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The Murder of Katie Marie Lavender
● Unsolved
Cold Case Homicide
Hot Springs, Arkansas
March 2013
12 Years Unsolved
01
Victim Profile
Katie Marie Lavender
Katie Marie Lavender
Victim, Age 20
Katie Marie Lavender
Katie Marie Lavender was born on April 22, 1992, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Michael and Melba Lavender. She graduated from Caddo Hills High School in Norman, Arkansas in 2010. At the time of her death she was 20 years old and had recently returned to the Hot Springs area, living in an apartment at 515 Higdon Ferry Road. She worked full time at a local Xerox store near the Oaklawn Race Track.
Her mother, Melba Lavender, described Katie as an avid reader and a gifted writer with a talent for making anyone laugh. She was well liked among her peers. She would sometimes take walks downtown during the Oaklawn racing season and was still getting settled into the area when she was killed.
Katie was laid to rest at Black Springs Cemetery in Black Springs, Arkansas. Her mother has never stopped seeking answers. More than 12 years after her daughter's death, Melba Lavender continues to ask the public for help bringing whoever is responsible to justice.
01
Overview
What We Know
On the evening of March 18, 2013, security cameras near the Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs captured footage of a woman investigators believe to be Katie Lavender walking downtown. In the footage, an unidentified man approaches her on the sidewalk. After a brief exchange, both get into a white four-door sedan and drive in the direction of Katie's apartment on Higdon Ferry Road. That car has never been found. The man who was with Katie that night has never been publicly identified.
On March 19, 2013, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Hot Springs Police Department received a 911 call reporting a deceased person at 515 Higdon Ferry Road. The caller was Katie's boyfriend, who had discovered her body. Responding officers found Katie dead inside the apartment. Detective Mark Fallis was among the first to arrive. He has led the investigation ever since. The cause of death has not been publicly released by investigators.
DNA evidence and a partial fingerprint were recovered from the apartment. The DNA profile was submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab and entered into CODIS, the national DNA database. No match was returned. Several years later, investigators submitted the DNA to Parabon NanoLabs for phenotyping analysis. Parabon's results, returned around 2022, indicated with 93% confidence that the source of the DNA is a Latino male with brown hair and brown or hazel eyes and no freckles. A computer-generated composite image was produced and released to the public.
The Parabon composite did not match the prior persons of interest investigators had been pursuing, which Det. Fallis described as both surprising and frustrating. No arrest has been made. The white sedan has never been located. Investigators believe the man seen with Katie on security footage near Oaklawn the night before her death is significant to the case, and they continue to seek information from anyone who may have seen that vehicle or that encounter.
02
Chronology
Case Timeline
2011
Arrest in Arkadelphia While at Henderson State University
Katie and her boyfriend are arrested in connection with a solicitation and prostitution case in Arkadelphia involving a local attorney. The attorney pleads guilty to sexual solicitation of Katie and her boyfriend, receives jail time, a fine, and loses his law license. Katie is expelled from Henderson State University. Her boyfriend is not. After the incident investigators later noted the pair remained in contact, and Katie's mother described it as too much contact. The attorney was later investigated in connection with Katie's 2013 murder but provided an alibi and was cleared.
Early 2013
Katie Returns to Hot Springs
Katie moves back to the Hot Springs area, renting an apartment at 515 Higdon Ferry Road. She secures full-time work at a Xerox store near the Oaklawn Race Track. She is still getting settled in the city and would sometimes take walks downtown during the busy Oaklawn racing season.
March 18, 2013 — Approximately 9:30 p.m.
Last Known Sighting — Oaklawn Area
Security camera footage near the Oaklawn Race Track captures what investigators believe to be Katie walking on the sidewalk. An unidentified man approaches her. After a brief conversation, both get into a white four-door sedan which then pulls onto Central Avenue heading in the direction of Katie's apartment. This is the last confirmed sighting of Katie before her death. The white car has never been located.
March 19, 2013 — Approximately 6:00 p.m.
Katie Found Dead — Homicide Investigation Opened
Katie's boyfriend calls 911 after discovering her body in the apartment at 515 Higdon Ferry Road. Hot Springs Police respond. Det. Mark Fallis is among the first on scene. Katie is pronounced dead. The cause of death is not publicly released. A homicide investigation begins. DNA evidence and a partial fingerprint are collected from the scene.
2013 to 2014
Initial Leads Pursued; Case Goes Cold
Investigators pursue several early leads, including the Arkadelphia attorney connected to Katie's 2011 case. He provides an alibi and is cleared. The DNA profile is submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab and entered into CODIS. No match is returned. The white sedan and the unidentified man from the Oaklawn security footage remain unidentified. The case goes cold. Katie's mother Melba begins publicly appealing for information.
2018
Five-Year Mark — Public Appeal Renewed
On the fifth anniversary of Katie's death, the Hot Springs Police Department issues a renewed public appeal for information. Officer Joey Williams states that all leads so far have turned up dry and that someone in the community has the information that will help bring justice. The white car and its driver remain the primary public ask.
2022 — Present
Parabon DNA Composite Released — Still No Name
DNA from the crime scene is submitted to Parabon NanoLabs for phenotyping. Results come back indicating with 93% confidence that the DNA belongs to a Latino male with brown hair and brown or hazel eyes, with no freckles. A computer-generated composite image is produced and released publicly. Det. Fallis states the result was surprising because it does not match the prior persons of interest and is frustrating because he now has a face but no name. As of 2025, no arrest has been made. The case remains open and investigators continue to seek information from the public.
03
Law Enforcement
The Investigation
The Hot Springs Police Department opened a homicide investigation on March 19, 2013, after Katie Lavender was found dead in her apartment at 515 Higdon Ferry Road. Det. Mark Fallis has been the lead investigator since the first day of the case. DNA evidence and a partial fingerprint were recovered from the scene at the time. The DNA profile was submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab and entered into the CODIS national database. No match was returned.
