Died in juvenile detentionUnder 18
Willie C. Horner
Willie C. Horner was 16 years old and one of 21 boys who died in a fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School, a juvenile facility on the site now occupied by the Wrightsville Unit, on March 5, 1959. The 2019 KATV report says the fire broke out mysteriously that night. His sisters, Malvestin Locke and Evergene Avent, attended the Arkansas Department of Correction's memorial dedication in April 2019, and Avent said the pain of losing her brother still hurts.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined. The article reports that a fire broke out mysteriously at the school on the night of March 5, 1959, and that 21 boys died in it.
Reported by: news article on the 1959 fire (reporters).