Cold Case Files: Despite identifying victim four decades after the murder law enforcement is still chasing clues

A1981 murder case remains one of Benton County’s most puzzling unsolved mysteries. The victim, once a nameless “John Doe,” was identified in 2022 as Fred James Grow, a 33-year-old adventurer whose life ended in a violent shooting.

Four decades later, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office is still hunting for his killer, piecing together a story that involves shadowy communes, two mysterious women, and a van that never reached its destination.

In spring 1981, Fred Grow was living in Fayetteville, ready to hit the road in his 1965 Ford Econoline Camper Van. The Colorado native planned to drive through Kansas City and Wichita before visiting family back home.

On June 3, 1981, witnesses saw Grow approached by two women who needed a ride to Oregon. The women, who had lived at the Sassafras and Rainbow Communes in Newton County before moving to Fayetteville, were spotted loading their belongings into Grow’s van.

That was the last time anyone saw Fred Grow alive.

Just ten days later, on June 13, authorities found a man’s body in a remote area near Garfield, Arkansas. He had been shot, and with no ID, he was buried as a “John Doe” in an unmarked grave at Bentonville Cemetery. The case went cold, leaving Grow’s family in the dark and investigators stumped.

The Sassafras and Rainbow Communes were part of a 1970s and 1980s counterculture wave, drawing free spirits, artists, and wanderers to Newton County’s backwoods. These tight-knit communities promised freedom but sometimes attracted people living on the edge--some even dodging the law.

The two women tied to Grow’s case were part of this world, though their names remain under wraps. Benton County detectives knows who they are but haven’t said if they’re suspects, witnesses, or even victims.

Their connection to Grow is a critical clue, but what happened after they climbed into his van is anyone’s guess.

Investigators and locals have long speculated about what led to Grow’s death. One theory suggests the women were involved in a robbery that turned deadly. Grow was shot and his body dumped far from town, hinting at a crime meant to stay hidden.

Could the women have lured him into a trap, perhaps with others from the communes?

Another possibility is that Grow stumbled into trouble unrelated to his passengers. The communes, while peaceful for many, sometimes drew drifters or criminals, and Grow might have crossed the wrong person.

There’s also the chilling question of the women’s fate. Some wonder if they, too, became victims, their remains possibly among those later found in Benton County--though no public records confirm this.

Were they accomplices who vanished into the transient commune network, or did they meet the same fate as Grow? Without more evidence, these ideas remain educated guesses, each one adding to the case’s eerie allure.

For nearly 40 years, the case sat untouched, a forgotten file in a sheriff’s office drawer. In 2016, Lieutenant Petray took it on, determined to find answers. He sent old evidence to the Arkansas Crime Lab, but it was too degraded to help.

Undeterred, Petray and Coroner Daniel Oxford tracked down the victim’s unmarked grave in 2019 and got a court order to exhume the remains.

The big break came in 2022, thanks to Othram, a Texas company using forensic genetic genealogy. By analyzing DNA and building family trees, Othram confirmed the victim was Fred James Grow. On October 25, 2022,

Sheriff Shawn Holloway shared the news, a bittersweet moment for Grow’s family, who finally knew his fate but still lacked justice.

Identifying Grow was a triumph of modern science, showing how DNA can breathe new life into cold cases. But solving his murder is another challenge. The transient lifestyle of the communes, where people often drifted without leaving records, makes tracking down witnesses or suspects tough.

The women’s unknown fate only deepens the mystery--were they part of the crime, or did they vanish for other reasons?

This case isn’t just about one man’s death; it’s a window into a time when alternative communities thrived in Arkansas’s hills, sometimes hiding dark secrets. Every unanswered question--Who were the women? Why was Grow targeted?—keeps the case alive in the community’s imagination.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is begging asking anyone with information to come forward. Even the smallest tip could crack the case wide open. Contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 479-271-1009.

Sheriff Holloway believes someone out there knows what happened to Fred Grow, and he’s counting on them to speak up.