Despite its unusually cinematic presentation – courtesy of Ridley Scott and his production company – ABC News’s At Witt’s End – The Hunt For a Killer, which is streaming on Hulu, unpacks the horrifying true story of Melissa Witt, a well-liked teenager from Arkansas who disappeared from a bowling alley parking lot and was never seen alive again.
The case remains cold, which is a key aspect of fascination for the multiple agencies and independent sleuths who, since Melissa disappeared in 1994, have continued to dig into the details. And yet, despite multiple viable suspects emerging over the years, nobody has managed to prove who murdered Melissa.
A docuseries like At Witt’s End, while morbidly fascinating for true-crime fans, is also valuable, since it raises awareness around the case and can lead to new and possibly vital breakthroughs.
Melissa Witt Was A Model Student
Melissa Witt | Image via People Magazine
Melissa was by all accounts a model student and hard worker. She clearly had aspirations and dreams and was working hard to achieve them.
Much of At Witt’s End is framed from the perspective of former KFSM-CBS journalist Charlene Shirk, who reported on Witt’s case at the time, even when the police seemed largely disinterested. Shirk had said that Melissa was a college ambassador, the exact kind of student desired by the faculty.
Any death is tragic, of course, but there’s something especially awful about a seemingly random killing like this one, where someone who did everything right, was well-liked and possessed admirable traits and values, is targeted for no reason at all and has their life extinguished so early.
What happened to Melissa Witt?
At Witt’s End – The Hunt For a Killer | Image via Hulu
At the time of her disappearance, Melissa was 19 years old. In December 1994, she went to visit her mother at Bowling World in Fort Smith, Arkansas but disappeared from the parking lot. Her car was found abandoned and contained traces of blood. Her belongings were scattered nearby.
Melissa was found six weeks later, in the remote Ozark National Forest. She was found naked, and an autopsy later determined she had been strangled to death.
Melissa Witt’s killer remains unidentified.
The link between Melissa Witt and Morgan Nick
Morgan Nick | Image via ABC News
There is a macabre connection between Melissa Witt and Morgan Nick, a six-year-old who was abducted from Alma, Arkansas, near where Witt’s body was discovered. The investigation into Nick’s disappearance yielded an important clue in Melissa’s case, despite both cases still being cold and no perpetrators in either having been identified.
ABC Studios and Scott Free Productions explored Morgan Nick’s case in the 2023 docuseries Still Missing Morgan, which lends At Witt’s End an odd kind of spiritual sequel vibe.
As a side note, there’s something about these slightly catchy titles – especially the pun of At Witt’s End – that doesn’t sit very well with me, but true crime is a very competitive market, so things have to stand out. I’m probably just being touchy anyway.
Charles Ray Vines Was A Prime Suspect In Melissa’s Murder
Charles Ray Vines | Image via Oxygen
Many suspects in Melissa Witt’s murder have emerged over the years, but one of the most significant was Charles Ray Vines, a serial murderer also known as the “River Valley Killer”.
Vines was from Fort Smith, where Melissa was found, and had carried out work near the precise location of her discovery. He was convicted of murdering two women and raping a 16-year-old girl.
As well as being from the area, Vines seemed to have a connection to Bowling World. This was enough to make him a viable suspect in the investigation. However, he died in prison before he could ever confess to his involvement.
Other suspects included Travis Crouch, one of Melissa’s neighbors who had been convicted of sexual violence in another state before moving to Arkansas, and Larry Swearingen, who murdered a 19-year-old woman in Texas and was executed in 2019. He maintained his innocence in Melissa Witt’s murder.
