Inmate Who Died in Greene County Jail Identified as Person of Interest in Fulton County Double Homicide

PARAGOULD, Ark. — Authorities have identified the inmate who died late Thursday night at the Greene County Detention Center as Jacob Lowell Smith, 32, a person of interest in a double homicide investigation in Fulton County. Arkansas State Police confirmed the identification.

Smith had been apprehended in Greene County on Oct. 28 after a multi-agency search. Sheriff Brad Snyder previously said Smith was located inside an abandoned house trailer and taken into custody by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, Paragould Police Department, Arkansas State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service. Smith was wanted for absconding and was being sought as a person of interest in the deaths of two women in Ash Flat.

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Smith was found unresponsive in a single-occupancy cell at 11:49 p.m. on Nov. 13 during a scheduled security check, according to the sheriff. Detention officers said they discovered him with a towel around his neck. CPR was begun immediately, with detention staff, jail medical personnel and deputies rotating through life-saving measures until Paragould Fire Department responders and EMS arrived. Smith was taken to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

The sheriff released a detailed timeline of the incident:

• 10:39 p.m. — Smith spoken to and wristband scanned at lights out/lockdown

• 11:49 p.m. — Smith found unresponsive during scheduled security check

• 11:52 p.m. — 911 call initiated

• 11:58 p.m. — Paragould Fire Department arrives

• 12:03 a.m. — EMS arrives

• 12:11 a.m. — Sheriff arrives at the detention center

• 12:22 a.m. — Jail cell sealed with evidence tape

• 12:25 a.m. — Sheriff contacts Arkansas State Police for an investigator

• 12:30 a.m. — EMS departs with Smith en route to the hospital

• 12:36 a.m. — EMS arrives at the emergency room

Smith’s relatives were notified by Arkansas State Police by 4 a.m., authorities said. ASP is now the primary investigating agency into Smith’s death.

Smith had been identified as a person of interest in the Oct. 21 discovery of Tonya Stallings, 54, and Ashley Stallings, 33, who were found dead inside a residence in the 300 block of Sweet Clover Lane in Ash Flat. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office asked ASP’s Criminal Investigation Division to take over the homicide investigation at that time.