Special Report: Plans to exhume 1977 Arkansas murder victim's body are 'underway'. 2023 www.knoxnews.com. He found the usually locked front door ajar but no one home. Huckabee briefly addressed the issue in 2007, saying the hard drives were destroyed to "protect the privacy" of people whose information was stored in the data. After waiting several hours for Roberts to return, Bergeron called the police. His large, 300-pound frame had been set on fire and burned beyond recognition. Usually, its a quiet whisper because you dont want anyone to know you committed this horrible heinous crime.. She was a beautiful lady. Texarkana Siblings Charged in Burned Bodies Case - KSLA Sheriffs deputies thought they were on the right track a month after the murder when they found a car with hair and traces of blood similar to Farentholds in the trunk. It was one of many reported "airship" sightings that swept the country in the late 19th century. "And don't sit there and act like you're so innocent.". He refused to appeal his death sentence. At first, her mother was uncertain, but eventually let her go. 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. The report was []. Over the years, roughly 7,797 of those murders in Arkansas were solved, leaving over 2,100 unsolved Arkansas murders today. Finally, some unsolved central Arkansas murders include the 2011 murder of Kimberly Steele, the 2002 murder of Jane Murdaugh, the 1987 murder of Sandra Lynn Williams, and the 1995 murder of Robin Lynn Farnsworth, among others. All three were murdered. Over the years, 7,797 of those murders were solved, leaving over 2,100 unsolved murders in Arkansas today. If you enjoy coverage like this, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Andy Taylor and Barney Fife meet Spock and Captain Kirk? Each time the thief knew exactly what he was doing. He took only womens jewelryand only the best pieces at that, never costume jewelry and never ordinary items like pearls. More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. Murder Mystery: Most Likely To Be Murdered Part 2 - AY Mag Johnson has since faced run-ins with Arkansas law subsequent to his release and is currently serving a four-year federal sentence on weapon and drug charges. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. AR man allegedly kills wife in front of sons - KSLA Johnson was released on his 21st birthday, August 11, 2005, having spent seven years in prison. 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 . ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) There are at least four unsolved missing person cases in North Central Arkansas since 1991, and all are women. That nightafter all, it was only one nightthe socially prominent women did something a little out of character; they went to Juarez and lived it up. Parks' son, Gary, also tried to link Clinton to the murders. At around 10:30 p.m., Morgan asked her mother if she could catch lightning bugs with her friends. 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.. These gruesome acts took place in the Natural State, and for the most part justice was served. 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 Ive got some expert analysis in that chapter of the new evidence that has come out. When her mother, Colleen Nick, came to get Morgan to go home, she found no trace of her daughter. Possible motives for the crime were numerous. Authorities ask anyone with information in the case to call the Sevier County Sheriff's Office at865-453-4668 or 865-428-1899. Huckabee's staff obliged, wiping the memory of more than 100 computers before smashing their hard drives beyond repair. Escorted to the electric chair on January 4, 1946, he was all smiles, laughing and joking with his guards. 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. Travis Dorman covers crime, breaking news and law enforcement. Patrol - Sevier County Sheriff, AR She was last seen chasing fireflies with her friends on the outskirts of the ball fields. Even the desert itself is different, a victim of the encroaching city and land developers. Some say it involves a motorcycle headlight, the remnant of a rider killed by a carload of drunk drivers. Since her disappearance, Colleen Nick has founded the Morgan Nick Foundation, which helps parents cope with the disappearances of children. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. Authorities ask anyone with information in the case to call the Sevier County Sheriff's Office at 865-453-4668 or 865-428-1899. The latest murder happened in DeQueen, Arkansas. Your email address will not be published. It was not unusual for the 85-year-old Roberts to leave the house suddenly, but it was virtually unprecedented for 89-year-old, infirm Jessie Forsyth to accompany him. His hope is that his work will lead to justice for families who have suffered without answers for too long. Since the beginning of 2021 through the end of May, there have been 27 murders in Little Rock, Arkansas, alone. Garland County Prosecutor Michelle Lawrence confirmed Thursday the case was still under review by her office. Clinton's far-right critics pounced on the murder. Hercutt's family fell apart as accusations flew. This serial killer who made a wrong turn into the Natural State found his way back to Illinois and was sentenced consecutively to a total of 500 years in prison in Illinois in 1971. