Local legislator reflects on 35-year-old cold case

Hope Duke and Dana Stidham were childhood friends in small town Northwest Arkansas. They rode bikes together, passed notes, and were in the same graduating class at Gravette High School, the Class of ‘89.

Duke said they weren’t very close in high school, but that she's never forgotten the tragic days after Dana’s disappearance. 

Since graduating from GHS, Duke attended the University of Arkansas and later taught at Gravette Middle School. After taking time off to tend to her family, she went on to serve on the Gravette School Board for six years and eventually ran for the House of Representatives in 2022, winning her race. 

Now, a freshman in the House of Representatives and married with three adult children, Duke says Dana’s sudden passing is felt more than ever before.

"It was hard, you know, it's hard. And I think there are aspects of it as you get older. Like, right now, I have all three of my children are older than Dana was," Duke said. 

"When you become a parent, you see things in a different way than what you saw before. And so, as a peer of Dana, you hurt on one level, but as you become a parent yourself, at least for me, you understand the different kinds of love and you understand a different kind of pain, because you have your own children," Duke added. "We haven't lost our children like that. But you can imagine the hurt that her family felt in a different way. And I think that makes it even more important to get the answer."

Duke had known Dana since kindergarten. "I don't remember not knowing Dana."

The congresswoman recalls that while she and Dana weren't as close in high school, her disappearance and death were still a brutal shock. She says Dana’s disappearance first brought confusion, but news of her death brought heartbreak. 

“I mean, just confused, I just didn't really know. I mean, we had just graduated from high school not that long before then. So people were going to different places,” Duke said. “And then, of course, whenever they discovered her, I mean, that was heartbreaking. And it's heartbreaking for a family, of course. And for the community it was shocking, it was never the same.”

"This is a young lady who had her life taken away from her and you can't not do something about it if you have the opportunity to try to make a difference. And I think that that is something I've seen as I've become an adult," Duke added. 

She recalls the tender moments of her childhood she spent with Dana; birthday parties and sleepovers, writing notes, and talking on the phone. 

"I particularly remember, for the longest time, I had a scar on my leg from when she and I wrecked on my dad's moped. And I burned a little nick on my leg on the exhaust. I had that for years," Duke said. 

"I still remember her phone number because we talked on the phone a lot from elementary and junior high, she was a good listener," Duke added.

Duke said while recounting her time with Dana, she can’t remember everything, which makes her sad. “It stirred up emotions I didn't know I had still.”

Duke said the charm of a small town is on full display when families get to know each other and get closer over time. So, when tragedy strikes, it hits harder and runs deeper. 

"I still live in Gravette and many of my classmates, the kids above me or below me, still live in Gravette too. And so, your kids go to school together as well. And that is really the sweet part of a small town," Duke said. "My parents went to school with some of my friend's parents, and then my kids have gone to school with all my classmates' kids and I would have anticipated the same would have been true with Dana."

Duke estimates the Class of ‘89 was only about 50 people. She said she remembers the 10-year class reunion, the first for the group, which was somber without Dana. 

“I do remember, our first class reunion, I think, was our 10-year one. And I think at that time— and again, my memory is not what it used to be—But I know that we had collected memories, everybody had given memories about Dana," Duke recalled.

Dana was living in Centerton with her brother Larry and her cousin Kristy at the time of her disappearance. She attended school in Gravette, grew up in Hiwasse, and worked in Bella Vista.

Family and friends said Dana left her mark on each of these communities, and that her murder is a stark reminder that no matter how small the town is or how close the community can be, things are never perfect. 

"Well, I mean, it's a reminder that we live in an imperfect world. It's easy when you live in a kind of community where you do feel very safe," Duke said. "You ride your bikes, and we did a lot of that growing up, Dana included. Riding our bikes around town and hanging out. You didn't have cell phones. We would leave at nine o'clock in the morning, and we would bike all day and show back up in the evening for dinner and go back and do it again. And there was no concern whatsoever."

Duke says that, while Dana's death sent shockwaves through the community, it also brought everyone together. She remembers Dana’s funeral in the old Gravette High School gym. She said that the room was packed. 

“It’s so cliche, but it’s just not something you ever think is going to happen around you with people that you know, or people that you grew up with,” Duke said.

"I definitely think that it raises your guard differently than what it was before. And so, I think it reminds you that there isn't perfection on this earth, and there is evil, but it also brings small communities to care for each other," Duke said. "I can only speak for small communities. What I know about it is that you support each other, you rally around each other, you try to help each other. And you keep an eye on each other. That was something that always was true."

"But you know, it's sweet, it is a sweet thing to be part of a small town," Duke added.

While Duke is unsure who killed Dana, she says she hasn’t given up hope.

"Absolutely. I mean, that's my name, right? Absolutely. I mean, with technology today, and the advancements that are made. That's where I think the importance of folks like you keeping that story out there and reminding people of this," Duke said. "We as a community have an obligation to them, and to our remaining family members, to do everything we can to help get closure for this because she deserves that. Her family deserves that."

Duke says that community members should encourage their local law enforcement to take a new look into the case. 

"We need to continue to advocate for Dana and ask our law enforcement to make sure that they're continuing to do everything they can, using new technologies to get answers. And then if somebody knows something, we hope they will come forward all these years later, maybe there's something that someone hasn't ever said before that they'll tell," Duke said. 

More than anything, Duke says it's important to not forget about Dana and to remember to pray for her family. "That hurt is still there."

"I believe our people around here and our law enforcement here want to solve the case as well. Until we have more answers, I don't know at this point what that next step would be or if there needs to be one," Duke added. "There's just so many questions."

While the Benton County Sheriff’s Office was unwilling to answer questions from 5NEWS, Lt. Shannon Jenkins offered the following statement:

I have gone over this with the proper personnel and there is nothing new to add. It is still an active investigation and open case. As with every unsolved death investigation, we will continue to do due diligence.

Until Dana's killer is brought to justice, Duke says she is left wondering "what would have been," asking questions with no answers. 

"I think it's important. We all want that to be solved. Everybody wants to," Duke said. "Her family deserves to have answers. Her friends deserve to have answers."

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