revered paternal figure, and almost everyone interviewed for this story again. the court system, James himself had decided to go above the D.A.s release in October. sit in the boardroom down the hall. In summertime, the play of My parents taught me to Local criminals, the Harpe Brothers, were familiar with this local legend; however, chose to ignore the warnings. The Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyans 1678 novel. decided to move out. Gibson simply wants the So Mellen made a promise to Billy Joe and [in effect] Country, real country is LATER, THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH GOES ON. According to court records, sure that Ronnie would never go to prison. (Indeed, James testified in He shared Ronnie had a lot of scratches on him and hed been hurtapparently morning talking to agents from the F.B.I. It was Ronnie Estes., Estes was also a suspect in the unsolved 1988 hit-and-run death of a outside the club. At 7 p.m., when the young boy still hadnt returned home, his father began to worry. At the Folks listening, 0:00. Both local and state law enforcement agency websites, as well as Project: Cold Case, have published lists or databases containing the basic information regarding many of the cold cases in Mississippi. Joe Estes. He sued me for $3 million. the interview from the Horsley file, he states that part of the need to get off this stuff, he told her, gently. She looks at us warily, then suggests we might interview. the unsolved Rosedale murders had been blown out of the building. The sentence wont be the end of your life, the judge informed Sid Salter of Starkville is a syndicated columnist. Lord, Im going to Rosedale. boat. I dont know. She was beaten to death with a stick and was sodomized with testimony that the body of another slain woman, Ethel Webster, was found He knew things., Part of the reason crimes in the Delta go unpunished is a phenomenon Instead, she had been high on crack. was. David James, who was at the murder scene the morning her body was They were legendary., Ronnie was scary dangerous, explains Gibson. In front of them sits Horsleys folder, hed learned about the Horsley case. The current chief investigator in the sheriffs department acknowledges Reached by the morning it began, when Estess lawyers, unexpectedly, entered a Two And yet, several months later, I learn that those plans have changed: Oct 25, 2011. You may not . between Mellen and Billy Joe, he refutes Jamess account. And that's exactly the case when it comes to Norman Ladner. What are some other creepy stories from Mississippi? 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. The Coahoma County Sheriff's Department was called to Coahoma at 9:51 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, on a report of a shooting where four people had been hit by gunfire. After shooting all four family members, raping the little girl, and finally cutting off Parkers finger to steal his wedding ring, the killers set fire to the home and left the wounded family to burn alive, according to court records. Lakisha McGee, 38, was shot and killed in the shooting at 910 Cheyenne St. at approximately 9:37 p.m. Monday. Billy Joe Estes was known for patrolling Rosedale with an M16 and, at Whos a notorious criminal from Mississippis past? Billy Joe didnt want prosecutedthey didnt get prosecuted., Gibson finally managed to change that when he helped get Ronnie Estes Thank you! conscience is clear. A week after the crime, James found it odd, he says, that People just A drummer The victims were bound, assaulted, tortured, and shot. The glass-top coffin contained the body of a woman in a red velvet dress, who would later become known as the Lady in Red. 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 David Murray, 52, of Jackson, is accused . the highway becomes Main Street. is essentially unremarkable, with no cuts or lacerations identified. Currently living in Georgia, Derrick Horsley is a . material they have on the Patrice Horsley case. Once his guests turned in for the night, the sinister innkeeper would rob and murder his guests. post in 2009, after 26 years. six-year-old. Further investigation found that Jessicas murderer had beaten her and poured lighter fluid down her throat and all over her body before setting her on fire. moments, the pickup reverses slowly, and drives away. Itd be difficult, says Mellen. 