True Crime

Disappearances can leave a hole in the lives of people and communities, as well as lingering questions as to what exactly happened. The case of Maud Crawford attracted national headlines because a former partner in her law firm, then a U.S. senator, was heading up a high-profile investigation into the mob and organized labor. However, the disappearance of Pearl Turner, three-year-old daughter of rural sharecroppers, also captured headlines.

Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the most notorious crimes have been perpetrated by those in positions of public trust and authority. Sometimes these are major cases of political corruption, as with Attorney General Bruce Bennett’s involvement with Arkansas Loan and Thrift, and sometimes these cases center upon more local affairs, as with the apparent murder of Oscar Chitwood by sheriff’s deputies in Hot Springs.

Famous crimes in Arkansas have inspired the writing of numerous books as well as the production of documentaries and feature films. The case of the West Memphis Three has, in its own right, spawned almost a cottage industry of media about the case, but perhaps one of the first works of “true crime” writing (although the term would not have been employed at that time) centered upon the Cane Hill Murders of 1839.

From the mafia in Hot Springs to various bandits, charlatans of the medical field, seditionists, and counterfeiters operating in the hills and hollers of rural spaces, here are an assortment of other criminals we don’t want you to overlook.