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The fence supposedly got it out of the country through Chicago. Most of these recent Little Rock murders have not been solved, and law enforcement continues to investigate their homicides. The local Packard garage might have had the necessary parts to repair the carbut it had to order them and wait five days instead. ", Texarkana Siblings Charged in Burned Bodies Case, La. Mike McNeill's Diary for Wednesday, July 21, 2021: Where they belong Bergeron looked at the familiar signature again and decided it didnt look quite right. Kentucky detective investigating possible connection between 2011 - MSN 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. Five famous cases the police may never mark closed.. Police believe she was abducted before she was tossed in the ditch. Cicada 3301 is the name of a group that has annually for the past three years at least created what's essentially an online scavenger hunt for the technologically savvy. 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. According to investigators, the man killed his wife in front of his children. Address: 137 W. Robinson Road De Queen, AR 71832. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. One year later, a robber arrested in Kingsville for a different offense confessed to stealing the diamond. Arkansas murderers list | Murderpedia Roberts ample fortune has disappeared toothough less mysteriouslyand so have two other people, and an attorney has served a prison term, making the Roberts affair one of the most bizarre missing persons cases on record. The only evidence left behind were 10 9-mm bullet casings scattered on the pavement. 9 years later, Shannon Hercutt homicide in Sevier County remains unsolved Here are 10 more mysteries to explore. 1993 :: Arkansas Supreme Court Decisions - Justia Law Vance was reportedly a fan of Pressly, and was a frequent viewer of her morning news show. 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. As of this writing, however, the latest mention of this story dates back to late 2011. Police were summoned to the scene, but officers took the report via the drive-thru window and never entered the building to interview the suspect. Then Horton withdrew the fundsto send to Tex, the attorney told Bergeron, pursuant to a prearranged plan. This case, I had to use more anonymous sources because people didnt want to talk about it, Jared said. 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. "I can take it." Thank you to Brandon Howard with Highlands Today for the story. Sep 16, 2019 NEA . Love Arkansas? 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. [ Feb 15, 2023 ] Two severe crashes in Greene County Crime [ Feb 15 , 2023 . When police found a 21-year-old female brutally murdered in her hotel room, the mystery was just beginning. Murder of Jimmy Hendricks and Kim Mills - Wikipedia 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. New book investigates unsolved murders across Northeast Arkansas New book investigates unsolved murders across Northeast Arkansas. Despite being terribly beaten, the two survived. JONESBORO, Ark. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Police had noted in earlier posts Frazier had not been in contact with his family since Feb. 3 and had missed scheduled medical appointments and not reported to work. Crime Tips HOTline (870) 642-2125 or Submit Via Email. Some of the biggest unsolved murders in Arkansas include the 1994 murder of. According to this same report, in 2019, 242 people were murdered in Arkansas. The transaction, according to the indictment, was to have taken place in a Houston motel room, but just as the exchange was about to begin, the group was held up and robbed by a menaced man brandishing a shotgun. On June 6, 1972, it was neither. When investigators arrived at the scene, they say Timothy Sharp began approaching from behind the house and he did not have a weapon. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were around 9,951 murders in Arkansas alone. The primary focus is on victims Rebekah Gould, Karen Johnson Swift, and Amanda Tusing. McCarter, the chief detective, would not releasethe initial report a decade after the crash. Crystal Sharp's body has been sent to Little Rock, Arkansas for an autopsy. While most of the stories share similar motifs, the legend seems to have emanated from a report published in 1980. The property had been sold to a management company created and owned by Horton. Four days after they finally left El Paso, a county sheriff found them, dead and mutilated, in the desolate wasteland six miles east of Van Horn and half a mile south of U.S. 80. The cars spare tire had no inner tube; perhaps the Fromes had stopped to fix a flat tire, only to encounter a not-so-good Samaritan. 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. He said he once received a phone call with no caller ID; someone breathed the word "murderer," then hung up. 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. Her possible birthday is 22Jun1862--d. 1936 around Grenola, KS. These 11 Arkansas Murder Cases Made Headlines - OnlyInYourState Others describe a girl in a white dress, draped in a motorcycle jacket, who forever wanders the highway in search of her deceased prom date. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. These cases that involve Arkansas have yet to be solved and victims have yet to see justice. Public Domain/Wikimedia. A litany of theories emerged as motives for the murder. The reason behind the frenzied housecleaning has never been fully explained. Following a successful decision in 2010 by the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding newly produced DNA evidence, the West Memphis Three negotiated a plea bargain with prosecutors. The organization's primary goals are to comfort parents of missing children, while also helping law enforcement find missing youngsters. The Little Rock Police Department dismissed such claims as "unsubstantiated". 