CAMDEN, Ark. – The Mayor of Camden announced Wednesday that he plans to honor the life and legacy of a woman that disappeared decades ago.

Maud Crawford vanished from her home in 1957. She was the town’s first female lawyer, first woman to be elected to city council and founder of Arkansas Girls State.

Right now, though, there is no memorial for her in her hometown. There’s not even a tombstone. That is a situation Mayor Julian Lott believes should change.

“I believe that a plaque would be a great start,” Lott said. “I came in 2019, and of course, coming in new, as a politician, you’re careful about what feathers you ruffle. I was still trying to find the light switch.”

Lott’s decision comes as FOX 16 News prepares to an investigation into Crawford’s disappearance, in which an Arkansas-born author shares with FOX 16 News anchor Mitch McCoy that she has uncovered a motive in Crawford’s murder, which she said points to a former Arkansas State Police commissioner.

The FOX 16 News special report, “A Small Town’s Biggest Secret,” airs Thursday on FOX 16 News at 9.