AR AR- Monica Sanders, 20, disappeared after night @ dance club, raped, beaten, teeth knocked out, shot 3x in chest, clothing folded, 21/8/88, *DNA*

[dotr]

Aug 20, 2024
Miller Co. Sheriff Wayne Easley discusses a cold case from 1988 involving Monica Sanders, 20, who was found dead in the woods near Mercer Bayou in Arkansas.
by: Heather Wright Posted: Aug 19, 2019

https://www.ktalnews.com/news/texarkana-news/investigation-continues-in-1988-swar-cold-case/

''MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) – This week, it’s been 31 years since the mysterious murder of Monica Sanders of Fouke, Ark. But, even now, one law enforcement official said interviews are still being conducted regarding the unsolved case.
Sanders, 20, disappeared on August 21, 1988, after a night out dancing with friends in Texarkana, Ark. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She saw something that she shouldn’t have seen I’m sure,” said Monica’s mother, Doris.''

'Monica’s body was found just over a week later. “Ms. Sanders, based on the autopsy report from the state medical examiner’s office, died as a result of gunshot wounds,” said Miller County Chief Deputy Mark Lewis.''

By Jane Beckerdite August 26, 2014 rbbm

Family of cold case murder victim sets up reward 26 years later | Texarkana Today

Monica Sanders of Fouke, Ark., was 20 years old when she was found dead in the secluded woods of Mercer Bayou in Texarkana. She had been raped, beaten and shot three times in the chest. Teeth had been knocked out of her mouth, but her clothes were neatly folded beside her body. That was August […]

txktoday.com

'Monica Sanders of Fouke, Ark., was 20 years old when she was found dead in the secluded woods of Mercer Bayou in Texarkana. She had been raped, beaten and shot three times in the chest. Teeth had been knocked out of her mouth, but her clothes were neatly folded beside her body.'

"Today, of course, DNA testing is considered the cornerstone of all evidence and is widely accepted to be 99.9 if not 100 percent accurate. Chandler said she hopes the case is re-opened and that DNA evidence is used to prosecute those responsible for her sister’s brutal murder.

“Monica was so pretty. She loved the color purple and riding horses. She used to always take me to her best friend’s house across the street and we would watch scary movies. She was always riding me on her moped,” Chandler said.''

 

[dotr]

27 Years Later, A Family Still Waits For Justice

Turning seven may not be memorable for most, but for Kristie Sanders Chandler, it was the day that changed her life forever.

www.nbcnews.com

Oct. 4, 2015,
''On the night of her murder, Monica was seen leaving a dance club with a man who lived “a couple blocks from us,” according to Kristie.

At the time of the murder, multiple suspects were arrested, according to retired Miller County Sheriff H.L. Phillips, one of the first people to investigate Monica’s case.

“We made an arrest, then we made two, then we actually made three arrests,” Phillips told Dateline NBC.

The first suspect, the man last seen with Monica, was eventually tried for first-degree murder in August 1990, but was acquitted by a jury.'

'