Arkansas isn’t always peaceful forests and serene waterfalls. Although the region has its fair share of beauty and wonder, that’s not all you’ll find there. The state has a surprising number of bone chilling tales, from cold cases to urban legends. There’s a seedy underbelly to almost everywhere, but knowing these dark occurrences happen in your own backyard is particularly nerve wracking. From mafia to monsters, check out these 10 unsolved mysteries in Arkansas.

1. Above the railroad tracks near Gurdon, a mysterious floating light has been spotted. Since the 1930s, people have been debating the cause of the light. Swamp gas, pressurized quartz crystal, and headlight reflections have been possible explanations.
Flickr/Joao Andre O. Dias
The legend is that a railroad worker’s head was severed by an oncoming train. The light is the ghost’s lantern used to search for his head. There could easily be a scientific explanation for this one, but do you really want to risk it to find out?
2. In 1946 Texarkana, five people were murdered by a man wearing a burlap sack with two slits for eyes. Dubbed the "Texarkana Phantom Killer," the case remains unsolved.
Flickr/Joe Benjamin
The massacre inspired the movie "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." The burlap sack also reminds us of the Scarecrow character in the Batman stories, a chilling psychopath who drugged and murdered townspeople while wearing a burlap sack over his head.
3. In Alexander, the bodies of Kevin Ives and Don Henry were run over by a train. The deaths were first ruled as suicide but after years of appeals the ruling changed from suicide, to undetermined, to eventually homicide. The teens had been murdered before the train incident but no arrests were ever made.
Flickr/Philip McMaster
Many conspiracies were prompted by the tragedy, including a (mildly far-fetched) drug smuggling cover-up connected to a former U.S. President. Tragically, we'll never know who murdered these young men.
4. The small town of Fouke became infamous in the 1970s when a man claimed to have been attacked by a man-like creature. The police investigation could only find strange tracks and claw marks on the man’s porch. The legend of the Fouke Monster, Arkansas’ residential Bigfoot, was born.
Flickr/Toho Scope
A pseudo-documentary, The Legend of Boggy Creek, highlights the town’s monster lore. An old wives tale is one thing, but once physical evidence gets involved these stories become especially chilling.
5. Devil’s Hole Cave resides in the tiny town of Self just north of Harrison. The urban legend is that the land owner wanted to explore the cave. He climbs down about 200 feet and comes to a ledge that drops off into a narrow void. Hissing is heard from the darkness. He returns with others and they drop a flatiron tied to a rope into the dropoff. The rope is pulled and the flatiron is retrieved badly bent and seems to have claw marks.
Flickr/Greger Ravik
For some strange reason no one volunteered to climb down to see what pulled the rope. Would you dare investigate what clawed monster lives in the deep?

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6. John Thurman McCool was a Pine Bluff businessman with a checkered past. After having served a sentence for forgery he was reported missing in 1962. His body was found with seven gunshots buried deep in the snow at a cemetery. Mafia involvement was rumored but his death remains unexplained.
Flickr/Sharon Francis
You can visit his grave at Graceland Cemetery in Pine Bluff, but we can't promise it will reveal any clues about his mysterious demise.
7. In Prescott, a traveling salesman simply known as Mike, was embalmed and put on display outside a funeral home. His corpse was nicknamed "Old Mike." He died in 1911 and wasn’t buried until 64 years later. It became a bizarre and slightly gruesome tourist attraction but it does speak highly to the skill of the embalmers that he lasted that long.
Naomi Rahim / Moment Collection via Getty Images
The real mystery is why it took so long for someone to decide "hey maybe we should bury this guy."
8. People have become lost or gone completely missing at a cave in Cushman. A 1950s exploration of Blowing Cave allegedly unearthed a massive cavern five miles below the surface. Unexplained lights appeared in the cavern as well as reptilian creatures or eight foot blue humanoids, depending on which account is told.
Flickr/Joe Coyle
According to science fiction writer Richard Shaver, the cave is one of the entrances to a subterranean civilization. Sure, that's fiction. But we're certain he got the idea from some of the real life eye witness reports.
9. The mystery of the White River Monster has been haunting Newport since 1915. The creature is reported as grey skinned, horned, and larger than a car. Only tracks have been found, but maybe it's better that way.
Flickr/DaMongMan
In 1973, legislation created the White River Monster Refuge. It’s illegal to hunt "Whitey" within the protected land. This move prompts an interesting discussion about the rights and preservation of potential fantastical threats.
10. December 1st, 1994, Melissa Witt vanished from Fort Smith’s Bowling World parking lot. There were signs of a struggle but little was recovered from the crime scene. Her body was found five years later in the Ozark Mountains but her killer was never caught. This one is especially alarming because it happened in such a normal circumstance. Going bowling with a few friends turned into the worst, and last, night of her life.
Flickr/Natalia Medd
Although the case may be cold, the Fort Smith police are still welcoming any information concerning the case.

Do you feel thoroughly thrilled and chilled? We understand if you have trouble getting to sleep tonight, these unsolved mysteries certainly shook us to the core. If you need a pleasant palate cleanser, try touring this cider mill.

Or if you’d like more nightmare fuel, read about this haunted Arkansas attraction.

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More to Explore

Unsolved Mysteries In Arkansas

CC | December 21, 2022

What haunted locations can I visit in Arkansas?

  • Clayton House in Fort Smith
  • Calico Rock Historic District in Calico Rock
  • Powhatan Historic State Park in Powhatan
  • St Francis County Museum in Forrest City
  • Moore Hill Cemetery in Dardanelle
  • The Empress of Little Rock in Little Rock

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