FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS – Nearly 24 years after Junior Lee McCormick vanished without a trace, his disappearance continues to confound law enforcement in the region.
McCormick, was reported missing by his mother, Evelyn Meisenheimer, on July 20, 2001. His last known sighting occurred six days earlier, when he was spotted leaving Perry’s Place, a then- popular bar located at 3028 N. Sixth St. in Fort Smith.
Witnesses recall seeing him walking away from the establishment with two unidentified individuals around midnight. What happened next remains a blank page in an investigation that has frustrated authorities and loved ones alike.
“He was just gone,” Meisenheimer told the Times Record in a 2014 interview. “Junior wasn’t the type to up and leave without a word. Something happened that night.”
Standing at 5 feet 9 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes, McCormick bore a distinctive tattoo of a bulldog on his chest--a mark that investigators hoped might one day help identify him.
Yet, no such breakthrough has come.
The Fort Smith Police Department launched an immediate inquiry. Detectives interviewed bar patrons and acquaintances, uncovering a chilling detail: someone had reportedly threatened McCormick’s life on the day he disappeared.
Despite this lead, the trail quickly went cold.
“We talked to everyone we could find who knew him,” said Detective Steve Mahan, who later took over the case. “Most of the people we thought might be involved denied it, and without a body or physical evidence, we hit a wall.”
Speculation has long swirled about what might have happened—some whisper of a barroom altercation gone wrong, others suggest he may have crossed paths with dangerous company. In the years since, the case has seen little progress.
Mahan, speaking to the Southwest Times Record in 2014, noted the difficulty of solving a disappearance without a body: “Foul play is suspected, but without something concrete, it’s hard to pin down who, if anyone, was involved.”
The Arkansas Missing Person Directory lists McCormick’s case as active, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Fort Smith Police Department at (479) 709-5100 or the Arkansas Missing Person Directory tip line at (501) 682-7423.
