The state medical examiner, Dr. Fahmy Malak, said they had been under the influence of marijuana and ruled the deaths accidental. In the last 5 years Hot Springs has seen . 50 of these have been sexual assualt cases, 15 of which had evidence suitable for modern DNA testing. Witnesses came forward with testimony that theyd seen police officers beating the boys senseless before tossing them in the back of a truck and speeding off. Thats where Maud Crawford came in. Curtis recalls that Don came into his bedroom at around 12:15am. Butler Center Books is the publishing division of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. Gould explains that her goal was to create a complete account of the crime and its consequences. They denied any involvement in the case and sued Matrisciana and his film company for defamation, and the judge awarded them $USD598,750. Ford claimed that hed spotted the beast only days before on a hunting trip, and decided to shoot at it with his buddies. 869 ratings108 reviews. He believes that others were involved or have knowledge of who was involved. "Five bodies have been discovered since March, each dismembered and left in secluded areas in local Arkansas. The trains engineer didnt see the boys in time to stop. They hoped to force the authorities to reopen the investigation. She was found dead on August 22 in a barn in Kennebunk with a rope around her neck. See more ideas about murder mysteries, murder, mystery. Creating an account gives you access to all these features. Along with their stormy relationship, further implicating Abernathy in her murder was testimony from Edwards friend, Mary Patterson, who told police that Edwards was going to meet Abernathy the night she disappeared. In Hogden, Oklahoma, just 200 miles west of Little Rock, two young men, Billy Hainline and Dennis Decker, lying together on the railroad tracks had been run over by a locomotive in 1984. According to the New York Daily News, the terror began on February 22, when a date that was going pretty well ended in tragedy. As a result, the families were not able to move forward with their investigation. 7. Mike Allen recently flipped through his latest project that dives into a childhood memory that . When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. While there, he allegedly witnessed the murders. The first swarm struck in fall 2010, with most quakes registering under 2.0 on the Richter scale, meaning not everyone in town may have felt or even noticed the shaking. Garrett then focused on the green tarp. The unit is made up of retired North Little Rock Police officers who have agreed to volunteer their expertise in helping solve these cases. They were partially covered by a light green tarp. Last updated February 23, 2023. . Now, decades later, that story is the subject of a new book digging deeper into the crime. need your help for this. Updated: 9:18 AM CST March 4, 2021 FORT SMITH, Ark. Arkansas parents dispute ruling on sons' deaths, Parents Doubt Report Blaming Marijuana: Youths' Deaths on Train Tracks Probed, Forensic photos indicate teens were injured prior to being struck by train, Garrett says, Second Autopsy Report Concludes Teens Murdered, Saline County Sheriff criticizes Malak for his handling of deaths, Prosecutor says teens hit by train may have seen drug dealers before death, Prosecutor: Teens killer will be brought to justice, Teens deaths ruled homicides after parents push for facts, Patrick Matrisciana's US Court of Appeals. Neither had they ever seen Kevin spaced out nor any signs that he was into drugs. (Robbi . Despite an intense statewide investigation, no tangible evidence has ever surfaced linking Abernathy to Edwards murder, and the case remains unsolved. Source: HBO. The book is also available from online retailers and through the University of Arkansas Press (via University of Chicago Press) at (800) 621-2736. One of them would shine a light in the animals eyes, transfixing the prey while the other fired. An exhaustive search of the area returned no corroborating evidence, however, and new evidence of his whereabouts has yet to surface. Garrett also believes that the tarp existed. The sheriff's office said that investigators collected DNA from Renegars biological daughter, which also confirmed a 99.99% match with the DNA found on Felkins. Crime in Arkansas. All investigators could confirm was that the killer was a man who wore a white hood, preferred to attack young people late at night in isolated areas, and often used a gun to kill his victims. Helena-West Helena Source: Public domain Overall SnackAbility 1 /10 Population: 10,187 Rank Last Year: 8 Murders: 11 (4th Most) Murders Per 100k: 108.0 (Most) More on Helena-West Helena: Data | Photos 2. Arkansas: The West Memphis murders of Stephen Branch, Christopher Byers, and James Moore. They have spent many hours at the spot where they were killed, wondering how it could have happened. Suspects: The man wearing military fatigues witnessed by police and others remains a possible suspect, but police have never been able to locate or positively identify him. "As far as an investigating technique, it was a very good one but it actually just wasn't enough," Director of Arkansas State Crime Laboratory Kermit Channel told FOX16. The Doe Network has 49 Unidentified Victims listed found in Arkansas.. 