NWAhomepage com published May 15, 2026: Deathbed confession leads to Crawford Co. investigation.
40/29 News published May 14, 2026: Deathbed confession prompts search for boy’s body in Crawford County.
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40/29 News, Arkansas local
written by Brett Rains
Friday May 15, 2026
CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ark. — A deathbed confession has sparked a search in Crawford County, where dive teams and K-9 handlers are looking for human remains believed to be those of a 13-year-old boy.
Crawford County Sheriff Daniel Perry said crews are searching a pond on private property near Chester, not far from I-49. Perry told 40/29 News that the tip indicated the boy’s body was dumped in the pond sometime in the 1980s, before the interstate was built.
Investigators say they do not yet know who the child is and have not found missing-person reports from that time period that match the information.
“I’m pretty confident there is a body in the pond after the dogs alerted the way they did,” Perry said. “I’m pretty confident that there’s a body in that pond.”
Perry said the information came from a sister who reported what her brother told her while he was dying.
“A guy was on his deathbed and told his sister that he had killed this 13-year-old, and supposedly the two were out camping,” Perry said. “Some things happened, and he was hit in the head with the rock and pushed in the pond. Early 80s, late 80s, all the guy said was that it happened in the 80s.”
Missouri-based nonprofit 3R K-9 Search Foundation was called in to assist. Hugh Murray with the group said the search in Crawford County is one of many they’ve done this year, with most requests coming from Arkansas.
“This is our 27th search for 2026,” Murray said. “90% of our jobs are in Arkansas.”
Murray said trained dogs can help distinguish the scent of human remains from other odors, including animal remains.
“The dog’s nose is going to be an invaluable tool,” he said. “When a dog’s out on a search, they’re able to discriminate the human remains odor compared to anything else, even animal remains.”
Divers entered the pond after the dogs alerted to a specific area, but as of now, crews have not located any human remains. Perry said the conditions make the search difficult, especially if the body has been in the water for decades.
“If the body has been in there for 30 and 40 years, and it’s possibly covered with silt and mud, not a lot probably left of it,” Perry said. “So, that’s kind of been a challenge for the divers.”
Perry said investigators have been trying to track down any historical records that could provide more information.
“We’ve gone to the library and looked at newspaper articles. We’ve contacted the FBI. We’ve contacted several agencies, all the agencies around here,” Perry said. “Back then, we had handwritten reports. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children wasn’t a thing. The Morgan Nick Foundation obviously wasn’t a thing. All those resources we have now weren’t available then.”
The sheriff said the search will continue until crews are confident there are no human remains in the pond. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.
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