond? There's just something that comes together at some point, and I truly believe that it will here, too. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Jimmy Dunn, the districtattorney general, declined to comment. 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. A brutal lynching leaves unanswered questions. A well known, quasi-political figure around Arkansas in the late 1980s and early 90s, Luther Gerald "Jerry" Parks, Jr. oversaw Bill Clinton's security detail while Clinton was governor. Hes willing to tell where it is, toobut not unless the feds or the state grant him favors. Giles says they're still working to pinpoint a motive in the case. He finally sat down with the lead investigator on the case over a year ago and Jared said they hashed it out. Days later, his truck was found in the woods just outside Marion. Bring on the Shiplap? The Sharp's neighbor, Lisa Arbor can see their home from her front yard, but says although she's shocked, she's not surprised. Jjesus Anaya, a Hot Springs Police Department public information officer, told the newspaper on Nov. 30, while appealing to the public for help in the almost year-old case. Blood samples taken from the bathroom were later lost by WMPD investigators before the WM3 went to trial. In his newest book, Whispers in the Willows, Jared explores three unsolved murder cases hes covered throughout the years, and more. 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. Since the beginning of 2021 through the end of May, there have been 27 murders in Little Rock, Arkansas, alone. Rector survived the surgery and was put on trial, his defense arguing that Rector was intellectually impaired and not competent to stand trial. 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. Despite Rector's mental state, then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton made a point of returning to Arkansas to oversee Rector's January 24, 1992 execution during the 1992 U.S. Presidential campaign. Another man at the scene was initially taken into custody on an unrelated charge and questioned about the incident, but was later released. The book also delves into Arkansas death row, which made it back into the news in 2017. Farenthold had filed a complaint against four men subsequently indicted for conspiracy to defraud him of $100,000. After serving in World War I, he returned home to Marion and began working at a utility plant. Unsolved Crimes - Texas Monthly Susie m. Isaac Piner. Travis Dorman covers crime, breaking news and law enforcement. It worked. ", Texarkana Siblings Charged in Burned Bodies Case, La. The area where White was found is part of Hot Springs National Park and on federal land, resulting in both the National Park Service and FBI taking the lead on the investigation. Tommy Sevier, Jr., age 25, and Samantha Sevier, age 19, both of Texarkana, Arkansas are each charged with two counts of capital murder. Unsolved Murder Files; Unsolved Mystery Files; Legend Files; Suggested Cases; The Investigators; Contributing . Cherry's estimated release date is January 9, 2020. Once inside, deputies found Crystal Sharp in the house with gunshot wounds to the head and face. In August 1998, both boys were sentenced to confinement until they reached the age of 21, which is the maximum sentence available under Arkansas law. Deputy dining at IHOP makes arrest for disorderly conduct, JONESBORO Arkansas State University has released the list of students who were awarded diplomas on the undergraduate and graduate levels during the 2017 Spring Commencement ceremony May 13 in the Convocation Center. Robbery certainly had to be considered; there was no money on the corpse, but there was an expensive waterproof wristwatch. Four days after Mathis was found, on Dec. 29, around 1:30 p.m., the bodies of Shaquilla Watts, 21, and her son, Zay'vion Watts, 5, were found inside their residence at Pebble Creek Apartments, 201 Wynn St. "It was determined both had been shot to death," Cpl. She was last seen at 10:45 p.m. by her friends, emptying sand out of her shoes at her mother's car. Clues have been hidden in digital images, spread physically across the globe, and often reference the work of famous philosophers and complex mathematical theorems. Uncovered: Unsolved Arkansas Murders In early January 2014, Cicada 3301 released another message in its three year journey. He claimed to have sauntered into the Witte carrying a lawn chair and a concealed hammer. 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. The one overwhelming fact of life is chance. HOT SPRINGS -- The new year began with some homicides still unsolved. Simmons was charged with 16 counts of murder, found guilty, and sentenced to death. "She was a well-kept lady.". A local black coalition offered a $1,000 reward to anyone with information, but no one came forward. She would'veworn her seat belt. All rights reserved. Explore. into the stories you've heard before, and encounter many others you haven't, in ways that actually help. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were around 9,951 murders in Arkansas alone. At first, her mother was uncertain, but eventually let her go. But Jim Parsons is determined to solve the mystery. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were 9,951 Arkansas murders. The Murder Accountability Project Cold Case Homicide Statistics Breakdown of Homicide Clearance Rates Nearly 340,000 cases of homicide and non-negligent manslaughter went unsolved from 1965 to 2021, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report data studied by The Murder Accountability Project. All rights reserved. After trekking through the woods, they eventually found the source of the light. After her children were dead, Riggs unsuccessfully attempted suicide. Valuable jewelry had been ignored. Phone: (870) 642-2125 (24 Hours) Emergency: Dial 911. A litany of theories emerged as motives for the murder. She vanished in Halloween 2011 and then her body was found in a cemetery not far from her house underneath some bushes. Finally, some others include east Arkansas unsolved murders, which include the 1986 murder of Sandra Alberda, the 1989 murder of Jimmie Wade Martin, the 1994 murder of Marty Bradley, the 1987 murder of Stella Patterson, and the 1970 murder of John Leonard, among many others in the remainder of the state. Susie Ward/Piner and Mary Isabell Piner/Ball/Johnson are the focus of my search. These gruesome acts took place in the Natural State, and for the most part justice was served. 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. According to investigators, the man killed his wife in front of his children. By the late 1940s, he had amassed a small fortune. Bergeronwho knew he was a major beneficiary under his friends willdidnt quite know what to think about Hortons assurances that Tex was getting the money. SEVIER COUNTY, AR (KSLA) - For the second time this week, authorities say an Ark-La-Tex man has murdered his wife in their home. I just have a feeling that a lot of murderers, at some pointthese [killers] told somebody, Jared said. Murder Mystery: Most Likely To Be Murdered Part 2.