Cold Case Files: Death of UA student by gunshot wounds in 1977 still remains a baffling mystery for state and local officials

On July 30, 1977, 20-year-old Rex Douglas Terrell was working an early shift at Fredrick’s Grocery, a 24-hour store in Huntsville, Madison Count.

Around 5:30 a.m., he was shot three times with a large-caliber handgun, likely a .357 or .38 pistol, in what appeared to be a possible robbery. A customer discovered him shortly after, still breathing but critically wounded; he died minutes later

. Born on January 13, 1957, in Huntsville, Terrell was a University of Arkansas student living with his family on Route 4. He was laid to rest in Alabam Cemetery northeast of Huntsville.

Despite an immediate investigation involving the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, local police, and Arkansas State Police, no arrests were made. The case quickly faded from broader public attention, typical of rural homicides in the pre-digital era with limited media coverage and no major breakthroughs.

For decades, it remained one of Madison County's longest-standing unsolved cases, with the unknown perpetrator(s) once listed as the sheriff's office's "#1 most wanted."

In March 2020, investigators exhumed Terrell's body from Alabam Cemetery to re-examine evidence using modern forensic techniques, signaling a renewed effort. However, no public updates on suspects or charges have emerged since, and the homicide remains unsolved nearly 50 years later.

The absence of widely circulated photos of Terrell (no images appear in news archives or official records) has contributed to the case's obscurity, highlighting how older cold cases in small communities can slip into silence without ongoing advocacy or media focus.

Groups dedicated to Madison County's unsolved mysteries continue efforts to keep such stories alive, seeking justice for victims and closure for families

.If you have any information related to the life or death of Rex Douglas Terrell, no matter how small, contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (479) 738-2320.

Tips can be submitted directly to investigators, and anonymous submissions may be possible through local channels. This case is handled locally, though broader Arkansas cold cases can involve the Arkansas State Police.

Your tip could finally bring justice and closure after decades of uncertainty.