Troopers found the man’s body in the northbound lanes of the interstate near the Wedington Avenue overpass at 1:49 a.m. It is unclear at this time if the man jumped from the overpass or was crossing the interstate on foot, according to a report from Arkansas State Police.
The report states the victim was struck several times by northbound traffic, although no vehicles were at the scene.
State police are using items found at the scene to identify possible relatives of the victim. They’ve also taken DNA swabs from possible relatives to see if they match the victim. Those results could be in by the end of the week according to Arkansas State Police.
No charges are expects to be filed against the motorists who ran over the victim. The incident is being investigated as an accident by Arkansas State Police, Highway Patrol and Criminal Investigation Division.
Police released several 911 tapes Thursday concerning the accident.
Caller: “Hello. Yeah, I believe we just ran over a person by accident.”
911: “Okay, where are you?”
Caller: “We were crossing the Wedington exit, and we crossed just under the bridge. And we hit something by accident, and we swear it was a person."
The interstate near the Wedington Exit was closed for several hours after the body was discovered. Traffic was backed up for several miles during morning rush hour.
