Rudy A Ray, 56, was booked at Poinsett Jail on August 29, according to the Poinsett County Sheriff's Office online roster. The roster lists three charges: murder in the first degree, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. The roster does not publish a bond amount, an arresting agency, or a case number for this booking, and no further detail about the circumstances was available.

Under Arkansas law, murder in the first degree (Ark. Code Ann. § 5-10-102) is a Class Y felony; abuse of a corpse (Ark. Code Ann. § 5-60-101) covers treating human remains in a manner offensive to reasonable sensibilities, including concealing a corpse; and tampering with physical evidence (Ark. Code Ann. § 5-53-111) covers altering, destroying, or concealing evidence with intent to impair an official proceeding or investigation. The roster does not state which subsections apply to this case.

All three charges remain pending, and no disposition has been reported.

The booking record describes allegations and does not establish guilt.