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. Dawn Shannon Hercutt's bizarre killing remains unsolved a decade later Theres a possibility that a law officer may have been involved in her murder.. Hazel, 46, and Nancy, 23, left their car on the afternoon of March 25, 1938, and requested that it be ready at 6 a.m. the next day. The King reaped so much publicity he became an inspiration for lesser thieves, who attempted to emulate him without success. For Fannin is chief of detectives for the Dallas police force and the short, stocky man is the King of Diamonds, the most daringand most successfuljewel thief ever to operate in Dallas. The Cadillac Escalade was towed to an impound lot, andthe 40-year-old businesswoman's body was sent to a funeral home to be preparedfor burial. "We don't know if it's drug related or some sort of payback or what. Chitwood decided a court of inquiry was necessary, and Judge Dee Brown Walker agreed. Almost four years later, theyre still looking for the driver. Unsolved Murder in Sevier County. Once Hazel Frome and her daughter Nancy had decided to drive from San Francisco to Parris Island, South Carolina, they might have chosen the northern transcontinental route instead of the southern road through El Pasobut they didnt. 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. After her children were dead, Riggs unsuccessfully attempted suicide. 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. The first victims, Jimmy Hollis, 25, and Mary Jeanne Larey, 19, were attacked while parked at a local lovers' lane. 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 real Wick claimed she didn't know the victim. In January 1975, Carolyn Dianne Zachry of Ashdown paid two men (the exact amount is in dispute) to kill her husband -- the men took Curtis Eugene Zachry to a remote location under the pretense of. Miller county sheriff's deputies have charged a brother and sister with the murders of two Texarkana men who's bodies were found inside a charred car. Approaching with their guns drawn, a bearded man emerged from the forest and told them that he and his crew were travelling the country in an "airship". The third case began in October, 2011. They may have information. Authorities also discovered that the names in the Bible belonged to a family the victim stayed with while living in Dallas. The indictment alleges that the four mentwo from Corpus Christi, two from Louisville, Kentuckyarranged, for Randy to buy Mafia skim money at a discount. From 1956 to 1966 a cat burglar heisted more than $1 million in jewels from palatial homes in north Dallas and the Park Cities. On the night of the fire, local authorities were besieged by reports of the fireballs in the sky. Dig deeper Email Map. But he had a good reputation for paying his gambling debts. Robert L. Tex Roberts wasperhaps still isan aging, eccentric, cigar-smoking millionaire. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were around 9,951 murders in Arkansas alone. You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know," the release said. AR man allegedly kills wife in front of sons, La. According to Arkansas State Trooper Robert Roten, his office had two separate reports of drivers picking up a "clean-cut, well-dressed" man who frightened them with his claims of the Second Coming. Anyone with any information or questions can contact Detective Mark Fallis at (501) 321-6789, ext. A vehicle with a similar insignia had been used by narcotics smugglers, leading police to speculate that the Fromes may have been mistaken for dope runners who double-crossed their ringleaders. 48-year-old Timothy Sharp is in the Sevier County Jail charged in the shooting death of his wife Crystal Sharp. HOT SPRINGS -- The new year began with some homicides still unsolved. If a suspect whispered about his or her guilt during an incident, it could be the missing link to the puzzle. Cherry's estimated release date is January 9, 2020. The one overwhelming fact of life is chance. Karen Johnson Swift, a mother of four, went missing. No conclusive proof of their cause of death has ever been established. 2. From the name on the ID, authorities found that the deceased had stolen the identity of a Cheryl Ann Wick in Minnesota. 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. Her possessions gave investigators little to work with. Some of the most famous Arkansas murders that made and remained in headline news for an extended period of time, and are still considered some notorious Arkansas criminals, include former NFL player Raphel Cherry, who killed his wife in 1999; Curtis Vance, who murdered popular news anchor Anne Pressley in 2008; and Christina Riggs, who killed her two young children in 1997, among many other Arkansas famous murders. Her case received assistance from the FBI, was the subject of several television specials, and inspired her mother to establish the Morgan Nick Foundation. Both women had been shotbut by different guns. Her friends said that there was a "creepy" man talking to Morgan around the last time she was seen. Those with information can call or text the ISB Tip Line at (888) 653-0009; leave tips online by visiting http://www.nps.gov/ISB and clicking "Submit a Tip;" or by email at nps_isb@nps.gov. These names were given to the FBI, and authorities later discovered that the victim was also wanted for bank robbery in various states on the East Coast. Phone: (870) 642-2125 (24 Hours) Emergency: Dial 911. 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