Their hangings were reportedly well attended. Billie Jean Phillips She was murdered in her Madison County home on September 2, 1994. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. 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. Tommy Sevier, Jr., age 25, and Samantha Sevier, age 19, both of Texarkana, Arkansas are each charged with two counts of capital murder. Timothy Sharp is in the Sevier County Jail on a first degree murder charge. His hope is that his work will lead to justice for families who have suffered without answers for too long. "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. Email him at travis.dorman@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @travdorman. The question on many residents' minds: were the two incidents linked? 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. 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. Investigators never found any evidence that he was involved in the killing, McCarter said. Riggs requested the death penalty and her wish was fulfilled on April 30, 2000. 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. Rector survived the surgery and was put on trial, his defense arguing that Rector was intellectually impaired and not competent to stand trial. Crime Tips HOTline (870) 642-2125 or Submit Via Email. However, this neat package overlooks one minor. He found the usually locked front door ajar but no one home. As for the police, they too have changed. Cherry's estimated release date is January 9, 2020. 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. Love Arkansas? Administrative Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm Next Horton tried to cash Roberts ample holdings of stocks and bonds. But in 1897, two Arkansas lawmen allegedly had a face-to-face encounter with a UFO and its pilot. JONESBORO, Ark. A quick search for Arkansas serial killers will result in a short list of serial killers in Arkansas, some of whom are lesser known, and others who are considered to be famous Arkansas serial killers. Susie m. Isaac Piner. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation releases a Uniform Crime Report every year which shows the crimes, crime rates, and locations of crimes in every state, county, and city, including a report for crime in Arkansas. Maybe somebody knows something who just can't talk about it right now, but down the road they may. 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. Bidding farewell to their new acquaintance who said he was on his way to, of all places, Nashville the two officers left. 2009 KSLA-TV & Raycom Media. Police in Baxter County think Gary had help, and they believe that the unnamed suspect might also have ties to Jerry's murder. When police found a 21-year-old female brutally murdered in her hotel room, the mystery was just beginning. 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. The reason behind the frenzied housecleaning has never been fully explained. Tusing vanished on June 14, 2000. National Park Service special agents are working with the other agencies "to find out more about the days leading up to White's death," the statement said, and seeking tips from the public to determine the circumstances related to her homicide. 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. Boredom is the eternal curse of the fisherman. Friday Sept. 8, Bausdell and Stewart Ownby two huntsmen came upon a skeleton of a human being about a mile and a half from the . But Jim Parsons is determined to solve the mystery. The two had a tumultuous relationship characterized by bouts of estrangement and reconciliation. (It is perhaps worth noting that the laws of the state of Texas are somewhat more lenient, and its citizens have considerably more difficulty keeping their jewels.) Get more stories delivered right to your email. 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. 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. We've shared with you 10 unexplained mysteries of Arkansas, but don't think it stops there. 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. He learned the concerning details of the crash from employees of Hercutt's vacation rental property business, and the family requested an autopsy just in time. The Cortez Hotel, where Hazel and Nancy Frome spent their last five nights, booked its final guest in 1970; it has been converted into a Job Corps center. 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. Special Report: Plans to exhume 1977 Arkansas murder victim's body are 'underway'. The latest murder happened in DeQueen, Arkansas. Authorities found Banks' body not far from his vehicle, mutilated and tied to a tree. Over the years, roughly 7,797 of those murders in Arkansas were solved, leaving over 2,100 unsolved Arkansas murders today. In the months that followed, the Phantom Killer embarked on a murder spree, which the media coined the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. 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. More specifically, in Little Rock, Arkansas most populated city, in 2018 the homicide rate was 20.07 per 100,000 residents. 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. "I'll be seeing and hearing gunshots over there," said Arbor. She vanished in Halloween 2011 and then her body was found in a cemetery not far from her house underneath some bushes. 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. Volume 1. . Police were able to track down the man responsible, James Roy McAlphin, and he's now in prison. 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. 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. Authorities also discovered that the names in the Bible belonged to a family the victim stayed with while living in Dallas. 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. Your email address will not be published. If you have an interest in learning more about the statistics and data surrounding crimes in Arkansas, you can easily find multiple law enforcement agencies which release annual reports on their websites that show, in detail, the crimes in that area. 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. The Category is reserved for cases of Unsolved Mysteries that occurred in Arkansas. