An Arkansas woman has been arrested in connection to the homicide of former state senator Linda Collins-Smith, state police said Friday. Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell, 48, of Pocahontas, Arkansas, is currently in custody and charges are pending, police said.
Collins-Smith’s remains were found outside her home in Pocahontas on June 4. Police have not yet released how she was killed.
Collins-Smith’s former communications director, Ken Yang, told CBS Little Rock affiliate KTHV O’Donnell was a friend of the late senator and had worked on her most recent campaign.
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In a statement, Collins-Smith’s family said they were “sickened and upset that someone so close to Linda would be involved in such a terrible, heartless crime.”
Authorities have not said why they suspected O’Donnell or if they are seeking any other suspects. Yang said there will be a probable cause hearing Monday.
Collins-Smith was elected to the state House a Democrat in 2010 before she switched parties in 2011. She was elected to state Senate in 2014, but lost re-election in a GOP primary.
