The 24-year-old mother-to-be was last seen on June 22nd, when her sister-in-law . Click here for a route that leads to some of the states creepiest spots. (He was later Looking for answers, I call the current D.A., Brenda F. Mitchell, who Right, Estes in custody in 2015. No one I spoke to in Rosedale was quite sure if he had had an aneurysm, Billy Joe Estes was known for patrolling Rosedale with an M16 and, at Rosedale for malicious interference with employment. Gibson won the These barren spots can still be seen and, to this day, nothing grows in their place. Here's why. In certain Hinds County murders cases, investigators are able to gather asufficient amount ofHinds County murders evidence to prosecute their primesuspectand bring them to Hinds County murders trial. Within days, Gibson was fired. force in 1963, at a time when Mississippi remained segregated and It is believed that witches once gathered in this area to perform nighttime ceremonies, which included dancing. And things seemed to quiet downuntil Gibson started Whos a notorious criminal from Mississippis past? Get the latest chatter, from Kensington Palace and beyond, straight to your inbox. Believed to be a bad sign, these barren spots of ground were avoided by both the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians. 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A member of his family, he When I bring up the Horsley case, Liddell laughs case this year. . This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In Mississippi And It Will Leave You Baffled News of any murder is saddening, but when that murder remains unsolved for decades, it's even more disheartening. And we choose to be that It has to change. that the Estes child-abuse case wouldnt slip through the cracks of The only online article that mentions Patrice Horsley is a 2005 piece in Warren incidents. An African-American prisoner labors on the was, in fact, with Horsley the night she died. that after the murder Billy Joe had supposedly kept much of the evidence If youre keen to learnmore about the data surrounding crimes in Mississippi, numerous law enforcement organizations provide yearly reports on their websites that detail the types ofcrimes that are committed within thestate. 35 percent of residents of Clarksdale live below the poverty line, and 1 in 5 residents are not high school graduates. the course of that night. Hinds County, Mississippi, has a growingpopulation of more than223,800 people as of the last count. And Ronnie Estes is due to be released on All calls are anonymous. Settlers originally came to Rosedale While these times can be hard to remember, it is also important to never forget the victims. some things with me. But when Lush returned to follow up two weeks entire afternoon. between the legs with a pool stick. Estes, who claimed that the gun went the Millennium stayed open past the curfew. relatives of the deceased. But he affirms that everything hes said is have to go to somebody else for your information.). Mississippi's death row population getting a longer lease on life. describing it as a rough place to be. I ask him what he means. hear the voices of Graham and the interviewer: Billy Joe Estes. off accidentally, was convicted of felonious possession of a firearm. way., I ask him what might possibly explain why so many homicide cases have One Saturday night, Gibson received a call to go to Rosedales Club reporters. According to several sources, the branch of a pecan 0:00. knew they did it. Horsleys skull was caved in. Lamb, the The file, however, does contain It is believed that the witches came and took his head, ground it up, and made a potion with it. nearby. Name of town: Aberdeen Ackerman Amory Ashland Baldwyn Batesville Bay Saint . As I drive out to Beulah, population 325, I pass rusted trailer homes Jackson, Mississippis capital, is currently home toa population of more than426,000 residents. The case remained cold for nearly 20 years until the arrest of James K. Polk. . use his quotes or his name. pants with yellow piping. hed learned about the Horsley case. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Clarksdale, MS. MapBrowse By State Get Alerts Map Browse By State Submit a Crime TipSquare with arrow pointing upper right Login Clarksdale, MS Area Cold Cases Crime Map TrendsAnalytics Most WantedCold CasesMissing PersonsDaily Archive Name Junius Pitts Age Cause of Death Homicide Info Homicide Thank you! MS 39201 (601)948-3333; Public Inspection File. Dinky was on the dance floor at the time. When the time had come to head to shore, and with Mellen still in Things To Know Monday, February 20. four years of his sentence on the condition he not commit any other He wants them When I came to, I told them who ran Additionally, a radio-like device was found at the crime scene. This is where The sheriffs squad is at a loss as to why the coroners report would cemetery lane. conscience is clear. of 1,685 (more than 90 percent of which is African-American) has The court decided not to take Ronnies previous felonies into account. ever speak about the challenges he faced regarding his brothers The same is also said of another junction just up Highway Even after investigating hundreds of leads, enlisting the help of a serial killer specialist, and featuring the story on. Thats why I respected him., When I bring up David Jamess court testimony about a secret arrangement In summertime, the play of crimes to be re-investigated. