LONOKE, Ark. — A 32-year-old Lonoke man has been charged after a body was discovered Saturday near a home on Joe Baty Road in Lonoke. Claude Smith Jr., who was already in custody at the Pulaski County Detention Center, has been charged with abuse of a corpse.
Smith was arrested Sept. 19 in North Little Rock and charged with felony fleeing. Additional charges are expected as the investigation develops.
The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office asked the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division to assist after discovering the dismembered body of a man in a wooded area near a mobile home. Investigators believe the man was killed in another state and transported to Arkansas.
The victim’s remains have been transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where the medical examiner will verify the identity of the individual and determine cause and manner of death.
Authorities in the state where the man was killed will handle the homicide investigation, and ASP will handle investigating criminal acts that occurred in Arkansas.
Smith was taken into custody last month after a pursuit with the North Little Rock Police Department. He fled from authorities while driving a vehicle belonging to the victim.
The investigation is ongoing. No additional information will be released at this time.