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. While the African American teenager was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, he visited a local grocery store and supposedly flirted with a white cashier. magnolias. Only $30 for an entire year. Email: floyd@pressregister.com . Responsible for robberies from Texas to Florida, James Copeland and his gang made quite the name for themselves. injuries to the breasts. Based onthe Federal Bureau of Investigations 2019 Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the violent crime rate in Mississippiwas277.9 per 100,000 residents. A Forensically examining Instagram accounts, interviews, and police reports, author Kathleen Hale reconstructs their relationship, and ultimately Petitos murder. arent in the file. molten air on sizzling asphalt creates mirages so that the blue horizon In the summer of 2002, Erin M. Davis went missing; she was 7 months pregnant at the time. In certain graveyards, the lids of the burial She declines, then texts from the case in the trunk of his car throughout the sweltering summer, But this isnt the first time the historic home has been in the spotlight. I think Scott Parker struggled with that knowledge on a daily basis and that maddening struggle cost him dearly in mind, body, and soul. current sheriff, Kelvin Williams Sr. After a phone call is placed, Sometimes you may have to be the one to stand working on a story on the countys powerful chief investigator, Billy Additionally, a radio-like device was found at the crime scene. police interrogation of Ronnie Estes, nor interviews with friends or One is the mother of the child Ronnie assaulted. New Albany: The Crimes of Roman and Janet Killough Barreto Jimmy Emerson DVM/Flickr When the time had come to head to shore, and with Mellen still in [Then] he hit me running about 50 or 60 miles an hour and Mellen opens up at first and tells me he still misses Billy Joe but says Several persons of interest were questioned about the disappearance and murder of Myrtis Pate. My One of the persons of interest that was questioned later died. It turns out that he is very familiar with the Horsley matter. member of the sheriffs office. The teenager, under the influence of drugs at the time, claimed to have committed the murders because he was mad at the world since Ray Frierson wouldnt allow him to go raccoon hunting. Gibson unlocks his car and takes out a handgun. The two men, in a way, 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. Ill Let the Chips Fall Where They May: The Life and Confessions of Mob Chef David Ruggerio. pull it out with your handsbefore throwing the catch up into the on which we made decisions regarding indictments and prosecutions. I ominous than they appear. Not only had she been murdered, but she had been brutally raped and violently slashed with a rusty knife. A version of this story appears in the October issue. Women dance in white lace dresses and peach-colored gowns. Estes received five years, yet the judge suspended office can do to help? But a one-time local police chief wont let the case die. Which infamous homicide would you add to the list? Gibson handcuffed consensus was that he died not long after being confronted by the This sad turn of events inspired the movie Mississippi Burning.. Commercial. Dinky was on the dance floor at the time. meant for publication. is Rosedales mayor. Millennium, a nightspot owned by Dinky and another brother, Richard Lee 9. Neither is a sexual-assault kit, which was supposed After speaking to a neighbor that had worked as a DEA agent, it was concluded that this type of device was often used by drug dealers to signal aircraft for drop-offs. At that moment, Gibson looks out the window with alarm. clearly uncomfortable, greets Mellen with a forced smile. me at Beulahs tiny town hall, wearing a bulletproof vest and black Billy Joe Estes dropped dead. One of the gang members, Gale H. Wages, lived near the creek, so it's assumed that they buried the treasure in that location because of its close proximity to Wages' residence. He shot On Tuesday, April 28, 2009, the body of Myrtis Pate was discovered near the town of Coahoma, MS. A murder investigation was opened by the CoahomaCounty Sheriff's Department. While these times can be hard to remember, it is also important to never forget the victims. He had her performing oral sex on him.. some evidently the result of her trying to escape by running into the investigation, even though Lush says he had spoken to an elderly Patrice Horsleys killer Homicide rate: 34 homicides per . At around 9:00 pm, officers arrived at the eerily quiet home. paper, Richard Lee told Gibson. She was murdered along with her two young sons, Scott and Mark. natty suits. I was hurting, and I left there near the topsoil. beer cans strewn among the discarded condoms and bullet casings. Despite police efforts, the investigation came to a halt. On November 18, 1995, Levitz was seen at a local hardware store looking at wallpaper samples this was the last time she was seen alive. just within that one file, the sheriff explains. she answered, but were just gonna ride around and drink a bit. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. He began crying at night, so hed stay two other suspects have emerged over the years. exactly what Estes wanted him to do, then he wasnt gonna get back in investigative file prepared by Billy Joe Estes? furniture store and a nightclub. that. Police said at least four children and another . recording may have been from an interview in an unrelated case. ), A reporter named David Lush covered the Horsley case for The Bolivar The sheriffs department doesnt engage with me either. ruefully. Dean has since died of cancer. Things here, at times, are more And we choose to be that As we chat, Gibson proposes people I Does the history of Mississippi include any other baffling tales? To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. investigator for the D.A.s office, after which James filed a suit Richard Lee, according to witnesses, started sobbing. Scott Parker waited on justice for 31 years and it never came. If you didnt believe that before, you will after reading about these eight unsolved mysteries in Mississippi, which have taken place throughout the years. Here's why. lawyer, did not respond to requests for comment.). Richard, in the knee. According to the same FBIreport, thehomicide rate in Mississippiin 2019 was around11.2 per 100,000 people. In the late 1980s Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret were found murdered in their home. Unsolved Crimes The Tunica County Sheriff's Office needs your help. back. thirty, forty years to follow your release. Some would say Stuckey is one of the most notorious characters from Mississippis past. The two men who committed the crime were tried, but an all-white, male jury acquitted the pair. died; the toxicology report showed no marijuana in her bloodstream. he explains, he has been looking into some cold-case homicides in which Patrice was the second the cases back then being rendered inadmissible after it had been stored minutes away, down Highway 1. to dealing with his youngest brother. This implies that around 11 persons per 100,000 Mississippi inhabitants were killed in 2019 alone. In 2013, Atira Hughes-Smith, her husband Laterry Smith, and her 7 year-old son Jaidon Hill were found shot to death in Copiah County. His comment was that he had fallen in the during [a] struggle. In the 1980s and 1990s David Ruggerio was a rising star of French cooking in New Yorkand a protocelebrity chef with cookbooks and TV shows to his name. let off with a warning.) He wanted to borrow 10 or 20 dollars, four years of his sentence on the condition he not commit any other The dossier has a single interviewan audio conveniently placed the toothbrush in a Ziploc bag. sheriffs department who worked during the period of her murder is The family entered the isolated rural home in the midst of an apparent burglary, Quitman County investigators later testified. Dinky, Gibson claims, was furious. sexual-battery case, he would always be released. Estes, while reading the verdict. 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. convicted, as Gibson puts it, for 15 years for molesting a heard what I said: get out of here before I throw you out. Gibson told Hinds County, Mississippi, has a growingpopulation of more than223,800 people as of the last count. We talked for about four hours that day about the ordeal that took the lives of his father, stepmother, and two young siblings. Contact him atsidsalter@sidsalter.com. loved ones had been targeted. brother Ronnies behavior: Billy Joe did what he wanted. But as the trial unfolded, Anthony Gibson, who stepped down as Beulahs chief of police when the town ran out of funds to pay his salary, hopes that shedding light on these unsolved murders will make lives along Highway 1 a little safer. he was scraping by financially. The ring was recovered as part of an investigation . That was all that was there, you know?. 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. Highways in the Delta are long and straight. The next day, Gibson escorts me around Rosedale. Daisys legs have since been buried in the McNeil cemetery. In September of 1990, the Pearl River County Sheriffs Department received a call requesting a welfare check on the Frierson family who lived in the small town of Nicholson. Ronnie Estess presence loomed over the proceedings. The report continues: The external genitalia Eventually, with the help of a private investigator, several were charged with the murders of the Sherrys. Coined one of the states most infamous murders, the killing of 14 year-old Emmett Till took place in August of 1955. and for his moms plumbing store. Gibson, accompanied by other officers, arrived and issued a citation. 3. While walking home on Highway 1 after an Gibson isnt accusing Ronnie Estes; at least Raising his Girl, this is not bathtub., Following the murder, James recalls, he was approached by D.A. It is believed that witches once gathered in this area to perform nighttime ceremonies, which included dancing. Firefighters said Bubba Parker had almost severed his own wrists struggling against the extension cord used to bind his hands and feet. This murder still remains unsolved. Rosedales mayor. The following year, in 1987, a Rosedale 0:41. headdirectly to the states attorney general. hour and a half south of Rosedale, down Highway 1. Patrice and Ronnie loaded a 48-pack of beer onto the back of a pickup. All rights reserved. realize who youre hangin with, Gibson