Editor’s Corner: Cold case remains a mystery

It was the summer of 1978 when a young couple, hitchhiking on Interstate 55, turned up dead.

They had each been shot and dumped along aside the interstate, 15 miles apart.

The body of the young lady was found Saturday, June 17, 1978 in the grass near the Burdette exit in Mississippi County.

The man was found near the Holland exit in Pemiscot County, Mo. around 11 a.m. the same day.

The white female, according to a 1978 edition of The Osceola Times, was described as about 20 years old, five feet three inches tall and weighing between 120 and 130 pounds. She was barefoot, wearing a multicolor striped pullover blouse and jeans, and had a tattoo on her right should which said “Kim.” She was wearing a mercury dime necklace.

The white male was described as about 25 years old, weighing about 130 pounds, with a one inch tattoo on his left arm which said “JH.” He had a hairline scar from his forehead to nose and a small mustache and beard.

The young lady was shot once on the left side of her temple at close range by a shotgun. The man had been shot three times, twice in the neck and once in the back of the head; also at close range by a shotgun.

Former Det. Sgt. Sonny Holmes of the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department told The Times, at the time, the condition of the bodies seemed to indicate no struggle had taken place.

The couple was seen on Friday evening June 16, 1978 at the old Scotty’s truck stop in Blytheville, carrying backpacks. The last time they were seen alive was by a trucker who saw them walking down the interstate.

The identity of the two victims remained a mystery for some 35 years later.

In 2014, the male victim was identified as James Hendricks and the female as Kim Mills.

Yet, what happened on that fatal day is still a puzzle and someone has gotten away with murder for more than 45 years.

If you know anything about this cold case, contact the sheriff’s department.

Sandra Brand is the editor of the NEA Town Courier and The Osceola Times. She may be reached by phone at 870-563-2615 or by email at brand@osceolatimes.com.