Arkansas police confirm dead body is former state lawmaker

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Authorities in Arkansas have confirmed that a body found outside the home of a former state legislator is hers and say they’re investigating the case as a homicide.

Arkansas State Police said Thursday that the medical examiner confirmed former Sen. Linda Collins-Smith’s body was found Tuesday outside her home in Pocahontas, about 130 miles (210 kilometres) northeast of Little Rock. Police didn’t provide a cause of death for the 57-year-old lawmaker, but say they’re treating the case as a homicide. Investigators haven’t named any suspects in her death.

The Arkansas Republican Party reported Tuesday that Collins-Smith had died, but authorities initially said they couldn’t confirm the remains found were hers because of the condition of the body.