VAN BUREN, Ark. — One man is dead after police say he and two others were involved in a fiery crash while leaving a stabbing scene.
The wreck happened in the 5000 blocks of Old Union Town Road in Crawford County, two and a half miles from where the stabbing occurred on Lewis Lane in Van Buren.
Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown told 5NEWS police received a call about a stabbing early Friday (March 12) morning on Lewis Lane in Van Buren. When officers in the area investigated, they saw an SUV matching a description given by the victim speeding down Union Road. Officers lost sight of the SUV, but after a few minutes of looking, they found it on fire and in a ditch.
Brown says the deputies did everything they could to put out the vehicle fire when they arrived, but the flames were too much for the deputies, and the driver was trapped inside.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Brandon Fuller by Arkansas State Police, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies reported a woman, Marissa Frazee, sitting near the vehicle who managed to get out of the burning SUV. After speaking with Frazee, they learned a third person was sitting in the back seat, but he had fled the scene. Hours later, authorities tracked him down.
"He has since been located and interviewed, but he has not been charged at this time," Brown told 5NEWS.
Both of the survivors of the crash were brought in for questioning, but both were released. Sheriff Brown says there is a relationship between the stabbing victim and the woman who survived the crash.
"I believe the victim at the scene, the battered victim, and the female are possibly related by marriage or significant other, but it is still under investigation," he said.
Neighbors nearby say the road that the crash happened on is curvy and narrow and that driving too fast could end dangerously.
Brown says all four people involved in the stabbing and crash are in their mid-20s. No arrests have been made in connection with the stabbing.