HOT SPRINGS — The Garland County sheriff’s office continues to investigate the March 2012 shooting death of a Pearcy man but has not been able to identify a suspect.
The body of Frank Huneycutt, 45, was found March 29 on the floor of his residence at 182 Addison Road, off Pearcy Road, and it appeared that he had been dead for a while.
A friend who had been trying to contact Huneycutt for several days found him shortly before 7:30 p.m. that day and called authorities.
Findings from the state Crime Laboratory later placed the time of death about five days earlier.
“There were no immediate signs of foul play, and the extended period that Mr. Huneycutt had been deceased did not offer visible signs of trauma,” Lt. James “Corky” Martin said at the time.
The Crime Lab later ruled the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.
Huneycutt’s daughter, Jamyn Purvis, said Wednesday that the family was initially told he died of natural causes, only to find out later that he had been killed.
“When it all first happened, it was completely a shock,” she said, noting that she couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.
After talking with some of his friends, Purvis said she learned “there was apparently a drug issue involved.” She said she was told “he was using something” and that his death was possibly related to that.
“I know when you’re dealing with that kind of thing it’s hard to get people to talk about it. I didn’t know anything about the drugs, but now it makes more sense.”
Purvis said her father had become distant shortly before his death, which was unusual for him. She has a 3-year-old son and “my son was his whole world,” she said, but Huneycutt had become less involved with his family.
Purvis said that she and several family members and friends had tried to call him that week and that she didn’t understand at the time why he couldn’t be reached. Shesaid he wasn’t returning messages, “which just seemed crazy to me.”
Sheriff’s investigator Terry Threadgill, who is leading the case, said Wednesday that he is still interviewing people but has no new leads or suspects.
He noted there is a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible.
Purvis said her father lived alone and was self-employed in the construction business. She said he worked a lot with heavy machinery but had not been working on any new projects at the time of his death.
A native of Malvern, Huneycutt was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War and had lived in the Hot Springs area for many years, Purvis said.
“We just want to find out who did it. It’s so hard when you don’t know anything,” she said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/07/2013