Arkansas State Police Investigate Five Fatalities in Arkansas

Five people died in Arkansas highway accidents

Five people lost their lives in separate traffic incidents across Arkansas during a three-day period in early November 2026, according to reports from magnoliareporter.com.

The fatalities, which spanned multiple counties and involved various types of collisions, were documented in preliminary reports from the Arkansas State Police. These incidents occurred between Thursday, November 5, and Saturday, November 7.

The stretch of roads involved ranged from rural highways to urban intersections, highlighting a series of tragic events that claimed lives through single-vehicle crashes, pedestrian strikes, and a collision involving a commercial truck.

Fatalities reported across multiple counties

On Saturday morning, November 7, 56-year-old Barbara Rackley of Bigelow was killed in a single-vehicle accident. The crash occurred around 6:12 a.m. on Arkansas Highway 9 near Perryville, according to the Arkansas State Police.

Rackley was driving a 2006 Jeep Laredo northbound when the vehicle left the roadway to the right. The Jeep then re-entered the highway, crossed the center line, entered a ditch, struck a guardrail post, and overturned. State police reported the weather was clear and the roadway was dry at the time.

Arkansas State Police Investigate Five Fatalities in Arkansas

The day prior, on Friday, November 6, Mary Couch, 55, of Heber Springs, died in a crash in rural Van Buren County. At approximately 3:20 p.m., Couch was driving a 2024 Subaru Forester eastbound on State Highway 124.

The vehicle crossed the centerline, left the roadway, and struck a tree. The impact caused the Subaru to become airborne and strike a second tree before overturning. Investigators noted the weather was clear and the road was dry during the accident.

On Thursday, November 5, three separate fatal incidents were recorded by state authorities:

Ariel Vongvilay, 32: Struck by a vehicle while crossing Towson Avenue in Sebastian County at 7:11 p.m. The vehicle involved was a southbound 2015 Jeep Cherokee.
Leigh Zanone Scull, 58: Struck by a vehicle while walking north on the west shoulder of Arkansas 131 in Crittenden County at approximately 2:13 p.m. The driver of the vehicle left the scene.
Theodore L. Wansley, 74: Killed in a collision on U.S. Highway 65 in Searcy County at approximately 3:10 p.m. Wansley was driving a 2000 Ford F-250 pickup when it entered the path of a northbound 1997 Peterbilt truck while he was leaving a parking lot.

Unresolved questions in hit-and-run investigation

While many of the accidents involved single vehicles or identified drivers, the death of Leigh Zanone Scull remains an active point of interest for investigators. The vehicle that struck Scull on the shoulder of Arkansas 131 fled the scene immediately following the collision.

State police have identified the vehicle involved in the Crittenden County incident as unknown. Authorities have not yet released information regarding the identity of the driver or the direction of travel taken by the vehicle after the strike.

In the Sebastian County incident, the driver of the 2015 Jeep Cherokee that struck Ariel Vongvilay was not injured. However, the driver’s name was not included in the preliminary report provided by the Arkansas State Police.

The rapid succession of these fatalities across different regions of the state shows that highway travel is unpredictable, even under clear weather conditions and dry road surfaces. Investigators from the Arkansas State Police continue to process the details of these preliminary reports.