32 John Doe's & 17 Jane Doe's.. A federal judge later dismissed many of the agencies listed, but ordered three of them to turn over the pertinent documents to him. Four days later, the police had found her dead body in a box buried in the woods. Amber Hunt, Emily G. Thompson. The 2019 crime rate in Hot Springs, AR is 620 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 2.3 times higher than the U.S. average. In September of 2004, the North Little Rock Police Department started a pilot program designed to reduce the number of open investigations by using retired law enforcement officers to supplement the existing group of investigators. Crime Tip Hotline. (Faulkner County Sheriff's Office). However, no suspects were identified. Gould, who was from Mountain View, was found dead . A $10,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime. Name: Date: Victims: Location : B: Charles Jason BALDWIN: May 5, 1993: 3 ? 1. The murder remains unsolved. Homicides are the most commom types of cases worked by the cold case investigators as there is no statute of limitations on when a person can be charged for committing this crime. Speculation began to rise, with many residents wondering if the boys had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A small community just north of Little Rock, Guy wasnt accustomed to drawing national attention. An unidentified assailant often known as the Texarkana Phantom Killer committed a number of murders and assaults in Texarkana (Miller County, Arkansas, and Bowie County, Texas) through the spring of 1946. 1. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Real Names:Larry Kevin Ives and Donald George Henry Thank you for supporting our journalism. Order Missing Adult Resource Guides on theonline formor emailcommunity@arkansasag.gov. A grand jury agreed with him, citing insufficient evidence. Very interesting article from AY Magazine. Al Capone was a frequent visitor to the state in the 1920s, spending ample time in Hot Springs to bet on horse races at Oaklawn and relax in some of the many bathhouses that lined Central Avenue. Interestingly, Campbell and Lane were involved in investigating Harmon. Cold Case Investigations is responsible for the reopening and investigation of older, unsolved cases that occurred in North Little Rock. On December 30, 2000, a gruesome murder occurred in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo, Japan. All rights reserved. The Arkansas Geological Survey was called out to investigate, and while the group noted that there is some evidence that fracking can cause minor earthquakes, they found no link between the drilling and these particular swarms. Anyone with information that can help solve this case is asked to call the Cold Case Squad at 816-234-5136. Crop circles first popped up in Arkansas in summer 2003. Former Saline County prosecuting attorney Dan Harmon investigated the case and presented evidence to the grand jury. Read our Privacy Policy. Links: Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. The idea was born in late 2003 by Captain Charles Mask (ret.) In April, Paul Martin, 16, and Betty Jo Booker, 15, were found murdered after a high school dance. USA TODAY contacted the Hot Springs Police Department about the claimand was referred to the National Park Service. Just hover over the cold case database tab in the menu bar and you will see a drop down menu with the index and summaries all split up in three parts. Yall carry your weapons. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Viral posts on social media warn of a purported serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Within about three seconds, he hit the boys. Linda at first trusted Harmon, but later came to believe he was involved. North Arkansas Murder Remains Unsolved, Billboard Now Offers $25K Reward For Information IZARD COUNTY, Ark. Results: Unresolved. Nearly half of US murders going unsolved, data show by: Tyler Wornell. At the time of her disappearance, she was even assisting Sen. John McClellan with a congressional investigation into supposed mob ties with organized labor. The states had a handful of them before, but none have reached the magnitude of those in Guy. A composite photo of a potential suspect was released in hopes of generating local leads, but it did not generate any. Arkansas On Sunday, August 23, 1987, at around 4:00 a.m., the bodies of teens Kevin Ives and Don Henry were spotted by the crew of a Union Pacific locomotive near Crooked Creek trestle in. It also looked into an alleged drug ring in Saline County which ran out of Mena Airport and was covered up by police. They searched the area, but were unable to find the man. After serving a 10-month sentence in north Arkansas, he was released from prison in May of 1995. The legends telling varies, though, with one version claiming that the light is the ghost of the decapitated rail worker looking for his head. