Buzz
The peaceful scenery of Arkansas hides a darker side. The Natural State is brimming with eerie secrets and hidden tales that could easily disrupt its calm appearance. Discover the 10 most chilling mysteries here.
10. Old Mike
During the early 20th century, a man referred to as 'Old Mike' was a well-known figure in Nevada County, particularly around Prescott. As a traveling salesman, he visited monthly to sell stationery to residents and businesses. Though he sometimes spent the night, he invariably departed on the afternoon train the next day.
One day, locals discovered Mike lifeless beneath a tree, having seemingly died the previous night. With only his first name known and no identification found after a postmortem search, the townspeople decided to embalm him and exhibit his body outside the local funeral home.
Mike remained on display for the next 60 years. Initially placed there in hopes of identification or a claimant, no one ever came forward. Finally, in 1975, the state attorney general’s office ordered his burial, and Mike was interred that May. His true identity remains an unsolved mystery.
9. Ghost Lights
Ghost lights, or 'will-o’-the-wisps' in Europe, are iconic in paranormal folklore. Arkansas, like other Southern states, boasts two eerie orbs—one in Gurdon and another in Crossett. Both appear as luminous white lights that sometimes drift through the woods, with equally mysterious origins.
The Gurdon Light first appeared in the early 1930s after the murder of a railroad foreman. Researchers link its legend to the brutal killing of William McClain. Similarly, the Crossett Light emerged from a fatal railroad accident where a worker was decapitated. Some say the light is the ghostly rail worker searching for his head, while others believe it’s his wife’s lantern as she endlessly seeks his body.
8. The Fouke Monster
If you’re traveling through southwest Arkansas, it’s best to stay on the main roads. Venturing into the woods might lead to an encounter with the infamous Fouke Monster, also known as 'the Southern Sasquatch.' Sightings of this creature trace back to the 1940s, but the most notable reports emerged in the early 1970s.
In 1971, Bobby Ford reported to police that he was attacked by a towering, man-like creature over 2 meters (7 feet) tall with glowing red eyes. Ford claimed he had seen the beast during a hunting trip days earlier and shot at it with his friends. The creature later appeared on his porch, seemingly seeking revenge.
After receiving treatment for minor injuries, Ford told officers he frequently saw the monster on his property, terrorizing his livestock. Police investigated but found no blood from the alleged wound. However, they discovered strange tracks in the woods and scratches on Ford’s door. A local reporter covered the story, attracting low-budget filmmakers who turned the encounter into a cheesy horror film, catapulting the creature to fame. The movie inspired four sequels, and even the History Channel joined in, sending its MonsterQuest team to investigate in 2009.
In recent years, sightings of the Fouke Monster have been infrequent. While the 1970s marked the peak of interest—even prompting a local radio station to offer a bounty for its capture—the late 1990s was the last time the creature gained significant attention. Adding to the mystery, independent researchers have claimed that the tracks found by Ford and others were fabricated. Dr. Frank Schambagh, a professor at Southern Arkansas University, stated that the tracks were artificially created and that the Fouke Monster’s anatomy doesn’t align with known primate species. Regardless, we’ll stick to the well-lit, paved areas of Fouke when passing through.
7. Crop Circles
Crop circles first appeared in Arkansas during the summer of 2003, consisting of 10 circles, some as wide as 9 meters (30 feet) in diameter. Two additional formations emerged in subsequent years—one in 2004 in Peach Orchard and another in 2007 in Delaplaine, towns located less than five miles apart. Recently, more intricate designs have been reported in the southern regions of the state.
There’s little evidence to suggest extraterrestrial involvement in the crop circles, and farmers doubt they’re the work of pranksters. As of now, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility for these mysterious formations.
6. The Crawford Disappearance
Arkansas was a hub for mob activity in the early 20th century. Al Capone often visited the state during the 1920s, spending time in Hot Springs to gamble on horse races at Oaklawn and unwind in the numerous bathhouses along Central Avenue. Given the state’s mob-friendly reputation, it’s no surprise that shady dealings were common. This is where Maud Crawford enters the story.
