On September 27, 2004, near an embankment on Highway 9, a few miles outside of Melbourne, Arkansas, the remains of missing 22-year-old college student Rebekah Gould were discovered.
Rebekah’s partially nude body was left in the heavily wooded area near Devil’s Knob Wildlife Management Area.
Gould was last seen as she entered the Possum Trot convenience store in Melbourne to pick up some snacks after dropping off a friend at work.
On the weekend she went missing, relatives say that Gould was staying with a friend in the nearby town of Guion. Gould told relatives that she would be back on Monday.
When Gould didn’t return, a search ensued. Police discovered Rebekah’s Chevrolet Cavalier, cell phone, purse, and other personal effects at the home of the friend she was staying with.
However, that’s not all they discovered. Police also found blood at various locations around the house and they believe that Rebekah was forcibly removed to another location before she was ultimately murdered.
The details of what happened in that house have never been released by Arkansas State Police, but the evidence points to a brutal murder: Blood-stained sheets were discovered in the washing machine, and a blood-covered mattress had been flipped over.
An uneaten breakfast sandwich, possibly purchased from the Possum Trot, sat on the bedside table.
Police believe that Rebekah, found wearing only a nightshirt and underwear, was most likely napping when she was woken up by her attackers.
The official autopsy report concludes that the fatal blow most likely resulted from a piano leg that was discovered as missing from the home that Gould was staying in that weekend.
In 2016, there appeared to be a break in the case when Rebekah’s father received a letter from someone who said they overheard at least four people talking about the murder at Ozarka College in Melbourne.
The author of the letter claimed to be able to identify three people involved with the killing. Unfortunately, that lead hasn’t yet led to any answers in the death of Rebekah Gould.
If anyone has information about this case, please contact the sheriff’s department 870-368-4203 or State Police at 800-553-3820. Tips can also be sent to info@asp.arkansas.gov.
