A man committed suicide on 11 Ivy Circle, prompting local law enforcement to call in National Guard crews from the Little Rock area, authorities said. A Hazardous Materials team from the area entered the home mid-afternoon.
Police said the man claimed in a suicide note that he was going to kill himself using cyanide. Responding units have been overly cautious for safety since arriving on the scene late Tuesday morning, police said.
Property records show the home belongs to Timothy and Amelia Mooney. Amelia filed for divorce from Timothy on March 5, according to Benton County Circuit Clerk records.
The Bentonville Fire Department arrived on scene wearing Hazardous Materials gas masks just before 4 p.m. The Benton County Coroner said in the afternoon that he would not retrieve the body until authorities declare the scene safe.
Bentonville police officers conducted a welfare check of the home Tuesday and noticed a note on the front door that indicated a suicide had taken place inside the house, according to the Bentonville Police Department. After entering the home, officers found another note and an unknown liquid near a body. The note stated that the man killed himself by cyanide ingestion, police said.
Police secured the scene and called the Bentonville Fire Department for help. The fire department's Hazardous Materials Team later arrived on scene. The Arkansas National Guard's Support Team out of Camp Robinson in North Little Rock also assisted with the investigation, police said.
"At this time, samples are being collected for analysis in an effort to determine if the scene is safe for detectives to enter and complete their investigation," according to a statement from Bentonville police. "At this time, there is no reason to believe there is any danger to other residences in the neighborhood. The main concern is the possibility of a hazardous material inside a confined space."