A prominent figure in Camden and a trailblazer for women in Arkansas, Crawford started as a court stenographer before passing the bar exam without formal legal training. She excelled in abstract and title law and was aiding Sen. John McClellan in a congressional investigation into alleged mob connections with organized labor at the time of her disappearance. Her last known location was her home.
Her husband, Clyde, returned home to find her car in the driveway, the TV still on, and money in her purse. Even their guard dog showed no signs of disturbance. Police launched a search the next morning but uncovered few leads. Her body was never found, leaving her disappearance shrouded in mystery.
In the mid-1980s, a series of articles in The Arkansas Gazette suggested that Maud Crawford’s disappearance was linked to Arkansas State Police Commissioner Mike Berg. Crawford had been investigating a questionable transfer of assets between Berg and his relatives. Just days before vanishing, she had confronted him directly about the matter. The articles claimed that Odis A. Henley, the lead investigator, informed his superiors that all evidence pointed to Berg as the perpetrator. This contradicted the Ouachita Sheriff’s department’s official stance that no clues had been found.
Henley’s findings failed to influence the rest of the force. He reportedly was told by his superiors that “there’s too much money involved” before being reassigned. Adding to the mystery, all his files on Crawford vanished after a brief absence from the office. Declared legally dead by Ouachita County in 1969, Crawford’s death was attributed to “foul play by unknown individuals.”
5. The Guy Earthquake Swarms
Guy, a small town north of Little Rock, was unaccustomed to national attention until 2010, when a series of minor earthquakes began shaking the area. The first swarm occurred in fall 2010, with most quakes measuring below 2.0 on the Richter scale, making them barely noticeable to some residents. However, the swarms persisted over the next two years, growing in intensity, with one quake reaching 4.7 in February 2011.
As the tremors grew more noticeable, residents speculated whether hydraulic fracturing techniques used for oil and gas drilling in the area were to blame. The Arkansas Geological Survey was tasked with investigating. While they acknowledged that fracking could cause minor quakes, they found no connection between the drilling and these specific swarms.
Earthquake swarms aren’t uncommon in Arkansas. The state has experienced several before, but none as intense as those in Guy. By 2013, more than 500 quakes had struck the town. Given that the northeast corner of Arkansas was the site of one of the nation’s most severe swarms—the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes—the relentless tremors have left many residents uneasy.
4. The Moonlight Murders
The quiet town of Texarkana was terrorized by a string of brutal killings in the spring of 1946. The white-hooded 'Phantom Killer' targeted young couples who ventured to isolated spots late at night. Active for just three weeks between April and May, he attacked eight people, killing five. To curb the violence and apprehend the suspect, police imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, patrolling the streets with heavily armed units.
Just as suddenly as the killings began, they stopped. Police launched an intense investigation, questioning key witnesses, pursuing leads, and scrutinizing evidence—yet no definitive conclusions were reached. Investigators could only confirm that the killer was a man in a white hood who targeted young people in secluded areas at night, often using a gun.
Over the years, little new information has emerged. Adding to the eerie nature of the case, some online sleuths have speculatively connected the Phantom Killer to San Francisco’s Zodiac Killer. They point to similarities in victim profiles, methods, weapons, and the roughly overlapping timeframes as potential links, though the connection remains speculative.
Nearly 30 years after the investigation stalled, Texarkana’s Charles B. Pierce created a film loosely inspired by the events, titled The Town That Dreaded Sundown. A remake is tentatively planned to begin production later this year.
3. The Train Deaths
One of Arkansas’ most infamous unsolved cases, the tragic deaths of Don Henry and Kevin Ives continue to unsettle Central Arkansas. On the early morning of August 23, 1987, their mutilated bodies were found on railroad tracks in Bryant, a suburb south of Little Rock. The train engineer couldn’t stop in time and reported seeing the boys lying motionless, parallel to each other with their arms at their sides, partially covered by a green tarp.
