BATESVILLE, Ark. — A man who deputies found living in a camper near the bodies of two women in April 2025 now faces two counts of first-degree murder, according to court records filed Oct. 14 in Independence County.
Timothy John Neal, 39, is accused in the deaths of Patricia Anderson and Teresa Owens. State police identified Owens as Teresa Owens Nelson, 53, and Anderson as 71 in their initial announcement about the investigation.
An arrest affidavit outlines an investigation involving repeated searches of the property, cellphone data, bank records, water usage records and interviews with Neal. Investigators believe the women were killed April 8, 2025, a week before deputies discovered their bodies.
Neal denied involvement in the deaths, according to the affidavit. Judge Chaney Taylor signed an arrest warrant Oct. 14 listing two Class Y felony murder counts and setting bond at $1 million.
Welfare Check Leads to Discovery of Two Bodies
The investigation began April 15, 2025, when the Independence County Sheriff’s Department received a request to check on Anderson at a home on Old Camp Road in the Batesville area. The caller reported having no contact with her for a week, Detective Bobby Tate wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Sgt. Zach Spohr and Deputy Joe Shaw noticed a foul odor outside the residence. They found the front door unlocked, entered and discovered one decomposing body on a bed in an east bedroom and another on the kitchen floor, according to the filings.
The body in the bedroom was covered with blankets, with a cellphone connected to a charger beside it. A separate search warrant affidavit states that the phone showed several missed calls and text messages.
Deputies checked three campers on the property to make sure no one else was there. They found Neal inside the westernmost camper. He said he did not know anyone had died and that his last contact with the mobile home’s occupants had been about three days earlier, according to the arrest affidavit.
Tate also interviewed a woman who said she had tried to check on Anderson around 9:30 p.m. April 12, 2025. She reported knocking several times without an answer and finding the door locked when she tried to open it.
Autopsies Lead to Additional Searches
Coroner Randall Crabtree took possession of the bodies, which were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for identification and examination.
On April 17, 2025, a medical examiner told Tate that both women had died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the arrest affidavit. Tate then obtained another search warrant for the residence from Taylor.
An April 30, 2025, search warrant affidavit states that the injuries could have been caused by a hammer or a similar weapon. It identifies Neal as a possible suspect and seeks permission to search the residence, his motorhome, vehicles, outbuildings and surrounding property.
The requested evidence included a hammer or similar weapon, DNA, blood spatter patterns, clothing bearing DNA or blood spatter, and photographs and recordings. Taylor signed the warrant that day.
The arrest affidavit states that the April 30 search of the camper found trash, food products and drinks scattered inside. The bed was laid flat but had no blankets or pillows, Tate wrote.
A separate return documenting the initial April 15 search lists the two bodies, two cellphones, and photo, audio and video recordings among the items collected. That search took place around 11:39 a.m., according to the return. The arrest affidavit states that collected evidence was submitted to the crime lab April 22.
The records reviewed for this report do not describe the recovery of a suspected murder weapon or disclose results of DNA testing.
Phone Activity and Bank Records Help Establish Timeline
Investigators’ belief that the women were killed April 8, 2025, is based on data extracted from Owens’ cellphone, according to the arrest affidavit.
The data showed frequent conversations with multiple people through text messages and Facebook Messenger until about 2:30 p.m. that day. After that point, all conversations from Owens stopped, Tate wrote.
On Aug. 21, 2026, Tate prepared search warrants for both women’s financial accounts. Anderson’s account at Citizens Bank and Owens’ account at FNBC Bank each showed their last transactions occurred April 7, 2025, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also obtained water usage records from Rock-Moore Public Water Authority. Lt. Zach Rawlins obtained a report showing a large increase in water use at the property from 1 to 8 p.m. April 13, 2025, before usage returned to normal, Tate wrote.
The affidavit does not state how much water was used or establish what caused the increase.
Neal Denied Involvement in Initial Interview
During the investigation in April 2025, investigators asked Neal to come to the sheriff’s office for an interview, and he agreed. After being advised of his Miranda rights, he agreed to answer questions without an attorney and denied involvement in the deaths, according to the affidavit.
Neal said he had been living in the camper for about a week and had not had contact with the women for three days because he had been asleep the entire time, Tate wrote.
He also said the camper had no running water or electricity and that he showered inside the mobile home, according to the affidavit.
Investigators Describe Changed Account in August 2026 Interview
On Aug. 19, 2026, Chief Deputy Aaron Moody and Tate took Neal to the sheriff’s office for an interview with Arkansas State Police investigator Mike McNeill. The affidavit states that Neal again acknowledged his Miranda rights and agreed to answer questions without a lawyer.
When McNeill asked why he had moved from the mobile home to the camper, Neal said he had wanted to move but could not because its lights did not work. Asked how he had electricity in the camper where he was staying, Neal said he had run an extension cord from the house, according to the affidavit.
McNeill told Neal that investigators had not found an extension cord connected to the camper and asked about a candle on its stove. Neal then withdrew his extension-cord account and said he had used the candle for light, Tate wrote.
Neal also said his last conversation with Owens occurred after he woke up on the mobile home’s living room couch, about three days before deputies woke him in the camper. Investigators first contacted him April 15, 2025.
McNeill questioned Neal about a court-ordered Arisa Health appointment scheduled for 1 p.m. April 8, 2025, which Neal had missed. Neal acknowledged arguing with Owens about attending because he believed the appointment concerned an old driving-on-a-suspended-license charge, according to the affidavit.
Affidavit Details Earlier Court-Ordered Treatment
Tate’s affidavit also describes Neal’s involvement in an earlier Independence County District Court case and orders for mental health treatment.
According to the affidavit, Neal had been placed on a waiting list for admission to the Arkansas State Hospital because no bed was available. He remained in the Independence County Jail until July 31, 2024, when he was released into Owens’ custody and ordered to attend treatment through Arisa Health while awaiting a hospital opening.
Tate wrote that Neal received mental health treatment in jail but was not compliant or cooperative. The affidavit also alleges he missed multiple appointments after his release and became angry and threatening toward a therapist at a Sept. 11, 2024, appointment.
The missed April 8, 2025, appointment was scheduled at Arisa Health in Searcy, according to the affidavit.
New Filings Include Earlier Search Records
Although the search warrant, supporting affidavit and initial search return were filed with the circuit clerk Oct. 14, 2026, they document investigative actions from April 2025.
The arrest affidavit was sworn Oct. 13, 2026. Taylor signed the probable cause finding and bench warrant the following day in case 32CR-26-210.
The bench warrant sets bond at $1 million. Its service and court-date fields are blank in the copy reviewed for this report.
NEA Report previously reported on the discovery of the women’s bodies in April 2025, when state police announced that its Criminal Investigation Division was assisting the sheriff’s office.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
SEE MORE: PC Affidavit
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