Open Case: Disappearance of elderly Saratoga man in 1992 remains a mystery
Robert Lomax, pictured above (far right)
Dec 2017 article
Robert Lomax was a nice, 80-year-old man who liked to sit on the wooden bench outside the Saratoga, Ark., store and visit with his old friends. They probably solved all social issues basking in the sunshine.
A black and white photo (
posted above) shows Mr. Lomax with his friends Ed and Frank Fontaine sitting on the side of the old Saratoga building.
Dale Gathright was a child when he first met Mr. Lomax.
When Gathright grew up he worked as a broadcast news reporter for radio stations in Nashville, Ark., and Ashdown, Ark.
He now is the editor of the Saratoga Arkansas Digest.
Each Thanksgiving, Gathright is compelled to write a news story about the disappearance of Mr. Lomax.
The case remains open and active at the Howard County Sheriff's Office in Nashville.
The missing person report lists the disappearance as a homicide.
.....
Gathright
published the following report about the disappearance with information taken from the narrative from the sheriff's 1992 report.
"Witness statements reflect that Lomax had Thanksgiving dinner at the residence of Henry and Peggy Olden (he was a relative), who lived near him (on what is now called Chapel Hill Street) in Saratoga. He reportedly stayed until about 5 p.m. and left to walk the short distance home, saying 'he needed the exercise.' That was the last time he was seen alive."
An
extensive search was conducted by then Sheriff Dick Wakefield and his department utilizing approximately 100 searchers and a helicopter. The search was called off after three days. Sheriff Wakefield believed foul play did exist in the matter and
asked the Arkansas State Police to assist in the investigation.
Investigator Jerry Reed, now deceased, of the Arkansas State Police conducted interviews of people in the area and searched the Lomax residence. According to an unsolved case posting on the Howard County Sheriff's website is this statement,
"Although there is no evidence of foul play at the residence, the feeling of local residents were that Mr. Lomax was robbed and killed. He was known to carry large amounts of cash on his person at all times."
Gathright was involved in the story, and here is his account: "I was standing outside talking with Dornell Trotter when we were approached by Stanley Cephonis, (now deceased) who was in for a stay at his wife's family (Walkup) home. He had befriended Robert and told us he had taken a Thanksgiving plate of food by Robert's house Thanksgiving afternoon (when Mr. Lomax was probably at the Olden's) and went back Friday to get the plate, where he found it untouched. Dornell and myself then start up to the house when we meet my cousin, Deputy (retired) Travis Hughes on routine patrol and tell him what's going on. We three then go to Robert's house and get no answer. Our first thought was he was inside dead. The door was locked, so Dornell was able to climb through a window and let us in. The house was cold. (Robert was very cold-natured.) Saturday morning the search started. Though Robert was 80, his mind was sharp and he walked everywhere, so we also immediately thought something bad had happened "
