The Washington County Sheriff's Office has identified Brock Alan Commodore Atkins, 19, as the suspect in Wednesday morning's deadly stabbing near Tontitown. Dawn Leann Frazier, 32, was the victim killed in the incident, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Atkins is being held at the Washington County Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree murder. He was released from jail last month in a drug case, according to court documents.
Washington County detectives on Wednesday morning began investigating a fatal stabbing just outside of Tontitown (May 21), said Kelly Cantrell, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.
The stabbing happened around 6:15 a.m. on Story Lane, Cantrell said. When officers arrived on scene, they said they found the female victim dead. Authorities shortly afterward had the suspect in custody.
"When the officers arrived, we found a deceased female and took the suspect into custody. That's all we got right now," said Sgt. Oscar Henson on Wednesday morning. "CID (Criminal Investigation Division) is investigating now. We are just waiting for a search warrant to continue the investigation."
Frazier's body will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime lab to determine the official cause of death, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Frazier's family told 5NEWS she was killed because she was a confidential informant for local law enforcement.
"She was working undercover to bust people around here, and we are pretty positive that this had something to do with it," said Joey Stout, Frazier's Brother. "She's got five kids that she's leaving behind and a lot of people who do love her. She's made mistakes, but everyone has. It's just sickening when you think about it."
Bonnie Brown has lived in the area for more than twenty years.
"It's a shock," Brown said. "You wouldn't have expected anything like this. This is such a quiet and beautiful neighborhood. You hardly ever hear a sound, maybe a dog once in a while. The only dogs I really hear though are mine."
Brown said an incident like this happening so close to home is shocking.
"It makes you think a little bit," she said.
Court records show Atkins was awaiting trial in a drug case in Washington County. He was arrested March 26 on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia for meth or cocaine and had a trial date set for June 27, according to court documents.
He was released from jail on bond April 4. He also faced charges at the time of criminal mischief and domestic battery.
The Sheriff's Office lists Atkins' address as 579 Story Lane near Tontitown. A call to Atkins' home went unanswered Wednesday afternoon.