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Arkansas Police Confirm Dead Body Is Former State Lawmaker

Linda Collins-Smith
Arkansas Legislature

Authorities in Arkansas have confirmed that a body found outside the home of a former state legislator is hers and say they're investigating the case as a homicide.

Arkansas State Police said Thursday that the medical examiner confirmed former Sen. Linda Collins-Smith's body was found Tuesday outside her home in Pocahontas, about 130 miles northeast of Little Rock. Police didn't provide a cause of death for the 57-year-old lawmaker, but say they're treating the case as a homicide. Investigators haven't named any suspects in her death.

The Arkansas Republican Party reported Tuesday that Collins-Smith had died, but authorities initially said they couldn't confirm the remains found were hers because of the condition of the body.

Collins-Smith lost her bid for re-election in the Republican primary in 2018.

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