(KATV) Three teenagers are dead in Northeast Arkansas, and three more are being questioned about what happened. Paragould police are trying to piece together what triggered the murders, but the suspects are also dead.
The 16 year old who may hold the key to all of it was expected in court Monday, but police say he hanged himself over the weekend in a jail cell.
Here is a recap.
On July 6th, Lisa Steele was shot to death at a home on Alice Street; a person of interest who is also 18 years old is Nicholas Zurkosky.
But 6 days later he was stabbed to death at the same house in Paragould. The suspect in that alleged retaliation murder is an unidentified 16 year old male. He is a minor and police can't release his name.
Three people have since been arrested for hindering apprehension. They are Jennifer Dickson, 28, Hunter Glasgow, 18, and a female minor.
Saturday, a third death. The 16 year old being held at the juvenile detention center in Batesville committed suicide, that according to the preliminary investigation.
Independence County Sheriff, Steve Jeffery says, "It appears that the young man hung himself with a bed sheet."
In a statement, facility administrator, Peggy Kendrick said, "Any time situations like this occur it is an emotional time for all of us at the center." She continues, "These young people in our facility have many varied problems in their lives and it is sad for someone to think this is the only way out of their problems."
Sheriff Jeffery says, "Prisoners occasionally try, we had another (adult) inmate try it but our staff found him and got him in time. As far as I can remember with the Juvenile detention, it hasn't had one in recent years."
Sheriff Jeffrey tells Channel Seven that the teen hanged himself Friday night; staff did CPR and rushed him to an area hospital. The teen was airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital where he died just after 3 a.m.
When someone dies in jail it is a state requirement to have an autopsy, even if it is being investigated as a suicide. The 18-year old he allegedly killed, that victim will also be scheduled for an autopsy. So now, maybe police will get some insight into what happened from the three people held for hindering apprehension.