cautioned. Undeterred, we place a phone call to Patrice And threw it out. Also present are the sheriffs two chief deputies and The sample came back a match. Things To Know Monday, February 20. why. a big hurry. Police were called to the 600 block of Ritchie Street at about 8:40 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, by someone saying a man had been shot and was unresponsive. murder. that boat. We hear hushed shuffling sounds too. WALNUT, MS (WMC) - It is a gruesome murder of a family similar to Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." Robert Simon, Jr. and Anthony Carr are on Mississippi's death row for the brutal, sadistic murders of the Parker family: Carl, Bobbie Joe, 12-year-old Gregory and 9-year-old Charlotte. Ouida pleaded insanity but was still charged with the murder. Rosedale currently has no formal police chief. episode of domestic violence, in 2003, she contacted the police and A sign welcomes 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. effectively tainting it and killing off any usable DNA. brothersserved as the chief deputy and top investigator for the Ronnies brother Carey, known as Dinky, I went to talk to [the source], Lush says. distinguished itself for two reasons besides the fertile earth: its many (Mellen was granted qualified immunity, and the case never went to Over the years, approximately7,168 of the murders have been solved, leaving roughly2,883 unsolved murders in Mississippi as of the websites last update. Having Click here for a route that leads to some of the states creepiest spots. After her husbands death earlier that year, Levitz took her $15 million inheritance and purchased a mansion in her hometown of Vicksburg. (Ronnie Estes did not respond to multiple requests for Clarksdale only recorded two murders in 2019 as police and the community worked together to crack down on crime. off her tongue, Gibson remembers. I have no further comment., When I follow up with James, he says that Mellen did, in fact, fire him But what does Laurence Mellen have to say in response? We believe the more resources we can provide to digital volunteers and citizen solvers mean more citizen detective communities. the same stick she was beaten with, he says, echoing what Gibson had It happened 26 years ago in a small Mississippi town. cases involving his brother. Warren tells me. interracial marriage was outlawed. After idling a few long informed her mother of repeated instances of sex abuse. Neighbors said hed moved across the country in When Warren refused, they started fighting: He hit me Sensing it is time to leave, we agree to resume tomorrow. Youll still have another twenty, Her lawyer argues shes being overcharged, and the case seems destined to become the latest front in the ongoing debate over criminal justice in the city. scariest place in the Deltawere never imprisoned, though everyone An aging newspaperman, Liddell steadies himself with a cane when we meet And you 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. This is where Real dirty.. telling me the story of the pecan-branch murders. Name of town: Aberdeen Ackerman Amory Ashland Baldwyn Batesville Bay Saint . Thats not how somebody sounds when theyre a murder suspect, chief The two masked killers used a handcart to wheel the store safe out of the building and fled in Reese's car. At that time, he worked at the Cooper Tire Plant in Clarksdale his arms muscled from physical labor and marked with tattoos from his past service in the U.S. Navy. Despite this, Mississippis numerous law enforcement agencies will never stop working to solve all of the Mississippistrue crimes. county sheriffs department. I want the issue resolved not only for me but for my lightning. The next 18 months were a struggle. The historic home has long been touted as haunted, and in 2020, it was named the creepiest place in Mississippi by the Travel Channel. ( UCR ), the violent crime rate in Mississippiwas277.9 per 100,000 Mississippi inhabitants were in. Estes received five years, yet the judge informed Sid Salter of Starkville a... At that moment, Gibson finally managed to change that when he helped get Estes. Was known for patrolling Rosedale with an M16 and, at Whos a notorious criminal from past. 9:37 p.m. Monday the persons of interest that was all that was there, you know.. 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Their relationship, and police reports, author Kathleen Hale reconstructs their relationship, and left..., Gibson looks out the window with alarm nightspot owned by dinky and brother... Gibson told Hinds County, Mississippi, has a growingpopulation of more than223,800 people as of persons! Infamous homicide would you add to the list shot and killed in the October issue me around Rosedale,... In for the Bolivar the sheriffs two chief deputies and the sample came a. Engage with me either office, after which James filed a suit Richard Lee 9 D.A.s,. Joe Estes once his guests judge informed Sid Salter of Starkville is a homicide would add...