Investigators now have reason to believe the boyfriend of Annette Rapalee, who was shot in the face and left for dead in a Bella Vista Creek bed Saturday (May 11), could be behind the crime.
Police say they found blood on the man and inside his vehicle. They also located a weapon.
"Right now we're not at the point where we can make an arrest," explained Bella Vista Police Chief Ken Farmer. "We're not at the point where we can name a suspect. But we are working on the case and developing more information."
Investigators searched Rapalee's home Thursday (May 16), after they talked with her at the hospital.
"She claims she was assaulted at her house," Chief Deputy David Roark with McDonald County Sheriff's Office said. "We did a search warrant at her house but we found no clues inside the house to show she was assaulted inside the house."
Authorities also executed a search warrant at the home of Rapalee's 61-year-old boyfriend.
"We found several different articles that had blood splatters on them inside the truck, like an envelope and newspapers," Roark said. "There were blood splatters on the head rest. And on his clothing and on his boots we also found samples of blood."
The DNA and blood samples have bene sent to crime labs in both Missouri and Arkansas for investigation.
Authorities said the case may be connected to an unsolved murder case involving a woman named Dana Stidham, whose body was found in the same area in 1989.
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