Arkansas carries an estimated 2,687 unsolved murders accumulated between 1965 and 2023, drawn from FBI Uniform Crime Report data compiled by Project: Cold Case.1Project: Cold Case. Cold Case Homicide Stats Over that same period the state recorded 11,182 homicides, meaning roughly one in four killings went unsolved. None of them have aged out of prosecution, and the agencies, databases, and family resources built around them have grown considerably in the last few years.
Why Old Arkansas Murder Cases Can Still Be Charged
Under Arkansas law, homicide carries no statute of limitations. Capital murder, first-degree murder, and second-degree murder can all be prosecuted at any time, no matter how many years have passed since the crime.2Justia Law. Arkansas Code 5-1-109 – Statute of Limitations A case filed away in 1987 is just as prosecutable as one from last year, as long as evidence still exists and a suspect can be identified.
The Arkansas State Police defines a cold case as a homicide or long-term missing person investigation that has gone unsolved for at least two years and has no remaining unexplored leads.3Arkansas Department of Public Safety. Arkansas State Police Cold Cases Hitting that two-year threshold is what triggers formal cold case protocols and opens the door to additional state and federal resources.
Who Investigates Cold Cases in Arkansas
Arkansas State Police Cold Case Unit
The Arkansas State Police maintains a Cold Case Unit inside the Special Operations section of its Criminal Investigations Division, staffed by special agents and retired law enforcement officers working unresolved cases full-time. One important limitation: the ASP Cold Case Unit only reviews cases originally initiated by the State Police. It has no jurisdiction over cases investigated solely by local agencies unless that local agency makes a formal request for assistance.3Arkansas Department of Public Safety. Arkansas State Police Cold Cases
Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit
In June 2024, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the creation of a new Cold Case Unit within his office’s Special Investigations Division. The unit was designed to fill a gap, coordinating with municipal and county agencies that may lack the personnel and budget for years-long investigations.4Arkansas Attorney General. Griffin Establishes Cold Case Unit Within the Office of the Attorney General For families whose case was handled by a small-town department, this office is now a realistic point of contact.
Federal Backup
Local and state agencies in Arkansas can pull in federal resources. The FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) maintains a secure database that helps investigators spot links between cases that may be connected to a serial offender. FBI crime analysts perform the analytical work for local agencies and deliver investigative leads; the program partners with departments rather than taking over their cases.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Crime Analysts Provide Training on Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
On the funding side, the Bureau of Justice Assistance offers grants through the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. Category 6, called the National Cold Case Initiative, specifically funds the investigation and prosecution of unsolved violent crimes including homicides that are not sexually motivated. State governments, county governments, city governments, tribal governments, and prosecutor’s offices can all apply. There is a catch: agencies applying under this category must first certify that they have addressed at least 75% of the cases in their backlog of unsubmitted or partially tested sexual assault kits.6Bureau of Justice Assistance. FY25 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative NOFO
How DNA Is Reopening Arkansas Cases
The single biggest change in cold case work over the past two decades is DNA technology. Evidence collected in the 1980s or 1990s that yielded nothing useful at the time can now produce a full genetic profile. The FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) lets crime labs upload forensic DNA profiles from crime scenes and search them against a national database of offender and arrestee profiles. To qualify for the national database, a forensic sample must be attributed to the likely perpetrator, meet FBI quality standards, and include results from at least eight core genetic markers with a match rarity of at least one in ten million.7Federal Bureau of Investigation. CODIS and NDIS Fact Sheet
When CODIS doesn’t produce a hit, investigators increasingly turn to forensic genetic genealogy, uploading a DNA profile to public genealogy databases and using family tree research to narrow down a suspect. The Department of Justice issued a formal policy in 2019 governing how federal agencies and their partners use this method. Investigators must exhaust traditional methods including CODIS before turning to genetic genealogy, agencies must identify themselves as law enforcement to the genealogy service, and no suspect can be arrested based solely on a genealogical match. A traditional DNA comparison is required for confirmation. If the technique leads to an arrest, the uploaded profile must be promptly deleted from the genealogy database, and if it doesn’t lead to charges, all reference samples and profiles must be destroyed.8United States Department of Justice. Interim Policy – Forensic Genetic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Searching
These tools are already producing results in Arkansas. In February 2026, the remains of Little John Sutton, who went missing in August 2006, were officially identified through advanced DNA analysis nearly 20 years after his disappearance.
Rights and Resources for Victims’ Families
Families of cold case victims have legal standing of their own. The Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act, signed into federal law in 2022 and codified at Title 34 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 609, gives immediate family members of unsolved murder victims the right to request a formal review of the case file.9Congress.gov. S.4549 – Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act of 2022 To qualify, the murder must have occurred more than three years prior and been investigated by a federal law enforcement entity. That federal limitation narrows the law’s reach, since most Arkansas homicides are investigated by state or local agencies, but families whose cases involved any federal investigative role should know this route exists.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a free federal database maintained by the National Institute of Justice. Family members can create accounts, enter information about missing loved ones, and search records of unidentified remains found across the country. NamUs also provides free forensic services, including DNA analysis, dental comparisons, fingerprint examination, and forensic anthropology. Family DNA collection kits are provided at no cost.10National Institute of Justice. NamUs Home For Arkansas families whose missing person case may be tied to a homicide, NamUs is one of the most practical tools available.
The Office for Victims of Crime maintains a directory of cold case resources, including organizations that provide emotional support and case advocacy to families during the long wait for resolution.11Office for Victims of Crime. Cold Cases Families considering a private investigator for an independent case review should expect hourly rates that typically run from $75 to $275, with ongoing investigations often requiring an upfront retainer.
How to Submit a Tip on an Unsolved Arkansas Murder
The ASP Cold Case Unit accepts tips directly by email at ColdCase@asp.arkansas.gov.3Arkansas Department of Public Safety. Arkansas State Police Cold Cases That’s the most direct channel for cases originally investigated by the State Police.
For anonymous reporting, Central Arkansas CrimeStoppers takes tips at 501-340-TIPS (8477). Callers do not have to give their name. To be eligible for a cash reward if the tip leads to an arrest, however, the caller must leave a contact phone number.12Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. Send A Tip To Crimestoppers The FBI also accepts tips at 1-800-CALL-FBI for cases with potential federal connections, and many local police departments maintain their own tip lines.
Time changes relationships and loyalties. Someone who kept quiet about a murder 20 years ago because of fear or personal ties may feel differently today. A single phone call can reopen an investigation that has been dormant for decades.
Notable Arkansas Cold Cases
Several Arkansas murders have stayed in the public eye for years. The August 1987 deaths of teenagers Don Henry and Kevin Ives, whose bodies were found on the railroad tracks near the Crooked Creek trestle in Alexander, were eventually ruled a “probable homicide” by a grand jury, though no one has ever been charged.13Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Kevin Ives and Don Henry (Murder of) Nineteen-year-old Melissa Witt was abducted from a Fort Smith bowling alley parking lot on December 1, 1994, and her body was found six weeks later on a logging trail in the Ozark National Forest, about 50 miles away; the case remains open with no named suspect.145NEWS. Melissa Witt’s Murder Remains Unsolved Nearly 30 Years Later Ebby Steppach, 18, was reported missing from Little Rock on October 26, 2015; her skeletal remains were discovered inside a drainage pipe at Chalamont Park roughly two and a half years later, and detectives have said publicly they believe someone in the community still holds the key to the case.