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Who killed Melissa Witt? · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Welcome back everybody. Today, we're going to be taking a
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  deep dive into a cold case.
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  Speaker 2: Ooh, a cold case.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, a cold case. So that's a crime, usually a murder, right,
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  that remains unsolved for a very long time. And this
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  one we're going to be talking about has haunted Arkansas
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  for almost thirty years.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, thirty years. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: It's the case of Melissa Witch, who was nineteen years
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  old vanished back in nineteen ninety four.
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  Speaker 2: You know it's fascinating about this case is that even
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  after all this time, I know, right, there's been as
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  we're approaching the twenty ninth anniversary of her disappearance, there's
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  this renewed push for answers.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you and I have been like combing through
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  all these different articles, witness statements, all sorts of you know, theory,
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  different theories surrounding this case. It's a lot to unpack,
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  it is. But that's what we do here on the
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  deep dive, Right, we take this mountain of information and
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  we just distill it down to the most important pieces.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, So let's start with the basics. Melissa, or
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  Missy as she was known, was a college student working
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  towards becoming a dental hygienist. Oh wow. She was by
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  all accounts just a bright, friendly young woman. She had
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  her whole life ahead of her. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And then on December first, nineteen eighty four, she just
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  seemingly vanished into thin air. It's crazy, but you know,
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  we dug deeper and it became clear that this was
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  no ordinary disappearance.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely not. The chilling reality is that six weeks
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  after Missy went missing, hunters made this gruesome discovery. Oh no,
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  in the Ozark National Forest.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: They found her body forty five miles away from where
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  she was last seen.
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  Speaker 1: Forty five miles. That's not like a quick drive. Someone
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  went to a lot of trouble to like hide her body.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. And the way her body was found is
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  particularly disturbing. Really, I wasn't just dumped in the woods.
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  It was placed very deliberately near a rock formation that
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  resembled a headstone.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, that's creepy it is. And then and she was
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  found nude, but her clothes were missing. Yes, this detail,
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  I mean, it's not just creepy, it's potentially crucial. I mean,
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  what do you think what was the killer trying to
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  say by arranging things this way.
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  Speaker 2: That's the million dollar question, isn't it. It speaks to
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  a level of premeditation. Yeah, and possibly a desire to
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  taunt investigators.
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  Speaker 1: Ooh.
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  Speaker 2: Some believe that the killer might have been trying to
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  send the message right, maybe even had some kind of
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  personal connection to the victim.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So this is adding like another layer of complexity.
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  It is to this already tragic story. Absolutely, but to
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  understand how we got here, we kind of need to
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  rewind back to December one, nineteen ninety four, right the
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  day Missy disappeared.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, it started out like any other day. Okay. Missy
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  had a minor disagreement with her mother about borrowing money. Oh,
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  and her mom left her a note saying that she
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  loved her and would be a bowling world. Oh wow,
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  which was the local bowling alley Later that evening.
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  Speaker 1: Oh it's those little detail you know, it is. It's
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  like glimpses and to everyday life that make these cases. Yes,
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  so heartbreaking, heart break. It's just the stark reminder that
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  even in the midst of like the ordinary, the unthinkable
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  can happen. So later that evening, Missy went to the
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  bowling alley, likely to meet her mom, but she.
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  Speaker 2: Never made it inside. She didn't.
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  Speaker 1: So what happened in that parking lot, we know there
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  was a struggle. Investigators found blood, Missy's keys and one
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  of her earrings. So this wasn't just a simple disappearance, No,
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  it was. This was a violent abduction exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And that's where our deep dive really gets interesting, because
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  there were people at that bowling alley who might have
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  seen something anything that could help solve this case. Oh wow,
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  potentially a big deal.
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  Speaker 1: All right, So there were witnesses were at the bowling alley.
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  Speaker 2: Uh huh, Two in particular standouts. One is a man
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  described as short with a mustache and glasses who was
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  seen smoking outside the bowling alley.
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  Speaker 1: He could have been in the perfect spot to like
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  see or hear the abduction. Oh absolutely, Do.
