Abdulhakim Mujahid The claim that there is an active serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is FALSE, based on our research. A well-known public figure in Camden and a pioneer for women in Arkansas, Crawford worked as a court stenographer before she decided to take the bar exam. Post Sep 03, 2007 #1 2007-09-03T19:31. . NeverForgotten.ar.gov includes all missing persons from Arkansas and will be updated regularly. The task of these retired officers was to review cold case homicide files in an attempt to solve them by using modern science and investigation techniques. Cold case is finally cracked and the killer is identified. Lying parallel to both of them was Dons .22 rifle. Texarkana was on high alert, but despite the best efforts of the authorities, the violence continued. Both bodies were found in 1989 in different months in different. The train was over a mile long and was traveling at a speed of fifty-two miles per hour. Halloween night, back in 1995, a Rogers mother was stabbed to death while passing out candy. 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. What Lies Beyond. Spotlighting was a fairly widespread activity among the local boys. This doctor concluded that together, they had smoked not twenty, but between one and three marijuana cigarettes. The story haunted Gould for years, especially after she inherited a small tin box filled with Ellas personal belongings. The secret starts in the wooded terrain of Jack Mountain in Hot Spring County, where hunters found the remains of Linda Edwards back in 1977. 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. Now word comes that the man whom Park's widow, Lois Jane Parks, later married - Dr David Millstein - has also been murdered by an "DorkFish"ailant with a knife . A grand jury agreed with him, citing insufficient evidence. When police found a 21-year-old female brutally murdered in her hotel room, the mystery was just beginning. The attacks served partially as the basis for a motion picture, The . Thats where Mike sat for the next six decades. According to Texas Monthly, however, local journalist James Presley's book The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: The Story of a Town in Terror presented a compelling case for Swinney's guilt in 2014. 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.. The Gurdon Light was first spotted in the early 1930s, following the murder of a railroad foreman. The victim was a young blonde, and she had been savagely beaten before being shot in the. The bodies of Richard Griffin, 29, and Polly Ann Moore, 17, were discovered the following morning. He also found evidence to indicate that one of them was already dead and one unconscious when the train hit them. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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.. However, he was unable to stop it in time. Don and Kevin's parents, however, could . He was originally placed there in hopes that someone would identify him or claim the body, but no one ever came forward. The Natural State has more than enough of its dark secrets and skeletons in the closet to ruin the serenity. Arkansas State Parks kicks off centennial celebration 16 hours ago. Swinney died in 1994, and no evidence has come out to unequivocally prove whether or not he was the Phantom Killer. Those brave enough to wander into the woods risk running into the nefarious Fouke Monster. 50 of these have been sexual assualt cases, 15 of which had evidence suitable for modern DNA testing. Updated: 9:18 AM CST March 4, 2021 FORT SMITH, Ark. 3.75. The murder clearance rate hit an all-time low in 2020, and data analyzed by a nonprofit shows that trend continued last year. A composite photo of a potential suspect was released in hopes of generating local leads, but it did not generate any. or redistributed. They believe that he found out about their investigation and named them as suspects in order to taint their credibility and hinder their investigation into him. Crop circles first popped up in Arkansas in summer 2003. "In light of this new evidence, this investigation is ongoing and will continue," Sheriff Tim Ryals said at a press conference. who was "fortunate enough to escape his grasp," according to Ryals. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Hope, AR 71801. Residents honored their memory with a memorial last spring. The legends telling varies, though, with one version claiming that the light is the ghost of the decapitated rail worker looking for his head. 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.". - A poem titled "New Lite" sparks memories of an old, dark secret. (Robbi . Within hours, she had organized a search party. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. The claim that there is an active serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is FALSE, based on our research. The man ordered Hollis to take his pants off, then beat him badly enough to put him into a coma for several days. SMITH, Kirt Douglas The Faulkner County Sheriff's Office revealed DNA evidence has identified Edward Keith Renegar as the primary suspect in the 1990 slaying. They believe that Kevin and Don walked up on something that they were not supposed to see; they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 08:40 PM CST. Police quickly orchestrated an intense investigation. The only evidence that could possibly ID her killer was semen found onFelkins' body, according to the sheriff's office. 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. He feels that his life could be in danger. