Killer Hacks Three Family Members To Death In Arkansas Home, Abducts Baby And Keeps Her Safe

A 22-year-old man was arrested by the Arkansas State Police on Tuesday following the investigation involving the deaths of three family members residing in Madison County.

Hunter Chenoweth of DeQueen was nabbed just hours after deputies discovered the corpses of Tami Lynn Chenoweth, 51; James Stanley McGhee, 59; and their 26-year-old daughter Cheyene Chenoweth, 26, inside a home south of Huntsville. Strangely, he was found with an infant, at the time of arrest, that had allegedly been abducted from a home where three people were discovered dead.

Authorities were alerted of the triple deaths at 5 p.m. by an anonymous caller. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies realized that an infant was also present at the time of the crime and was abducted by the killer or a woman who was around at the time of the crime. A state-wide search was soon held to find two vehicles that were present at the scene of the crime before cops came by.

One of the vehicles was located along the interstate 40 near Mayflower, as stated in the ASP news release: “State troopers assigned to the Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Division found one of the vehicles abandoned in Faulkner County along Interstate 40 near Mayflower.

Troopers secured the truck and transported it to state police headquarters where special agents began searching for evidence associated with the Madison County homicides and child abduction.”

Upon initiating a traffic stop, Chenoweth exited the vehicle with a rifle and hurled profanities at the troopers, as reported by PEOPLE. Shortly after, he was taken into custody. The van was being driven by a woman who was identified as a 25-year-old DeQueen woman, who was questioned and eventually released. The abducted infant was found inside the vehicle in an unharmed state and was sent to the Department of Human Services.

Chenoweth was released from Saline County Detention Center pending formal charges, according to jail records. Authorities will be delving deeper into the matter to unravel the circumstances that led to the homicide.