Cold Case Files: Abducted from a Fort Smith convenience store, Lois Ensey's story remains a local enigma

Lois Ensey

In the summer of 1979, Lois Maxine Ensey, a 23-year-old mother of two young daughters, vanished during her overnight shift at a small grocery store in Fort Smith. Her disappearance quickly turned into a homicide investigation when her body was found eight days later.

Despite efforts by local law enforcement, the case remains unsolved more than 45 years later, leaving her family and the community searching for answers.

Lois Ensey lived in Fort Smith with her husband and their daughters, who were two and four years old at the time. She had recently started working at J's Night Owl Grocery, located off Highway 271, to help support her family.

July 19, 1979, marked only her second night on the job and her first time working the overnight shift alone

. She arrived at the store around 6 p.m., but by later that evening, customers noticed the store was unattended with the lights still on and no cashier present.

They contacted the Fort Smith Police Department, which responded to reports of an open but empty store.

Officers arrived to find Ensey's car still parked outside and her purse left untouched inside the store. There were no immediate signs of a struggle, and initial searches yielded few clues.

The case was treated as a missing person investigation until July 27, when her body was discovered in a remote area off Highway 71 near Treece Road. An autopsy revealed she had been shot three times, including in the head. Exposure to high summer temperatures had degraded potential evidence, complicating the forensic analysis

.The Fort Smith Police Department, in collaboration with the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, launched a full homicide investigation. Detectives interviewed customers who had visited the store that night, including those who had written checks, to establish a timeline. Search warrants and subpoenas were issued, but leads dried up due to limited witness recollections and possible reluctance to come forward.

Some investigators noted that certain individuals might have withheld information out of fear or other reasons. Despite these efforts, no suspects were publicly identified, and the case went cold.

Ensey's family has endured the loss without closure.

Her youngest daughter, Nikki Ensey, who was two years old at the time, has no personal memories of her mother. n statements shared publicly, Nikki has expressed the profound impact of growing up without her, noting that the family was deprived of her presence and guidance.

The family continues to advocate for the case, participating in local efforts to keep it in the public eye.

The Sebastian County Sheriff's Office encourages tips through River Valley Crime Stoppers, offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Authorities stress that even minor details from 1979 could prove crucial in solving the mystery.