Security camera footage from the night before Katie was found captured what investigators believe to be her last confirmed appearance in public. The footage shows her near the Oaklawn Race Track at approximately 9:30 p.m. on March 18. An unidentified man approaches her on the sidewalk, they exchange words briefly, and both get into a white four-door sedan that drives toward her apartment on Central Avenue. That car was never located despite a sustained public search for it. Investigators believe identifying that vehicle and its driver is a critical step toward resolving the case.
Several persons of interest were investigated in the years following Katie's death, including a Garland County attorney who had been involved in a 2011 case connected to Katie. That individual provided an alibi and was cleared. Katie's boyfriend, who discovered her body and made the 911 call, cooperated with investigators and was not publicly named as a suspect, though investigators noted at the time that no one close to the case had been formally ruled out.
Around 2022, investigators submitted the crime scene DNA to Parabon NanoLabs for phenotyping analysis, using the same technology that has helped solve other cold cases across Arkansas and nationally. Parabon's report returned with 93% confidence that the source of the crime scene DNA is a Latino male with brown hair and brown or hazel eyes and no freckles. A computer-generated composite image was produced and released publicly. Det. Fallis stated that the result was surprising because it did not align with the main persons of interest previously pursued, and frustrating because he now had a face but still no name. The case remains fully open. Det. Fallis has stated his intention to solve it. Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the composite image, who saw a white four-door sedan near the Higdon Ferry or Oaklawn area on the night of March 18 to 19, 2013, or who has any other information related to the case to come forward.
04
Unsolved
How You Can Help
Katie Marie Lavender was murdered in her apartment in Hot Springs, Arkansas in March 2013. Twelve years later, no one has been arrested. Investigators have a DNA composite showing a Latino male and surveillance footage of a white four-door sedan, but no name for either. Det. Mark Fallis of the Hot Springs Police Department has worked this case since the night Katie was found and continues to investigate. He and the Lavender family believe someone out there has information that can bring this case to resolution. If you were in the downtown Hot Springs or Oaklawn area on the night of March 18, 2013, if you recognize the Parabon DNA composite image, or if you know anything about a white four-door sedan connected to that area that night, investigators are asking you to come forward. All tips can be made anonymously.
Parabon NanoLabs DNA Composite — Person of Interest
Based on DNA recovered from the crime scene, Parabon NanoLabs produced a phenotype composite with 93% confidence that the individual whose DNA was found is a Latino male with brown hair and brown or hazel eyes and no freckles. This composite has been released publicly by the Hot Springs Police Department. The composite does not match the prior persons of interest previously investigated. If you recognize anyone who fits this description and had a connection to Hot Springs or the Oaklawn Race Track area in March 2013, please contact investigators.
White Four-Door Sedan — Still Unlocated
Security footage from the Oaklawn area shows Katie getting into a white four-door sedan with an unidentified man at approximately 9:30 p.m. on March 18, 2013. The vehicle pulled onto Central Avenue heading toward her apartment. The car has never been found. Investigators believe that linking the DNA evidence to this vehicle could be the key to identifying the responsible party. If you owned, drove, or know of a white four-door sedan that was in the Hot Springs area that night, please contact the Hot Springs Police Department.
Hot Springs Police Department
(501) 321-6789
Hot Springs Police Department — non-emergency line
Lead Investigator: Det. Mark Fallis
Anonymous Tips
Garland County Crime Stoppers
Anonymous tips can be submitted through local Crime Stoppers
Tips may be eligible for a cash reward
What Investigators Need
Investigators are asking for help from anyone who: recognizes the Parabon NanoLabs DNA composite image of a Latino male; saw a white four-door sedan in the Higdon Ferry Road or Oaklawn Race Track area on the night of March 18 to 19, 2013; knew Katie and observed anything unusual in the days before her death; or has held information back and is ready to come forward. It is not too late. Det. Fallis has worked this case for more than 12 years and has not stopped. All information is considered and all tips can be made anonymously.
In Memoriam
They Are Not Forgotten
Katie Marie Lavender was 20 years old and she had just moved back home. She had a job. She was getting settled. She was the kind of person her mother says could make anyone laugh, a bookworm and a writer who was well liked by everyone around her. She went for a walk downtown one evening during the racing season and she never came home.
Her mother Melba has been asking for help since the day after she got the knock on the door. She has sat for interviews. She has gone to the police. She has never stopped. It has been more than 12 years and she still does not have an answer, and she still does not know who did this to her daughter, and she still keeps asking.
Det. Mark Fallis has worked this case since the night of March 19, 2013. He has described the experience of getting a Parabon composite that doesn't match anyone you were looking at as frustrating in the specific way that a detective gets frustrated when they are close but not there yet. He has a face and no name. Someone knows whose face that is.
Katie Lavender was 20 years old. She was laid to rest in Black Springs Cemetery. She is not forgotten and her case is not closed. If you know something, please call.
Sources
Odd Murders and Mysteries — "The Unsolved Murder of Katie Marie Lavender" (September 8, 2023) | THV11 — "Detective still trying to solve Katie Lavender murder case after new DNA evidence" (May 3, 2022) | KATV — "Cold Case: Hot Springs PD need help finding woman's killer" (March 20, 2018) | KARK — "Suspect Still Sought in 2013 Hot Springs Murder" (March 20, 2018) | FOX16 — "Cold Case: Suspect Still Sought in 2013 Hot Springs Murder" (March 20, 2018) | Bay News 9 / THV11 — "Who killed Katie Lavender? Unsolved" (May 4, 2022) | Hot Springs Police Department — Public appeals (2014, 2018, 2022)
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