An Arkansas man has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide after his sister and parents were found shot to death inside their Bryant home early Sunday morning.
According to the Bryant Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call just after 7:30 a.m. from a man who had returned from work to discover his wife and her parents dead from gunshot wounds. Three children were also in the home at the time of the killings but were unharmed.
Later that same day, police announced the arrest of 34-year-old Jarrod Mitchell. Authorities confirmed that the victims were Mitchell’s sister and parents, though their names have not been publicly released.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry at the home, suggesting the victims may have known their killer. Mitchell, who is the brother of the woman killed and the son of the other two victims, was taken into custody and booked at the Saline County Detention Facility on three counts of first-degree murder. He is currently being held without bond.
While investigators have not disclosed a motive, court records reviewed by Law&Crime reveal Mitchell has a troubling history. In 2017, he was involuntarily committed to a detox facility after allegedly threatening his mother, her husband, and his sister. At the time, he reportedly laid out knives on a bed and kept one on his person. His grandparents, with whom he was living, petitioned for his commitment, and a judge concluded Mitchell was “believed to be addicted to alcohol/drugs” and described him as “homicidal, suicidal, or gravely disabled.”
In addition to his mental health history, Mitchell has faced previous arrests related to nonviolent drug charges.
Mitchell is being held on a $2 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 5.
