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. 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. She was shy and didn't like to smile much; she was self-conscious about a crooked front tooth. Tragically, we'll never know who murdered these young men. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City, OK Melissa Witt was killed in Arkansas in 1994. Should Smith, now 73, ever be releasedin Illinoishe would face a life sentence in Arkansas. Sheriff Lamb, who died at age 77 in 2001, was a former rodeo performer who as sheriff wasknown for straight talk and at times for roughing up those in custody. So we knew something happened to her, Danas cousin, Kristy, told Dateline. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Arkansas, USA. If you need a pleasant palate cleanser, try touring this cider mill. Both Rush and Ensey believe police can solve the case. In July of 1979, Lois Ensey was abducted while working at J's Night Owl Grocery off Highway 271 in Fort Smith. The rest of Danas family became alarmed when they still had not heard from her that night. Who killed Missy Witt? Spiro man shot by law officers in eastern Oklahoma Fort Smith gunsmith arrested in Austin, Texas on federal charge FBI continues manhunt for Fort Smith fugitive Police release name of man shot and killed Friday in north Fort Smith Fort Smith man with ties to Pakistan . Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Officers found a receipt from Phillips Foods in the back of the car, time-stamped 3:17 p.m. on the 25th, according to Sgt. 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. You just cant accept that your child is gone. Sergeant Jenkins said there are several people of interest in the case, and that it is still being worked as an active investigation. Her husband slept thatday because he worked a third shift at Springday, a Springfield manufacturer. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! At that point in the investigation, there was no reason to believe she was abducted. FPD Sergeant Tony Murphy said. When she entered the salon, she first saw the corpse of 62-year-old Dorothy Harris. She was a 1967 graduate of Nixa High and her maiden name was Horton. It was only her second. You may also email information to the Detectives, by clicking on the link. No arrests have been made in connection with her death. COST OF LIVING Compared to the rest of the country, Fort Smith's cost of living is 25.0% lower than the U.S. average. 18 unsolved slayings in this area in five years. Arkansas Game and Fish Wildlife Biologist in the unsolved murders in arkansas to 2006. The real mystery is why it took so long for someone to decide "hey maybe we should bury this guy.". Melissa is still not home. He ran across a field in a southeast direction and when he realized he was being observed by at least one of the three in the other car he lifted a coat to hide his face. Both girls were 19 at the time of their death, and both were murdered and found in large forests in Arkansas. If I did, I would certainly honor your most understandable request.. When they find her body, she had been exposed to extreme temperatures, Rush said. Making it tougher for investigators to gather evidence. We have had several people tell us she was not getting along at home. Chester Simons and Deborah Popp were found fatally shot in bed and police determined that Popp was shot by Simons, who then died by suicide, according to Fort Myers Police Department. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. Connect with Never Forgotten It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. A family is still looking for answers after a Sebastian County womans murder case remains unsolved 42-years later. Arkansas law requires all missing persons to be entered immediately. Her body was found a year later in the Ozark Mountains by trappers. Melissa Witt was abducted from the parking lot of Bowling World in the evening. Lamb also told the paper it was best that the case be forgotten. 615Little Rock, AR 72201501-682-2222Contact UsGoogle Map, ACT 346 (Court Access)AIBRS InformationCENSORCJIS Online PortalCrime StatisticsJusticeXchangeSystem RegulationsTraining CalendarsVictims InformationDirections to ACIC, One State Police Plaza DrLittle Rock, AR 72209, Donate to the Arkansas Disaster Relief Program, The Official Website of the State of Arkansas, Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, Arkansas Full Time Law Enforcement Officer Salary Stipend. The FBI considers eyewitness identification notoriously unreliable, the story stated. The unsolved 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson of West Plainsis but one of many in the Ozarks. Sloane McCaster, a member of Websleuths, an Internet forum of armchair detectives who look into unsolved crimes, met Mercedes at a club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Project: Cold Case is a not-for-profit organization with an ambitious goal of publicizing all unsolved homicides in the United States while linking information, families, and law enforcement, and ultimately, helping to solve cold cases. She had been brutally murdered and left to die along a logging trail in the Ozark National Forest about 50 miles from where she was abducted. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks. And I was lucky enough to have her.. Wanted for Arrest. 