Cold Case Files: Beaver Lake holds mystery of missing man, drifting boat, and unanswered questions

On a crisp April morning in 1994, 30-year-old Randall Clay Arthurs set out for a routine fishing trip on Beaver Lake, Arkansas.

It was a familiar setting--serene waters, quiet coves--but by the end of the day, the lake would hold a mystery that remains unresolved more than three decades later.

Later that evening, Randall’s boat was found drifting near Twin Coves. The motor, strangely detached, lay inside the boat rather than secured to the transom. His vehicle and trailer were still at the boat ramp, untouched. He was nowhere to be found.

Investigators speculated that Randall's boat struck an object underwater, dislodging the motor in the process. If that was the case, the sudden jolt might have thrown him overboard. But with no eyewitnesses and no remains recovered, speculation was all authorities had.

Was he injured and unable to swim? Did he attempt to reach the shore only to succumb to exhaustion? Or was there another factor at play--something beyond an accident?

Beaver Lake’s waters are deep and unpredictable, its underwater terrain varying dramatically. Any search would have been challenging, especially in an era before advanced sonar and forensic diving techniques became standard.

Randall’s case remained quiet for years, until it was officially entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in June 2023. The reasons for this sudden inclusion are unclear, but it reignited interest in what might have happened that day in 1994.

Did Randall’s boat truly hit an obstruction? Could the motor have been improperly secured? If he did fall in, was the weather a factor? And perhaps most importantly--was anyone else present that morning at Twin Coves?

His disappearance leaves a lingering absence, felt by those who knew him and those who still seek answers. Without further leads, Randall remains one of many missing persons whose names are etched in uncertainty--a life paused, a story unfinished.

Decades may have passed, but cases like Randall’s prove that time doesn’t erase the need for answers. For those who remember that April day, the question remains: What really happened on Beaver Lake?

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Randall Clay Arthurs, contact the Benton County Sheriff's Department at (479) 271-1009.