Hempstead County Sheriff's Office is seeking information on three county residents who have disappeared over the past five years.
Sheriff James Singleton said the missing are:
- Casey Clark, 36, of Fulton,
- 58-year-old Joseph Christopher Cowart of Hope and
- Madeline R. Tomlin, who was 24 at the time of her disappearance in May 2015.
Clark and Cowart were reported missing to the Sheriff's Office in March and May of 2012, respectively.
"Investigators from the Sheriff's Office and detectives from the Hope Police Department continue to work on the cases, chasing down leads without much results and sharing information on all three cases," Singleton said in a news release.
Singleton ended the release with an emotional appeal.
"Please help us find these missing persons and reunite them with their family and friends."
All information will be kept confidential, Singelton said.
Clark, a dark-complexioned African-American male, is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 175 pounds, with brown or black hair.
"It is unknown the type (of) clothes Casey was wearing or his direction of travel," Singleton said.
Clark, then 31, was reported missing by his father, Melvin Clark, on Friday, March 30, 2012.
"Melvin stated no one had heard or seen Casey Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Mr. Clark stated that Casey was staying with a friend at Amandex Apartments and left in that car, which was later found at the Boll Weevil liquor store in Fulton. Mr. Clark stated that Melvin also left his wallet in the friend's apartment," Singleton said.
Cowart has not been seen or heard from since Tuesday, May 15, 2012, Singleton said.
"On May 20, 2012, deputies were dispatched to 3096 Highway 174 South in reference to Cowart's uncle not being able to make contact with his nephew, Joseph Christopher Cowart. He is a white male, 6 feet tall and 195 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Unknown clothing."
According to Singleton, the uncle told deputies that he went to his nephew's residence, at 3096 Highway 174, knocked on the door and got no answer. He then returned home to attempt to contact Cowart by telephone.
When the deputies arrived, the uncle said Cowart's truck was parked under the carport and the doors to the house and truck were locked. The uncle then entered the house and noticed Christopher was not inside.
"They walked around the yard and checked the buildings around the house, but he was nowhere to be found. The uncle said that he talks to Christopher daily, and it was not like him not to call him back when he called," Singleton said.
Cowart has been entered in national and Arkansas crime databases as a missing person.
Tomlin is 5-foot-5 and 115 pounds, with brownish-red hair and green eyes. She was last seen in Hope on the evening of Wednesday, May 20, 2015. She was possibly wearing light-blue cotton pants and a white or cream-colored top. She has a butterfly tattoo on her foot, the name "Cash" on her ankle and a horseshoe tattoo on her shoulder.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of either Clark, Cowart or Tomlin is urged to contact Hope Police at 870-777-3434, 870-703-3481 or 870-722-2561, or the Sheriff's Office at 870-777-6727.