TEXARKANA -- A Texarkana woman has been charged with abuse of a corpse after "skeletonized" remains that are believed to be those of her sister were discovered in a Martha Street house in October.
An arrest warrant was issued Oct. 22 for Debbie Sue Himes, 55. The remains are believed to be those of Christy Himes. The warrant, requested by Texarkana police, cited "abuse of a corpse, abuse of endangered or impaired persons," court records show.
The "skeletonized body wrapped in a black garbage bag with duct tape and several blankets" is among evidence that officials collected during a search Oct. 3 after initially investigating allegations of child sex abuse involving Debbie Himes' longtime boyfriend, Tony Ken Hooker, according to reports.
A younger relative of Christy Himes and Debbie Himes has alleged that Hooker touched her inappropriately while she was visiting at adjacent houses on Martha Street, according to a probable-cause affidavit. Hooker is believed to own those houses, the affidavit says.
Also, the mother of a 17-year-old girl reported Sept. 23 that her daughter had disclosed that Hooker, whom she reportedly thought of as a grandfather and called "Ken," had touched her inappropriately on numerous occasions when she was 9 or 10, according to reports.
Hooker, 63, was released Oct. 21 on a $40,000 bond on a charge of second-degree sexual assault. He is prohibited from having any contact with the reported victim.
In an interview last month, Texarkana Police Department Lt. Zachary White said police were asked by Adult Protective Services to conduct a welfare check on Christy Himes when officers went to arrest Hooker on the sexual-assault warrant.
White said staff members told police that their agency had been unable for "some time" to get face-to-face contact with Christy Himes, who was intellectually disabled and had a history of seizures.
Abuse of a corpse is punishable by up to six years in prison.
Metro on 11/01/2019