John Randolph Kizer: The Accused Poisoner of Randolph County
Early Life and Position in the Community
John Randolph Kizer was born on January 11, 1871, near Dalton in Randolph County, Arkansas. He grew up in a poor farming family and developed an early familiarity with livestock, medicines and the practical treatment of sick animals. As an adult, he presented himself as a veterinarian during an era when formal veterinary education and licensing requirements were limited. He later became a deputy sheriff, agricultural instructor, county agent and special agent associated with the United States Department of Agriculture.
Kizer achieved a position of considerable respect in rural northeastern Arkansas. Farmers trusted his knowledge of livestock, and local residents knew him as an educated and financially ambitious man. He could reportedly spend many hours attempting to save a sick farm animal. At the same time, stories circulated that he had little compassion for dogs and sometimes poisoned them. This knowledge of poisons, injections and animal medicines later became central to suspicions surrounding a series of human deaths.
Financial Motive and the Beginning of the Suspected Murders
Kizer's alleged crimes were closely connected to money, insurance policies, wills and property. The disastrous Arkansas River and Mississippi River flooding of 1927 damaged the regional economy, while later financial losses reportedly placed additional pressure on Kizer. Investigators and later writers believed he began arranging the deaths of people whose money or land he could inherit.
His suspected method was subtle. A person close to him would become ill, frequently with symptoms Kizer described as malaria. Instead of immediately obtaining independent medical treatment, he allegedly offered to care for the patient himself. He administered medicines or injections using equipment associated with his veterinary practice. The victim then deteriorated and died, often after an illness that appeared sudden or difficult to explain.
Because many of the victims were elderly, already ill or living in an area where infectious diseases were common, their deaths initially attracted little official attention. Kizer also possessed social standing and enough medical knowledge to make his explanations sound believable. Death certificates commonly listed natural causes, and bodies were buried before toxicological testing could be conducted.
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