Photo: Amber Lea Runau
A Gassville woman, 21-year-old Amber Lea Runau, has been arrested following the stabbing death of a 72-year-old woman early Tuesday afternoon at a residence in Gassville.
The victim’s name has not been released pending notification to relatives. Gassville Police Captain Everett Uchtman says the victim is a close family friend of Runau’s.
Captain Uchtman says Runau called 911 from inside the home on Elm Street where the stabbing occurred. He says Runau explained to 911 what had occurred and remained on the phone with dispatch.
She was advised by dispatch per law enforcement to exit the residence and meet officers in the driveway. Uchtman says Runau was in the driveway when officers arrived and repeated the same story to them.
He says Runau described the developments leading up to the stabbing in the living room of the residence matter-of-factly. He says Runau told officers she became upset when she could not fix a picture frame and took it out on the victim, stabbing her with a butcher knife. He says there was no sign of struggle in the residence or on either the victim or Runau. Uchtman says the victim was dead when officers arrived.
He says Runau has no prior criminal record.
The jail log at the Baxter County Detention Center indicates Runau is charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.