Story Created:
Nov 12, 2009 at 6:31 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Nov 13, 2009 at 2:00 AM CDT
Police say customers of a Missouri strip club may have clues to the disappearance of two Arkansas women. Louise and Christina Bishop's family are offering $25,000 for tips to find them.
Police don't believe 81-year-old Louise or 40-year-old Christina drove their own truck to the Club HOTS lot. They hope tips will tell them who did. The mother and daughter left a Bentonville Sam's Club walking nearly arm in arm around 5:30 p.m. June 18. "They just vanished without a trace (and) we need the public's help -- that's why we're offering a large reward," Louise Bishop’s nephew George Skupien says. He says the two women separated for a time the night they disappeared. Skupien says he talked to Christina around 8:30 p.m. as she filled up her gas tank. "I then talked to my aunt Louise and she was at home around 9 p.m. and she was just fine," Skupien says.
When Skupien didn’t hear from his aunt for a few days, he went to her home off J Street. The women's groceries were never unpacked, the front door was open and the alarm was turned off. Their only transportation, a truck, was found months later in the strip club parking lot. Police believe it sat in a tow lot for two weeks before the tow company called Skupien, who called police. They believe the truck sat in the strip club parking lot for weeks before it was towed. Police say club employees jokingly wrote "free car, please tow" in lipstick on the truck. Employees say cars are often left on the lot for long periods of time.
Police say there were no signs of a struggle inside the vehicle. "Some of the information we gathered we're protecting for down the road," Lieutenant Jon Simpson says. He says police have recieved about 100 tips. The tips have led them to other states but no substancial leads. "The more time that passes the greater the possibility that this will not have a happy ending," Simpson says.
As a retired detective himself Skupien agrees and holds out for clues. "It's frustrating, now I know what it feels like to be a victim," Skupien says. The family's $5,000 reward expired. The $25,000 reward lasts until December 10. Officers say no piece of information is too small. "I know some people are afraid to call police so I hope they'll think about emailing," Skupien says. Anyone with information can call (479) 271-3173 or email reward@mail.com.
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