On January 1, 2018, Romance, Arkansas suffered a violent incident that left three people dead. Forty-five-year-old Starla Exum and 54-year-old Timmy Dickson of Searcy were fatally shot that day. Authorities named 42-year-old Archie Lawhon III of Cabot as the suspect and conducted a manhunt that prompted residents to shelter in place.

Deputies located Lawhon in a wooded area where he was armed with a handgun. After refusing multiple commands to drop the weapon and approaching deputies, Lawhon was shot by them. The White County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Arkansas State Police, investigated the double homicide.

Starla Exum’s death was part of a broader, deadly sequence that left the community reeling. If anyone in Romance knew Starla or has information about the events of January 1, 2018, please come forward.