Polly Ann Moore, a 17-year-old Caucasian female from Texarkana, Texas, tragically lost her life on March 24, 1946. She was one of the victims of the infamous Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a series of unsolved murders committed by an unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom Killer. Polly Ann was murdered alongside Richard L. Griffin, 29, in a 1941 Oldsmobile parked at a lovers' lane.
Both victims were found shot in the back of the head, with evidence suggesting that Polly Ann may have been killed outside the car and then placed inside.
The investigation into Polly Ann Moore's death was part of a larger effort to capture the Phantom Killer, who terrorized the Texarkana region from February 22 to May 3, 1946. During this period, the Phantom Killer attacked eight people, five of whom died. The attacks typically targeted young couples in secluded areas on weekend nights. Despite extensive investigations by city, county, state, and federal authorities, the killer's identity has never been conclusively determined.
One of the primary suspects in the case was Youell Swinney, a career criminal linked to the murders through statements from his wife and circumstantial evidence. However, Swinney was never formally charged with the murders, as his wife refused to testify against him. Instead, he was convicted on other charges and sentenced to a long prison term. Some investigators and authors, such as James Presley in his book "The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders," believe that Swinney was indeed the Phantom Killer.
The murders caused widespread panic in Texarkana, with residents arming themselves and locking their doors at dusk. The case remains one of the most infamous unsolved murder sprees in American history, inspiring numerous books, films, and other works of fiction.
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