A 63-year-old Parkin man died last Thursday after collapsing on a sidewalk on Front Street, and authorities are now investigating his death as a homicide. Willie Carpenter, who was from Parkin, was rushed to a Memphis hospital following the collapse but did not survive.
According to arkansasonline.com, which cited the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Carpenter’s death is being investigated as a homicide. The original report, published by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said Parkin police requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police on Monday, and that the Arkansas State Police said a Parkin man was killed Thursday.
Accounts of exactly where Carpenter died differ. KAIT reported that Carpenter was taken to Regional One Hospital in Memphis, where he died later that day. The Wynne Progress, meanwhile, reported that Carpenter died en route to the hospital. The two outlets have not reconciled this detail.
State and Local Police Give Differing Accounts of Who's Leading the Case
There is also disagreement over the structure of the investigation itself. The Wynne Progress reported that the Arkansas State Police had taken over the investigation into Carpenter's death. KAIT, on the other hand, reported that the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division is assisting in the investigation into the death of the 63-year-old Parkin man, rather than leading it outright.
Per the same KAIT account, Parkin police requested assistance from the ASP Criminal Investigation Division on Nov. 2. That timeline lines up with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's reporting that Parkin police sought state police help on Monday, per a state police news release, several days after Carpenter's collapse the previous Thursday.
Cause of Death Also in Dispute Between Outlets
What killed Carpenter remains similarly unsettled in the public record. The Wynne Progress reported that it was determined he had been shot, attributing that finding to the Arkansas State Crime Lab. KAIT's report said the ASP release did not provide a cause of death, even as police continue investigating the death as a homicide.
No suspect, arrest, or motive has been identified in connection with Carpenter's death, based on the available reporting. The case remains active, with the exact division of labor between Parkin police and Arkansas State Police, as well as the precise circumstances of Carpenter's death, still unresolved across the differing accounts.
