WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former Arkansas State Senator Linda F. Collins-Smith was found dead at her home in Pocahontas on Tuesday.
According to local law enforcement, the exact circumstances of her death are unknown due to the condition of the body at the time of discovery.
The death is under investigation as a homicide.
Authorities wouldn't say if Collins-Smith is the victim, as the body has been sent for an autopsy to determine the identity and cause of death.
Third Judicial District Judge Harold Erwin has issued a gag order sealing the documents and statements obtained by police.
However, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Smith's former press secretary, Ken Yang have confirmed the victim.
'I'm both stunned and saddened by the death of former State Senator Linda Collins-Smith. She was a good person who served in the public arena with passion and conviction,' Hutchinson said on Twitter.
Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV quoted Yang as saying that she was found shot to death inside her home and her body was wrapped in a blanket. Neighbors apparently reported hearing gunshots a day or two before her body was discovered.
Collins-Smith, 57, was member of both Arkansas state Senate and the House of Representatives.
She was first elected to the House in Democrat ticket in 2011, and was elected in 2014 to the Senate as a Republican member from Pocahontas.
Collins-Smith owned and operated a Days Inn hotel in Pocahontas. Until their divorce in 2018, she was married to Philip Smith, a circuit court judge. They have two children.
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