UPDATE: What to do when the DNA evidence collected in 1971 vanishes?

For some some time now I have been curious about the possibility of taking whatever DNA was provided by the accused attacker and re-testing it with modern technology but that hope appears to have been lost for now, short of finding enough proof to convince a judge to exhume a few bodies.

Armed with knowing that on April 15, 1971 at 11:25 AM that Arkansas State Medical Examiners officer signed and received the evidence collected by the Fayetteville Police Department, I sent an email the the directors of the 2022 Arkansas State Crime Lab with a list of questions.

The response was cases this old any evidence would be returned to the original investigating agency.

I thought great, the one agency which when I filed an FOIA in the very beginning of my search for answers I was told by the person over the F.O.I.A. requests that my FOIA request would remain opened but it appears after an exhaustive search including one of an off site storage facility that the case files have either been misplaced or lost,

It was at this time, I must have caused a stir at the department because an author who wrote a story in 2020 about Pauline Storment's murder was contacted by a Lieutenant Franklin with questions about where did the author receive their information.

The response was historical newspaper articles.

I eventually reached out to Lt. Franklin who stated he had read the case files about Pauline and was interested in helping to close the case. Then when I asked about DNA evidence he stated they didn't have any.

So, I am left with the question of NOW WHAT?

The Pauline Storment Story!

Who was Pauline Storment? Pauline, was an All-American girl, born on to Paul Storment and Lillian Elam on April 3, 1944, in Ozark, Arkansas. She was also the granddaughter of former Monterey County, California Sheriff's Deputy Benjamin W. Storment. At Ozark High School, she served as the President of the Freshman Class, as seen in the picture above. Her closest friends describe her as a kind gentle soul who was very studious and didn't have time for what was called tom-foolery. After attending two years at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, she would eventually marry Charles Joseph Pate in June of 1965 in Booneville, Arkansas. The marriage would only last a year based on an Arkansas State Police multi-state investigation into her death between Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia though , if there ever was an official divorce certificate by 2022, no record can be found. It was also, discovered by the Arkansas State Police via a statement from, Iris Fletcher, a f

What now, when record keeping FAILS.

Earlier this month I submitted a F.O.I.A request to the Fayetteville, Arkansas Police Department Seeking as much case information as possible, sadly after 51yrs the case file had been misplaced/lost. I still have F.O.I.A requests out for the Washington County Sherrif's Office and the Arkansas State Police, hopefully one of the other two agencies which worked on the case will come through with better record keeping.

Will They or Won't They: A community waits with baited breath.

Based on witness reports who went on the record and stated they saw Pauline Storment being followed then shortly after her blood curdling screams the assailant ran. Police would catch up to a 17yr old Fayetteville Highschool student. But wait there is more, for they find what what they believe to be the murder weapon stuck in the ground behind a house about 100ft from where Pauline Storment bleeds out. Prosecution considers bringing fourth charges.

Pauline Storment's Murder Has Been Unsolved For

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