BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. — A Blytheville reverend and his family are pleading for leads in the case of their 21-year-old son who was found murdered Christmas Day.
“Christmas Eve is still somewhat foggy,” Rev. Jay Slaughter said.
That’s the day Slaughter’s 21-year-old son Joshua vanished from his apartment.
“We don’t know anything for sure, but it was stated that he was at the apartment and was lured away,” Joshua’s mother, Harriet Slaughter, said.
The motive is unknown, but the next day Slaughter’s body was found about five miles away lying by the side of East Promised Land Road.
Police confirm their investigating his death as a homicide.
“What we know is that our son was murdered and discarded like trash,” Rev. Slaughter said.
Harriet Slaughter said when spoke to her son for the last time on Christmas Eve he had mentioned going to Walmart to get crab lags, a favorite food of his.
But no food can ever compare to his greatest love – his 7-month-old son.
“He would play with Mansa. His favorite words to Mansa: ‘That’s my baby, ain’t it. That’s my baby,” Harriet Slaughter said.
Little Mansa will now grow up without a father, like so many other children of murdered parents.
The Slaughter’s might not have control of that, but one thing they say they can control is never giving up on finding their son’s killer.
“Our confidence will grow when we start to solve some of these cases,” Rev. Slaughter said.