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  Speaker 2: We know if he ever came forward, you know, that's
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  the thing we don't know for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wow, It's possible that he didn't even realize what
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  he saw right at the time. Yeah, you know, he
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  just thought it was maybe a lover's quarrel or something
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  and want to get involved.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I could see that this was almost thirty years ago,
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  that's right, And like it was before everyone had cell phones, yeah,
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  with cameras like out, you know, documenting everything, right, So
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  it's not like he was probably recording or taking pictures
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  of this or anything.
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  Speaker 1: And then there's the second witness, a couple with a
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  young child who were seen walking through the parking lot
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  around the same time that Missy disappeared.
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  Speaker 2: So they could have unknowingly walked right past the abduction
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  absolutely or like seen something suspicious.
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  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure.
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  Speaker 2: I mean I know you said any detail could be important, huh,
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  but like, realistically is likely that someone remembers something so
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  small from that long ago.
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  Speaker 1: It might seem like a long shot, but.
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  Speaker 2: You'd be surprised what the human brain can retain. Okay,
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  sometimes even a smell, a sound, or a glimpse of
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  a particular car can trigger a memory.
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  Speaker 1: Really just like that. Oh absolutely, wow, that's kind of crazy,
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  it is. So you're saying that even if someone thinks
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  what they remember is insignificant, Yeah, it's still worth coming forward.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. It's like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle. It
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  might have most of the pieces, yeah, but it's those
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  few missing ones, right that can complete the picture.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So the witnesses are one piece of the puzzle. Yes,
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  what about the investigation itself? Oh, were there any suspects?
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  Speaker 2: Well, there was one person of interest who's always loomed
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  large in this case, Larry Sweringen.
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  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, wasn't he convicted for the murder of another
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  young woman? That's right, Melissa Trotter. Yeah, and her case
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  had some like chilling similarities to Missy's.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. They were both college students, both abducted, both found
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  in these remote wooded areas, and both murders happened within
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  a relatively close timeframe.
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  Speaker 1: So investigators obviously looked at him.
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  Speaker 2: Oh they did. They considered him a suspect. Swearing In
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  always maintained his innocence in Missy's case.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, but he was executed in twenty nineteen for Trotter's murder,
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  That's right. Doesn't that kind of rule him out as
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  a suspect in Missy's case?
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  Speaker 2: You know, it certainly complicates things. Yeah, on the one hand,
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  he's no longer alive to be tried or to confess.
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  But on the other hand, yeah, there are those who
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  believe that he might have had an accomplice. Oh wow,
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  someone who helped him abduct and murder both women.
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  Speaker 1: So even though swearing in is gone, the possibility that
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  someone else was involved yes, means that this investigation might not.
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  Speaker 2: Be over exactly. And that brings us back to those
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  potential witnesses at the bowling out Okay, their testimony, even
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  after all these years, could be the key to finally
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  solving this case.
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  Speaker 1: So the swearing in connection is a bit of a puzzle.
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  But there's another angle we need to explore here. Remember
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  those witnesses at the bowling Alley. Yes, it's been twenty
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  nine years a long time. What are the chances they
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  even remember anything helpful at this point.
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  Speaker 2: It's true that memories can fade over time. Yeah, but
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  sometimes the smallest detail can be a catalyst. Okay, think
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  about it this way. What if you were there that day, Okay,
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  what would you have noticed?
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  Speaker 1: Well, I'd probably remember if I saw someone like being
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  forced into a car, yes, or if I heard someone
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  screaming for helps exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And even if you didn't witness the actual abduction, you
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  might remember seeing something okay that seemed off at the time,
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  something that just didn't quite make sense. Maybe you saw
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  Missy arguing with someone or noticed a suspicious vehicle in
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  the parking lot.
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  Speaker 1: Some people have already told the police if they saw
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  something like that, you'd think so, Like, I mean, wouldn't
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  they have come forward back in nineteen ninety four.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you would think. But that's not always the case.
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  Speaker 1: Really.
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  Speaker 2: Sometimes people convince themselves that what they saw wasn't important,
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  or they don't want to get involved, yeah, or maybe
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  they were just afraid to come forward.
