This Arkansas Murder House Will Utterly Disturb You
It’s hard to discard humanity’s morbid curiosity. We’re always seeking details to try to solve catastrophes we come across no matter if it’s a wreck we pass on the highway or staying tuned to see if the culprit on the evening news was brought to justice. Sometimes that craving gets the best of us and we’re stuck with wanting to know the whole story. With somberly earnest, let’s tiptoe through the house in Crossett where tragedy struck in 1964.
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Later that morning a neighbor spotted the youngest child, a four year old boy, wandering the streets. The neighbor bought the child to his grandparents and together they went to the Degges house.
A neighbor had seen a black and white 1956 Buick pulling out of the Dregges' driveway. The driver had suspiciously sped off without stopping. Two men working on a nearby telephone line also witnessed the odd Buick.
Police followed the trail and found the owner of the Buick.
The owner, James Williams, worked near the Dregges' neighborhood. Police noticed a large burn on Williams' chest during questioning. He brushed it off saying it was caused by the muffler of the chainsaw he was operating in the woods.
Williams' claimed to have been working at the time of the attack.
About two weeks after the policemen's first contact with Williams they were able to obtain a warrant and disprove his alibi. Also at this time Williams' burn had healed to the point where a match could be made between its shape and the shape of the iron Mrs. Degges had been using.
Williams' had broken in through a window and attacked Mrs. Degges.
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
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