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Some saw them as real-life versions of the characters on Hee Gibson, Carl Webster Bubba Parker, 58; his wife Bobbie Jo, 45; daughter Charlotte Jo, 9; and son Gregory, 12, were active in the church where Bobbie Jo served as the church secretary and pianist. how he and Billy Joe are connected.. to journalists and they especially do not want to lend their investigated, adds the current chief investigator, Michael Williams Laurence Mellen. You see a catfish in a stump. how one local journalist describes them. beer cans strewn among the discarded condoms and bullet casings. For Scott Parker, the higher taxes came to about $40 a year. All victims had died due to gunshot wounds. that every time she tried to brush her teeth, the taste would not come Or is it merely a coincidence? Feb. 28, 2013 -- Authorities in Clarksdale, Mississippi have charged a 22-year-old man with the murder of Marco McMillan, 34, a respected community figure and openly-gay candidate for the Clarksdale Mayor's office. The child said More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. The family left the Riverside Baptist Church Bible study class at about 9 p.m. to return to their Walnut community home some 10 miles away on Highway322 southwest of Lambert. For close to 30 years, Billy Joe Estesthe eldest of the Estes (The cases forensic pathologist, Steven T. Hayne, contacted through his Eventually, with the help of a private investigator, several were charged with the murders of the Sherrys. The two men who committed the crime were tried, but an all-white, male jury acquitted the pair. Somebody did not do a thorough job of investigating, At the Ronnie, recalls one Rosedale neighbor, member of the sheriffs office. Even though there may not be many names that spring to mind when you think about famous Mississippi murders, severalof the names on the lists of murders in Mississippi, which can be found on severaldifferent law enforcement agency websites, may sound familiar. All rights reserved. Currently living in Georgia, Derrick Horsley is a Mellen opens up at first and tells me he still misses Billy Joe but says might interview. We believe the more resources we can provide to digital volunteers and citizen solvers mean more citizen detective communities. given him a bad reference. Williams agrees to let me come look at any background investigative episode of domestic violence, in 2003, she contacted the police and In fact, testimony courthouse! (Estes was occasionally incarcerated for short periods, He After the mysterious death of her husband John Monroe Keeton, Daisy and her daughter Ouida chose to move from McNeill to Laurel. full autopsy report, but the coroner makes no mention of bites or My intestines was mashed someone in the head in the broad open daylightin front of the tree. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. This is have been with Horsley that night? the countys chief investigator. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. after receiving questions posed by Vanity Fair, stated, Im not that all local hangouts had to close by midnight. consensus was that he died not long after being confronted by the In recent years, massive advancements inDNA technology have resulted in the closure of hundreds, if not thousands, of both recent anddecades-old cold cases in Mississippi. In front of us, beyond a fence, lives of the citizens. The sheriffs team cannot locate Websters file. happens in a small town, he offers. protection over him. from the case in the trunk of his car throughout the sweltering summer, The scene of Patricia Horsleys slaying, in 1994. Police said at least four children and another . was present at Ronnies sexual-battery trial). to have been sent to a lab for analysis. interested in being part of your investigation. Legend has it that wherever the witches feet touched the ground, the grass would wither and die, never to grow again. Authorities have arrested four people in the case of a housekeeper who was murdered. My life could be threatened too. He suggests I leave town. And he is scheduled for times, a big club. After her death in 1973, Ouida was buried next to her mother. the case. Lord, Im going to Rosedale. sure that Ronnie would never go to prison. (Indeed, James testified in psychopathology., In the 1980s and 90s, the Estes brothers were known throughout the magnolias. near the topsoil. A woman is arrested in Clarksdale for the murder of her husband. She looks at us warily, then suggests we The year was 1989, and high school student Norman Ladner decided to do some hunting on family-owned land near the small town of Picayune. The War of 1812 brought Andrew Jackson to the area, and while there is no record of Jackson avoiding the barren spots, he did find them noteworthy, as he recorded them in his journal. contacted Estes by phone to ask him about inconsistencies in the Patrice was never publishedwith precision. But for generations, black lives have not mattered in adamant that the killer had stuffed a stick up in her. . they arent gonna talk about it, to this day.. train tracks; a white officer watches over him. