The Barling Police Department on Monday continued to investigate what it called an apparent murder-suicide of a Barling man and his elderly mother.
A news release from the Police Department said Stephen Hercher, 52, who lived in the 500 block of O Street, and his mother, Giselle Pettycord, 79, died Friday of gunshot wounds at Hercher's home.
The police were called to the home about 6:45 p.m. Friday and found Hercher dead on the living-room floor with a single gunshot wound in the head. Pettycord had been shot twice and died while being transported to Mercy Hospital by Fort Smith Emergency Medical Services, the release said.
The two bodies were sent to the state medical examiner's office in Little Rock for autopsy.
The release said the police were called to the home at 3 p.m. Friday for a welfare check but found nothing amiss.
Metro on 10/13/2015