Tag: Arkansas true crime

Missing in Arkansas: What Happened to Robert Gerald Roach?

The Disappearance of Robert Gerald Roach

Robert Gerald Roach was a farm hand living on a property along Charles Street in Lepanto, Arkansas. By most accounts, Robert had fallen in with a rough crowd in the years leading up to his disappearance. Like many people struggling with drug culture, he had slowly distanced himself from family and longtime friends. It wasn’t unusual for Robert to go weeks or even months without contacting anyone.

Unfortunately, that pattern created a devastating problem.

Robert was last seen sometime in July or August of 2017, but because long absences were not unusual for him, no one immediately realized he was missing. It wasn’t until January of 2018 that Robert was officially reported missing. By then, months had already passed—leaving massive gaps in the timeline before and after his disappearance.

Robert was 39 years old at the time he vanished.

As time passed, rumors began circulating throughout the small rural communities in the area. One story suggested Robert had been the victim of a gang-style beating, allegedly because someone believed he had been informing on others. There has never been any evidence publicly confirming that claim. But in the drug world, rumors can be just as dangerous as facts.

So what really happened to Robert Roach?

Was he killed over something that may not have even been true?
Did something happen on the farm where he was living and working?
Or did Robert simply decide to walk away from the life he was living and start over somewhere else?

Right now, no one knows.

According to The Charley Project, Robert was last seen in Harrisburg, Arkansas on August 5, 2017, although that detail has also been disputed. Some believe he may have traveled to the Joiner or Dyess area in Mississippi County, Arkansas.

Very little information exists in this case. The man Robert had been working for as a farm hand has since moved out of state, and with the long delay in reporting him missing, investigators were left with very few solid leads to follow.

Today, Robert’s family is still searching for answers.

They are not asking for rumors or speculation. They simply want to know what happened to him.

If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact:

Poinsett County Sheriff’s Department
 📞 870-578-5411

Tips can be reported anonymously. Someone out there knows what happened to Robert Roach.

Did he make it to Mississippi County?
Or did he never leave the farm in Lepanto?

After all these years, the only thing his family wants now is the truth—and the chance to finally bring Robert home.

Robert’s Stats:

Residence at time of disappearance:

Lepanto, Arkansas

Last Possible Sighting Location/Date:

Harrisburg, Arkansas – possibly August 5, 2017

Joiner/Dyess area

Gender:

Male

Birthday/Age:

January, 1978, 39 at time of disappearance

Height/Weight:

5’10” – 170lbs

Hair Color:

Brown

Eye color:

Green

Ethnicity:

White

Sponsorships:

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Madhouse Madison County

Chaos rules in a small Southeastern Missouri County. Madison County spans 500 square miles and has a population of approximately 13,000 people. The county seat is Fredericktown with a population of approximately 4,000 people. This rural county should be a safe place in beautiful Americana, but it hides a dark secret. Fredericktown is one of the most dangerous places to live in America. Check out this quote from neighborhoodscout.com. 

“With a crime rate of 31 per one thousand residents, Fredericktown has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One’s chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 32.” 

I started researching one case sent to me by a desperate grandmother. That case led me to fifteen more. Then I realized this county has had murder, corruption, and chaos since before the Wild West days. This book will start with a lynching by a Fredericktown mob in 1844. Hold onto your seats when you read this one. You’re in for a wild, chaotic ride through rural Missouri. 

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The Jonesboro Church War: Part 4 – Guns in the House of God

By 1933, Joseph Jeffers was back in Jonesboro for his third and most disastrous visit. His followers had built him a tabernacle, but his grip on the congregation was slipping. Another preacher, Dale Crowley, had stepped in during Jeffers’ absence—and this time, many sided with Crowley instead of the flamboyant outsider.

Two Preachers, One Pulpit

The feud between Jeffers and Crowley escalated quickly. Both claimed the church as their own. Both refused to back down.

On Sundays, two rival services were held at the same time. Two choirs tried to out-sing each other. Two preachers tried to out-shout each other. The congregation was split down the middle, and the atmosphere was toxic.

It was only a matter of time before fists—and guns—came out.

The Shootout

On October 9, 1933, the courts finally ruled in favor of Crowley, declaring him the rightful pastor. But when he arrived to claim the church, he was met by J.W. McMurdo, a Jeffers loyalist who refused to let him in.

McMurdo pulled a gun and fired. He missed. Crowley drew his own weapon and returned fire. Within seconds, McMurdo lay bleeding on the church floor.