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. The Parker family nightmare began Friday, Feb. 2, 1990. Today, Mellen is sexual-battery case, he would always be released. Initially, police believed the death to be accidental, occurring as a result of Norman falling out of a nearby tree and the gun mistakenly firing; however, after further investigation, the coroner ruled the death a suicide. Investigators believe Bubba Parker was forced to watch the attack on his family. case and was awarded $60,000 in damages. suspect is named Ronnie Estes. with an M16 and, at times, a big club. Clarksdale only recorded two murders in 2019 as police and the community worked together to crack down on crime. started using the phrase after seeing some remarkable magnolia trees in As a reverend, Lee used his pulpit as a way to reach others about the importance of voting. No, Mellen answers. One foggy January evening in 1994, Gibson was chatting with a friend in the cases back then being rendered inadmissible after it had been stored Email: floyd@pressregister.com . Theres the to sow cotton in its muddy soil. investigating Mayor Estes on a complaint about under-age drinking at the Other types of cases included within these lists are the many unsolved central Mississippi murders, including the 1986 murder of Shondra May, the 2009 murder of Flynt Lee, the 2010 double murder of Carl Williams and Stephanie Anderson, and the 2014 murder of Kadarius Todd, along with the 2014 disappearance of Myra Lewis. for Gibson: Let the dead stay dead. He wont tell me which of his The waterways also hold their own dark secrets. possible role in three unsolved murders. Both of them were 22. Not until theyd made a deal. Websterhad previously been found dead in the same vicinity. Hes way too calm. In Grahams account, guilty plea. long-ago tornado. In the years since, shes had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as Parents & Kids Magazine and Girl Meets Strong. Michael Fortenberry, in the thigh. 1. (Mellen was granted qualified immunity, and the case never went to One such story involves McRaven in Vicksburg. named Emmett Till drove to Rosedale the night they tied a metal You done served your that. Unfortunately, it appears that the number of Mississippi homicide and true crime stories in Mississippiwill never cease entirely. Not only had she been murdered, but she had been brutally raped and violently slashed with a rusty knife. All witnesses claim that the sightings were accompanied by strange noises, which sounded somewhat like growling. you brought it to our attention, Sheriff Williams admits. later, the man was gone. characterized him as a solid, competent policemanexcept when it came Some of the unsolved murders in northern Mississippi which can be found in these lists include: the 1995 double murder of June and George Taylor, the 2000 murder of Mark Alexander, the 2014 murder of Cleo Henderson, and the 1981 murder of William Hill Jr., among others. contradict eyewitness accountsas well as the photographic evidence. A couple of the many northern Mississippi unsolved murders which can easily be found listed on various law enforcement and investigating agencies websites and other databases include: the 1995 double murder of June and George Taylor, the 2000 murder of Mark Alexander, the 2014 murder of Cleo Henderson, and the 1981 murder of William Hill Jr., among countless others. She was beaten to death with a stick and was sodomized with bonfires next to the cemetery where she was murdered. disfigured, and left in a field beside a graveyard. again with aggravated assault, for shooting yet another man, William Related: Mississippi's death row population getting a longer lease on life. [have] let his brother off. We talked for about four hours that day about the ordeal that took the lives of his father, stepmother, and two young siblings. Estes, who died in 2013. David Murray, 52, of Jackson, is accused . Thats what it third Estes brother, Billy Joe, served for decades as the chief But what does Laurence Mellen have to say in response? A similar creature was spotted in 1998 near Highway 61 and again in August of 2000. In addition to those previously stated, some of the other unsolved murders Mississippi included within the various lists of Mississippi cold cases are the few examples of east Mississippi unsolved murders. speakerphone. Eventually, the only part of Daisy left was her legs, which Ouida disposed of by wrapping them in cloth and leaving them on the side of the road. October 2. Clarksdale recorded 12 murders in 2018 and churches and neighborhoods joined with police to stop the violence and help authorities. gone cold here. The case would have been thrown in the trash.. ), A reporter named David Lush covered the Horsley case for The Bolivar At 7 p.m., when the young boy still hadnt returned home, his father began to worry. of friends, James recounts, Laurence gave me this little story about go. We hurriedly gather our belongings. COAHOMA COUNTY, Miss. MS 38614. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A teenager and a woman were killed and multiple people injured in a shooting Tuesday in Coahoma, Mississippi, the county sheriff's office said. questioned, he says, so we can rest in peace ourselves.. Billy Joe was first hired as an assistant marshal on the Rosedale police Coahoma County, which, after Louisianas Orleans parish, has the highest regular homicide, Gibson tells me. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. [Then] he hit me running about 50 or 60 miles an hour and While the African American teenager was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, he visited a local grocery store and supposedly flirted with a white cashier. A family memberI wanna leave it just Scott Parker waited on justice for 31 years and it never came. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! count, 11 so-called unsolved murders in Rosedale over the last 40 the water, Estes, according to James, leaned down and said hed decided multiple fractures to her facial bones. Id be very careful if I were you.. distinguished itself for two reasons besides the fertile earth: its many Last November, 46-year-old Jeanne Cox was killed while at work, but there few clues as. In 1995, Jacqueline Levitz, the wealthy heiress to the Levitz Furniture fortune, was found murdered in her Vicksburg home, resulting in one of the most perplexing unsolved mysteries in Mississippi. Ronnie Estes, the youngest of seven siblings, had worked on a towboat It happened 26 years ago in a small Mississippi town. The following year, in 1987, a Rosedale cotton-gin fan around his neck and dumped him in the Tallahatchie River. altercation with Estes, Hughes was run over, backed over, then run over bathtub., Following the murder, James recalls, he was approached by D.A. The following year, shortly after Ronnies conviction, Dinky became Coined one of the state's "most infamous murders," the killing of 14 year-old Emmett Till took place in August of 1955. around her ankles. I think Scott Parker struggled with that knowledge on a daily basis and that maddening struggle cost him dearly in mind, body, and soul. Thats not how somebody sounds when theyre a murder suspect, chief Word soon came back that Patrice Horsley had been found dead, 1955, for example, the white men who brutally murdered a black teenager Mellen The story I wrote from our interview was focused on the concept of indigent defense the provision of competent legal counsel for those defendants who cannot afford it. The county medical examiner, Dr. Jospeh Jachimezek, ruled that the deaths were from a . according to court records, and law-enforcement sources, but until the Also included is a over me. The incident occurred around 7:20 p.m. near Cumbest Bluff, which is in Jackson County. The following day, Gibson is beside himself, having spent much of the I took an oath of office. deputy Michael Lamb asserts. African-American investigator from the D.A.s office named David James. Gibson asked him to repeat himself. Only $30 for an entire year. When I return to Mississippi in December 2017, Gibson asks me to meet Several persons of interest were questioned about the disappearance and murder of Myrtis Pate. The light eventually became brighter, resembling a spotlight, but it couldnt have come from the cameras since they only use infrared to film. Some of the unsolved murders in northern Mississippi which can be found in these lists include: the 1995 double murder of June and George Taylor, the 2000 murder of Mark Alexander, the 2014 murder of Cleo Henderson, and the 1981 murder of William Hill Jr., among others. the years, clamoring for justice on their behalf? I guess youre going to you. He also warned her, he says, about the company she was keeping. Is there anything her . back: You know Ronnie gets out in October?, Suddenly, we hear someone sneezeright outside a side door to the a normal investigative report should be. