Prosecutors from the 16th Judicial District say they are dropping charges in the Fulton County double homicide after the suspect died in police custody.
In a letter last week to ASP CID, prosecutors stated they would not seek charges in the deaths of Tonya and Ashley Stallings of Fulton County due to the primary suspect, Jacob Smith, being deceased.
The victims were found on Oct. 21st, 2025, in their home on Sweet Clover Lane in rural Fulton County.
Investigators say they determined the two victims had been deceased for several days and likely died from gunshot wounds.
Investigators say the location of the two victims indicated that they did not hear anyone enter their home.
Investigators also stated the house was not ransacked and the doors were locked.
Jacob Smith of Smithville was identified by investigators as a person of interest early in the case, Smith was said to be living with the two victims at the time of their deaths.
Authorities discovered a 2004 red Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck and several firearms were also missing from the residence.
A BOLO (Be On The Lookout) was issued by law enforcement to surrounding counties for both the vehicle and Jacob Smith.
Smith was found with the truck in the remote community of Oak Grove Heights in Greene County on Oct. 28th.
Smith was arrested and taken into custody in the Greene County Detention Center.
Investigators interviewed Smith saying several of Smith’s statements and actions did not align with the information that investigators developed.
Multiple interviews were conducted with witnesses, along with phone extractions, security footage from a connivence store , and other video footage was obtained by investigators.
ASP investigators discovered Smith’s pants in the vehicle, the pant contained what investigators believed to be blood spatters; the pants were submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for testing. Investigators say the pants were the same ones Smith was wearing in the store surveillance video in which authorities believe was taken shortly after the crimes.
Arkansas State Crime Lab determined Smith’s pants contained traces of blood, analysis of the samples showed the sample matched that of one of the victims, Tonya Stallings.
Prosecutors say this indicates that Jacob Smith was in the room at the time Tonya Stallings was shot.
Prosecutors say after evaluating witness statements, investigators reports, photos, and the DNA crime lab report, they have determined that Jacob Smith was the primary suspect in these murders.
Smith was discovered unresponsive on November 13, 2025, in his cell in the Greene County Detention Center. Authorities determined that Smith died by suicide.
In a statement from prosecutors, the Prosecuting Attorney said
“The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is declining to file any criminal charges at this time. The primary suspect is deceased, and any crime committed before his passing would of course be abated by death”.
Authorities also say there is no evidence that any other individual was involved or present at the scene during the commission of these murders.
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requests that the case be closed.