The Arkansas State Police (ASP) is investigating the death of a 57-year-old Sebastian County woman that they believe to have been murdered.
According to police, the body of Melinda Rogers was discovered at approximately 5:10 p.m. on Dec. 23 in her home at 1009 Broadway Street in Mansfield. Due to evidence that investigators found in the home, police believe that Rogers was murdered.
As such, local authorities have asked the special agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division to oversee the investigation into the death of Rogers.
According to KFSM-TV Channel 5 in Fort Smith, Mansfield Police Chief Everett Robb said Mansfield police officers were responding to a welfare check when they discovered Rogers’ body. When police arrived, they also discovered that the front door to Rogers’ home appeared to be kicked in.
On Dec. 23 in the late afternoon, the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call from the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s office that prompted Mansfield Police to check on the wellbeing of Rogers. The arrest of a woman in Nacogdoches County and the information related therein is what led Texas law enforcement to contact Arkansas authorities.
Rogers’ body is currently being transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine the manner and cause of death.
