Former AR State Senator Linda Collins-Smith Found Shot Dead In Pocahontas Home

POCAHONTAS, AR. (THECOUNT) — Former Republican state Sen. Linda Collins-Smith was found shot dead inside her Pocahontas, Arkansas home on Tuesday, according to local reports.

Authorities say they are investigating after the former 57-year-old state senator was found apparently shot to death and wrapped in a blanket, Tuesday night.

The body of Collins-Smith was in her home in Pocahontas, Arkansas, according to her former press secretary Ken Yang, WesternJournal reports Wednesday.

Yang said that the death was being investigated as a homicide.

Other reports said that Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell said investigators are treating the death as suspicious. They are “waiting for the state crime lab to confirm the identity and the cause of death,” the station reported.

Neighbors had reportedly heard gunshots either one or two days before Collins-Smith was found dead, Yang told KATV.

The former legislator’s body was wrapped in a blanket when it was discovered, KATV reported.

A report in the Arkansas Times said the body of Collins-Smith was “decomposed” when it was discovered. The report said that made determining her identity difficult.

Collins-Smith represented the 19th district from 2015 until she left office this year after losing a primary in May 2018. She had originally been a Democrat, making the switch to the GOP in 2011.

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Geo quick facts: Pocahontas is a city in Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,765. The city is the county seat of Randolph County – Wikipedia.