A prosecuting attorney has determined that Jaquita Chase, 31, of Atkins, killed her three children and her mother before taking her own life in late December.
The five bodies were discovered on Christmas day by Chase's brother, according to a letter Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips sent Wednesday to investigators with the Arkansas State Police and Pope County sheriff's office.
The investigation established that nobody had left the residence near Atkins between Dec. 23 and Christmas Day.
"No other individual entered the home between those dates until Justin Patrick forced his way through the front door," wrote Phillips.
"Based on the thorough investigation of law enforcement, it is confirmed that all the doors were secure from the inside," according to Phillips' letter. "Law enforcement also confirmed that the windows were locked.
"The crime scene investigation of the home establishes Jaquita Chase caused the death of her mother and three daughters and then took her own life," wrote Phillips. "Further, she caused their deaths with both a pistol and a hammer. Evidence established she then took her own life with a .22-caliber Ruger rifle found partially underneath her on the floor in the living room."
Sheriff Shane Jones identified the victims as Patricia Patrick, 61; Jaquita Chase, 31; Abigail Heflin, 12; Levenah Countryman, 10; and Danielle Collins, 7.
Obituaries for the family members were posted on the Russellville Family Funeral Home's website.
"Finally, I must take this time to note what I witnessed on Dec. 25, 2020," Phillips wrote in the letter. "I saw law enforcement called away from their families on Christmas night to respond to a crime scene they will not soon forget. These detectives on that night and the days and nights thereafter worked tirelessly to get to the truth. I saw cooperation between agencies that led to a streamlined investigation that conclusively established Jaquita Chase committed these crimes."
Atkins, population 3,016, is probably best known for the Atkins Pickle Co., which operated for more than 50 years before closing in 2002. The town is at the foot of Carrion Crow Mountain, just south of Interstate 40 between Russellville and Morrilton.