The house of God had become a battleground.

The Attempted Jailhouse Murder

Crowley didn’t flee. He turned himself in, claiming self-defense. But Jeffers’ supporters weren’t finished.

On October 17, 1933, a machine gun barrel was shoved through the bars of the jail where Crowley was being held. Bullets sprayed across the cell. Miraculously, Crowley survived by diving beneath his bunk.

The message was clear: this was more than a church squabble—it was a war.

The Trial

Crowley went to trial for murder in January 1934. The case gripped the community. But noticeably absent was Joseph Jeffers, the man who had incited so much of the violence. While others fought, bled, and stood trial, Jeffers had once again slipped away, leaving chaos in his wake.

After four days, a jury acquitted Crowley, agreeing it was self-defense. He went on to pastor the church for several more years before moving into radio ministry.

Jeffers, meanwhile, walked away untouched.

👉 Next in the series: Part 5 – Trial, Betrayal & the Vanishing Preacher

WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

WATCH Video

Madman or Messiah? An Investigation into the Crimes & Charisma of Cult Leader Joseph D. Jeffers

From extreme fundamentalist ideologies to the paranormal and the occult, Joseph Jeffers’ message integrated with the times and incited a religious fervor amongst his followers. In the 1930s, he was causing war in Arkansas and inciting violence that would lead to the death of one man and the attempted murder of a local preacher. In the 1940s, he was making headlines in L.A. for his lewd house parties. In the ’50s, his third wife would be brutally murdered. Her homicide would go unsolved. In the ’60s, he would make headlines in Arizona when he gambled off all of the church funds at the race track. In the ’70s, he would prophesy great and mighty things to do with UFOs and the Bermuda triangle. By 1978, he would be building a pyramid to withstand the apocalypse in Missouri. And by 1988, he would die of old age. No one ever stopped this man from stealing millions of dollars, coercing innocent young women, or hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Read this book to find out more about the crimes, the chaos, and the injustice in the life of Dr. Joseph D. Jeffers.

How could this man have gotten away with all of these crimes, and how could he have flown under the radar? After making so many ludicrous headlines, how do we not know the name of Joseph Jeffers?

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This episode is brought to you by BONES COFFEE COMPANY.

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The Jonesboro Church War: Part 3 – The Tent Burns & the Town Boils Over

By mid-September 1931, Jonesboro was on edge. The National Guard had been called in to keep the peace, but once the troops withdrew, the tension boiled over again. Jeffers’ fiery sermons hadn’t stopped, and neither had the violence.

Tear Gas in the Tabernacle

Just two nights after soldiers left town, someone hurled a tear gas bomb into Jeffers’ tent revival. Women screamed, children cried, and hundreds stampeded for the exits in blind panic.

Who was behind it? Some claimed it was Jeffers’ enemies trying to shut him down. Others whispered it was Jeffers himself, staging a false attack to gain sympathy. Either way, the damage was done—the town was tearing itself apart.

Fire on Holy Ground

On October 25, 1931, disaster struck again. Jeffers’ giant tent went up in flames.

Once again, no one knows who started it. Jeffers insisted it was his enemies. His enemies insisted it was Jeffers, desperate for headlines. Over 90 years later, the truth remains buried.

But one fact is clear: the revival that had promised salvation was now synonymous with violence, fear, and destruction.

A Town Embarrassed

The story made national papers. New Yorkers snickered at reports of fistfights, riots, and arson breaking out in a small Arkansas town—all in the name of religion.

For Jonesboro, it was humiliating. For Jeffers, it was fuel. He continued to gather loyal followers, who worshiped in makeshift buildings until they constructed a crude wooden tabernacle of their own.

But Jeffers wasn’t done with Jonesboro. He would leave for a while, only to return a later—and this time, blood would be spilled.

👉 Next in the series: Part 4 – Guns in the House of God (1933)

WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

WATCH Video

Madman or Messiah? An Investigation into the Crimes & Charisma of Cult Leader Joseph D. Jeffers

From extreme fundamentalist ideologies to the paranormal and the occult, Joseph Jeffers’ message integrated with the times and incited a religious fervor amongst his followers. In the 1930s, he was causing war in Arkansas and inciting violence that would lead to the death of one man and the attempted murder of a local preacher. In the 1940s, he was making headlines in L.A. for his lewd house parties. In the ’50s, his third wife would be brutally murdered. Her homicide would go unsolved. In the ’60s, he would make headlines in Arizona when he gambled off all of the church funds at the race track. In the ’70s, he would prophesy great and mighty things to do with UFOs and the Bermuda triangle. By 1978, he would be building a pyramid to withstand the apocalypse in Missouri. And by 1988, he would die of old age. No one ever stopped this man from stealing millions of dollars, coercing innocent young women, or hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Read this book to find out more about the crimes, the chaos, and the injustice in the life of Dr. Joseph D. Jeffers.

