On July 22, 2025, 69-year-old Mona Sloop, who lived alone on Shady Grove Road about 10 miles southeast of Marshall, Arkansas, was found dead in the driveway of her Leslie home. The Searcy County Sheriff’s Office responded and the body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock; she died of a single gunshot wound and the death was ruled a homicide, the county’s first of the year.

A joint investigation by the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division followed. Investigators initially reported no clear motive. A reward was later offered for information leading to an arrest, and authorities described the killing as an isolated incident and said residents had no reason to be alarmed.

If anyone who lived near Shady Grove Road or knew Mona has information that could help the investigation, law enforcement asks that you come forward.