AR AR - Amanda Tusing, 20, Jonesboro, 14 June 2000

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bessie

bessie

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Amanda lived with her parents in Mississippi County, AR. The night she was killed, she had driven to the apartment of her fiance, Matt, in Jonesboro, about an hour from her home. Matt said Amanda left his place at about 11:30 P.M. She would normally call him when she arrived home, and when he didn't hear from her by 1:30, he grew concerned and called her house.

Matt and Amanda's parents set out to search along Highway 18, "a busy stretch of road between Jonesboro and Blytheville". Before her parents arrived, Matt found her car near Monette, AR, but no sign of Amanda.

10 years since Amanda Tusing's murder, no arrest
11:01 PM, Sep 22, 2010

Amanda's black 1992 Pontiac was abandoned.
Susan says, "The keys were still in the car, her purse was still in the car. It was just like she'd parked the car and got out and left it."

Three days later, her body was found in a ditch some 14 miles from her car. The medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death as drowning. Police are certain it was murder.

Craighead County Sheriff Jack McCann explains, "When the body was found in the water, there was no obvious signs of trauma to the body."

There were no signs of a struggle or a sexual assault.
If you know any information, call the Craighead County Sheriff's Officeat 870-933-4526. There is a $10,000 reward leading to an arrest.
Click to expand...
Amanda's boyfriend took three polygraph examinations and passed. He's not considered a suspect. Area LE officers were also interviewed and polygraphed.

There is no physical evidence. The FBI assisted in the investigation, and said the suspect is probably a white male in his 50's who lives near the location where Amanda's body was found.

New Clue in Unsolved Midwest Murder
June 18, 2007
By LAURA E. DAVIS
ABC News Law & Justice Unit

Last week, in the rare bright moment for a long-unsolved homicide case, police said they had a promising new lead from someone who claims to have overheard people talking about the murder.

snipped
"She had a drink in the drink holder, about three quarters, half full, and it was still kind of frosted," Craighead County sheriff's investigator Gary Etter said last week. "Her wallet was still in there, and her keys were still in the ignition."

Etter said the windshield wipers had been stopped midswipe on the windshield, and the radio was turned to her favorite station. There were no signs of a struggle.

Three days later, on June 18, a resident found Tusing's body in a rain-swollen ditch, about 12 miles from where Ervin had found her car. The body was west of Tusing's car, even though she had been traveling east when she disappeare

snipped
The lead came when someone approached the sheriff's department about a conversation he or she had overheard, Etter said. After initial interviews, Etter said there are two more interviews to do before the lead has been fully checked out.
Click to expand...

Apparently the lead didn't pan out.
 
Bumping for Amanda.
Saw a reddit and buzzfeed about her case, but can not find any new MSM. Interesting thoughts if it is connected to Dana Stidham case. So sad.
 
I've heard speculation that the thunderstorm that night was particularly bad and Amanda may have pulled over to wait it out. And that might have been when someone impersonating LE pulled up behind her or he just walked up to her car with a gun.
 
hayaletcatcher said:
Bumping for Amanda.
Saw a reddit and buzzfeed about her case, but can not find any new MSM. Interesting thoughts if it is connected to Dana Stidham case. So sad.
Click to expand...

I thought about that, except that the two places, Bella Vista and Jonesboro are on opposite sides of Arkansas. And you would have to drive through the Boston Mountains region of the Ozarks, not an easy drive. I believe LE has a possible suspect in the Stidham case.
 
I live in the town where her car was found. Because the police have said there was no sexual assault, I have always wondered if it could have been a female that killed her. Maybe a former girlfriend of her finance's or some other jealous female. Yes, it was rumored that a police officer killed her and one that knew the area very well. He is no longer alive. But, what would be the reason for a male to kill her and not molest her unless something occured that cut their time together short.
 
I am doing research on this case and Dana Stidham's case, however the research indicates very little to no similarities. The only real similarities are the abandoned cars and the bodies being found at a distance. The kills were on opposite ends of the violence spectrum. One indicates suffocation while the other was a vicious probable sexual assault and stabbing. I am attempting to actually start a book and was hoping there was a possible serial to investigate, but it hasn't panned out. Any new info?
 
I just saw where a website republished their story about her in 2017 asking for any leads
http://aymag.com/why-mandy-the-case-of-a-murder-without-motive-part-2/

I am not finding any new information for her unfortunately. Really wish someone would take a fresh look at all information/evidence (well lack of in her case) and see if they can connect anything with any other cases. The time between her case and Stidham's case makes it unlikely to me however you never know. Anyone know if there was a similar case somewhere in the states in 2010? Maybe he does this periodically, the only way to me that it would connect. The two girls do seem to look similar to me so maybe something there since the two scenes seem similar (keys in ignition, wallet in seat etc). Found this post that put the two cases together as a comparison but they agree with us that they are not likely connected. https://defrostingcoldcases.com/guest-post-on-tusing-and-stidham-by-miriam-said/

I also found another abandoned car (ran out of gas) in Arkansas in 2006 Casey Crowder. Her body was found near a drainage canal. Kenneth Osburn was found guilty of her murder but you have to wonder where he was during the times that Amanda and Stidham were murdered. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/s...uff-27-Aug-2006/page8&highlight=amanda+tusing
 
Danelle Hallan covers this case. I heard about this murder - and, yes, I firmly believe it was a murder - just a few years ago. Not much out there on this case, so it is good to see a YouTube video on Amanda's case.
 
The section on Amanda's murder in this 'Still a Mystery' episode from this week on the Investigation Discovery channel runs for the first ~22 minutes:

 
New Details in Tusing Murder Case

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Parents of a murder victim are hopeful a new source of information will help investigators find her killer.

"We've been waiting three years to get any piece of information," said Susan Tusing, Amanda Tusing's mother.

According to Sheriff Jack McCann, an individual came forward a month ago to give investigators names of people who could be linked to the 20-year-old's murder.


McCann said Thursday, "From what this person's said, and like I say, we've been working on this for about a month now, and so far, it's held up."

Tusing was last seen driving to her house in Dell from her fiances' home in Jonesboro on June 14, 2000. Her body was found in Big Bay Ditch in eastern Craighead County on June 18, four days after her car was discovered undisturbed alongside Highway 18 near Monette.

Tusing's death was ruled a drowning.
 
neverletgo said:
The section on Amanda's murder in this 'Still a Mystery' episode from this week on the Investigation Discovery channel runs for the first ~22 minutes:

Click to expand...
I just have to say, in a state with terrible LE in general, that sheriff is a shining light for pursuing the lead that one of his own did this. It was my immediate conclusion when I saw her open wallet and learned her license was in her pocket. I hope they can solve this one while her parents still live.
 
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