Suspect arrested after Madison County triple murder, child abduction

UPDATE: MADISON COUNTY, Ark. — Additional information has been released regarding a triple homicide that occurred in Madison County.

Hunter Chenoweth, 22, is being held at the Saline County Detention Center while the homicide investigation continues.  Formal charges associated with the homicides will be determined by the Madison County prosecuting attorney.

The homicide victims were identified as Tami Lynn Chenoweth, 51, James Stanley McGhee, 59, and Cheyene Chenoweth, 26.

Information was developed identifying a child believed to have been at the home who was abducted by the killer or a woman who had also been at the crime scene.

Highway Patrol Division troopers spotted a van matching the description of the crime scene vehicle traveling westbound along Interstate 30 near Benton.  As state troopers initiated a traffic stop, a passenger in the van exited the vehicle armed with a rifle and began verbally provoking the troopers who had made the traffic stop.

Simultaneously other troopers moved-in from behind the gunman and were able to arrest Hunter Chenoweth, 22, of DeQueen.

The driver of the van stopped by State Police was a 25-year-old DeQueen woman.  Also in the van was the abducted infant, less than one-year-old.

The child was unharmed and later released to the Department of Human Services.  The female driver has been questioned by state police and released.

Original Story

MADISON COUNTY, Ark.  — A 22-year-old De Queen man was arrested on Tuesday night on three capital murder charges in connection to a triple homicide in Madison County.

Hunter Chenoweth is currently being held in the Saline County jail, suspected in the deaths of three people at a residence near Wesley, in Madison County, according to Washington County prosecutor Matt Durrett.

According to Durrett, Chenoweth was arrested in central Arkansas after fleeing the residence. The murders are believed to have occurred sometime on Tuesday evening, he said.

Chenoweth will likely be transferred to authorities in Madison County on Wednesday afternoon, according to Durrett.

Arkansas State Police is handling the investigation.

The individuals killed have not been identified, but Durrett confirmed that there was a familial relationship between the suspect and the three victims.

Chenoweth, who has a home address listed on the 500 block of Beacon Hill Road in De Queen, has a prior arrest on February 17, 2020, in Fayetteville, for failure to appear on two charges: domestic battery in the 2nd degree and two counts of 3rd degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to court records, the charges are related to a February 2020 incident in which Chenoweth is accused of stabbing his stepfather in the presence of his 17-year-old sister. The felony case is open and set for trial on June 24, 2021.