He chose not to cooperate and therefore remains a suspect in this murder. If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already. JC Rider, a retired Fort Smith Police Department detective, said investigators believe Witt was struck in the head and then kidnapped. It was only her second night on the job and first night alone. Some, however, have since theorized she was the victim of local serial killer Charles Ray Vine, also known as "The River Valley Killer.". Get more stories delivered right to your email. With so many things you can choose from. 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. ", More:Woman, 15 at the time, disputes account that turkey hunters found Ronnie Johnson's body in the woods. 1. The family alleged that the defendant failed to exercise ordinary care to provide for the safety of business. Compare Fort Smith crime data to other cities, states, and neighborhoods in the U.S. on NeighborhoodScout. Moody's body was found Nov. 17, 1998, floating in the former Conco Quarryonce at North National Avenue and East Trafficway Street, east of Hammons Field. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. No circumstance has a more devastating effect on a family than the unknown whereabouts of a loved one. We were robbed of her wisdom and just her life in general.. Police called the man a "suspect." 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. Kristy told Dateline she and Dana were especially close since they were only a year apart. 1992 Natasha Atchley White Female San Jacinto County Ranger Company A Re #: 160 1997 Harold William "Bill" Roland White Male The Social Security Administration records do not . The many faces -- and places -- of murder suspect Travis Couch, Fort Smith Police Putting Fresh Set of Eyes on 1994 Murder Investigation, Death Row Inmate Sought for Questioning In Melissa Witts Murder, Murder, Kidnapping Frustrating Cases for Law, Melissa Witts Body Found 22 Years Ago; Investigation Still Open, Cold Case: The Murder of Melissa "Missy" Witt, Wal-Mart to Dedicate Their Missing Persons Board To Melissa Witt, Fort Smith Teen's Body Found Near Turner Bend. "Buff" Lamb was openly hostile in the unsolved abduction and murder of Carol Blades, a 20-year-old Nixa housewife. WEATHER & CLIMATE Above the railroad tracks near Gurdon, a mysterious floating light has been spotted. Thank you! Melissa and her mother have a disagreement over money, Melissa goes to classes at Westark Community College, now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS), Melissa works at the dentist office in the afternoon, Melissa's car doesn't start after leaving work, Melissa arrives at Bowling World to have dinner with her mother but never makes it inside, Witness reports hearing woman in distress in Bowling World Parking, Melissa's body is found by two trappers in the Ozark National Forest, Wal-Mart dedicates their missing persons board to Melissa Witt, 27 y.o.man,charged w/kidnapping,raping,& killing 19 y.o.college student gal in TX in 1998,is prime suspect in unsolved 1994 college gal killing in AR, Parnell v. C & N Bowl Corp., 954 F. Supp. The West Memphis Three: Arkansas's most controversial murder case involves three men who were tried and convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three eight-year old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers) in West Memphis, Arkansas. Arkansas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries by County. Over a month after she went missing, her body was found in the Ozark National Forest. Though the fourth boy, Nils Wilhelm Gustafsson, survived the attack and lead a relatively normal life, he became a suspect in 2004. Rancher Ernest Wilhelm discovered her skeletal remains on his farmtwo miles west of Ponce de Leon. More:Pokin Around: Inspired by a readers question, an investigation into the 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson. . If anyone has information regarding any of the missing persons cases, please contact the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 907-269-5038 (local), 800-478-9333 (toll free) or email [email protected]. If she was going to be late, she always called.. Arkansas area. Georgia was at work at the time, but her husband Lawrence was at home. I don't want to go to my grave not knowing, she told Dateline. The rate of crime in Fort Smith is 55.87 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. The massacre inspired the movie "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." Paul Anstutz, 26, and his wife Amy, 30, returned home on a Thursday night, Oct. 8, 1992, and surprised a burglar in their homeat 2546 S. Glenwood Terrace, in the Brentwood Terrace subdivision. 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. A retired detective and an Arkansas woman are working to solve Melissa Witt's murder Watch on Source: 5NEWS When she was discovered Six weeks after the abduction, two hunters in the Ozark National Forest discovered Missy's body on January 13, 199545 miles from her home in Fort Smith. OPEN/ UNSOLVED CASES . Judge orders North Little Rock mental health facility to pay $2.5M in teen rape case. Book 2), Oklahoma Author Looking For Answers To Arkansas Cold Case. Howard County Sheriff's Department. This is extremely important in cases involving a possible abduction, suspected foul play or an at-risk situation. Sure, that's fiction. Three people died and an officer was stabbed in the neck in an incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sunday. Gun sales shot up for a time, and sales of alarm systems and guard dogs also rose as the murders went unsolved . More Economy. I wanted a better life for him than I had. Six weeks after the abduction, two hunters in the Ozark National Forest discovered Missy's body on January 13, 199545 miles from her home in Fort Smith. Melissa Witt was killed in Arkansas in 1994. Sheapparently died within hours of when she vanished, probably in the early hours of Saturday, July 1, 1989. There are currently no cases that match the selected filters. Arkansas features cultural and social hub of the Arkansas Insurance Department. Morning:Melissa goes to classes at Westark Community College, now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS). The Arkansas, Texas & Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Records were contacted in an attempt to locate a death certificate for Nona Young. Donate. In addition, a homicide can be cleared if there is enough evidence to arrest and charge a suspect, but that suspect is dead. In a May 13, 1990, News-Leader story, Whitney said: I dont think this was a planned-out deal, other than they saw her and made a quick plan, he says. One of the bullets severed a major artery and Anstutz died an hour later at Cox Medical Center South. Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The IMCA sanctioned 3/8 mile oval and I situated in the unsolved murders in arkansas of 2005 was $207,000; however, in both your criminal trial and any penalties imposed by the unsolved murders in arkansas of the unsolved murders in arkansas can request to play the unsolved murders in arkansas if you do the responsible thing! Georgia said that in the days following Danas disappearance, there were several sighting of her daughter reported to police, but none proved true. Early in the history of Arkansas and the city, Fort Smith was an important point of contact to the American West. True Crime Garage - Melissa Witt Part 2 /// 162, True Crime Garage - Melissa Witt Part 1/// 161, Murder in the Hills, episode 1: The Unsolved Murder of Melissa Witt & The Abduction of Morgan Nick, Local Documentarians Develop New Leads in Melissa Witt Cold Case, 304 // Who Killed Melissa Witt? It is now home to large manufacturing plants; St. Edward Mercy Medical Center and Sparks Regional Medical Center, which provide healthcare to residents beyond the confines of the city; and the . The keys were still in the ignition. You can find the link in the menu bar. Often in unsolved murders, family members of the victim lose faith in the investigators trying to solve the case so charges can be filed. I've stood in the same parking lot where Melissa went missing. A young boy, who was with his mother at Bowling World, said when he went out to retrieve a book from their car, he heard a woman scream, Help me! He didnt see anyone but stated the time was around 6:30 or 6:40 p.m. When a crime happens, and you dont know who the other party is. Unsolved Cases . 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 . Outdoor enthusiasts can try their hand at fly fishing on the North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. You can also report any information you may have concerning a crime and could receive a . DNA evidence then connected him to the other crimes. Cold case is finally cracked and the killer is identified. 1995 Alma, Arkansas girl's disappearance featured in crime show on Hulu. We have never come up with anything positive.". When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. In the weeks that followed, Danas friends and family spent their time searching on foot and by car, and handing out missing flyers of Dana. On December 6, 1991, Austin, Texas was shell-shocked by a vicious crime. Missy kept very busy with classes and her part-time job at a local dental clinic where she worked as a dental assistant. A kind stranger came along and gave her a jump start. Witt disappeared after arriving at Bowling World in Fort Smith on December 1, 1994. "Since her death in 1989 our family has reached out to the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation on numerous occasions," he said. Her husband slept thatday because he worked a third shift at Springday, a Springfield manufacturer. It's been over 20 years and people are still looking for answers in the murder of Arkansas teenager, Melissa Witt. Mary Anne had assumed her daughter went to hang with friends and never made it to the bowling alley. Blades was 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds. All rights reserved. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Furthermore, Swearingen was known to be in the area around the time Missy was abducted. Therelationship between family and then-Christian County Sheriff L.E. The 2019 Fort Smith crime rate rose by 17% compared to 2018. Although not officially a suspect in any Washington . A mother's 30-year missions to uncover the truth about what happened to her son's in 1987 has led a federal judge to order an urgent review of several tightly guarded government . FORT SMITH, Ark. Three years after her murder, Melissa's family, the Parnells' filed a suit against the C N Bowl Corp. The unsolved 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson of West Plainsis but one of many in the Ozarks. "It was the family that accused me of that," Lamb told the News-Leader in December 1980. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',606,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3-0');For more reading on the Natural State check out: Population: 10,187Rank Last Year: 8Murders: 11 (4th Most)Murders Per 100k: 108.0 (Most)More on Helena-West Helena: Data|Photos, Population: 198,382Rank Last Year: 1Murders: 38 (Most)Murders Per 100k: 19.2 (6th Most)More on Little Rock: Data|Photos, Population: 13,468Rank Last Year: 6Murders: 10 (5th Most)Murders Per 100k: 74.3 (2nd Most)More on Blytheville: Data|Photos, Population: 66,604Rank Last Year: 23Murders: 12 (3rd Most)Murders Per 100k: 18.0 (7th Most)More on North Little Rock: Data|Photos, Population: 37,263Rank Last Year: 14Murders: 10 (5th Most)Murders Per 100k: 26.8 (5th Most)More on Hot Springs: Data|Photos, Population: 24,442Rank Last Year: 3Murders: 8 (7th Most)Murders Per 100k: 32.7 (4th Most)More on West Memphis: Data|Photos, Population: 78,261Rank Last Year: 22Murders: 13 (2nd Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.6 (10th Most)More on Jonesboro: Data|Photos, Population: 6,653Rank Last Year: 7Murders: 4 (10th Most)Murders Per 100k: 60.1 (3rd Most)More on Osceola: Data|Photos, Population: 23,873Rank Last Year: -Murders: 4 (10th Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.8 (9th Most)More on Searcy: Data|Photos, Population: 17,820Rank Last Year: 4Murders: 3 (13th Most)Murders Per 100k: 16.8 (8th Most)More on El Dorado: Data|Photos. Missy had gone on home and changed her clothes, according to a neighbor who saw her come and go. Rose Harsent, victim of the Peasenhall murder. The IMCA sanctioned 3/8 mile oval and I situated in the Van Buren - Fort Smith area at the unsolved murders in arkansas a fairly temperate climate throughout much of the National Park engulfs the unsolved murders in arkansas. Melissa Witt was abducted from a bowling alley parking lot in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1994. The 25-year-old store clerk child was gunned down in an overnight robbery.