PINE BLUFF -- The body of a man who authorities say jumped to his death March 21 from the U.S. 79 bridge over the Arkansas River near Pine Bluff has been found.
According to the Jefferson County sheriff's office, 43-year-old Corey Jermaine Simmons' body was discovered Sunday by a fisherman east of the bridge. Officials said Monday that a preliminary investigation indicates that Simmons jumped into the river to commit suicide.
Jefferson County sheriff's office spokesman Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr. said previously that a passer-by notified police of seeing an abandoned truck on the Arkansas River bridge along U.S. 79 North at the time of Simmons' disappearance. The engine was still running, but no one was in the truck, Woods said.
Authorities checked the truck's license plate and found it belonged to Simmons, who lived in the 600 block of South Texas Street in Pine Bluff. Deputies called the residence, but no one answered.
Simmons is listed as a Level 3 sex offender with the Arkansas Crime Information Center's Sex Offender Registry. Information on the center's website indicated Simmons had been convicted of rape. No date of conviction was listed.
Woods said deputies discovered text messages sent by Simmons to family members earlier that day, saying he loved them.
State Desk on 04/28/2015