How could this man have gotten away with all of these crimes, and how could he have flown under the radar? After making so many ludicrous headlines, how do we not know the name of Joseph Jeffers?

PREORDER Book

This episode is brought to you by BONES COFFEE COMPANY.

BUY COFFEE
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The Jonesboro Church War: Part 2 – Prophecies & Riots

When Joseph Jeffers rolled back into Jonesboro in the summer of 1931, the town should have known trouble was coming. He had left the year before in a storm of controversy, but now he was back with an even bigger tent, bolder sermons, and a prophecy that would terrify thousands.

The Preacher Who Knew the End

Jeffers announced that he possessed a special gift: prophecy. From the pulpit, he declared that the world would end in May of 1932.

The Bible clearly says no man knows the day or hour—but Jeffers claimed he did. For a town already reeling from floods, drought, and the Great Depression, his warnings struck a nerve. People packed the tent by the thousands. Some came seeking salvation, others came for the spectacle.

And Jeffers gave them both.

Accusations from the Pulpit

Jeffers didn’t just preach about the end of days. He began attacking Jonesboro’s leaders from the pulpit. He accused Pastor Dow Heard—the man who had replaced him—of fathering illegitimate children and having affairs. He claimed the mayor himself was corrupt and immoral.

In 1931, those accusations could ruin a man’s life. And that was exactly Jeffers’ goal.

What’s striking in hindsight is that many of the sins Jeffers railed about—gambling, immorality, and hypocrisy—would later be exposed in his own life. But at the time, the town was too divided to see it.

A Town at War with Itself

Jeffers’ fire-and-brimstone sermons split Jonesboro in two. Families stopped speaking to each other. Friends turned into enemies. The faithful were caught between the new pastor and the magnetic outsider who promised judgment day was near.

Things finally boiled over on September 9, 1931.

That night, after another one of Jeffers’ rants against Pastor Heard, a fight broke out between two prominent townsmen. Before long, others joined in, fists flew, and chaos spread through the crowd.

The story was so wild it landed in The New York Times.

From Fistfight to Riot

Within hours, the fight escalated into a riot. Over 500 Jeffers supporters crowded the courthouse lawn, demanding justice for one of their men who had been arrested.

Jeffers himself led a prayer—but instead of calming the crowd, he called on God to strike the mayor dead.

That was the spark. Jeffers’ mob attacked the mayor and the police chief. Panic spread. Violence erupted.

The situation was so dire that the Arkansas Governor called in the National Guard. Soldiers with machine guns marched into Jonesboro to restore order. Captain Harry Eldridge even sent a telegram to the governor warning:

“Thousands of lives are endangered. Declare martial law now, or shoot down 1,000 church members with machine guns.”

A Revival Becomes a Battlefield

It was unprecedented: armed soldiers surrounding a courthouse while church members screamed outside, ready to fight. Tear gas was thrown into Jeffers’ tent meetings. Families fled in terror. Neighbors feared one another.

A revival that was supposed to save souls had turned into open war.

And Joseph Jeffers? He didn’t back down. When ordered to stop his slanderous attacks, he arrogantly declared:

“I take no orders from anyone but God.”

Jonesboro was no longer just a divided town. It was a battleground.

👉 Next in the series: Part 3 – The Tent Burns & the Town Boils Over
As soldiers withdrew, Jeffers’ followers stayed loyal. Soon, a tear gas attack and a mysterious fire would push the town into even deeper chaos.

WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars

WATCH Video

Madman or Messiah? An Investigation into the Crimes & Charisma of Cult Leader Joseph D. Jeffers

From extreme fundamentalist ideologies to the paranormal and the occult, Joseph Jeffers’ message integrated with the times and incited a religious fervor amongst his followers. In the 1930s, he was causing war in Arkansas and inciting violence that would lead to the death of one man and the attempted murder of a local preacher. In the 1940s, he was making headlines in L.A. for his lewd house parties. In the ’50s, his third wife would be brutally murdered. Her homicide would go unsolved. In the ’60s, he would make headlines in Arizona when he gambled off all of the church funds at the race track. In the ’70s, he would prophesy great and mighty things to do with UFOs and the Bermuda triangle. By 1978, he would be building a pyramid to withstand the apocalypse in Missouri. And by 1988, he would die of old age. No one ever stopped this man from stealing millions of dollars, coercing innocent young women, or hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Read this book to find out more about the crimes, the chaos, and the injustice in the life of Dr. Joseph D. Jeffers.

