Town file
Kibler, Arkansas
Kibler, Arkansas (Crawford County, Arkansas) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 711, "The Black Hole Murders" (25 June 2026). In January 1981 Kibler, Arkansas, was a small Crawford County town of 1,324 people, sitting roughly halfway between Interstate 40 and the Arkansas River.
- Town
- Kibler
- County
- Crawford County
- State
- Arkansas
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 711
- Approximate location
- 35.425, -94.236
Episode 711 / 25 June 2026 / 186 min / full
The Black Hole Murders
"This is Kibbler, Arkansas... this is in Crawford County." about 0:06:28
The case: The Black Hole Murders: the killings of Larry Price, Joanna Price, Holly Gentry and Detective Ray Tate (January 5 to 7, 1981); The 1970 kidnapping and stabbing of Gary Wallaya (September 6, 1970). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 1,324
- Median age
- about 35.2
- Median household income
- $56,563
- Median home value
- $151,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- $830
- Cost of living
- 76
- Religious
- 51.3%
- Property crime
- ▼ just under the national average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about 20% under the average
History, in brief
- Originally known as Prairie Grove. about 0:07:05
- The hilly region did not attract many settlers until the 1800s. about 0:07:08
- John Kibler is said to have arrived from Germany in the 1840s; Mary Kibler is also named. about 0:07:15
- Natural gas wells were dug in 1914 on the Binks Kibler farm. about 0:07:50
- More wells were dug the next year on a different farm, and a sawmill was built to clear land for gas wells and cotton farms. about 0:07:54
- The town sits about halfway between Interstate 40 and the Arkansas River. about 0:06:51
- The town's area code is 479. about 0:06:31
The reviews read out
4 stars
"The reviewer would definitely choose to live here again because it is a safe environment, the atmosphere is always great and the town is expanding."about 0:08:18
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Van Buren, Arkansas6.9 miles
- Gans, Oklahoma26 miles
- Poteau, Oklahoma33 miles
- Cincinnati, Arkansas46 miles
- Mount Ida, Arkansas70 miles
- Eufaula, Oklahoma77 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.