FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT

Major Lafayette Woods, Jr.

Operation Commander/Public Information Officer

870.541.5351-OFFICE/870.329.5652-CELL

Email: lafayette.woods@jeffcoso.org

JCSO: MAN FOUND IN POND, CAUSE OF DEATH UNKNOWN: Jefferson County, Arkansas - September 19, 2017 – Just after ten o’clock this morning, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Investigators were dispatched to the 3200 block of Wheeler Chapel Road in Jefferson County, Arkansas to the report of a unresponsive male lying in a pond.

 

Upon arrival, deputies and investigators discovered the body of 29-year-old Shawn Miller.

 

“While speaking with family members, none knew of anyone that would want to harm Miller. There is reason to treat this as a homicide investigation in lieu of a traditional death investigation. However, I am not at liberty to disclose those details at this stage of the investigation,” said Major Lafayette Woods, Jr., spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. “There are certainly more questions than answers right now, but with the help of our state’s medical examiner, our team of investigators are up for the task of determining the cause and manner in which Mr. Miller died.”

 

Investigators spent the morning and early afternoon combing the property of Miller for clues that could be used to assist them in better determining what happened to Miller in his final hours.

 

Although there were no immediate signs of visible injuries, investigators aren’t ruling anything out until they’re able to determine a true cause and manner of death.

 

Jefferson County Coroner, Chad Kelley arrived on scene, where he pronounced Miller dead. As part of this investigation, Miller’s body will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock, where the medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.