UPDATE: Body Found in Wooded Area in Hope, Arkansas Identified
The body that was found in a wooded area in Hope, Arkansas on July 4 has been identified.
The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory has identified the body as 32-year-old Clay Ludlow of Smithville, Oklahoma
Clay Ludlow was never reported missing. Investigators will continue to find answers as to why Ludlow was in the Hope, Arkansas area and the cause of death.
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The Hope Police Department is investigating after a body was discovered in a wooded area on Saturday evening.
According to authorities, officers were called around 8:02 PM on Saturday, July 4, after a citizen who was cleaning property in a wooded area reported finding what appeared to be a dead body.
Officers and detectives responded to the scene and confirmed the discovery. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, investigators were unable to determine the person's race or sex.
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According to the Hope Police Department's Facebook page, the Hempstead County Coroner estimated the person had been deceased for approximately one week. Unfortunately, an exact time of death could not be determined at the scene.
The remains were transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where investigators will try to identify the person and determine the cause of death.
This investigation is still open. If you have any information that could help investigators please call the Hope Police Department at (870) 777-3434.
Additional details will be released as they become available.
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