This week the Pope County Sheriff’s Office announced the discovery of a vehicle containing human remains. According to the release, on October 26th at approximately 12:30pm, Pope County 911 received a call from individuals advising that they had possibly located a vehicle matching the description of the car belonging to Samantha Jean Hopper, who was reported missing on September 11, 1998, in the water near the 3700 Block of Pleasant View Road.
Samantha was reported to have been traveling to drop her daughter, Courtney Holt, off before continuing on to a concert in Little Rock; however, Samantha, her daughter, and her blue Ford Tempo were never located.
The vehicle was found by the non-profit group, Adventures With Purpose, who travel the country working on Cold Cases.
Once on scene, Investigators requested assistance from Elmo’s Crane Service and Battlecross Towing to remove the vehicle from the water.
The vehicle was reported to have been approximately twenty-five yards from the bank in about eight feet of water.
Once removed from the water, the vehicle was found to have human remains that will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock for DNA testing.
Pope County Sheriff Jones states, “The Pope County Sheriff’s Office would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Samantha Hopper and Courtney Holt, and we are thankful to have been a small part of helping bring this 23-year-old case to closure.â€
Sheriff Jones would also like to thank all who were involved in the recovery. Adventures With Purpose, Elmo’s Crane Service, and Battlecross Towing; and Investigator Erick Riggs for the countless hours spent following leads in the case.
Photos courtesy of the Pope County Sheriff’s Office.