How could this man have gotten away with all of these crimes, and how could he have flown under the radar? After making so many ludicrous headlines, how do we not know the name of Joseph Jeffers?

PREORDER Book

This episode is brought to you by BONES COFFEE COMPANY.

BUY COFFEE
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The Jonesboro Church War: Part 1 – The Firebrand Arrives

Courtesy of Ray Hanley

By the summer of 1930, the people of Jonesboro, Arkansas were exhausted. They had survived the devastating floods of 1927 and endured a crushing drought that followed. The town of roughly 10,000 was battered and weary, but still clinging to hope. What they didn’t know was that a new storm was about to sweep through—one that had nothing to do with weather and everything to do with a fiery little preacher named Joseph Jeffers.

A Showman in the Pulpit

At just 32 years old, Jeffers was no ordinary evangelist. A former actor turned preacher, he knew how to work a crowd. His sermons were bold, theatrical, and laced with fire and brimstone. Local leaders set up a massive canvas revival tent, and nearly half the town—around 5,000 people—crammed inside or gathered outside to hear him speak.

Newspapers described the crowds as “zealous” and “entranced.” For weeks, Jonesboro buzzed with revival fever. The offerings piled up, conversions were reported, and Jeffers extended his stay.

But behind the curtain of revival, trouble was brewing.

Winning the Pulpit—and Making Enemies

When the town’s First Baptist Church pastor, A.W. Reaves, resigned, Jeffers was offered the pulpit permanently. He accepted, but not everyone was thrilled. Some church members whispered that Jeffers was more con man than clergyman.

They questioned his wild stories, like the time he claimed to have been shot in New Orleans during a card game where he was supposedly “preaching against gambling.” To many, his tales were vague and unverifiable. To others, they sounded like outright lies.

Still, Jeffers’ charisma won over the majority—at least for a while.

The Vote That Changed Everything

As tensions mounted, the church called a vote. Jeffers lost. A new pastor, Dow Heard of Big Springs, Texas, was elected instead. Jeffers left Jonesboro in a huff, his ego bruised but not defeated.

Before leaving, he boasted that his revival had reached 25,000 people, brought in $3,000 in offerings (over $57,000 in today’s money), and resulted in 400 conversions with 60 baptisms. Whether those numbers were fact or fiction is impossible to verify, but one thing was certain—Jonesboro had not seen the last of Joseph Jeffers.

Storm Clouds Ahead

When Jeffers rolled out of town, some breathed a sigh of relief. But others missed the firebrand preacher who had electrified their summer. Less than a year later, he would return—and this time, his revival would ignite something far darker than spiritual fervor.

The stage was set for what history would call The Jonesboro Church War. Stay tuned for part 2 in this blog series.

NEW BOOK ALERT: Madman or Messiah?

Madman or Messiah? An Investigation into the Crimes & Charisma of Cult Leader Joseph D. Jeffers

From extreme fundamentalist ideologies to the paranormal and the occult, Joseph Jeffers’ message integrated with the times and incited a religious fervor amongst his followers. In the 1930s, he was causing war in Arkansas and inciting violence that would lead to the death of one man and the attempted murder of a local preacher. In the 1940s, he was making headlines in L.A. for his lewd house parties. In the ’50s, his third wife would be brutally murdered. Her homicide would go unsolved. In the ’60s, he would make headlines in Arizona when he gambled off all of the church funds at the race track. In the ’70s, he would prophesy great and mighty things to do with UFOs and the Bermuda triangle. By 1978, he would be building a pyramid to withstand the apocalypse in Missouri. And by 1988, he would die of old age. No one ever stopped this man from stealing millions of dollars, coercing innocent young women, or hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Read this book to find out more about the crimes, the chaos, and the injustice in the life of Dr. Joseph D. Jeffers.

How could this man have gotten away with all of these crimes, and how could he have flown under the radar? After making so many ludicrous headlines, how do we not know the name of Joseph Jeffers?

Chasing Justice Episode Premieres Sept. 2nd. Don’t miss it!

Watch Video
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