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. Danas parents continued to drive around, but did not find their daughter. The body was found on Forest Service Road 1551, located off Franklin County 111, also known as Jethro Road. Blades was 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds. Although the region has its fair share of beauty and wonder, thats not all youll find there. OPEN/ UNSOLVED CASES . On July 10, 1995, the News-Leader ran a story by reporter Robert Keyes with the headline "Killing 'solved' but never tried." Faces of Unsolved Homicide - Project: Cold Case. There could easily be a scientific explanation for this one, but do you really want to risk it to find out? in Library Science. At 9 a.m. the next morning, June 25, 1983, the victim's body was discovered near 2000 E. 22nd Street, hidden in the brush of a semi-secluded area not far from her home. On July 25, 1989, Dana went over to her parents house to do some laundry, Georgia said. 1. Since the 1930s, people have been debating the cause of the light. Morning:Melissa goes to classes at Westark Community College, now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS). JC Rider, a retired Fort Smith Police Department detective, said investigators believe Witt was struck in the head and then kidnapped. No circumstance has a more devastating effect on a family than the unknown whereabouts of a loved one. If you have any information, you can call the River Valley crime stoppers at (479)-78-CRIME. The hunt for answers continues to this day, as the case remains open,THV11 KTHV reported. According to science fiction writer Richard Shaver, the cave is one of the entrances to a subterranean civilization. According to private investigators, it was her second night on the job and her first time working solo. Records in the Missing Person File are retained indefinitely or until the individual is located or the record is canceled by the entering agency. The murder of two grandparents tears a family apart; two decades later, a detective races to solve the cold case that has haunted him since he was a child. I can't stop thinking about this case because it's from my home town. She was running low on money, she was going to come out and have her mother buy her a hamburger. Soon after the shooting, the suspect went to prison for two years for other burglary convictions. Melissa Witt was abducted from a bowling alley parking lot in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1994. Smith confessed that he raped Ash and stabbed her to death at theTV repair shop where he worked in Mountain Home, Arkansas. All charges were dropped in 2005. Recent job growth is Negative. if(window.innerWidth<700){ezoicSiteSpeed(jQuery(document),String(/documentReady/).substring(1).slice(0,-1),String(/jQuery-document-dot-ready/).substring(1).slice(0,-1),function($){$("#skip_expand").html("(Expand+)");$("#toc ul").css("display","none");$("#skip_expand").on("click",function(){$("#toc ul").toggle()});$("#toc h3").on("click",function(){$("#toc ul").toggle()});});}. Two boys and two girls went missing from their Oakland County communities, northwest of Detroit, Michigan, and all were found dead within 19 days. The Missing Person Active/Expired Analysis and the Unidentified Person Active/Expired Analysis reports are available upon request. "They was just looking for anything to say, they was all upset.". They wrote: "When 'Buff'Lamb was called the night Carols car was found, he did not take fingerprints or even caution people to stay away so the car could be dusted later. She was later found dead by trappers, who spotted her by a logging trail in the Ozark National Forest, about 50 miles from where she was abducted, the KTHV reported. The victim is identified as 35-year-old . You Decide. A strange phone call made to police a day or two prior to the discovery of the body helps support this theory, he said. The 2019 crime rate in Fort Smith, AR is 559 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 2.1 times higher than the U.S. average. RELATED: Detective believes 1995 murder of Arkansas teen could be tied to another case, RELATED: Alma Police receive hundreds of tips since 'Still Missing Morgan' documentary aired. Her logic is that since Smith admitted other slayings he would have admitted this one, as well, if he did it. 100 Wayland Smith Drive , Uniontown, PA 15401 +1(724)437-7300 Currently Open. With over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of hiking trails. 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 . Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Fort Smith is 1 in 90 and property crime is 1 in 18. After Vine's arrest, the possibility he killed Witt was considered. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Melissa's mother assumed that her daughter was with friends that evening. At El Patron Mexican . Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. Often in unsolved murders, family members of the victim lose faith in the investigators trying to solve the case so charges can be filed. Manage Settings Melissas friends and family begin to hand out missing person flyers throughout the River Valley area. Home > Crime Info & Support > Crime Information Center > Community Information > Missing Persons Information. The most serious crime committed in the state by the Barrow Gang was the murder of Marshal Henry D. Humphrey of Alma (Crawford County), committed while the gang was hiding out in a tourist camp in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in June 1933. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It could not be determined how she was killed. ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) There are at least four unsolved missing person cases in North Central Arkansas since 1991, and all are women. Did The River Valley Killer Kidnap A Teenage Girl From A Bowling Alley Parking Lot And Murder Her? The cause of death is listed as"homicidal violence.". We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. When Georgia received the call from police that evening that Danas body had been found, she said her only reaction was, It just couldn't be. Jenkins told Dateline. Friday, March 17th TV listings for MNT (KFSM-TV2) Fort Smith, AR. She was always smiling and happy, Georgia told Dateline. He was described as 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall, a white man with a dark complexion andblack hair combed back. He ran into a grove of trees anda limb struck hisface. 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. Records in the Missing Person File are retained indefinitely or until the individual is located or the record is canceled by the entering agency. Thinking their daughter may have had car trouble, Lawrence and Georgia got in their car and drove around to find Dana. 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. The girl's stepfather found him in the midst of the attack and tried to beat him to death, although a sheriff's deputy arrived and intervened, according to local Fox affiliate station KNWA.