The initial investigation was quick, with police labeling the deaths as accidental. The state medical examiner claimed the boys were under the influence of marijuana and had fallen unconscious on the tracks. However, their parents disputed this, convinced their sons were victims of foul play. After persistent efforts to reopen the case, they succeeded in early 1988 when a new prosecutor, Richard Garrett, ordered the bodies exhumed for further analysis.
The findings were shocking. Medical examiners revealed both boys had sustained injuries before the train incident. Henry’s shirt was shredded, with stab wounds across his body, while Ives had blunt force trauma to his skull. Examiners concluded both were already dead when the train hit them. The green tarp mentioned earlier was never found.
The case took stranger turns. Witnesses stepped forward, claiming they saw police officers brutally beating the boys before loading them into a truck. Others reported a man in military attire near the tracks where the bodies were found. Speculation grew, with theories ranging from the boys witnessing a drug drop linked to alleged cocaine smuggling via Mena Airport to them being silenced to protect a political career. Notably, Dan Harmon, a Bryant official, was later arrested for running a cocaine ring from his office.
The parents found some solace as a grand jury changed its verdict from “probable homicide” to “definite homicide.” Arkansans have kept the boys’ memory alive, honoring them with a memorial last spring. Yet, after 25 years, the case remains unresolved.
2. John Glasgow Vanishes
The notion of someone vanishing without a trace in the digital age seems unlikely, yet that’s precisely what happened to John Glasgow in 2008. Whether it was voluntary remains a mystery. A leading figure in Little Rock’s construction sector, Glasgow was earning a seven-figure salary as CEO of CDI Contractors when he allegedly left his driveway at 5:15 a.m. on January 28, heading to work. That was the last time he was seen.
It was never confirmed if the person driving his black SUV was Glasgow. When his office contacted his wife later that day to inquire about his whereabouts, she sensed something was amiss. It was unlike him to go silent. Within hours, she mobilized a search party. They traced his last cell phone signal to Petit Jean Mountain, where they found his SUV parked near Mather Lodge. Inside the vehicle were his phone, two credit cards, and his laptop. Only his keys and wallet were missing. The trail ended there.
In the days after his disappearance, rumors began to swirl. Some claimed it was linked to his “strained” relationship with Dillard’s, CDI’s parent company, as he was undergoing an audit. Friends noted he was anxious about it. Others insisted he was in “good spirits” before vanishing. The audit later cleared Glasgow and his company of any wrongdoing. Investigators highlighted that he had received a substantial bonus before disappearing, raising suspicions of ransom or extortion. However, his bank accounts remained untouched.
The case took an odd twist in 2012 when Jonathan Brawner, a convicted felon and prison barber at the Faulkner County jail, made headlines by claiming he and accomplices had buried Glasgow four years earlier. Despite an extensive search of the area, no evidence was found to support his claim, and no new leads have emerged since.
1. The Edwards Murder
In the 1970s, Arkansas was a challenging place for a single mother of three. Linda Edwards saw her job as a dispatcher for the Garland County Sheriff’s Office as a blessing, but just six months into the role, she disappeared. Rumors swirled that Sgt. Thurman Abernathy, with whom she was having an affair, had gotten her pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby; he didn’t. A heated argument allegedly led to her death. Adding to the suspicion, Edwards’ friend, Mary Patterson, told police Edwards was meeting Abernathy the night she vanished.
The missing person’s case lingered for nearly a year until a hunter discovered Edwards’ partially buried remains in the woods. Medical examiners concluded she died from blunt-force trauma to her skull. Months later, Abernathy was formally charged with her murder.
Aware that much of the evidence against him was circumstantial, Abernathy chose to appeal his case. As the appeal progressed through the courts, the case was transferred to Dan Harmon, a newly appointed prosecutor. Harmon dismissed all charges against Abernathy, who had since been promoted to lieutenant. A grand jury supported this decision, citing a lack of concrete evidence. Despite a thorough statewide investigation, no definitive proof has ever emerged connecting Abernathy to Edwards’ murder, and the case remains unresolved.
