Person of interest in Fulton County double homicide dies in Greene County Jail

A person of interest in the Fulton County double homicide last month has died in the Greene County Jail in Paragould. Thirty-two-year-old Jacob Lowell Smith of Ash Flat was arrested Oct. 28 in Paragould by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Paragould Police Department, Arkansas State Police and U.S. Marshals on an outstanding warrant for absconding and was being held in the Greene County Jail.According to Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder, at approximately 11:52 Thursday night, jail staff contacted 911 to advise that an unresponsive inmate had been located in their cell with a towel around their neck. The two-person cell was only occupied by the single inmate. Life-saving measures were immediately begun by detention officers, with jail medical staff and deputies also rotating through CPR until relieved by Paragould Fire and EMS. The inmate was transported to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center where they were pronounced deceased.
The Arkansas State Police identified Smith as the inmate in the cell Friday and are handling the investigation.

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

Smith was identified as a person of interest early on in the investigation into the deaths of 54-year-old Tonya Stallings and her step daughter, 33-year-old Ashley Stallings. Fulton County deputies were called to a house just west of Ash Flat on Sweet Clover Lane last Tuesday afternoon for an unresponsive person. When they arrived, they discovered the two women dead inside the home. Their bodies were sent to the Arkansas State Crime lab to determine the cause of death.

During their investigation, law enforcement learned Smith had been living at an apartment complex on State Highway 201 north of Mountain Home. They executed a search warrant at the apartment last Wednesday morning, but Smith was not at the apartment. Sheriff Smith said at the time it was clear at some point Smith learned he had an active warrant and was named as a person of interest in the murders.

A check of court records shows Smith has six felony arrests in Arkansas dating back to 2017. His charges have included robbery, breaking or entering, theft of property, fleeing, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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