Kriti Mehrotra
When 19-year-old Melissa “Missy” Witt was found dead deep in the woods of Franklin County, Arkansas, around 45 days after she went missing on December 1, 1994, it left the entire nation baffled to the core. That’s because, as explored in Hulu’s ‘At Witt’s End: The Hunt for the Killer,’ it was not only unlike her to disappear without a trace but the way she was found also made it clear her last few hours were violent. Unfortunately, although nearly three decades have passed, officials are still only just looking into several people in this cold case, including Travis Dale Crouch, because nothing concrete has turned up.
Travis Crouch Has an Extensive History of Violence
Although an Arkansas native having grown up in the Baptist community around Ozark and its nearby areas, Travis (aka “Tramp” or “Skull”) has not led a conventional life in any manner. The truth is he began struggling with alcohol abuse, drug issues, as well as violent tendencies at a relatively early age, leading him to become well-known in the worst of ways. In fact, according to records, his long criminal history even involves several accusations of rape and sexual abuse, some of which were eventually dismissed when the victim refused to testify against him.
Nevertheless, records show he was arrested or taken into custody in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, and South Dakota across the 1990s. Whether it be burglaries, possession of a firearm during the commission of felonies, rape investigations, or attempted murder during a robbery, he has all these charges plus more on his rap sheet. However, none of them really stuck in the initial years, as a result of which he was even released from a Minnesota jail in October 1994, only to then hitchhike down south.
Travis Crouch is a Key Person of Interest in Melissa Witt’s Case
As per reports, whenever Travis was released from prison, he always ended up back at his father’s house in Franklin County, Arkansas, to start anew before soon falling back into old habits. Therefore, officials believe he once again made his way to Arkansas prior to going further down south until he was arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana, on unrelated charges on December 31, 1994, or January 1, 1995. However, while his parents have asserted he did not cross into Arkansas around the time of Melissa’s appearance, many witnesses vividly remember him being in the area and driving around in his mother’s brown car around the time.
In fact, court documents have also alleged Travis was serving as a carpenter at the Baptist camp run by his family near the unincorporated, wooded site, which just so happens to be less than 2 miles from the spot Melissa’s body was ultimately found. As if that’s not enough, the fact his family ended up selling the vehicle he’d been using in 1994 just a short while later seemed off too, yet an extensive forensic analysis revealed nothing of evidentiary interest. Nevertheless, since then, officials have been trying to focus on any other vehicles the family had back then since it is believed Melissa was attacked and abducted, so blood spatter is a possibility.
As for why officials have focused on Travis over the years – he likely had means and motives, his MO matches the case to a large extent, he does have violent tendencies, and he has always refused to give his DNA sample. The only outlier is that while his rap sheet shows he is known to be abusive and sexually violent, he had never once killed – he usually only used to overpower women and take advantage of them until he was satisfied. Yet again, with the way Melissa’s body was disposed of, officials have always been sure her killer knew the area, and Travis’ professional work, as well as years growing up nearby, indicated he did indeed know the area.
Travis Crouch Was Apprehended For Good in 1997
From what we can tell, Travis was panhandling at a shopping mall in Boulder, Colorado, alongside a friend named Cayote on July 28, 1997, when they approached a girl nearby and asked her for a ride. She agreed to take them to a nearby gas station, where the former bought a case of beer as well as a pack of condoms while the latter fled upon having realized the meaning behind the latter purchase. Per the show, the woman then agreed to drive Travis through a mountain, only for him to soon take control of the car, hit her head, and force her to stop while under the influence.
According to this woman’s own statements to the police, Travis subsequently made her get out of the car and bend over the hood despite her protests as well as assertions of being on her period. He sexually assaulted her twice before forcing her to orally satisfy him inside the car twice, only to pass out both times in his substance-induced stupor. It was following this fourth incident that she managed to escape and make her way to the police station with the help of some good samaritans, just for him to quickly be arrested as he was still in the car when officials showed up a few hours later.
Travis Crouch is Currently Incarcerated in a State Prison
When Travis ultimately stood trial on the 1997 rape charge against him, he vehemently maintained his innocence in not just this case but also all the others he was being accused of in the media. Nevertheless, with his violent history as well as the testimony of his victim, the 31-year-old was found guilty before being sentenced to 64 years behind bars, with the judge asserting he was “a sexual predator and a danger to others.” “To hell with you,” the convict shouted in court following his sentencing. “I never had any power over this girl. I didn’t force sex on this person. I don’t give a damn.”
Therefore, today, at the age of 57, Travis Dale Crouch remains incarcerated at the mixed-level Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Ordway, Crowley County, Colorado. He did become eligible for parole on July 2, 2023, but was quickly denied owing to his victim having the courage to come forward against him again, so his next parole hearing is scheduled for late August 2024. If he is not paroled, though, he is estimated to be discharged at the end of his sentence on May 17, 2055.
Read More: William Dillard Taylor: Where is the Convicted Predator Now?