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Clues have been hidden in digital images, spread physically across the globe, and often reference the work of famous philosophers and complex mathematical theorems. By the time the unknown object reached shallow water, it began to assume the identity of a mana man wrapped in chains, with his hands tied behind his back and a cement block around his neck. When her mother, Colleen Nick, came to get Morgan to go home, she found no trace of her daughter. "Even though an arrest has not been made, it's never been put on a shelf and ignored," said Sevier County Sheriff's Office Chief Detective Jeff McCarter, who worked on the case back in 2009. One caller even told the Jefferson County sheriff's department that he saw a mushroom cloud-like explosion in the vicinity of the fire. Parks' son, Gary, also tried to link Clinton to the murders. He also consulted a handwriting expert and Paul Chitwood, an attorney who had previously done legal work for Roberts. Chitwood decided a court of inquiry was necessary, and Judge Dee Brown Walker agreed. She left behind two college-age sons and two grade-school age daughters.. 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. 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. And a decade later, the case remains unsolved. There was, in short, no apparent motive. You may find yourself wondering, Why is Arkansas crime rate so high? Although there is not a single, nor a simple, answer to this complex question, it can be assumed that Little Rocks crime rate is higher than smaller towns in Arkansas due majorly to its size and population. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1965 to 2019 there were 9,951 murders in Arkansas. Unsolved Murder in Sevier County. The hammer he used to shatter the display case, but the lawn chair had a much more elaborate function. Or Farenthold, who was known to gamble for high stakes, might have been killed because he failed to cover his tosses. After her children were dead, Riggs unsuccessfully attempted suicide. 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. Morgan's friends told police that they saw her talking to a "creepy" man. Detectives meet regularly with prosecutors to go over the case, McCarter said, and DNA evidence was recently resubmitted to the state crime labfor testing. She was last seen at 10:45 p.m. by her friends, emptying sand out of her shoes at her mother's car. After the discovery of her nude body in a dry creek bed, the medical examiner ruled . The book also delves into Arkansas death row, which made it back into the news in 2017. Public Domain/Wikimedia. On June 25, 1990, Simmons died by the method he had chosen, lethal injection. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Parks' security firm was later contracted to guard Clinton's presidential campaign headquarters in 1992. 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. Her friends said that there was a "creepy" man talking to Morgan around the last time she was seen. Some of the biggest unsolved murders in Arkansas include the 1994 murder of. Clinton's far-right critics pounced on the murder. By the late 1940s, he had amassed a small fortune. According to investigators, the man killed his wife in front of his children. Garland County Prosecutor Michelle Lawrence confirmed Thursday the case was still under review by her office. Does a killer still roam free in Arkansas? She was dead before she hit the water. Crystal Sharp's body has been sent to Little Rock, Arkansas for an autopsy. "911. These gruesome acts took place in the Natural State, and for the most part justice was served. During his original stories with those subjects, Jared won Feature Writer of the Year from the AP and Arkansas Press Association. A Randall County grand jury also indicted the lawyer for converting common stock to his own benefit. 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. Jared was present for three of the four executions including the first double execution in 20 years in the United States. The police have the man who did it, and he is indeed behind bars. Each time the thief knew exactly what he was doing. Remnants of a sunken ship? 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. Print Headline: Work on unsolved Hot Springs killings goes on in '22. Horton and Ardis ODell Reed, the notary who witnessed Roberts signatures, were subsequently indicted for their roles. SEVIERVILLE At first glance, it looked like Dawn Shannon Hercutt went for a late-night drive, veered off the roadand plummeted 125 feet to her death. She and her husband were getting divorced and she vanished a few weeks after filing. Adding another twist in the case, Gary was recently charged with the murder of his mother's new husband, David Millstein. 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. All rights reserved. as well as Little Rock. 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. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. She had an Arkansas ID with the name "Cheryl Ann Wick," a Bible with various names scribbled inside, and a litany of items from a handful of restaurants in Virginia Beach. If you have any information about these cases, please contact our office at (870) 642-2125. Farenthold had filed a complaint against four men subsequently indicted for conspiracy to defraud him of $100,000. 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. 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. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. With the first season of the Hell and Gone podcast bringing new attention and life to the case of Rebekah Goulds murder, Jared plans a very comprehensive break-down of all the new findings in the needless murder. The Little Rock Police Department dismissed such claims as "unsubstantiated". Tommy Sevier, Jr., age 25, and Samantha Sevier, age 19, both of Texarkana, Arkansas are each charged with two counts of capital murder.On February 16th, hunters found the bodies of Patrick Dickey, 22, and Billy Drumm, 32, both of Texarkana, inside a charred vehicle on a hunting lease in Doddridge. Name: Date: Victims: Location : B: Charles Jason BALDWIN: May 5, 1993: 3 ? OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 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. All rights reserved. Blood samples taken from the bathroom were later lost by WMPD investigators before the WM3 went to trial. 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. 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.