SPRINGDALE — Police found a body inside an SUV pulled Friday afternoon from Beaver Lake. Police suspect the remains are a missing Springdale woman who may have been a victim of foul play.
Boats and a tow truck retrieved a dark blue 1992 GMC Jimmy from the lake near the U.S. 412 bridge east of Springdale. The Jimmy belongs to suspected homicide victim Kelly Denise Lockhart who has been missing since 2008, officials said.
The Jimmy was identified by its vehicle identification number, said Det. Chuck Rexford, Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The vehicle was in the water below a ledge of cliffs just south of the U.S. 412 bridge.
The cliffs and low visiblity in the muddy water made the retrieval difficult, said Lt. Brian Comstock, Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Lockhart was reported missing April 9, 2008. Investigators recently received information Lockhart had been killed, according to a news release from the Springdale Police Department.
Divers from the Washington and Benton counties sheriff's offices started searching Beaver Lake near Saddle Shop Lane late Thursday for Lockhart's vehicle and remains, police said.
Divers found the Jimmy on Thursday and secured the vehicle, Rexford said.
Divers used inflatable airbags to raise the vehicle from the lake bottom, then pulled it to a nearby boat ramp, where a tow truck winched it out of the water.
Police confirmed a body was in the vehicle after the vehicle was towed to shore.
"When a body has been in the water that long, it's not going to be in very good shape," said Roger Morris, Washington County coroner.
The vehicle and body were taken to a secure location for examination, Rexford said. The body will be sent to the state Crime Lab for identification.
Lockhart was disabled and her parents purchased a mobile home at 1012 Spruce St. in Springdale for her to live in, said Sherrie Hutton, office manager of Whisler Mobile Home Park. Hutton said she did not interact with Lockhart much except when Lockhart came in to pay the lot rent.
Hutton said she never received any complaints about Lockhart. "She never bothered anyone," Hutton said.
Pat Hall, who lives near Lockhart's former trailer, said Lockhart was nice, though her interactions with Lockhart were brief. They mostly saw each other when going in and out of their homes at the same time, Hall said.
Property records indicate Darrel and Hannah Lockhart purchased the trailer in 2000, the same year Kelly Lockhart's address changed on personal property records to that location.
No one answered the door Friday afternoon at Darrel and Hannah Lockhart's home in Springdale.
Voter registration records indicate Kelly Lockhart was born in 1961, but other records show a 1951 birthdate. It wasn't clear Friday which birthdate is correct, said Kelly Cantrell, public information officer for the Washington County Sheriff's Office. School records show Lockhart graduated from Springdale High School in 1982.
Lockhart was arrested Sept. 28, 2007 after a shoplifting incident at a Springdale Walmart. She was detained for shoplifting and fought with store loss-prevention officers, according to the preliminary arrest report.
Lockhart didn't show up for her robbery trial in January 2008. A failure to appear warrant was issued in February. Lockhart was reported missing two months later.
Springdale police have identified two suspects in Lockhart's death and expect arrests soon, according to a news release. Detectives also are seeking arrest warrants for at least two other people who may have helped cover up Lockhart's disappearance or death.
Steve Caraway, Dan Craft and Brett Bennett contributed to this report.