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  Speaker 1: So you're saying, there's a chance that someone out there
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  has a piece of information, It's definitely possible that can
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  crack this case wide open. But they've been holding onto
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  it all these.
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  Speaker 2: Years, That's right, and that's why it's so crucial to
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  keep Missy's story, Yeah, in the public eye. Someone out
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  there might have that missing piece of the puzzle. Yeah,
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  and all it takes is a little nudge to jog
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  their memory.
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  Speaker 1: So it's incredible to think that after all this time,
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  I know, right, there's still hope for answers in Missy's case.
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  Speaker 2: There is, And a big part of that hope lies
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  in the renewed efforts, yeah, to find those missing puzzle pieces.
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  Speaker 1: Like what what's being done to bring attention back to
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  Missy's case?
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  Speaker 2: Well, for starters, the reward for information leading to an
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  arrest and conviction has been increased to twenty nine thousand dollars,
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  a symbolic gesture marking the twenty nine years that have
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  passed since Missy's disappearance.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, that's significant money talks, as they say, But what
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  else is being done?
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's also a new documentary, Oh Wow, a Missy's Case,
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  which aims to re examine the evidence and explore different
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  angles of the investigation.
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  Speaker 1: Okay.
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  Speaker 2: Plus there's a billboard campaign featuring Missy's photo and information
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  about the case.
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  Speaker 1: So they're really trying to get the word out they are,
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  that's great.
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  Speaker 2: And the billboards are strategically placed in and around Fort Smith,
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  hoping to catch the eye of someone who might have
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  been in the area back in nineteen ninety four.
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  Speaker 1: So if someone out there thinks they might have a
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  piece of the puzzle, what should they do?
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  Speaker 2: They can email any information they have to who killed
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  Missy wit at gmail dot com okay, or call one
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  hundred four to four zero one team two to two.
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  Speaker 1: And you're saying even the smallest detail could be important.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's all about piecing together the puzzle.
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  Speaker 1: Every piece counts, Okay, So let's say someone does remember something,
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  even something small, and they hesitate to come forward because
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  they think, oh, it's not important. What would you say
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  to them?
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  Speaker 2: I would say, don't let doubt hold you back. Let
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  the investigators decide what's relevant. Okay, you know, your seemingly
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  insignificant detail could be the missing link that connects other
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  pieces of evidence. Wow, it could be the key to
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  finally giving Missy's family and friends the answers they've been
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  waiting for.
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  Speaker 1: So to our listeners, think back to December nineteen ninety four. Yes,
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  were you in Fort Smith, Arkansas?
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  Speaker 2: Were you at Bowling World?
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  Speaker 1: Did you see anything, anyone, anything at all that seemed
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  out of place?
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  Speaker 2: Don't dismiss it, even it seems trivial. Reach out. You
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  might hold the key to unlocking this mystery and bringing
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  peace to those who've been searching for answers for nearly
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  three decades.
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  Speaker 1: Her to imagine the pain I know Missy's family and
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  friends have endured all these years to not know what happened,
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  to be left with so many unanswered questions.
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  Speaker 2: It's a tragedy. But you know what's inspiring is their resilience. YEA,
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  their unwavering commitment to finding justice for Missy, and we.
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  Speaker 1: Can all play a part in that by keeping her
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  story alive, by sharing information, absolutely, by never giving up
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  hope that one day the truth will come to light.
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  Speaker 2: You know what strikes me about this case? What's that
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  is that it really highlights the power of collective memory
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  and the importance of speaking up, even if it feels
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  like a long shot.
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  Speaker 1: You're right, it's a reminder that even in the darkest
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  of times, absolutely, even when years have passed, the smallest
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  glimmer of hope can make all the difference.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, So, as we wrap up this deep dive, let's
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  all keep Missy's story in our thoughts. Yeah, and if
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  you have any information, no matter how small or seemingly insignate, eificant,
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  please reach out and share it. You never know you
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  might be the one to finally bring closure to this
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  tragic case.
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  Speaker 1: Well said, thank you, thanks for joining me today and
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  all our listeners until next time.