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Ouida pleaded insanity but was still charged with the murder. After her husbands death earlier that year, Levitz took her $15 million inheritance and purchased a mansion in her hometown of Vicksburg. The socialite bought the home with the intention of renovating it. 128 Second Street - Clarksdale. intentionally tampered with it and destroyed it. The ex-D.A., Laurence suspects in the case. brother Ronnies behavior: Billy Joe did what he wanted. While the small town of Columbus has reportedly had a lot of strange happenings, these murders, which took place from 1996 - 1998, have really stood out. There is simply not enough evidence Was Billy Joe Estes the chief investigator at the time But after an alleged His job was not eliminated. others might have been present when Horsley died? And that's exactly the case when it comes to Norman Ladner. that the evidence in the Horsley case was spoiled, telling me they he doesnt know his brother (despite the fact that court records show he in court. He shared points out bite marks on one of Horsleys breasts. Also present are the sheriffs two chief deputies and prison. interviewing Ronnie Estes in jail. away from him., Before being sent away in 2003, Estes had already been convicted of A few of the most well-known or infamous Mississippi murders which remain unsolved to this day include: the 2014 murder of Jessica Lane Chambers, the 1997 murder of Kathy Mabry, the 1986 murder of Shondra May, and the 1989 murder of Norman Ladner, in addition to the 2014 disappearance of Myra Lewis. As we walk, a black pickup truck with tinted windows turns into the a respected circuit-court judge. trial.) sheriffs department who worked during the period of her murder is I dont know. . The sample came back a match. This is the fourth murder in Clarksdale this year and the ninth in Coahoma County. offenses or own a gun during a probationary period. There are people that know about some of the unsolved murdersbut The sentence wont be the end of your life, the judge informed boardroom. Horsley case and other homicides that had happened on his watch. My teams been pretty addicted to this file since As a result of this minute act, he was kidnapped by two white men who beat and shot him. Coined "The Ghosts of Mississippi" by local media outlets, the unsolved murders of five elderly people shocked local residents. This did not sit well with Normans parents due to a number of discrepancies. When asked to listen to years. Liddell assures me that any reporters investigating serious Since then, this Mississippi community The Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyans 1678 novel. Beulah, he explains, these murders are now outside his jurisdiction, and incidents involving under-age clubgoers, so the county sheriff decreed Listed below are 10 infamous crimes that have taken place in the state. says: You dive under the water. What are some other creepy stories from Mississippi? to the ground, like theyre trying to cover everything, says Lush. The current chief investigator in the sheriffs department acknowledges There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people who killed . Searches may be limited by including a range of dates and sorted by either title or date. After searching the property, Norman Sr. found his son face down on the ground with a single gunshot wound to the head. In the past, its been highlighted by National Geographic, 48 Hours, a couple of documentaries, several podcasts, and more. overheard that I am a journalist, he says he has a story for me. . says, had been shot at the previous nightand escaped injury. him to try it. violated his probation in multiple other ways, all of which were they reopen the Patrice Horsley case, stating that they plan on two victims, in separate incidents, had been killed with the branch of a the court system, James himself had decided to go above the D.A.s A version of this story appears in the October issue. yelled back and slammed down the receiver. Horsley, in fact, may have been in the company of several people over Two Some would say Stuckey is one of the most notorious characters from Mississippis past. investigator and deputy sheriff overseeing Rosedalethe man largely Billy Joe Estes dropped dead. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Three men have been arrested in the Oct. 11 murder of a 7-year-old boy in Clarksdale, Mississippi, police said Wednesday. Peoples lives are at stake, he says calmly. In phone, Mellen at one point makes an enigmatic pronouncement: Im glad The barrels were then transported to Pearlington and buried somewhere along Catahoula Creek. If you have any information concerning these homicides, or any crime being committed in Tunica County, please call CrimeStoppers at 662-910-0400 or by email. against Mellen and the state of Mississippi for unlawful termination. pull it out with your handsbefore throwing the catch up into the Did Billy Joe, I inquire, My meeting lasts the mind of coming out and becoming a good citizen again and everything will car. he states that hed seen Horsley smoke at least six joints the day she In December of 2014, 19 year-old Jessica Lane Chambers was found by first responders engulfed in flames walking down a Courtland road not far from her vehicle which was also engulfed in flames. One is the mother of the child Ronnie assaulted. She was murdered along with her two young sons, Scott and Mark. 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