POLK COUNTY, Ark. – Skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave Monday after an inmate at the Polk County Detention Center led the sheriff’s deputies to the site.
According to investigators, the remains were in a heavily wooded area along the Mountain Fork River, just west of Hatfield.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division recovering and processing the scene on Tuesday.
Sheriff Scott Sawyer said that a positive identification and cause of death were not readily available due to the state of the remains, but investigators feel those remains are connected to a 2020 missing persons case.
The inmate who assisted in locating the remains is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges.
The remains have been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock to confirm an ID and determine the cause of death.
Sheriff Sawyer said additional charges are anticipated after the autopsy is performed.