Former Arkansas State Senator Found Dead In Home From Gunshot Wound

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Sen. Linda Collins-Smith Is Found Dead From Gunshot Wound

An Arkansas politician met a tragic end, according to The Hill, and now authorities are searching for answers.

Former Arkansas state Sen. Linda Collins-Smith (R) was reportedly found dead from a gunshot wound at her Pocahontas, Ark. place this week. Her former press secretary Ken Yang told KATV that Collins-Smith’s neighbors reportedly heard gunshots a day or two before officials found the body.

It’s not certain how long the 57-year-old had been dead when her body was found, but sources say she was wrapped in some sort of blanket and her body started to decompose. The incident is being investigated as a murder, according to KATV.

Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell said officials don’t believe the public is in danger, and the sheriff’s department is leading the investigation along with the Arkansas State Police.

The Arkansas GOP sent condolences for Collins-Smith’s death on Twitter, saying she “was a passionate voice for her people and a close member of our Republican family. We are praying for her loved ones during this difficult time.”

Collins-Smith represented District 19 in the Arkansas state Senate, however, she lost her reelection run in 2018. Before that, she was apart of the state House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.

When she was first elected to the House, Collins-Smith identified as a Democrat, but she swapped to the Republican Party in the middle of her first term.