AR AR - Gloria McDonald, 68, Mena, 27 Jan 2001

Currently listed on Arkansas State Police Hot Case Website
http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/hot_cases.html

Copy of expired article from Texarkana Gazette
http://www.crimeandjustice.us/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t8137.html
The disappearance of a 68-year-old Mena woman five years ago at Queen Wilhelmina Lodge atop Rich Mountain remains in the “Hot Cases” file of the Arkansas State Police and in her daughter’s heart . . . McDonald was a reporter for the Mena Star newspaper who wrote stories about court proceedings, and a couple of her friends continue to review her notes and articles to see if a clue might exist about her disappearance, said her daughter, Keri Pompella of Texarkana.

The Charley Project

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/mcdonald_gloria.html

NamUs Profile

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/show/9939

North American Missing Persons Network

http://www.nampn.org/cases/mcdonald_gloria.html

https://www.todayinfortsmith.com/si...l-baffled-by-2001-disappearance-of-Mena-woman (news story 2017)

On January 26, 2001, Gloria White Moore McDonald, her husband, her husband's son, and the son's girlfriend, went to Queen Wilhelmina State Park, in Polk County, Arkansas. All four of them went down the trail toward "Lover's Leap." About 150 yards down the trail they found several trees across the trail.

At this point Gloria McDonald decided not to go any further. Instead, she returned to the park's gift shop and restaurant while the others continued to "Lover's Leap." When they went to the lodge they could not find Gloria.

Upon returning to the lodge the family and friend were unable to locate McDonald. The car the group had traveled in to the lodge was parked where it had been originally left and McDonald's purse was locked inside. A search of the car indicated none of McDonald's personal belonging were missing.

Arkansas State Police senior special agents Lynn Benedict and Hays McWhirter conducted the state police investigation along with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department the Polk County Sheriff at the time -- Mike Oglesby-- said only one room at the lodge had been rented.

“There were about six guys there who work for the state park, the kitchen help and waitresses. Add to that a few men who were piling brush and cleaning up after the storm and that’s it,” Oglesby told newspapers.

McWhirter said during the same time period bloodhounds searched “all over the mountain” and no remains were ever found.

“The bloodhounds followed a scent which led down to a paved road below the lodge, but they lost the scent at the road,” said McWhirter Wednesday, recalling the initial investigation.

“There are no suspects and we don’t know what happened to her,” said McWhirter at the time.

Seventeen years later that remains the case.


What a strange disappearance. I hope they can eventually find Gloria.

로그인 또는 가입하여 보기 | Missing Please Find Us fb (no idea why the fb page’s link looks like that)


On January 26, 2001, Gloria White Moore McDonald, her husband, her husband's son, and the son's girlfriend, went to Queen Wilhelmina State Park, in Polk County, Arkansas. All four of them went down the trail toward "Lover's Leap." About 150 yards down the trail they found several trees across the trail. At this point Gloria McDonald decided not to go any further. Instead, she returned to the park's gift shop and restaurant while the others continued to "Lover's Leap." When they went to the lodge they could not find Gloria.

Arkansas State Police Special Agents were contacted by Polk County Sheriff's Deputies at Mena on Saturday, January 27th after a search of the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge area failed to produce any clues into the whereabouts of Gloria White Moore McDonald, 68, of Mena.

Repeated aerial and ground searches of the area have failed to produce any evidence that would explain what happened to McDonald.

.....

Her daughter’s theory on what happened:


Pompella said several theories developed about her mother’s disappearance.

“They (law enforcement authorities) looked hard at her husband. But it didn’t make sense. There was no insurance, no money or wealth to gain. It’s hard to believe he would bring along his son and daughter-in-law and then kill his wife,” said Pompella.

“My theory is she wanted to take her stepson and his fianc/e on the train that runs around the mountain. The train was put up for the season, but I think she walked down there to check on it and saw someone in that area. I think she probably walked up on something that she shouldn’t have. I love Mena and I participate in Scouting programs in that town, but drugs run up and down that mountain. There was a vehicle parked down in the zoo area, but we never could find out whose it was,” Pompella said.

“I truly believe she walked up on something. The police have done everything they can and had few leads.”

The puzzling disappearance of Jean McDonald from Queen Wilhelmina State Park — StrangeOutdoors.com

Updated June 2021
On Friday, January 26, 2001, 68-year-old, Gloria White Moore McDonald from Mena in Arkansas and her husband Daniel, 63, her husband's son from a previous marriage, Sean McDonald, and Sean’s girlfriend, Erin Jemmott, headed out for a hike.

The group headed for the Lovers’ Leap Trail in Queen Wilhelmina State Park, in Polk County, Arkansas. They arrived at around 12.25 pm at the trailhead.

Gloria decided the walk wasn’t for her when they came across some debris from the recent storm on the Trail and she decided to head to the gift shop instead and agreed to meet the others later. When Daniel, Sean and Erin arrived back at the start of the Trail, Gloria was nowhere to be seen. She had disappeared without a trace. What happened to Gloria?


The car the group had used was parked where it had been originally left and the possessions were all locked inside. A search of the car indicated none of Gloria’s personal belongings were missing.

On January 27th, Arkansas State Police Special Agents were contacted by Polk County Sheriff's Deputies at Mena after a search of the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge area failed to turn up any sign of Gloria. A thorough search of the area was done using sniffer dogs, helicopters and search and rescue teams.

The puzzling disappearance of Jean McDonald from Queen Wilhelmina State Park — StrangeOutdoors.com

To Note:
•there was a theory that someone she had written about had abducted her. But some friends reviewed her notes and articles to see if a clue might exist about her disappearance and found nothing.
•family had the theory that she may have “walked up on something” involving illegal drug activities and been killed to silence her.
•bloodhounds searched “all over the mountain” and no remains were ever found, “The bloodhounds followed a scent which led down to a paved road below the lodge, but they lost the scent at the road.”
•Some believe she just got lost and fell somewhere, others that she ran away intentionally given her husband’s behavior after her disappearance and was picked up by an accomplice or friend.
•Police even wondered if she ever was in the park at all.
•sniffer dogs indicated that Gloria may have been taken off in a car, either intentionally or by force but no firm evidence supports this theory.

I used to live in Mena and think about this case often. The only word we have that she was even on the mountain that day was from family. I wonder what the other "last day" was that anyone saw or heard from her -- was it via her writings that the other friends were studying? Would be interested in the answer to that (not necessarily to cast aspersions, though it is one of the possibilities that she wasn't on the mountain that day at all).

Thanks for keeping this alive. I hope one day her daughter and family get some closure.

A couple years back, I did an article on Reddit, by the way, and some posters had some input that help round out the story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Unresolved...olved_disappearance_gloria_mcdonald_hometown/

Hello all,

Is there anyone who is local to this area or was local to this area in 2001 that is familiar with this case?

If so, shoot me a DM if you don’t mind.

Thanks so much!

I thought it might be nice to add a few photos of Gloria

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McDonald, circa 2001