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. On the night Kevin and Don died, witnesses again reported seeing a man in military fatigues. Kevins father, Larry, could not believe that his son was knocked out on marijuana or into any kind of heavy drugs. At the time of that incident, Renegar was armed with a knife and bound his victim. But their tryst was interrupted by a man wearing a white sack with eye and mouth holes cut into it, shining a flashlight into their car. gov. 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. Key witnesses were examined, leads were hunted down, evidence was poured overbut nothing concrete ever came from it. "I daresay every lawman who worked this case never quit mulling the story over and over in hopes of turning up the hard evidence that could have convicted Swinney of the murders," Presley told the magazine. jerrysgirl67. In 1995, the investigation into Kevin and Don's murders was officially closed without their killer(s) captured or identified. P.O. Police who searched the scene later denied that Stephen had told them about the tarp. My great grandmother, Angeline Patrick, remains a mystery as far as who she was and who her parents and siblings were. The white-hooded Phantom Killer preyed on young couples who escaped to secluded areas late at night. At 5:30 am on 7 January, 1977, a young boy, Phillip Watts, aged 11, left his house to deliver newspapers around his home in St. Laurent, Montreal. The police began searching for her the next morning, but found few clues as to what could have caused her disappearance. That was her immediate reaction to the ruling. One day, residents found Mike lying motionless under a tree. Meanwhile, the Crossett Light also originated from a fatal railroad incident, this time with the unlucky worker being beheaded by the train. 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. The two victims were identified as 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives, best friends and popular seniors at Bryant High School. The trains engineer didnt see the boys in time to stop. Two unsolved Ozarks murders are back in the news this week. 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. Now, decades later, that story is the subject of a new book digging deeper into the crime. Speculation began to rise, with many residents wondering if the boys had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. All the victims and wrongfully convicted people are listed by their last name. After 25 years, though, it appears as if the case will forever remain unsolved. vetoes transgender youth treatment ban, View Gallery: Meet the candidates running for US senate from Arkansas, The claim: There is an active serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas. 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. The initial investigation was swift. They had also been shot to death. They searched the area, but were unable to find the man. Henrys shirt was in tatters, with lacerations all over his body indicative of stabbing. Butler Center Books is the publishing division of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. The states had a handful of them before, but none have reached the magnitude of those in Guy. The young lovers survived the attack, but had differing reports of who had carried it out. Kevin and Don had avoided being caught. Unfortunately, the law barred Peggy from testifying against her husband, and the detectives lacked evidence strong enough to convict Swinney for murder. Sports reporter by day, internet sleuth at night, keep up with Brandon at On Campus Sports, Highlands Today, or on Twitter. Nearly half of US murders going unsolved, data show by: Tyler Wornell. The plan worked. Harsent was six months pregnant at the time of her death. (Faulkner County Sheriff's Office). Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Just a few months later, on August 24, Kevin's sister, Alicia, passed away at the age of fifty-three. The state medical examiner, Dr. Malak, concluded they had smoked the equivalent of twenty marijuana cigarettes. Police have been unable to locate him. "You may not know a thing, you may know something you don't realize you know, so we would love to be able to speak to anyone who had a relationship with Mr. Renegar," the sheriff said. The officers later returned to the scene without the boys. While the missing persons case dragged on for close to a year, things took a frightening turn when a hunter stumbled upon Edwards partially buried remains in the woods. who was the head of the Investigations Division at the time. On April 16th, 2004 Chester Roberson was found murdered inside AA Auto Sales on Highway 161 where he was employed. 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 October 23, 2018, Garrett passed away at the age of seventy-two. Neither Kevin nor Don owned such a tarp. No suspect was ever identified. Translate. Eventually, Glasgow and his company were cleared of anything illegal by the audit. 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. USA TODAY was unable to reach the Facebook users for comment. Curtis recalls that Don came into his bedroom at around 12:15am. 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 train then went over them. 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 Arkansas Attorney Generals office serves as the main point of contact between theNational Center for Missing and Exploited Childrenand missing children organizations nonprofit in the State. 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. The exception to this is when DNA evidence can be processed. NEW YORK WOMAN, WHO VANISHED ON BUS TRIP TO FIND TWIN SISTER, STILL BEING SOUGHT 8 YEARS LATER.