PHOTOS: Woman found dead outside Little Rock home; fire reported hours later at same house

Little Rock police are investigating the city's 22nd homicide of the year after a woman believed to be dead for several hours was found outside a home Monday morning. Hours later, a fire was reported at the same house.

Officers were called around 8 a.m. to a residence in the 2500 block of Arch Street after they were told about a possible victim down in the area, spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said at the scene.

Police found the victim, later identified as 52-year-old Tamela Jones of Little Rock, lying on the ground behind a home. The woman was shot at least once and had been dead for several hours, McClanahan said, noting that the exact timeline of her death will be determined by the state Crime Lab.

Crime scene tape encircled at least three separate homes from Arch to Gaines streets and between 25th and 26th streets.

McClanahan said police decided to make the crime scene so expansive because of how many people walk through that neighborhood. Plus, the victim's body was found outside, and police did not want passers-by to see that, he said.

“You're never going to go wrong if you make the crime scene big,” he said.

Jones' residence was listed in a report as being in the 2900 block of Arch Street.

Authorities have not made contact with the person who called 911, McClanahan said at the scene.

A store clerk who did not want to be named at Quick Stop Convenience Store on the corner of Arch and 25th streets said he called 911 around 8 a.m.

A female customer “ran in here screaming” and told him a woman was dead outside a home a couple houses down from the store, the clerk said. It's the second time he's called 911 in his 10 years at the business, he said.

Around 8:30 a.m., authorities were speaking to a man behind the crime scene tape who had his hands behind his back. When asked, McClanahan said he was not aware of any arrests or suspects in the shooting at this time.  

The scene will be processed for any shell casings or ballistics, McClanahan said. Authorities are reaching out to any witnesses in the area who might have heard or seen something early Monday or late Sunday. At least one witness reported hearing arguing overnight.

According to fire officials, a fire was reported at the same home shortly before 4 p.m.

The blaze was contained to the front porch and took about 10 minutes to extinguish, a spokesman said at the scene Monday afternoon.

The fire is under investigation, though there is no indication of arson at this time, authorities said.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

*CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified how many homicides there have been Little Rock this year.

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