2 arrested in death of 71-year-old Arkansan abducted during shopping trip, deputies say

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and death of a 71-year-old woman whose body was found days after she went missing from Conway earlier this month, authorities said.

Faulkner County deputies arrested 16-year-old Robert Lee Smith Jr. and 18-year-old Tacori D. Marckrell on Monday in Jefferson County, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

The two will be charged with kidnapping and theft of property in the death of Elvia Fragstein, deputies said.

Fragstein was reported missing July 9 after she didn't return home from a shopping trip in Conway. Her body was found two days later by a driver traveling along Gibb Anderson Road near Pine Bluff in Jefferson County.

In a previous release, the sheriff's office said there was reason to believe Fragestein "was forcefully taken from Conway" and killed by individuals believed to be from Jefferson County.

Smith and Marckrell are being held in Jefferson County until they can be transported to the Faulkner County jail, deputies said.

A court date has not yet been set. They are expected to be tried as adults.

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

Upcoming Events