Person of interest in Eureka Springs double homicide arrested, later found deceased in Oklahoma jail

Travis Lee McConnell, 54, a person of interest in a double homicide that occurred near Eureka Springs last week, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and has since been found deceased in an Oklahoma detention facility.On Friday, Nov.14, the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended McConnell in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, and transported him to the Pittsburg County Detention Center where he was being held on an outstanding felony DWI warrant from Missouri.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office notified the Arkansas State Police (ASP) that McConnell was found deceased in his cell. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the circumstances of his death.

McConnell’s arrest followed an investigation initiated after Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a welfare check on Nov.14, at a residence on West Highway 62 near Eureka Springs. Deputies located the bodies of Joy Bennett Willmeth, 77, and Robert Leo Willmeth, 71, both of whom appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds.

At the request of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the ASP Criminal Investigation Division began a homicide investigation into the deaths.

The investigation is ongoing.

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady^® NSI