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Harmon dropped all charges against Abernathy, who had recently been promoted to lieutenant. P.O. One day, residents found Mike lying motionless under a tree. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 08:40 PM CST. Upon a close examination of the crime scene, police discovered that each victim had been struck in the head with some kind of blunt object. But some citizens still believed the wrong man had gone to the gallows. 3.75. What the media quickly dubbed the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, carried out by a shadowy figure the local paper called the "Phantom Killer," sent the small southern city into a panic. Curtis had the trains sound checked and found that it was ninety-eight decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of a jackhammer or an air compressor running. All Rights Reserved. Henrys shirt was in tatters, with lacerations all over his body indicative of stabbing. The two boys were identified as sixteen-year-old Don Henry and seventeen-year-old Kevin Ives. His findings where chilling, to say the least. While there was one major suspect, he was never convicted of these crimes. That all changed in 2010, when a series of relatively minor earthquakes shook the town. By all accounts, Kevin and Don were typical teenage boys who both loved to work on their cars and hunt. North Little Rock | Powered by CivicLive | document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Intrado Corporation | Contact Us, Real Estate Development Property for Sale, Board of Equalization/Pulaski County Board, Non-uniformed Employees Retirement Board/Pension Board, Residential Housing Facilities Board/Public Facilities Board, Find Community Development Grant Information. CrimeDoor opens the 'AR' door to unsolved murders. Thurman Abernathy, had gotten her pregnant. The BridgeWay mental-health hospital, admitting it had wronged a 14-year-old patient who . AR 72336. Knowing that most of the evidence against him was hearsay, Abernathy decided to appeal his case. 870-777-6727 or . Earthquake swarms arent entirely unusual in Arkansas. Gould makes her debut in this thoroughly researched exploration of the gruesome 1912 murder of one of the authors own relatives in Boone County, Arkansas. Curtis was not worried about them going into the woods because he did not think they would get in trouble. The victims of the so-called "Whitechapel Murders" Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly all had their throats slashed, and most of them had. Fact check: Ballot positions are done by a random draw in each county in Arkansas. Home Calendar E-Newsletter Email Employment. Theres a serial killer running loose between Hot Springs and LR. The Cold Case investigators primarily focus their efforts on unsolved homicides and rapes. Felkins, 32, was kidnapped Feb. 2, 1990 from a video rental store in Greenbrier, Ark., located about 40 miles northwest of Little Rock. These sessions will be offered via Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.Tuesday, March 2REGISTERThursday, May 13REGISTERTuesday, September 14REGISTERThursday, December 2REGISTER. On August 23, 1987, the bodies of 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives were hit by a freight train in Alexander, Arkansas, United States, as they were laying on the tracks. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Read on to find out the 10 creepiest. The killings were also the inspiration for the 1976 movieThe Town That Dreaded Sundown, which Texarkana still shows each Halloween in a park near one of the crime scenes. Adding to the creepiness of the case, some self-proclaimed web-sleuths have tenuously linked the Phantom with San Franciscos notorious Zodiac Killer. The sheriff office's said that Renegar drove a red 1984 B2200 Mazda Pickup with a white camper shell. When Stephen laid down on the diesel horn, he got no reaction from them. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Medical examiners reported that she died from blunt-force trauma to her skull. He ruled their deaths an accident. Home Email Facebook. In 1946, the town of Texarkana, which straddles the state line between Texas and Arkansas, was rocked by a series of brutal attacks that ultimately left five people dead and three gravely injured. gov. Despite his death, investigators are working to collect evidence in the case and the sheriff is asking for anyone who knew Reneger to come forward. Unsolved Cases - Howard County Sheriff AR Unsolved Cases Howard County Sheriff's Department Case of Missing Person: Nona Jean Young (Coleman) W/F, 02-26-51 On August 20, 2002, the case of Nona Jean Young was reopened at the request of her family. That night, they chose their usual hunting ground, along the railroad tracks that ran behind Dons house. Thats the last time anyone ever saw him. Additional counties and states will be added to this database as time and funding permit. Two unsolved murders of young women from the 1970s have now been linked to one suspect through DNA and genetic genealogy, according to Northern California prosecutors. He also found evidence to indicate that one of them was already dead and one unconscious when the train hit them. While the appeal wound its way through the courts, the case was passed along to newly appointed prosecutor Dan Harmon. Map Message from the Sheriff Most Wanted Press Releases. