SEARCY, Ark. – A Searcy woman and her husband are in custody, accused in the death of her 10-year-old daughter.
White County sheriff’s deputies arrested 36-year-old Malissa Kay Feavel on suspicion of manslaughter and 40-year-old Christopher Lee Feavel on suspicion of being an accomplice to manslaughter.
According to a Monday news release, deputies responded to the 2500-block of Highway 16 on Nov. 25, 2020, regarding an unresponsive 10-year-old girl.
When they arrived at the home, they found the girl dead.
The child’s body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for autopsy.
Due to the “suspicious nature of the death,” sheriff’s detectives along with the Arkansas State Crimes Against Children Division opened an investigation.
On Friday, March 12, the child’s mother and stepfather agreed to Mirandized interviews.
“Both provided their involvement regarding their actions which later resulted in the death of the minor child,” the sheriff’s office stated.
On March 15, a judge found probable cause existed to charge the couple and set their bond at $400,000 each.
The case is ongoing and additional charges may be filed, the sheriff’s office said.