In the small town of Bay, Arkansas, a sense of shock and disbelief rippled through the community in the summer of 2015. Lavinda Counce, a beloved 90-year-old female resident, vanished from her home on Lunsford Avenue on the 3rd of July. The following day, her car was discovered abandoned at a hospital in Jonesboro, deepening the mystery surrounding her disappearance and sparking an extensive nine-day search.
The grim discovery was made on July 12th, when a volunteer searcher found Mrs. Counce's body in a cornfield west of Bay. The tragic end to the search confirmed the community's worst fears. Investigators soon developed information that led them to a suspect, Richard Jordon Tarver, a 30-year-old man also from Bay. A search of his residence further implicated him in the heinous crime.
Following the investigation, the local prosecuting attorney filed a host of serious charges against Tarver. He was accused of capital murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and aggravated residential burglary. Additional charges included abuse of a corpse, stemming from the allegation that he had hidden Mrs. Counce's body, along with theft of property and possession of a defaced firearm. The community was left to grapple with the senseless loss of a long-time resident and the disturbing details of her final days.