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. NeverForgotten.ar.gov, launched in 2016 and hosted by Arkansas Crime Information Center, enables the public to access information on missing persons cases with an easy-to-use searchable database. The History Channel even got in on the action, sending its MonsterQuest team to investigate in 2009. Arkansas Unsolved Mysteries Who was Angeline Patrick? Abdulhakim Mujahid He believes the assailant(s) incapacitated one of them, and then, felt like they had to do something to the other one. Both are similar in appearance, with witnesses describing them as glowing white lights that occasionally move throughout the woods. Kevin and Don had avoided being caught. They had also been shot to death. Congestion was also found in their lungs which indicated that they had been hurt before being hit by the train. Ghost lightsor will-o-the-wisps, as theyre known in Europeare staples of paranormal folklore. He then caught up with Larey as she tried to escape. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, U.S. General Services Administrations Missing Child Notice Program. Several witnesses who testified before the grand jury were charged with drug trafficking and other offenses. It started as a normal Saturday night on August 22, 1987 in Bryant, Arkansas. He also drove a mustard yellow, long-wheelbase Ford pickup, a small gray car, and a Ford LTD. Edward Keith Renegar drove a red 1984 B2200 Mazda Pickup with a white camper shell, according to police. By then, it was almost 1AM. The victim was a young blonde, and she had been savagely beaten before being shot in the. However, many do not consider him to be a credible source. Unsolved Cases . Feb 25, 2019 - Explore AY Magazine's board "Arkansas Murder Mysteries", followed by 987 people on Pinterest. Her body was found the next day at a dump site in Faulkner County, where authorities determined she was raped and "violently murdered. Controversy erupted over Davidsons guilt or innocence, and whether he had acted alone. Brynn Rainey, 27, vanished in July 1977. To keep creating Over the years, 7,797 of those murders were solved, leaving over 2,100 unsolved murders in Arkansas today. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. The entire story has never been told, so I wanted to pull it all together and allow readers to develop their own fully informed opinions. The kit includes a fingerprint strip and place for fingerprints, as well as a photograph. It ranks as one of the most remembered cases in the entire series. In that case the statute of limitations expires in 15 years. All victims have been submitted by law enforcement or the victims' families. The FBI was brought in, as well as the Texas Rangers. "It is with 99.99% accuracy that it is Edward Keith Renegars DNA that was collected as evidence from Pam Felkins during the initial investigation," Ryals told reporters. On most weekends, the two double dated. However, Linda and her attorney did not find anything in the documents related to the murders. Authorities charged a neighbor, Odus Davidson, with the crime, as mob violence loomed. SUBSCRIBE TO FOX NEWS FIRST -- YOUR BRIEFING ON ALL THE STORIES TO START THE DAY. Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas The 10 Murder Capitals Of Arkansas For 2021 1. Over a month after she went missing, her body was found in the Ozark National Forest. What had caused Kevin and Don to lie side-by-side on the railroad tracks? Now author Nita Gould unveils the remarkable story in her book Remembering Ella: A 1912 Murder and Mystery in the Arkansas Ozarks, just released by Butler Center Books. The only evidence that could possibly ID her killer was semen found onFelkins' body, according to the sheriff's office. The young lovers survived the attack, but had differing reports of who had carried it out. To this date, they have solved 6 cold cases and have evidence pending at the state crime lab that they hope will lead to the identification of more perpertrators in other cold cases. Submit Via Email. Morgan Nick Missing. She also lived in NE. However, on the night of Saturday, August 22, 1987, Kevin and Don met a group of friends on the outskirts of Little Rock at a favorite gathering place for the local teenagers. Edward Keith Renegar drove a red 1984 B2200 Mazda Pickup with a white camper shell, according to police. Either way, well take our chances with the well-lit, paved areas of Fouke when passing through. With the trembling becoming more noticeable, residents began to wonder if the quakes were a result of hydraulic fracturing techniques being used to drill for oil and gas in the area. Legally declared dead by Ouachita County in 1969, Crawfords death was found to be the result of foul play perpetrated by person or persons unknown.. Dr. Frank Schambagh, a professor at Southern Arkansas University, said that the tracks were man-made and that the anatomy of the Fouke Monster didnt fit with the known species of primates. