HOPE – On Saturday, July 4, 2026, at approximately 8:02 p.m., the Hope Police Department responded to a report from a citizen who was cleaning property in a wooded area and discovered what they believed to be a deceased person.
Officers and detectives arrived at the scene and confirmed the presence of a deceased individual. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the race and sex of the individual could not be immediately determined.
The Hempstead County Coroner estimated the individual had been deceased for approximately one week; however, an exact time of death could not be determined at the scene.
The deceased was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where investigators will work to determine the individual’s identity, as well as the cause and manner of death.
This investigation remains active. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Hope Police Department at (870) 777-3434 or submit information through their local law enforcement agency.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.