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Virgil, 37, was killed, but Katie made it to the safety of a neighbor's house despite being hit in the face with two bullets. The Faulkner County Sheriff's Office revealed DNA evidence has identified Edward Keith Renegar as the primary suspect in the 1990 slaying. This time, he was leaving town, heading down a road less than 200 yards from the spot where the bodies were run over. This contradicted official statements from the Ouachita Sheriffs department that they had yet to turn up any clues in her disappearance. In March of this year, however,the sheriff's office announced investigators were using Snapshot DNA Phenotyping for the first time in hopes of tracking down the killer. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Hot Springs police shared the NPS statement to its Facebook page and urged people to "please pay attention to the 2nd paragraph" which says "there is no indication that this was other than an isolated incident.". In a statement to USATODAY, Arkansas 911 News chief editor Paul Maddox said the site nevermentioned that there was a serial killerrunning loose in Hot Springs. National Park Service spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet directed USA TODAY to an April 13news release that says special agents of the NPS Investigative Service Branch soughttips related to the homicide of Paige Autumn White, 32. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. Linda wondered, if they were that stoned, how were they able to lie down in identical positions? 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.. Some said that it was a result of his strained relationship with Dillards, the parent company of CDI, as he was being audited at the time. Arkansas Cold Cases. They appeared as a series of 10 circles as large as 9 meters (30 ft) in diameter. They embalmed him and put his corpse on display outside of the local funeral home. The billboard advertises a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the 15-year-old case. Date: August 23, 1987. Larey claimed that the man had been black, despite not having seen his face, but Hollis said he believed the man to have been white. When a fight broke out between the two, he allegedly killed her. . It was unusual for husband not to keep in touch. The other most investigated type of crime is rape, as the statute of limitations on this type of crime is 6 years. The case took a strange turn in 2012, when Jonathan Brawner, a convicted felon and prison barber at the Faulkner County jail, made local headlines after claiming that he and a few accomplices had buried Glasgow four years prior. Posted: Feb 28, 2023 / 08:40 PM CST. ", Pam Felkins, 32, was kidnapped on Feb. 2, 1990 from a video rental store where she worked in Greenbrier, Ark. who was "fortunate enough to escape his grasp," according to Ryals. In June 1988, a local man came forward, claiming that on the night of the murder, he saw two police officers beating two boys senseless in a store parking lot before tossing them into a police car and driving away. Welcome To Arkansas Missing Persons Cases & Jane Doe Cases. I relied extensively on primary, legal, and academic sources such as court case files, original newspaper articles, history and law books, and Barham family documents.. He also suspects that there was some sort of police cover-up involved in the case; however, he was not sure if it was inadvertent or deliberate. Their supposed guard dog wasnt even fazed. In the meantime, Captain Mask began contacting retired North Little Rock Police officers to seek out interested individuals who would be willing to volunteer their expertise and help solve some of these cold cases. Police ruled their deaths accidental, with the state medical examiner declaring that they were under the influence of marijuana and had passed out on the tracks. Texarkana was on high alert, but despite the best efforts of the authorities, the violence continued. Family history says that her maiden name was Carpenter and that her mom was from TN and father from KY. She was supposedly born in Illinois ca 1850. Lying parallel to both of them was Dons .22 rifle. On April 16th, 2004 Chester Roberson was found murdered inside AA Auto Sales on Highway 161 where he was employed. He was usually present when Kevin returned home from school and his mother, Linda, was always home at nights.